Show & Tell
hello vonnie
Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
Peter Solarz
Fai_Ryy
cherry valley forever
Jules of Nature
JVL
Not today Justin
let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open
YOU ARE THE REASON
Discoholic 🪩
Stranger Things
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
Product Placement
Cosimo Galluzzi
izzy's playlists!
sheepfilms
🩵 avery cochrane 🩵
untitled
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@travellingexpats
Expat Holland’s return to Oz Its taken me awhile to write this post amid the teary goodbyes and the excited hello. The amazing memories of the experiences we had and the forever friends we made seem like a dream as our little bubble has finally popped.
Are your kids prepared for a Natural Disaster as an Expat?
Are your kids prepared for a Natural Disaster as an Expat?
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2016/09/116_214014.htmlThis was the question that was on my mind tonight after things got a little scary with not one but two earthquakes detected in Korea only a 100 kilometres from our island home of Geoje. Luckily we were all in a room together as the 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit, as the building began to shake and rattle it felt like time stood…
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Living on the island of Geoje, south Korea and building our dream home in South Australia. Will not be without its dramas but here is hoping for a smooth ride.
Flowers of Geoje Island
Flowers of Geoje Island
Geoje island would have to be one of the prettiest places I have lived in, when it comes to gorgeous blooming flowers.
From mountains to roadsides Geoje has little patches of green grass areas that come spring time are filled with flowers. The true beauty in this is that these fields of flowers can just pop up where you least expect them it’s just mother nature reminding us all, what is lovely in…
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My First snowboard of the day and what a view of Mount Yotei
I was not always a fan of the cooler months of the year, short dark days, windy wet weather and an overall feeling of gloominess, is how I would best describe my feelings towards winter. That is until I discovered snow in my twenties, soft white powdery snow, that make it seem like you are walking on clouds, it’s so light and fluffy. Building Snowmen, Snow angles and snowball fights make winter just as delightful as the summer months.
Snowball fights, just got easier with this snowball mould!!
Living so close to Japan it was a no brainer when were deciding on where to go for hubby’s 40th birthday. So in search of the best pow pow around we left our little island home of Geoje and headed over to Tokyo, Japan. Now like any place that is amazing it’s not always easy to get to but trust me so very worth it. We travelled with JAL from Tokyo to Sapporo but you can get a direct flight to Sapporo if you are coming from Korea, from there you can either hire a car or catch a bus to the township of Niseko where all the fun begins. Most people when they hear snow holiday they think it is too expensive and it can be depending on where you head to. Compared to places in Australia, America, Europe and Canada, Japan is on the cheaper side with lift and ski hire half the price of what it is anywhere else and the snow is amazing!!
Our two hour drive from Sapporo thru the Hokkaido region also known for its dairy farms and Sapporo Beer, was mesmerising blanketed in snow making the small farming communities with their rustic farm houses, visually stunning in its simplicity. When we arrived at our snow covered apartment we thought we had hit the jackpot with the amount of snow that covered the streets but Niseko is renown for its heavy snowfall during the winter months and we couldn’t wait to hit the slopes.
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We had pre booked the kids into a couple of days of ski school, which is well worth it if you plan on having a ski holiday most years. Skiing is a fast paced sport so if you don’t know how to ski and think you can just wing it, you are not only a danger to yourself but everyone else around you. Our children attended the Go Snow ski school, the instructors were fantastic and very patient while teaching the kids. Now most kids balk at the idea of going into any type of school while on holidays. I had the opposite, our kids were begging to go each day after I only signed them up for two days, the end results were they could out ski me on all the runs!! With the kids at ski school we had the day to ourselves so after a refresher lesson for me in the morning we headed out for lunch on the mountain. We caught a lift up to Boyo-so which is a cabin like lunch hall with lots of Japanese dishes to choose from, we then spent the day taking in the breathtaking country side. After a day of climbing thru knee deep snow and taking a tumble or two you will be in much need of a massage make sure you take the opportunity to unwind and relax as there is nothing better then a good massage or if you are happy to get naked then immerse yourself in the healing power of a japanese Onsen that cater for men, women and families.
I found this site very helpful on etiquette when using a Japanese Onsen http://www.onsenjapan.net/onsenbasics.php
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You haven’t experienced a hot cocktail until you have entered the enchanting Bar Gyu (The Fridge Door Bar), the setting for the Bar Gyu is old world charm and sophistication, where the cocktails actually taste how they read. After much deliberation over the mouth watering menu we decided on the Hot apple pie cocktail and it actually tasted just like granny had made it fresh from the oven but with a delicious kick ;) So good was Bar Gyu, that we had return the next night.
