The Delights of Balinese Food

30 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by in Asia, Bali, Food & Drinks

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Mr. Selfish and I didn’t know much about Balinese food prior to this trip. The only other time we had had Indonesian food was in Amsterdam. We had enjoyed a variety of delicious and very spicy small plates, which is known as Padang and is from the area of Sumatra. This type of cuisine is entirely different from Balinese cuisine, so we were excited to learn about actual Balinese food.

One of our best meals in Bali was at Ibu Oka, where they serve roasted pork (“babi guling”). This dish is distinctly Balinese. The Balinese prepare the pork by stuffing and infusing it with a spicy concoction typically involving turmeric, coriander seeds, lemongrass, black pepper and garlic and then the pig is spit-roasted. Yes, it is just as amazing as it sounds.

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Monkey Forest? I’m There!

29 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by in Asia, Bali

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When I learned that there was a monkey forest in Ubud, I knew that we had to visit it while we were in Bali. Its official name is the Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtega. Approximately 605 long-tailed macaques live in the monkey forest. It was amazing to see so many monkeys wandering around.

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Living It Up in Bali

28 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by in Accommodations, Asia, Bali

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Mr. Selfish and I spent five glorious nights in Bali, Indonesia. We immediately decided that our trip to Bali was too short and that we needed to return later. Not only did Bali seem very untouched by Western culture but the people were the friendliest and nicest we’ve encountered. Plus, the food was amazing, and the prices couldn’t be beat.

We spent three nights in Sanur at the Hyatt Bali. The Hyatt has multiple pools and access to the beach. It was lovely – especially during sunset.

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The Night Safari in Singapore

27 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by in Asia, Singapore

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On our last night in Singapore, Mr. Selfish and I decided to do the night safari. We had met a very friendly local who highly recommended it to us. He also noted that it was about 1.5 hours away by public transportation and that we should get there early since it got pretty crowded. Per his recommendation, we left early and made the 1.5 hours trip to the night safari.

The first thing we did was queue up for the tram. It wasn’t yet too crowded but we could tell that it would be packed soon.

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The Sights and Sounds of Singapore

26 Saturday Jan 2013

Posted by in Asia, Singapore

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Mr. Selfish and I spent three jet-lagged days in Singapore. Since we hadn’t been before, we wanted to hit the highlights of Singapore.

First, we wandered around Chinatown (since the hawker centers are there) and visited the Tian Hock Keng Temple. The temple was built in the 1840’s after the influx of Chinese immigrants arrived. Although the main temple is dedicated to Mazu, the Taoist goddess of the sea and protector of all seamen, the back temple is dedicated to Kuan Yin, the bodhisattva of mercy. 

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Flashback Friday – Day Trips from Saigon

25 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by in Asia, Flashback, Vietnam

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As I’ve mentioned previously, Mr. Selfish and I are currently taking it easy in Saigon. However, when we came here for our homeland honeymoon in 2009, we took a couple of day trips during our short 3-day stay in Saigon.

First, we went to the Mekong Delta, which is where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of streams. It was lovely but quite hot (as it tends to be in Saigon). We were given straw hats for the short canoe trip, which I found quaint but quickly discovered were mostly functional due to the scorching sun.

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The Great Marriott Quadruple Play

24 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by in Spain, Travel Hacking

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Back in November, Mrs. Selfish and I drove from Barcelona to Madrid, stopping in a total of 5 cities over the course of 8 nights: Valencia, Murcia, Malaga, Seville, and Cordoba.

8 Days of driving in Southern Spain!

While Mrs. Selfish was excited to try authentic Spanish paella, take in the Moorish ruins, and experience Flamenco dancing, I was excited to try out Marriott’s latest promotions.

Marriott acquired the AC Hotel chain in Spain, which is a low-to mid tier chain with quite a number of cheap hotels. While a few of the hotels ran us upwards of 80 euros a night (or $106), the majority were 60 euros ($80) or cheaper.

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Chowing Down at the Hawker Stands in Singapore

23 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by in Asia, Food & Drinks, Singapore

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The primary reason that Mr. Selfish and I wanted to go to Singapore was to eat at the hawker stands. We had heard tales of delicious and cheap food in government-regulated hawker stands, and we wanted to try as many hawker stands as possible. Unfortunately, we only made it to two hawker stands.

The first hawker center we visited was the Amoy Street Food Centre, which is near Chinatown. We were still jet-lagged so we showed up at around 10:30 am. As a result, there were no lines, and we could eat whatever we wanted.

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Good Morning Vietnam!

