2 weeks vacation - Phnom Penh, Kambodia

We have started our 2 week vacation trip with Marlen and now we have ended our first part of our trip Phnom Penh, Kambodia! The other places will be Ko Samui, Thailand, Cebu, Philippines and Hong Kong China ! :)

The trip has started very well, although our first flight was late 1,5hours and our driver today morning didn't show up to the hotel! And we had to take the taxi from the hotel for 10US$.. Although the taxi was already included to our trip. Well we just have to send email to the travel agency and say we want our money from the transport.

Phnom Penh is a very nice city, I could go there again. :) On Saturday we woke up already at 6:30 to breakfast and we started our sightseeing tour with our own guide at 7:30 :) We had a long day but it was worth it! First we headed tot he Killing fields at Cheoung Ek because it was situated out of the town. It did silence me because they had killed and tortured many thousand innocent people there, and they had the skulls showing in the vitrins.. The texts said that they had beaten babies against the trees until they were dead :( But the site was kind of beautiful in a weird way :)

The skulls

The tree where they beat the babies until they were dead

From there we continued to the Russian market to do some shopping :) I got new "haremtrousers" black coloured very cheap price! They are so great! I also got 3 new pashmina scarves. One as a souvenir :) One cost under 3euros :D There would have been so much to buy and see but the time was going by so quickly that we had to continue to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum which is also related to the Killing Fields and the Pot Plot which was behind all the terror and the killings in Kambodia in 1975..

The rooms where they kept the prisoners(victims)

Hanging&drowning place for the victims

We had our lunch in a local Buffet which had a lot of seafood(Nothing for me), some noodles(fried&boiled), Fried rice and steamed one, fruits, bread, chicken and some weird things.. I think the place was quite popular among locals, but for me it was too expensive 'cause I couldn't eat so much..

After this there was the independence statue just to take pictures. The next stop was the Was Phnom, which was just a temple, just like almost every buddhist temple. Outside they had done a huge clock on the ground with grass and something else.. It looked nice!

We tried to go to the Royal palace but I didn't have t-shirt with me only a scarf and it was not allowed to go inside like that. That was kind of weird thing 'cause u can go inside every temple like that and I think they are more sacred than a palace.. Instead of that we went to sit in the park next to the palace 'cause our driver went to change a car. And of course I burned myself (face and arms) :/

Last but not least we went to see the Central market. The main building was beautiful but I didn't buy anything from there. The market was quite similar to the Russian market, but there were more locals also. The tour took 9,5 hours so it was really tiring day. After getting back to hotel, we had shower and slept a while and then headed to eat at the river front area. The motorbike taxi driver was quite confused when we hopped off the ride and I only gave him 1US$ dollar for both of us, because he thought he would get 2 or 3 dollars. He didn't quite understand English so well.. :D The look in his face was priceless, but the fee was the normal that I paid, cause the evening before we paid 2US$ for longer trip back to our hotel. So he had quite high tax,Haha! If U wanna cheat someone,don't pick me :)

The guys in the street was all the time yelling Tuk-Tuk mam!! It was so annoying that can't be. They really saw that we are walking and we want to walk, but still they just shout.. Damn! But I think it is also the same in Thailand, they always shout although u don't wanna Tuk-Tuk. And the journey continues in Ko Samui, Thailand!

Pictures I'll upload when I'm back in Singapore!!

Planning trips, concerts and Phuket!!!

On 11th of May we booked our flights to Phuket with Elli, Barbara, Jule and Greta! Was so exciting to know that we're actually going to weekend trip to Thailand! And it was quite cheap!! :D Of course on Wednesday we went again to party at Qlarke quay, 'cause it is Ladies Night every Wed!!! Wohoo! Free entries and drinks almost all night long!! These first weeks our favorite place has been Arena! They play R&B and hiphop music and there's also a band playing covermusic, quite good actually!

Friday we partied again but this time it was Konrad's and Sophies BDay party! We did some bbq at the beginning and afterwards continued to Zirca&Rebel to party some more!! And I danced my shoes off, it was so crazy! Could say party all day, drink all night.. :D:D

We visited Botanical garden on Saturday with quite big group, it was 8 or 9 persons! I don't care so much about flowers but the day was nice to spent in a garden and explore new flowers with friends. In the garden we saw swans! I didn't know that they are so big! Usually you just see them in water and then they seem smaller. :) Of course any visit to places is nothing without having some fun, atleast after night out!! Haha! 

AND On Monday we finally went to collect ou tickets to PITBULL concert!! Haha!! The concert was so great! Couldn't imagine it would be so awesome! Although we had to wait for Pitbull to arrive 2hours, but we had an awesome DJ playing music and I couldn't help to dance a lot! My dress was all wet when the concert was over! Hahahahah! Pitbull is so energetic and really can make women drool!! I never imagined that I would actually have a chance to see Pitbull perform, and now it has come true!! Wow! Nothing else to say!

That week ended perfectly because we had our trip to Phuket! We stayed at Malai guesthouse in Patong beach. The guesthouse was nice and clean, and the breakfast was so great! Yam! And I found a new car for me! Lihgt blue Beetle, not the bug but the car made by Wolkswagen :D Saturday it was raining the whole day but we went shopping instead of beach, and I got new clothes for really cheap price. I got also bikinis and swimsuit. Never can have too many bikinis, Right? I bought also new bag little one, 'cause didn't have small bag before here.. Sunday we booked a trip to visit monkey cave temple, gypsy village, James bond Island. But before our trip we went to the beach to tan and have fun! And we did! I burned myself quite badly then, 'cause didn't have any sunblock.. :/ The trip was fun although I was so tired in the end that I fell asleep in the bus when coming back. We had evening flight back to Singapore and I slept through it. It's good that I can sleep almost everywhere! :D

James Bond Island

Game from Thailand

 Greta&Jule rockin'!!