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Niseko’s food scene is getting quite a bit of attention due to its fresh local cuisine along with some well known chefs bringing their expertise to the mountain top, check out An Dining and Ezo Seafoods Oyster Bar which was booked out during our stay. Our favourite places to eat on Niseko Mountain: Green farm cafe, best meat pies, curries, chia lattes and coffee on the mountain.
The Lava Lounge for home delivered pizzas when your body can no longer move from over doing it on the mountain. Bigfoot Lodge, great pub atmosphere with wagyu beef burgers and if you get a chance head to the food truck area and take your pick of the different cuisines on offer.
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The wonderful thing about Niseko is that you can stay for a week and never actually strap on a set of ski’s. The town of Kutchan is a 15min drive away or you can visit the Milk Kobo (milk factory) famous for their cheese tarts and custard cream puffs. They also offer workshop’s in making your own ice-cream and tours of their diary farm.
Cooking classes in the art of japanese cuisine are available, art and craft classes or mastering (i use the term mastering very lightly) the art of glass blowing which is what the girls and I decided to try our hand at. We took a 15min bus ride to the base of Mount Yotei where our workshop was held, unfortunately we got off the bus stop to early in the middle of nowhere and had to walk the rest of the way as it started to snow all the way hoping we were walking it the right direction. Finally nestled in the snow we found the Doumu glass gallery run by the very talented Masako Kitajima and her daughter who welcomed us in with warm cups of tea. We all chose a coloured glass and a pattern to stencil and after a couple of hours of painstakingly cutting out the stencils on our glasses we were ready for the sand blaster where we blasted all the colour off with a little bit of help from our teachers, who knew it would be so hard to get a straight line!! We were all very happy with our end results, beautiful glassware but I learnt that I don’t have the concentration span for this art, it takes a very steady hand and a lot of patience.
Mine, Linda and Jacqui’s first attempt at glass blowing.
If your dates are flexible have a look at the Sapporo Snow festival, with giant snow castles and ice sculptures it certainly looks well worth the visit. http://www.welcome.city.sapporo.jp/event/winter/sapporo_snow_festival/?lang=en
We booked our Niseko stay
http://www.gyubar.com
Glass blowing workshops
http://glass-doumu.com/top_english.html
We booked our Tokyo stay and flights thru
We stayed with http://holidayniseko.com
We hired our equipment at Rhythm Snow & Sports
http://skihirejapan.com/ja/
Niseko, Japan I was not always a fan of the cooler months of the year, short dark days, windy wet weather and an overall feeling of gloominess, is how I would best describe my feelings towards winter.
Maldives
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Kandooma is the island we have decided to visit and purely for it’s reputation on being a surf & dive resort, it is located in the South Male Atoll about a 40min boat ride from the Maldives airport, I wasn’t sure about the boat ride but apart from the first 10min it was smooth sailing and the scenery was just beautiful. The staff were very friendly on…
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First Full Moon, Geoje
First Full Moon, Geoje
Full Moon Harvest
It is not unusual to hear a loud speaker being played for all to hear in Korea, so this week when it continued for 5 hours with talking and singing, I had to find out what was going on. Not as easy as you think when you live in a non-english speaking country and you have only mastered five words . To be honest I’m pretty sure I’m not pronouncing those right, as I seem to be…
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Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is firmly placed at the top of my travel hot spot list, I have been dreaming of ancient ruins, stunning country sides and exotic tea trails that are wrapped up in a surfers paradise.
Sri Lanka seems to be the country on everyone’s lips at the moment, it is the latest must do country if you live in South East Asia and after seeing my *virtual friend Charley’s latest post on Sri Lanka, I…
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Finding Tom,
Roy Vane Thomas (tom) 14th February 1995-1916
I think its important that no matter where you end up in the world, you also no where you came from………..
History, heritage and generations past, this is where our journey of Europe took us. Many of you may not have heard of a small village near the township of Amiens, an hour by train outside of Paris called Villers-Bretonneux. I must admit until only a year ago I hadn’t either. I knew that Australians had a special tie with France as they fought valiantly to protect them in both world war one and world war two. The courage and fearlessness is remembered thru every generation of children that enter the Villers-Bretonneux school where a banner hangs with the simple words ‘Do Not Forget Australia’ this simple statement is ingrained in every child and even now writing this it makes me feel emotional that after all these years the french are continuing to say thank you, to the Aussies who fought to keep the germans from taking over their town. Every child that attends that school feels a connection with Australia and our efforts to give them a future, I certainly felt very proud to be an Australian at the moment.
This little french school makes sure every generations knows who protected their future.
