Singapore & Vietnam

Once again, I had the privilege of joining Jeff on one of his business trips to Asia. While I have visited Singapore before, Vietnam was high on my list of places to see and this was my chance.

I met Jeff in Singapore for a few days, where I strolled the streets of Chinatown, Arab and Orchard Street and took advantage of the sales at Raffles City Centre. We then flew to Da Nang, Vietnam, where we had the good fortune of staying at an amazing resort, the Nam Hai. I was to travel on to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for 2-nights on my own, however Jeff's schedule was changed at last minute, which required him to meet with some colleagues there as well.

While Jeff was quite busy with work, we managed to find some time together and I finally got to see Vietnam. I would go back in a heartbeat.


Jeff's office in Singapore.

View from our room -the signature Raffles Hotel in the forefront.

View from the second balcony of our room at the Fairmont in Singapore.

Out and about in Singapore.

Chinatown in Singapore.

The signature Raffles Hotel.

The famous Long Bar, where the Singapore Sling was made. Didn't go this time.

Our villa at the Nam Hai in Da Nang.

Jeff's office in Da Nang.

Our villa was amazing...the photos don't do it justice.

The bed was raised above the living room to provide unobstructed views of the beach.

The indoor area of the bathroom.

The outdoor shower surrounded by lush, tropicl landscape.

The neighboring villas.

View from our patio.

Jeff relaxing on our outdoor furniture.

Biting off more than he could chew.

The spa at the Nam Hai.

The main pool...1 of 3 large infinity pools.

Enjoying coffee poolside.

Jeff come to join me at the pool.

Our last afternoon at the Nam Hai.

Out and about in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

One of the many, talented artists in Vietnam. I left with 9 paintings in total!

The Indepence Palace.

Ho Chi Minh

Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City.

War Reminants Museum.

I got caught in a downpour, which had all the guests of the museum huddled undercover for a good 30 mins.

The bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh City.

Baby Bump - Week 16

No hiding it now!

I have been extremely lucky to date with no food aversions and minimal morning sickness. At times, I have found myself sluggish but it hasn't seemed to hamper my ability to do my job. ;)


Baby in Beirut.

Family photo in Byblos, Lebanon.

Beirut

Jeff and Venitta had some meetings to attend in Beirut this week, so I tagged along. What a beautiful country!

On Saturday, we rented a taxi for the day with the hopes of seeing as much of Lebanon as we could in a day. We started our morning out with coffee and lunch in the heart of Beirut, Solidere. This pedestrian only area of the city had been demolished in the last civil war and was recently reconstructed to house retail and residential - when the crowds return, it will be a great place to be.

We had several people suggest that we visit Jeita Grotto. Not knowing exactly what we were in for, we were somewhat surprised that one of Lebanon's "must see" attractions were hidden in large underground caves. Coming from Dubai, we were quite happy to enjoy the cool outdoor temperatures and soak up the lush, mountainous landscape. However, we walked around and learnt that we were visiting the World's Most Beautiful Cave and saw the World's Largest Stalagmite (Guinness Book of World Records).

We continued up the coast another 30-40 minutes to the quaint, fishing village of Byblos. Rumor has it that Byblos is the longest inhabited city in the world and is believed to be the founding town of the alphabet. We strolled the cobblestone roads and stumbled upon a small cafe, where we enjoyed a snack before heading back to Beirut.

The following days, Jeff and Venitta worked, while enjoyed the resort amenities. We left Beirut on Tuesday evening, which proved to be just in the nick of time.


Venitta and I in Solidere.

Very quiet streets in Solidere.

We weren't allowed to take photos in Jeita Grotto, so this is the outside.

Glad to be out of the caves.

The train to take us back to the bottom.

Almost the bottom...we had to walk the rest of the way.

The quaint fishing village of Byblos.

Jeff and Venitta checking out the catch of the day.

Trying to suck in my tummy.

Local fishermen.

What else but shopping!

A much needed break in Byblos.

Cute cobblestone road that lead to the wharf at Byblos.

The Movenpick Beirut with an Olympic size pool.

View from our room.

Jeff and I in Solidere.

Jeff's Birthday

Another year. We celebrated Jeff's birthday with a leisurely breakfast at home followed by 23 holes of golf at the Four Seasons Golf Club, Dubai and dinner with Brad & Heather at Quattro's.

Sorry, not too many photos.


Package from the Sault.

Thanks Mom & Dad.

Four Seasons Golf Club Dubai.

Rounding out 23 holes - I was spent, Jeff could have gone on.

One Year in Dubai

It is hard to believe but it has been one year since we moved to Dubai. Time flies.

Today, we did many of the things we have come to enjoy in our new city. We had coffee, breakfast and a stroll at the Marina, followed by 18 holes at the Par 3 course in our neighbourhood. Then dinner at the Madinat.

Meet Peanut!

While we would have liked to have shared this news with you in person, living half way around the world often makes it difficult. So here it is…

Jeff and I are expecting!

We are now at 12 weeks of the 40 week journey (what you learn) and ‘Peanut’ (as we affectionately started to call it, after the first scan) is doing well.

We will aim to document progress on our blog, so stay posted.

Take care,
Angela, Jeff and Peanut

Squinting makes it a little easier to decipher.

Al Hamra Fort

Just an hour up the coast from Dubai is a reasonably priced and maintained golf course at Al Hamra Fort. Brad tested his new cars limits, as well as his father in-laws stomache on the drive there.

While there are no photos to prove it, I was there and played fairly well.


Gerry (Heather's Dad), Brad & Jeff.

Jeff ready to go.

Tough shot for Gerry.

Spot 3 things wrong with this photo.

Jeff on the 18th hole.

Brad's New Car

Brad and Heather (mostly Brad) are the proud owners of a new Audi A6 - I will let Brad tell you about the details.