Rosie

Marina Bay Sands Light and Water Show

The Marina Bay Sands Light and Water Show is one show that you can watch in Singapore every night for free. The shows start at 8pm and 9.30pm. On Friday and Saturday nights, there is another show at 11pm. Despite the daily shows, I have not gotten a chance to bring my kids to watch it until the recent school holidays. There is a little catch that you should know – although the show starts at the same time, you cannot watch both at the same time. You have to be at the Marina Bay Sands side to watch the Water...

Bali Temples and Padi Fields

Asia, Bali, Destinations, Indonesia

It is impossible to be in Bali, the island of a thousand temples, and not see a single Bali temple. Temples, or what Balinese call Pura, were everywhere, even in people’s homes. On our Bedugul full-day tour in Bali, I did not realise initially that we were going to visit three temples – the Mengwi Royal Temple, the Ulun Danu Temple and the Tanah Lot Temple. It might seem like one too many, but each temple had a different landscape – one on a river, another on a lake on top of a volcano and the third on the coast...

Tanah Lot Sunset

Asia, Bali, Destinations, Indonesia

One of the most popular things to see in Bali is Tanah Lot sunset. Before we could even reach the entrance of Tanah Lot, we had to pass through a maze of souvenir shops. While it was not surprising to find hundreds of “I love Bali” t-shirts, we found some weird ones with “I love Ketut” printed on it. Ketut is one of the ten most popular Balinese men’s name, and it also happened to be the name of our driver. I wonder how our driver would react if I got my hubby to wear that t-shirt. Tanah Lot Temple...

Uluwatu Kecak Dance & Jimbaran Bay

Asia, Bali, Destinations, Indonesia

Our trip to the southern part of Bali brought us to the famous cliff-hanging Uluwatu temple, a Kecak Fire dance and a seafood dinner at Jimbaran Bay. Monkey, no swiping! My girls got a bit nervous about going to Uluwatu and it was all because of monkeys! Roaming freely around the Uluwatu Temple, these monkeys were notorious for snatching visitors’ belongings like spectacles, cameras, and bags. Tour guides were seen shooing away the monkeys. Luckily, none of our stuff got swiped. Look at how mischievous the monkey looked. It was probably trying to figure out how to take my camera away from me. Thankfully my...

Bali Safari and Marine Park

Asia, Bali, Destinations, Indonesia

When you think about Bali, you think about the beaches, the resorts and the culture. A visit to Bali Safari and Marine Park might not be at the top of ones list when planning a trip to Bali, but surprisingly, it was my kids favourite. At USD49 (yes, they charge in USD), the ticket price might seem pricey at first, but the combination of a zoo, a safari ride, an aquarium, an amusement park and an hour-long top-notch theatrical show made the ticket price well worth it. The Elephant Show We missed the animal show earlier in the...

Kuta, Bali

Asia, Bali, Destinations, Indonesia

Kuta is probably the most popular tourist area in Bali. I was in Kuta 12 years ago and I could barely recognise it during my family’s recent trip. Throngs of shops and eateries now line the tiny roads making the place very crowded and the traffic congested all the time. Kuta Beach The famous Kuta beach was crowded with people. When we were there, the waves were so strong that red flags were displayed advising people not to swim. Getting splashes was the most we could do. I got a bit worried when the water started coming further...

Balinese Villa or Hotel?

Asia, Bali, Indonesia

If you were to visit an exotic destination like Bali, where would you stay? A Balinese villa or a modern hotel? For me, I decided on both i.e. a few nights in Komea Villa in a non-touristy area of Canggu and then two nights in the modern Hard Rock Hotel in Kuta, the tourist hotspot of Bali. Two very different types of accommodation in two very different locations. Do you want to know which one my family preferred? Read on to find out. Komea Villa We had a two-bedroom villa for the five of us. It was literally...

Hello Kitty Town Malaysia

Johor, Malaysia

Hello Kitty Town Malaysia in Johor Bahru is the first Sanrio Hello Kitty theme park outside of Japan. It is located on the first floor of the indoor Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park, just a short drive from the Singapore-Malaysia second link. The other two floors are for the Little Big Club. It is not a very big area. We were able to complete it in less than 3 hours. The visit to Hello Kitty was more for the girls, especially my four-year-old. You can imagine my teenage boy’s reaction when I said we were going to Hello Kitty. “Thrilled”...