Our visit to Villers-Bretonneux was not just a stop to pay our respects , it was more of an emotional visit for my mum who had recently discovered a diary written by her Grandfather Harry while he was stationed there in 1916. He and his two brothers Tom and Les enlisted to serve their country, unfortunately they did not get to stay together as they travelled to Egypt first and then on to France.
My great grandfather Harry in the middle, with his brothers Tom and Les
While in France my Great Grandfather reconnected with Les and later wrote of hearing that the 10th Battalion had arrived. Knowing this is where Tom was stationed, he set about to see him only to be told he was missing. I can’t even begin to imagine how he must have felt hearing that but he continued on looking for Tom, digging around for information. Harry Dowdell was not a man of many words, and I will never know what he really felt when he was searching for his younger brother Tom, or how it felt to leave his new bride Effie at home who he often mentioned in his entries. I do no that he worked hard and helped build the railways, that they were bombed often, that it was cold and he was often soaked to the skin from the rain, and that he spent over a year fighting the war in France.
Which brings me to the reason we chose Villers-Bretonnuex, out of the 11,000 names we came to find the name of R.V.T Dowdell who at 21 never got to return home with his brothers he was one of the fallen heroes who will always be remembered for his bravery on the battlefields.
The first thing I noticed as we arrived at the memorial site in Villers-Bretonneux was the beautiful lush countryside and also to my amazement a couple of wild poppys just flowering near the road side as they bloom in may and we had travelled in July I was not expecting to see any.
The countryside outside the Australian War Memorial
The Australian war Memorial was officially opened by the Queen in July 1938.
Looking out from the tower of the Australian War Memorial
11,000 troops that have been declared ‘missing in action’ have their names written on the walls of the memorial, these walls seem to stretch on forever filled with those that will never get to return to their homelands. Our guide was a knowledgeable British exmilitary solider, who encouraged us to remember the name of an Australian lad, who had fought for our freedom and take his spirit back home with us so that once again he could return to his homeland.
Ariella remembering the name of a fallen solider and taking his spirit home.
Red flowers bloom vividly at The Australian war memorial a majestic structure that sits nestled amongst the farming communities, a three story tower stands tall, flanked either side by single story walls covered in the names of the fallen soldiers. Here is where we found my mothers uncle, private D.V.T (tom) Dowdell of the 10th Infantry Battalion, we were the first of our family to come and pay our respects and the emotion of standing on the grounds where so many lost there lives is humbling. One of the men sang an emotional Advance a Australia Fair and a touching remembrance pray was read out followed by a minutes silence. My children will always remember this day and i am forever grateful that we were able to take them on this journey.
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We booked our tour thru [email protected]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villers-Bretonneux
http://www.ww1westernfront.gov.au/villers-bretonneux/on-this-spot-australian-national-memorial.php
http://www.redcross.org.au
Villers-Bretonneux, France Finding Tom, Roy Vane Thomas (tom) 14th February 1995-1916 I think its important that no matter where you end up in the world, you also no where you came from...........
7 maybe 8 weeks, 9countries and three trailing kids
7 maybe 8 weeks, 9countries and three trailing kids
7 maybe 8 weeks, 9countries and three trailing kids.
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7 maybe 8 weeks, 9countries and three trailing kids
‘One day I will be thankful for my children’s strong, determined, stubborn personalities. Said no mother ever!!’
Sometimes I wonder why I pack up a suitcase every few months and catch a pane to some corner of the globe with three children, am I crazy or do I just love the drama, tears and tantrums? Neither, well I am not to sure about the crazy will leave that one open. Whenever one of my…
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What is Australia trying to teach its future generations?
What is going on in Australia? I can’t turn on social media without Adam Goodes name being mentioned.
Unfortunately it is a story that once again makes me not so proud to be an Australian, we have a reputation for our complete lack of immaturity, pack mentality and tall poppy syndrome and this story ticks all the boxes. All the stories I have so far read are not beating about the bush, they are…
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(via The one App every travelling expat should own and I have 5 to giveaway.)
We all know how expensive travelling can be right? Every country has its own unique story to tell and there is something very addictive about travelling, once you start you can’t stop each new place is intoxicating in its history, culture and beauty.
The big problem with falling in love with travelling is the hefty price tag that often comes along with it, especially when you add three children into the mix!! I had heard the rumours that living in Singapore would be a costly exercise with a family of 5 and boy were those rumours true, a fun day out can end up costing you a small fortune. Yes I know there are all those lovely free parks to go play at, we have tried them on many occasion and within 30min I have red sweaty children who are now hot and cranky, no thanks!!
