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Fabergé

We heard of this place a long time ago but just never had the courage to wait in line to just get brunch. Surprisingly, we got there at 11am on a Saturday and we got seated right away! The menu is very straight forward with a lot of original combinations. We got the eggs benedict served on top of pulled pork and a mac and cheese bun! It was accompanied by these unbelievable breakfast potatoes.…

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Kem Coba

I’ve first heard about Kem Coba because I’ve actually bought their book! And I’ve read about the owner’s travel through Asia as backpackers. Then I’ve traveled around Thailand myself to come in Montreal and find out that the very own author of the book has a icecream shop in Montreal! The place is cute and colourful with flavours changing every two weeks. We loved the mango and dulce de leche…

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Boozie Sunday brunch at Le Slang

This is first in Montreal where 7 different restaurants come in together to pull off this amazing Sunday brunch. Many foodies, bloggers, chefs and friends were invited to this gluttonous event. It happens every first Sunday of the Month and you have to reserve in advance! Four courses were on the set menu with two dishes per course for the first three. We were welcomed with a bourbon maple…

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L'Orignal

L’Orignal http://wp.me/s5IRNK-lorignal

After trying so many of those so-called best montreal restaurants, I’m so happy to stumble on this new finding, L’Orignal. From the moment that we step inside the restaurant, I fell in love with that cozy chalet feel.

It’s decorated like a hidden hunt resort with rustic bookshelves, canoes and wooden everything. It feels like you are about to eat whatever they caught today! The service was very…

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Bucket list: updated

There are those who dream and there are those who live their dreams. Here’s my updated bucket list with no particular order:

Getting lost in the streets of Paris & London

Go to India

Scubadive in the great barrier reef

Go to a poor country, volunteer and build churches

See the northern lights

Learn the guitar better

Go to the carnival in Rio

Sunbathe in the islands of Santorini

Skydive in the…

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Chiang Mai was definitely my favourite city in Thailand. Try to make sure that you are here for the weekend. Their Sunday markets are remarkable and the food is the best in Thailand by far. Street vendors all sell different handmade crafts unlike the repeating fake designer bags vendors in Phuket and Bangkok. We shopped, ate and walked a lot. It took us 4 hours to walk through the Sunday market and I’m sure that we’ve missed some streets.

Elephant camps are everywhere in Chiang Mai, but do some research and make sure that the one you visit don’t abuse the elephants. We went to Ran Tong and we had a great time. We had a full day to feed, walk and bathe the elephants. Definitely check one of the camps out.

We were hesitant to visit the Tiger Kingdom because of the mixed reviews, but I think it was totally worth it. When would you get another chance to touch a tiger? We took a Songtew and it costed us 300 THB for a round trip (the driver waits for you outside). There are different packages that you can take. We chose the one with Cubs + Teen cats + Big cats for around 1200 THB/person. You can hire a photographer for 300 THB/ cage, but don’t take that because we have seen people complaining about waiting for 1 hour just for their photographer to get there. We tipped the guard before visiting each cage, and he gave us a bottle to feed the cubs milk and took many pictures for us.

Finally, we booked a thai cooking class that includes 7 dishes of your choice. Although I found it long because we had breaks to relax between every two dishes, it was really fun going to the market to learn the different ingredients used in thai cuisine. They also taught us how to make our own curry paste from scratch. All we did was cook and eat so we were super full and satisfied at the end of the day. They gave us at the end a graduation certificate with a recipe book of everything.

We also checked out “Art in paradise” the 3D museum. We had a lot of fun taking silly pictures, we did this at night since they open until 9pm and we just walked to the night market afterwards that’s 5 min away.

padthai

roasted quails

sausages

BBQ

papaya salad

mango salad

sunday market

khao soi

cooking class

visiting the market

cooking class

drunken noodles

making curry paste

ingredients

khao soi

certified

3d museum

sleeping on cubs

feeding milk

number 2

big cats

cleaning his paw

fighting teenagers

night markets

mango wood bracelets

elephant camp

walking around the camp

mud bath!

washing him clean

How to avoid scams in Chiang Mai:

Chiang Mai is a lot less touristy than Bangkok and Phuket, therefore, less scam. But again, avoid tuktuks at all cost. Taxi drivers here tend to refuse taxi meters. The best way to get around in by Red Songtews. They have a flat fee of 20 THB/person and can get you around anywhere around the old city. If you want to go to Tiger Kingdom, you can negotiate a price and they will wait for you while you visit and give you a ride back afterwards. Songtews are the way to go.

