Cette année, on a décidé de rester à Singapour pendant le nouvel an chinois parce qu’on était trop paresseux de decider de quoi à faire et où peut-on aller pour les vacances.
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| This is how you make Spritz… first, some bubbly drink (prosecco or champagne, or this time, we had some cava from Spain) |
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| a well-cherished trip to Ubud, Bali with family and visiting friends from France |
December for me is all about reminiscing about the best experiences of the year that is almost about to come to an end. and so this December, i’m starting a blogpost about the best experiences i’ve had this year. and what better way to begin this than by talking about food.
the best restaurant experience i had was of course back in France during our family visit in the summer. my in-laws took us to this nice restaurant called La Ferme aux Grives in a small ville called Eugenie-les-Bains, in the South of France, not far from where my in-laws live.
the restaurant was set in the middle of a lovely garden, at the edge of a huge farm, and is owned by a two-Michelin starred chef, Michel Guerard.
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| the ancient stone house that makes up the restaurant of La Ferme Aux Grives |
As mentioned in Part 1 of this travel post, I initially intended to go canyoning, but I had the misfortune of getting sick on the day of my travel and so figured I should postpone it til next time when I come back with my family, since hubby is also interested to do it.
I settled for a short guided hike to Montaneza waterfalls, organized by Blue Orchid Resort manager, Melissa Watkins, together with Wolfgang from Cyan Adventures.
I told them, I feel really funny being toured around Cebu by a couple of foreigners, as if I’m not local. Although, come to think of it, I have been living outside The Philippines for almost ten years now, so I’m not really that much of a local anymore.
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| Climbing inside the canyons makes me feel like a troglodyte |
It was a very short walk from Mainit hot spring, going to Montaneza waterfalls. I was a bit disappointed because I really felt like walking some more despite my predisposition.
Continue reading “My Moalboal Part 2: Montaneza Waterfalls and Mainit Hot Spring”I had been searching the internet for a mini-break by the beach when I chanced upon SilkAir‘s Sale for flights going to Kalibo, Cebu and Davao earlier this March. It was a perfect opportunity for me. my first option was Boracay via Kalibo. But I wanted to go at such short notice that it was impossible for me to find a decent lodging at a decent price. And so, I opted for Cebu instead.
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| The shore at Blue Orchid Resort, facing west, directly in front of Negros Island, this area is also a perfect spot for stargazing at night |
While searching for a place to go to for our family’s Christmas Holiday, I chanced upon this beautiful resort called Qunci Villas in Lombok, Indonesia from a friend’s facebook photo. and I was mesmerized with the beauty of the place.
Arriving at the place, I did not feel disappointed seeing how beautiful the hotel surroundings are. I immediately fell in-love with the open shower in our room. You can see the tree tops outside while you take the shower because half of the shower area is roofless. It reminded me so much of the batalan in the Philippine provinces. 🙂
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| The beautiful bathroom with the shower’s roofing half exposed to the elements 🙂 |
All the art works in the resort are created by a collaboration of french and local artists. I super love them. We tried to visit the gallery where the art works came from but they close really early and they only sell huge wood carvings.
Continue reading “Qunci Villas”
ever since i can remember, i have always been on the lookout for painting classes. as you know, i have quite a bit of experience with drawing, as i love doing portraits in charcoal or pencil. but with painting, i always get a bit apprehensive. not only because i find it quite difficult to render color on paper, but also because i’m scared to go in a class where all the other people have already had the skill and experience beforehand. yeah, i hate being judged. especially for my art work. so, do be gentle with me in the comments, now. 🙂
but then, last week, i felt quite lucky to stumble upon this painting school that organizes classes for people who have never ever painted in their lives. and they even offer a discount for this introductory class. what’s more, it’s a mere fifteen-minute walk from where i live, which is just perfect!
Continue reading “Introduction to Painting Class”
springfugue.com 