So when I was given the chance to try out the new Entertainer App, I must admit I was dubious as I have tried coupons from other various places and there is always a catch or there is simply no place you would like to try. I was totally taken by surprise when I opened the app as there was not only heaps to choose from but many of the restaurants were already on our favourite list. What really won me over was there no planning, no emails that you have to print out or vouchers which I always seem to forget to take, unfortunately my brain can only remember so much and it is normally full of everybody else’s to do list and not mine!!!
The Entertainer App is downloaded on my phone and I never leave home without it, easy first step, next choose what you would like to do, for us the first place we tried was Brewerkz restaurant in Orchard as the app works on proximity, we just looked at what was within 200 meters of us and chose a restaurant. We redeemed a main meal get one free, for us this is such a great offer as we love to eat out and discover new places but when you are new in Singapore it is really hard to know where to go and what areas to go too, this app really does take the guess work out as it has great restaurants in all the best locations. It was really easy when it was time to pay as I just pressed on the voucher I wanted to redeem, popped in my pin and then the restaurant cashier put in their pin and that is it, no fuss and a savings of $30. I was not expecting it to be that easy so we decided to head out to bedok reservoir and try out zip lining at Forest Adventure, I did need to book for this which I did online, again it was a super easy transaction and with a $70 saving I had already more then paid for the app. The staff at Forest Adventure were fantastic and super friendly as they ran thru a safety course with us before we got started. I felt a little nervous at first looking out over the water but once we started I had a blast, the kids had a ball and I have never laughed so much as we all tried to manoeuvre the obstacle course without losing our balance, hubby was especially hilarious hitting the sandbanks backwards everytime!!
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This week I am off to have my nails done and a massage with a girlfriend as the app works the same for every purchase buy one get one free. What a great excuse to organise a girls day out as most spas have three different vouchers to use, so all you need is a group of 6 and you have a fun day out only paying for three!! More $$$ to spend on cocktails at my favourite bar Bitters & Love I was so excited to see this place on the app as their cocktails often look to good to drink, with smouldering cinnamon sticks and rubber ducks. The kids have also enjoyed the app with marble slab, ben & jerry and Dunkin Donuts. Hubby and I have been enjoying meals at The Marriott and Wharf Oyster Bar & Grill all these places do a ‘buy a main meal get one free’. On our list is BreakOut Games, Climb Central, Expat Kitchen and I am hopping to try out the Gogreen Segway adventure at Sentosa Island which should be a bit of fun. I haven’t even scratched the surface of all these great offers as there are new ones updated monthly just to keep you excited!! If only I had this app when we booked our holiday to the Maldives it would have saved us thousands as they offer six nights accommodation for the price of three, which is such an amazing offer!! You don’t even have to fly to a destination you can just take a ferry as Bintan and Batam are both on there with great savings. I am excited about this app and when I find something that makes my life easier, I have to share so just take a minute to look thru the slideshow to see exactly how this offer works and the savings that can be had.
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The Entertainer App along with a taxi app should be given out with our NRIC/Fin cards when we arrive at Changi Airport, it would have not only saved me thousands on accommodation, food and entertainment but it would have pointed us in the right direction to start exploring Singapore. So if you want this summer holidays to be a whole lot easier I have 5 to give away, all you need to do is follow the links.
1. Like the entertainer page https://www.facebook.com/TheEntertainer.SG?fref=ts
2. Like and tell me at https://www.facebook.com/travellingexpats5?fref=ts how the entire app, would entertain you.
Happy Travels
The one App every travelling expat should own and I have 5 to giveaway. We all know how expensive travelling can be right? Every country has its own unique story to tell and there is something very addictive about travelling, once you start you can't stop each new place is intoxicating in its history, culture and beauty.
Do you remember your first lego set? I do, mine was a hospital set for my fifth birthday, being a girl who loved pink and purple my love affair with lego was short lived unlike todays girls who can build in any colour they choose to do so. It really dosent matter whether your a girl or boy, your favourite show is disney princess’s or star wars as Lego has you covered and it is not just for the kids Adults are well covered too with intricate builds of over 10,000 pieces like the Sydney opera house and Stars Wars Millennium falcon.
So when the new Legoland opened its doors in Malaysia we quickly added that to our list of to dos while living in Singapore. I had booked our stay online, thru the legoland site. I booked ours three months in advance and added on a package to the theme parks for two days and received 20% off and with the Malaysian Ringgit low it works out to be a great priced weekend. http://www.legoland.com.my/en/About/Ticket/
We decided to go over for master phee’s 7th birthday as since living away we try to do something extra special on each of our children birthdays, I guess to make up for the fact that they are not with all their extended family on this day. Luckily for us one of our parents always makes the trip over so this year my dad was the lucky member who got to have a weekend at Legoland, lucky he is a big kid and that saved me from going on all the rides a kazillion times!!!