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai was definitely my favourite city in Thailand. Try to make sure that you are here for the weekend.

#artinparadise #chiangmai #cookingclass #cubs #elephantrescuecamp #favouritecity #khaosoi #nightmarket #padthai #sausages #sundaymarket #thailand #tigerkingdom

We stayed at Kalima Resort and Spa and we absolutely loved it. The hotel is on a cliff and we got a stunning view from our room. We got a free upgrade from a Deluxe to a Honeymoon, but I heard that they upgrade when it’s possible. It’s located a bit away from Patong beach, but that’s what gives the impression of a real escape. The infinity pool is beautiful and very quiet. We stayed for dinner in our hotel many nights because we just can’t get enough of it. We had free shuttles three times a day to Patong beach and that was more than enough. It’s very loud at night and everyone is constantly trying to sell you a suit, a tuktuk or a massage. I recommend you to book a nice hotel and stay away from Patong beach. You can book some really cheap tours without haggling with SRCtravel and they come pick you up at your hotel. We didn’t do all the tours so I can’t tell you which tours to get, but basically the smaller your group, the more fun it is.

My favourite would be Phang Nga (James Bond island), although the water is not as breathtaking as Phiphi islands (which were only good for photos), we had a lot of fun kayaking under and through the limestones discovering secret caves. Some places are only accessible by kayak at a certain time of the day because of the tide. Afterwards, we got some free time on a private beach and it was just our group.

Phiphi islands are stunning with their postcard perfect landscapes. But it was very crowded and there was at least 10 other speed boats on the same small beach as us. We stayed there for only 30 min, just enough to take a picture and escape from the people. They brought us to Khuai island which was really rocky and very crowded. I didn’t love the tour, but it was nice to see Phiphi that everyone talks so much about.

I found the Fantasea show was just okay. I’m not a big fan of how circus treat animals, and the tricks done by the performers were nothing special. But I can picture kids loving it because it has magic shows and elephants on stage, etc.The buffet was average comparing to the rest of the thai food that we’ve been having. The little shops outside resembled a carnival with really pretty decorations. In general, it was fun, but this place would be great for families and kids.

One of my favourite things in Phuket was the cheap, but high quality facials and massages that I got in Juncelyeon. Definitely check that out even if you’re a man. I convinced my husband to get his first facial there after showing him how much men there are there.

Nightlife street

Patong Beach

Pad Thai

Fantasea show

Tigers at Fantasea

Buffet at Fantasea

Fantasea

Kalima in Phuket

Pool at Kalima

Speedboat

Phiphi islands

Phiphi

Phang Nga (james bond)

Kayaking in Phang Nga

Secret caves

Secret Caves

Phang Nga

Tuktuk

Durian

Phuket We stayed at Kalima Resort and Spa and we absolutely loved it. The hotel is on a cliff and we got a stunning view from our room.

#cheapfacials #fantasea #jamesbondisland #kalimaresort #padthai #paradise #patongbeach #phangnga #phiphi #phiphiislands #phuket #secretcaves #thailand #turqoisebeach

After 30 hours of flight and layover, we arrive at the bustling city of Bangkok. The streets are busy and crowded by street vendors and food carts. The pollution is strong here and the smog level are enough for us to never see any clear sky. The ins and outs and the ever changing temperatures of different air conditioning and outdoors gave me a cold. However, Thailand is a country that I will never forget. We’ve tried the touristy places and also some of the places that locals hang out, here are some of our highlights.

1. Go to a floating market. There are many floating markets really far away (about 45min-1hours taxi ride) and they only open early in the morning targeting now mostly only to tourists. We were able to find a much closer market called Taling Chan. It’s a smaller than all the other markets, but honestly, after trying about 2-3 dishes, we were so full that we were lazy to keep walking.

2. Go shopping. They have one of the biggest malls in the world all lined up one after the other. Start with MBK, it’s connected to Siam square, whose connected to Siam Paragon, whose at 2 min walk away from Central World. If you like cheap and fake stuff, there’s plenty of night market along Sukhumvit road.

3. Go to any skybars. There are plenty in Bangkok and the view is spectacular, they filmed Hangover 2 at Skybar, but the place is very crowded and the drinks watered down and expensive. I would recommend you to check out the open bar on the rooftop of Marriott. There’s a lot less people and you can actually get a seat for just having drinks.

4. Go around Victory Monument for food. At the Northeast of the statue, there are many stalls lined up along the water canal serving boat noodles. Thai eat like 10 bowls per person! Each bowl is a tiny portion so that you can try the different soup base and the noodle types. There’s also a lot of street vendors circling the Victory Monument.