@Patong Beach

Shopping in Bugis, BBQ,Pulau Ubin.. 3rd&4th week

In the 3rd week we went to shopping in Bugis with Elli. It was great! I got some new clothes which I needed badly, HAHA! Yeah right! But it's always wonderful to go SHOPPING when it's not expensive! In Bugis Street there is so much street shops that I think we didn't even manage to go through all of them.. :D We explored the place at least for 4 hours and finally ended up to Starbucks to have coffee before heading home.

On 26th of April we had an BBQ with our student buddies between our apartment blocks! It was great to mingle with each other and do bbq at the same time. We grilled sausages, beef, corn, bread, potatoes, pepper and other stuff. Of course BBQ is nothing without beer :) So we had it also! Some of the girls had done also different kind of salads, but I dunno what kind of they were for certain reason..

The next day on Friday we had an welcoming tea with the "big man" in business management so I mean the director of course.. :P

During the weekend we went cycling to Pulau Ubin, which is an Island next to Singapore "the main Island". We spent there the whole day and it was so nice to just cycle in your own phase and look around the nature, because in Pulau Ubin you usually transfer with bikes, not with cars. The island is totally green but the roads are still made of asphalt, which is quite convenient :) Don't have to struggle in the jungle with your bicycle.. :P On Sunday we went to have breakfast in Rider's cafe near the city centre. The cafe was located in the stables. The pancakes and scrambled eggs were so delicious that can't be! And the customer service so great that I have to go there again some beautiful day! :) After having breakfast we headed to Orchard the main shopping place in Singapore to shop. :D:D I got a pair of high heels, which seem to be maybe too high to use longer period at a time.. :P Damn. The crown of the evening was the Bounty Hunter movie, which was quite fun to watch!

The next week I became officially a Singaporean citizen. I went to the Immigration office to collect my student pass and visa! So actually I'm at the moment Finnish and Singaporean, Hihihi! :D

On the 6th and 7th of May I had auditions to Stage Arts and Foreign Bodies. These 2 are dancing crews within the school of Nanyang. Thursday I had the audition for Stage Arts, and I was quite nervous. The audition took over 3hours almost 4 and after that I thought I forgot everything from the choreo they taught us, but on Friday the results were out and.....I got IN!!!! I almost started screaming in the corridor of our school, I jumped in the air and was so happy! On Friday I had also audition to Foreign Bodies, but for that I didn't got in. Still I'm happy with my accomplishment with Stage Arts Dance!! <3

And on Sunday of the 4th week we went to Sentosa with Elli, Sophie and Ksenja. We were going to beach but when we reached Sentosa it was raining so we went first to see exhibition called Images of Singapore, where the history of Singapore was told quite interesting way :) Atleast I had fun taking pictures and playing around! :D

Singapore for the first weeks

Now I've been in Singapore almost 7weeks and it doesn't seem like that. I feel that I haven't seen almost anything here yet.. I have still over 3months to go :)

In the first week in Singapore we had orientation days at our school in Nanyang Poly, it lasted 2days from Thursday to Friday. We had all kind of games in our groups and on Friday evening there was Nanyang Poly got Talent show, where the freshies performed their talents. :) For me it was good experience to get to know how different the orientation is here than in back Finland. Everyone was so noisy and shouting Oi Oi Oi all the time!! It was great!

The first weekend we went to Sentosa with all the exchange students and some of our buddies. The day was nice, although it took for us to go there over 4hours because the group was quite big and some did some grocery shopping in VivoCity the shopping centre where the train to Sentosa leaves.

I did only suntanning and swimming but others also played volleyball and frisbee. After the beach We did skyride up to the hill and down with Luge. Luge is like a little cars which you drive down the hill. It was so great! I have done it once after that and could do it again and again!! After having some fun we headed to Pastamania to chace our hungry away with some pasta and it was so delicious! Yam! :D

I had my first two weeks in school only three courses of five courses so the starting was quite laid back, which was really cool. Now when I have all my 5 courses going on I feel sometimes so tired because of the ICAs, but it's worth it.

On 21st of April we did a city tour with the exchange students. It was arranged by the school and we saw the main places of Singapore and got to know some history at the same time. The tour lasted few hours and we discovered Little India, Malay town, China Town, Merlion and the Marinabay and some other places also. After that I haven't had the time to go back to China town or Little India although I've wanted to but I think I'll have time someday! :D Hope so.

During the first week the school held a club crawl where they showed all the clubs in which you could join. There was lots of martial arts(taikido, judo, karate), dance clubs, drama, make up, chinese culture, german, volleyball and many others. I applied to international students club, Foreign Bodies which had an audition; Stage Arts, which also had an audition and the bowlig club. I got in to tha Stage Arts Dance which is jazz and hiphop dancing! I'm lovin' it very much!! We'll have performance coming in July, and I will post some pics and staff then. :) We've got practice every Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30om till 10pm the latest, it's quite tiring but still I'm full of energy during the class!

We visited the zoo with exchange students on 24th April. It was good trip and we saw lots of animals. There's also possibility to do a night safari which is little bit different from the usual. I think have to go and see someday. :)

For me the greatest thing was to see the White tigers.They were so nice and brave looking. We saw also elephants, polar bears, kangaroos, lions, ponys, giraffes, zeepras, monkeys, crocodiles and lots of other species. I took over 200pics fromthe trip to make sure I'll have everything on memory :):) At the evening there was opening for the Marina Bay Sands resort and casino and we went there to see the freworks!! It was great looking although there went many thousand euros in the air, but who cares when it looks nice, right?