22 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by in Asia, Vietnam

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Mr. Selfish and I have been in Saigon for three full days now. Since this is our second time here, we haven’t really done much other than settle into our apartment, made a home-cooked meal, and joined a gym. It has been nice having a routine, and best of all, we don’t leave until Friday.

After that, we’ll be traveling to parts of Vietnam we haven’t visited yet – Nha Trang, Dalat, Hoi An, and Da Nang. So of course, our days will be jammed pack full of activities again.

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At this point, we’re starting to get a little travel planning fatigue. So, please let me know if you have any recommendations for us.

Loving the Green Wine in Lisbon

21 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by in Europe, Food & Drinks, Portugal

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Although Mr. Selfish and I are not wine experts, we have drank enough wine so that we can tell what is a good versus bad bottle of wine. During our six weeks in Paris, we drank many cheap bottles for around five euros each. Once we dipped below that price point, the wine was not palatable.

When we heard that Lisbon had vinho verde or green wine, Mr. Selfish and I knew that we had to try it. Green wine does not refer to the color of the grape but is actually wine made from young grapes. It is meant to be consumed within one year. The wine is a little sweet but mostly tart. We tried it and loved it. So we drank green wine at every opportunity we had.

Our favorite place was a little wine bar called Grapes & Bites. The wine was well-priced, and the food was yummy. Their cheese platter paired perfectly with our wine. Mr. Selfish and I actually went to Grapes & Bites twice although we were only in Lisbon for three days.

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Eating Egg Custards in Belém

20 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by in Europe, Food & Drinks, Portugal

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By the time we arrived in Marrakech, it was starting to get dark. Because the streets twist and turn in so many directions, Mr. Selfish and I had some trepidation about how we were going to get dinner that evening. While we were waiting for a map from the hotel staff, Mr. Selfish heard a family speaking American English. I hadn’t heard American English in ages, so it was a sweet comfort to my ears. I immediately started speaking to them and asking them about where they were going to dinner. Fortunately, they invited us to follow them to dinner.

The other fortunate coincidence was that part of the family was currently living in Lisbon, Portugal. Mr. Selfish and I accordingly asked them for recommendations since we were going to Lisbon right after Marrakech. Their best recommendation was the egg custards at Pastéis de Belém. Although I haven’t eaten many egg custards, I found these to be utterly delicious and creamy. They were really fresh since the place does a great deal of business. 

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The Views in Lisbon

19 Saturday Jan 2013

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Mr. Selfish and I stayed in Lisbon, Portugal for four days. In that short period of time, we learned that the Portuguese sure do enjoy their views. On our first day, we went to the Miradouro Sao Pedro de Alcantara, which is a park and lookout point.

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Flashback Friday – Halong Bay in Vietnam

18 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by in Asia, Flashback, Food & Drinks, Vietnam

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During our homeland honeymoon, Mr. Selfish and I stayed in the Sofitel in Hanoi, Vietnam. The hotel had a French colonial theme and was utterly charming. It is one of our favorite hotels of all time. Since our good friends (Uyen-Minh and Mike) paid for a day trip to Halong Bay as our wedding present, we decided to splurge and arranged for the trip through the Sofitel.

It was a little extravagant but we had a private driver and an English-speaking tour guide to Halong Bay, which was about 1.5 hours away. Along the way, the tour guide made some disparaging remarks about Americans to us, which is fine but we found a little odd since we had just told him that we were American.

When we arrived at Halong Bay, we discovered that we had an entire junk boat to ourselves. It was a two-story junk boat that could probably fit about 100 tourists. There was also an entire crew just for us.

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It’s the Altitude Sickness, I Swear.

17 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by in Africa, Morocco

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After our camel trek outside of Marrakech, we enjoyed lunch at a rustic riad near Jbel Toubkal, which is the tallest mountain in north African and the second tallest in Africa. It is more than 13,000 feet tall. The riad was nicely nestled in the valley near the town of Imlil. We ate a hearty meal of salad and tangine in order to prepare for our hike in the valley.

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Look Ma, I’m Riding a Camel!

16 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by in Africa, Morocco

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One of my goals for this selfish year trip was to ride a camel in Morocco. Since I failed to consult a map, I didn’t realize that Marrakech was quite a distance from the desert. We therefore rode camels through the mountains near the town of Asni, which is about an hour ride from Marrakech.

Mounting the camel was not difficult since they provided a step. However, actually riding the camel proved more difficult than I originally thought. At one point, it looked like I was about to fall off the camel and our handler advised me to move forward on the camel. Apparently, I was improperly riding way in the back of the saddle.

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