5. Go check out the Forensic Museum located inside a hospital. This is absolutely one of a kind. They don’t allow pictures so I don’t have anything to show you, but they expose all the preserved baby malformations, skulls after gunshot, etc. If you still have appetite after, there’s an incredibly large market right outside of the hospital where you could get fresh produce, street food, and cheap massages.

6. Visit the Grand Palace. I’m not a temple fan, but I still think the grand palace is worth a visit. The place is really big and the architecture is beautiful. You can visit at the same time the Reclining Buddha which is not far from it. After these two places, I had enough lof temples, they all end up looking about the same to me.

Skybar

Reclining Buddha

Siriraj Forensic Museum

Victory Monument

Making bowl noodles

bowl noodles

how much we ate

AYCE thai bbq

Nana plaze

Red light district

How to avoid scams in Bangkok:

The taxi and tuk tuk scam is very well known in Thailand. To avoid this in Bangkok, just always go with taxis and don’t go in until they have said yes to “Meter”. They always overcharge tourists especially around landmarks. You can forget about tuktuks because they’re just 100% scam. E.g. A tuktuk driver would charge us 500 THB (20$) for a ride that you can get with a Taxi that’s metered for 120 THB. (5$) Taxis are all air conditioned so it’s also a very nice break from the heat outside.

Haggling in night markets will definitely be a challenge, offer them a price that’s just as ridiculously low. They usually will settle for at least half of the price that they offered you. The best line is “200 THB or nothing”. Or “Okay thanks, I will keep shopping.”

Book a hotel that’s along the MRT or BTS system. It gets you around very well and very cheap around the downtown area. You can get somewhere for 20THB to about 45 THB per person.

If your flight is between 6am and midnight, you should take the skytrain link and it will bring you to a subway station downtown. It costed us 80THB/person to get to our hotel. If you take a cab, be prepared to pay about 500 THB.

Muy Thai competitions are a scam, they charge 2000 THB for tourists and only 20 THB for locals. Although it is once a lifetime experience, but this is just too unfair and we refuse to support it.

Bangkok: must-sees and scams After 30 hours of flight and layover, we arrive at the bustling city of Bangkok. The streets are busy and crowded by street vendors and food carts.

#bangkok #bangkokscam #boatnoodles #floatingmarket #foodcoma #forensicmuseum #hangover2 #nanaplaza #padthai #recliningbuddha #siriraj #skybar #talingchan #thailand #thingstodoinbangkok #victorymonument

Before a more thorough guide to cities that we’ve been, here’s a list of things to bring and not to bring on your trip to Thailand!

Things to bring:

For girls, bring bralettes, because it’s extremely hot in Thailand and you will be sweating from everywhere so you will be loving these super thin bras.

At least two bikinis to allow the other one to dry while you use the other one the next day. I brought 6 on my trip and loved having different beach styles everyday.

Sunscreen! It costs 20$ for a small-regular bottle. And they only have SPF50 + extra whitening.

Anti-nausea pills. I didn’t think I need them because I don’t ever get sea sick, but surprisingly, I get motion sickness from the mini bus that take you to your tours. You usually have to stay in those busses for at least an hour before you reach your destinations. Any other sort of pills, you can easily find in any pharmacy.

Things not to bring:

Don’t bring too much makeup because you will sweat a lot and everything will leak. Besides, people that wear lots of makeup in Bangkok are either prostitutes or ladyboys. You don’t want to be mistaken for neither.

Don’t bring a hat, but you will need one. Hats are a pain to carry in your bags and they are super cheap in Thailand, you can find them in any street markets.

Don’t bring any high heel shoes that you didn’t even wear at home. You will be walking a lot and heels will just take up extra room in your luggage.

Some may tell you to bring long pants to visit temples, but I don’t think it’s necessary. They always provide you free coverups and you really don’t want to stay in jeans for the rest of the day. You can buy very pretty thin pants with thai elephant designs on any street.

Cities:

Fun things to do in Bangkok and how to avoid scams

Fun things things to do in Phuket and how to avoid scams

Fun things to do in Chiang Mai and how to avoid scams

Thailand: Things to bring and not to bring Before a more thorough guide to cities that we've been, here's a list of things to bring and not to bring on your trip to Thailand!