We decided to head off on Friday afternoon at around 1pm to hopefully beat any traffic at the Tuas boarder. Make sure you have ringgit with you as it is much easier to get from Singapore then to try find somewhere in Malaysia. We also knew we would need a top and go card which everyone tells you, you need to grab at the checkpoint, you actually pick it up at the toll booths once you are thru both check points. Once thru all the points don’t worry about not being able to read signs or your GPS as Legoland is clearly printed and is about a 10min drive after the tolls, it took us just under an hour door to door so much easier then I thought it would be.
Legoland is slightly hidden from view on a winding road and we hadn’t actually told Master Phee where we were going, so to see the look of excitement on his face was just priceless!! The hotel is this magnificent colourful building that looks like a huge toy castle guarded by giant Lego Soliders.
Legoland Hotel, Malaysia
We were greeted by well dressed doormen, super friendly staff and a huge pirate ship and castle surrounded by a moat of lego. Master Phee was given a birthday badge and sang to and greeted thru out the day making it an extra special for him. The lobby was a visual feast with bright colours, overstuffed seating, bean bags and lego art covering the walls or hanging from the ceiling, next stop was the rooms and I was looking forward to seeing our pirate themed room you could also choose kingdom or adventure themed rooms as well. We did have to endure a lift ride first to get to our room but if enduring means dancing with strobe lighting to beats from the eighties then we certainly had fun. The kids loved the pirate themed room, with quick dibs on the top bunk, the room was completely decked out in pirate theme including a treasure map to follow where hidden treasure was buried in our room, talk about keeping the kids entertained while I unpacked. The rooms had all the usual amenties and were neat and clean although small, but we weren’t there to spend time in the room.
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First stop for us was the waterpark where we spent the afternoon racing each other on tubes and water slides we all had a ball and because the park wasn’t busy we didn’t have to line up which was a bonus, don’t forget rashies and sunscreen although you can buy everything you need at the waterpark shop. After a day of water play we headed to the Di Mattoni an italian themed restaurant to celebrate master Phee’s birthday again the kids were entertained by princess greetings and a giant wall made up of a lego picture of Yoda that still had parts that needed building, our meals were beautifully presented and there was also some great choices to choose from.
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After a sound sleep we headed off to a buffet breakfast made up of many different stations from fresh fruits, pancakes, eggs, barbecue, indian and asian styled breakfast delights. With a full belly we headed off to the legoland park which if you have little ones it is a good idea to hire a stroller as there is a lot of walking if you want to cover the entire park. Again we really didn’t need to line up or wait any length of time for rides even though it was a saturday. The kids all had fun with something for each age group, I was concerned when first booking the trip that my 12 year old might find it to young but there were plenty of rides to keep him entertained, his being the log ride where they all assured me I wouldn’t get soaking wet, so not fun when there is soooo much humidity that your clothes never really quite dry off, needless to say i opted out when they went on a second and third ride and instead wandered thru the miniland filled with cities of the world, every detail was thought of and this was my favourite exhibit at the park.
http://www.legoland.com.my/Explore/Activities/Miniland/ I must say I am not a huge star wars fan but I did enjoy the exhibit and the short movie is a great idea to get out of the sun.
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Legoland not only features a water world and theme park but it also has daily activities to keep the children entertained, one of those being a building competition for all different ages, so after a day in the park the kids and i headed to the lobby to see what we could build the boys all decided that another run at the waterpark would suit them so Miss A and I decided to build the afternoon away, which was actually quite therapeutic. By Saturday night everyone was feeling exhausted and so we just stayed at the hotel and had tea at the bricks restaurant which again was an all you can eat buffet, not my favourite eateries but the kids had fun with making their own donuts at the lollybar. We did discover a walk way after tea that was filled with eateries and shopping, right next door to Legoland theme park.
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Legoland is easily a day trip from Singapore as it dosent open its doors until 10am but if you are going to do both theme parks I would recommend one or two nights, we had a ball and will definitely be fitting in a day trip here and there while living in Singapore, Happy Travels
Travel to Legoland via bus http://blog.legoland.com.my/taking-the-bus-to-legoland-malaysia/
Legoland, Malaysia Do you remember your first lego set? I do, mine was a hospital set for my fifth birthday, being a girl who loved pink and purple my love affair with lego was short lived unlike todays girls who can build in any colour they choose to do so.
Do you have an education system you think is better?
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