RIVER PALACE OLYMPICS...

To celebrate the opening of the Olympics. We had a BBQ here at "The Palace". In true RPG style, it was fancy dress. Even though I am absolutely appalling in real life on the ice...my costume...a figure skater! 

COMEDY CLUB ASIA...

Last Friday we tried something new. Comedy Club Asia at The Klapsons Hotel...

Opening act GB Labrador from the Philippines...
GB Labrador was the 1st Runner-Up in the 2020 Hong Kong International Comedy Festival and represented the Philippines in the 2011 Laugh Off Asia held in Singapore. He has performed in various clubs in the U.S including shows for 2nd Avenue and Jack TV. In December 2008 GB became the finalist of Jack TV's "Laffapalooza 2". *

Followed by Allyson June Smith from Canada. Hilariously funny and extremely entertaining. 
Allyson Smith has been tickling Canada's comedy scene from the moment she put down the chalk brush and picked up a mic. With her sassy blend of in-your-face stand up and hilariously insightful commentary, playing to packed rooms is just another day at the office for this former high school teacher, whose credits include the prestigious Just For Laughs comedy Festival and just about everything in between.*
http://allysonjunesmith.com/

And wrapped up with Imran Yusaf, a British stand-up who was by far the highlight of the evening for me.
Imran Yusaf is renowned for his stinging, lyrical street slang and super high energy performance. Fast and furious yet charmingly endearing, his is a unique voice in the comedy world! 

"Imran Yusaf has to be one of the most captivating, energetic, and animated stand up comedians I've ever seen. His act is at a mile a minute, and he doesn't let off for any to it."

We've never thought about doing comedy club here before but will most definitely be doing it again! Looking forward to the next one! 

* Comedy Club Asia website : http://www.thecomedyclub.asia/home/

NOT SO SUNNY SYDNEY...

This July I visited Sydney again, this time to pay Joe a visit whilst half way through his course. I've never visited Australia in the "winter" and with a drop in temperature of over 20 degrees it was a slight shock to the system. As I've visited the city before I didn't really need to do the tourist thing and we spent the weekend in the beach side suburb of Cronulla where Joe is staying with our friends Mikey and Nicci. Despite the weather (and having an awful cold) I had a great trip and it was great to see Joe after so long apart. I absolutely love walking along the beach. Amazing views. Amazing company.

iFLY...

As an amazing birthday present off Jill this year, we spent a few hours on Sentosa experiencing the iFly. "iFly is the world's largest themed wind tunnel for indoor skydiving. There's no jumping, no plunging, no bad weather and no aeroplanes, just sheer exhilaration and an adrenaline rush like no other."

It certainly was different to the actual skydive I did back in 2009 over  Lake Taupo in New Zealand. First and foremost I wasn't half as nervous! Secondly the experience is easier to savor. Although I remember jumping out the plane three years ago there are parts of it that I can't recall (although I have a pretty cool DVD to look back on!). iFly experiences give you two skydives in the Flight Chamber (we opted to pay for an extra so got three altogether) and the time you for each dive is like falling through the air from 12,000 to 3,000 feet. Doing a real dive you would be out in the open air. But the iFly wind tunnel spans 16.5 feet wide and is 56.5 feet tall, which is almost five stories high. It has an 18 foot tall acrylic glass wall so you view out over the South China Sea ... that's if you aren't concentrating too hard!!!! A massive thank you to Jill for an unforgettable birthday present! 

Check out the we bite for more here : http://www.iflysingapore.com/main.html

HANOI & HALONG BAY...

I've been very lucky to have been able to explore this side of the world lots since I moved here nearly two years ago. And having friends come to visit means that I am able to explore even more! My most recent guest, Betsy, joined me at the end of June and we decided that we would head away for two long weekends. One to Bali. One to Hanoi, Vietnam, with another friend Sarah.

As I've not been to Vietnam before I wasn't quite sure what to expect. However, I had heard from Paul and Joe that Halong Bay was a must. So after landing in the middle of the day our trip began with an afternoon wandering the streets of Hanoi, taking in the atmosphere and of course tasting the local cuisine. Our first meal, Bun Cha. A simple dish originating in Hanoi itself. A combination of grilled pork and vermicelli noodles and herbs in a steamy broth of fish sauce. Before heading to Vietnam the only Vietnamese cuisine I have really tasted has been Chicken Pho (a favorite hangover cure of mine) and rice paper spring rolls so this was such a different taste to experience.

Hanoi itself is in the capital of Vietnam and the country's largest city with a population estimated at 2.6 million (but that was back in 2009!) For me I found it super noisy! So many scooters. It's slightly frantic and trying to cross the road is an experience in itself. Motorists don't seem to understand zebra crossings and you just have to hold your head up and power walk as fast as you can, as confidently as you can to be able to cross from one side tot he other! 

On a recommendation we reserved a table at The Green Tangerine for dinner (http://greentangerinehanoi.com/). What an incredible restaurant. I would highly recommend. 

"Welcome to Green Tangerine, a peaceful oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of Hanoi. Conveniently located in the city's famous Old Quarter, the restaurant offers French food with a Vietnamese twist made from the freshest ingredients, accompanied by service that is comparable to European and American Standards. One of the finest French restaurants in town."

Our second day was "adventure day" to Halong Bay. Lucky enough to have a mini bus to ourselves, we managed to catch some sleep on the way there (with an early 6am start it was needed!) and by the time we reached Halong Bay (about a 3 hour drive) we were refreshed and ready to go! We had found a boat trip through the Jetstar website and were amazed to discover we had the whole boat to ourselves with our own private tour guide (Tom) and chefs to cook us lunch. 

Apart from cruising around the area (which covers 1,553 square km and includes 1960 - 2000 islets) mostly made from limestone we got to discover the Halong caves. A natural wonder. Breathtaking. 

A few people had told me that I couldn't visit Hanoi without trying Cha Ca La Vong. It's a restaurant that serves only one dish. Cha Ca ... or grilled fish. This place has certainly earned its place on the map. It was delicious. Cooked in a pan on the table in front of you on a charcoal burner and served with different herbs, rice vermicelli (again!), nuoc cham dipping sauce, sliced chillies and roasted peanuts. 

A short but very sweet trip to experience a small taster of Vietnam. Still plenty more to see! But of course I am sure that we will be heading back there very soon. So many more places to see and so much to do! It seems like I've spent a lot of time in the air recently. I thought it would be quite interesting to figure out how many miles I travelled this year just between May and July: 

Singapore - Brazil : 10555 miles

Singapore - UK : 6739 miles

Singapore - Bali : 1050 miles

Singapore - Vietnam : 1363 miles

Singapore - Sydney : 3925 miles

Three months and a whopping 47,264 miles in the air! I firmly have my feet on the ground for a few months before my trip home to the UK in November!