Joe beef is a must try restaurant in Montreal for everyone. It’s local and modern. The service was great. We got to sit at the bar without reservation and the two bartenders were very knowledgeable about their menu and they love to chat and joke. The menu changes daily and because they use seasonal products. In the summer, they even have a garden in the back yard that grows some herbs and some ingredients of their salad. Their double down is no longer on the menu and they told me the whole reason of why that item was on the menu was because they kind of wanted to make fun of the KFC double down last year. But honestly, everything is good. I particularly liked their steaks, and I’m not too much of a carnivore. We had a really good time there and we are going to checkout their sister restaurant Liverpool House tonight! Can’t wait!

Joe beef Joe beef is a must try restaurant in Montreal for everyone. It's local and modern. The service was great.

Cafe Aunja Now that I’m not a student anymore, coffee shops have become a relaxing place to…

Cafe Aunja Now that I’m not a student anymore, coffee shops have become a relaxing place to pass time rather than a stressful place to cram before exams. Cafe Aunja is a cozy little Persian cafe that stands out by their distinct atmosphere. Emmersed by the smell and the exotic aromas of freshly brewed tea, I enjoyed a whole afternoon of good time with a good friend just catching up and talking…

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How can I not blog about the most popular restaurant in Montreal? In fact, I didn’t dare to go until last summer because I’m not a big fan of gamey meats. But after getting his book and reading about what’s in each dish, I gathered up my courage and decided to give it a try. The place was absolutely packed, we had a reservation and still waited for like 30 min at the tiny little corridor. Since we reserved so last minute, we had to sit by the bar, but we actually preferred that because that’s where we can see all the action. Our bartenders were very friendly and cared to chat a bit with us despite the fact that they were really busy. The restaurant itself was rustic, crowded and loud, but food was absolutely divine. We had obviously their poutine au foie gras. It was very heavy and very creamy, but we just couldn’t stop shoving it in our mouth. I was dying to try their foie gras and boudin tart and here it was right in front of me. It was so good. I think I could call it my favourite dish amongst all restaurants in Montreal. Yes, it was that good. Posner had the duck in the can, it tasted too gamey for me so I didn’t like it as much as he did. There was just so much food left and we had to pack the rest to go. The food was delicious, but it was probably one of the heaviest meal I’ve had in restaurants. However, I don’t regret one single bit. This is the reason why I go to the gym.

Au Pied de Cochon: Best Restaurant in Montreal How can I not blog about the most popular restaurant in Montreal? In fact, I didn't dare to go until last summer because I'm not a big fan of gamey meats.

#favouriterestaurant #foiegras #martinpicard #pdc #poutine

#baconskewer #meddlesomemoth #dallas #barfood

#hamiltonpool #oasis #texas #austin #surreal #mustvisit

Texas part 2: San Antonio and Dallas

We were lucky to get amazing seats to watch a Spurs vs Rockets game. There were so many turnovers, a great game!

Natural Bridge Cavern in San Antonio: breathtaking!

Horseback riding in Bandera at Rancho Cortez! Definitely off the beaten path! Beautiful day!

Yes, I actually can catch something! Pretty good for a first time!

Huge cinnamon bun featured on Man vs Food! 3 and 1/2 POUNDS! @ Lulu's Bakery and Cafe

No better hang over cure than 20 mcnuggets for 5 bucks while watching college football.

We got to try Menudo for the first time! Yummm!

All you can eat BBQ at Saltlick! The sausages are snappy and juicy; perfection!

Oh Meddlesome Moth! This is one of my favourite restaurants by FAR! I love this place! So I will allow myself to post a bit more pictures and you will understand why soon enough!

Delicious!

The 6th floor museum. We visited the place where JFK got assassinated and this is the view from the sniper's window.

Stockyard rodeo competition semi-finals at Fort Worth.

Click on the link below to check all my pinned locations on google maps!

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z_dlRQM4laII.ko8DdAmE80es

#cowboy #rodeo #sanantonio #spurs #dallas #saltlick #travel #texas #fortworth #meddlesomemoth #menudo #manvsfood #horsebackriding #bandera

Texas part 1: Austin

Leaving Montreal's brutally cold winter already meant a great deal for us. A lot of people ask us, why Texas? And we just simply answer: why not? It's a place that we hear so much about and locals take food really seriously.

In my opinion, the texan big portion reputation is mainly built by media and they really make things ridiculously big just for the tourists. In fact, local restaurants serve very reasonable sized portions, but they never compromise on flavour. The creativity of ingredients and the generosity of the people make this state one of a kind. Texans are super friendly and love to talk with you! So don't be shy, make some new friends!

We had an absolutely great time in Texas and for the overall experience it comes close to how much we loved New York. One advice is don't be a tourist, be a local! Drink like a local, eat like a local and live like a local.

Austin: Small town, big flavour! Hipster capital!