My Photo Journal – ANGIE & JAMES DO STUFF

Penang’s Blue Beauty: Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion combines old world charm with modern comforts

November 20, 2018

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang 2018

Research things to do in Penang and you’ll inevitably stumble upon the heritage gem that is the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, famously dubbed “The Blue Mansion” for its eye-catching indigo-blue facade. Steeped in history and built with extreme attention to the principles of feng shui, it is a sprawling architectural marvel that encompasses 38 rooms, 5 courtyards, and no less than 220 windows, not to mention a stately collection of heirlooms and antiques that decorate the halls and walkways.

Fun fact for movie buffs! The mahjong scene in Crazy Rich Asians (2018) was filmed here, in the beautiful courtyard dining room. It was awesome to find out on the last day of our stay (when we did the guided tour) that we’d been having breakfast every morning in the exact spot Rachel Chu did battle with Eleanor Young! The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion has also been featured in the Oscar-winning French film Indochine (1992).

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang 2018

Guided tours operate thrice daily — 11am, 2pm, and 3:30pm — and the mansion is open to the public during these times. The mansion doubles as a heritage hotel, and hotel guests are free to join the tours. Even if you are not staying, we highly recommend popping into the mansion to learn more about the history of this building, its fascinating Peranakan-style architecture, and the cultural value it brings to the UNESCO World Heritage site of George Town in which it sits.

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang 2018

Together with a couple of friends visiting from Australia, we stayed at the mansion for three nights. We really loved it here. While it rained a fair bit, the weather accentuated the hush, peaceful atmosphere of the grounds and courtyards… perhaps because water plays a very important part in contributing to the aura and “chi” of the entire building, as was explained to us.

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang 2018

James and I were lucky when we chose to join the Friday morning guided tour — the owner of the mansion was around that day to personally lead the tour, and it was a pleasure listening to her talk about the restoration efforts with so much passion and insight. She made the tour very engaging, peppering it with funny anecdotes and personal stories. The project of taking over and restoring the mansion into the masterpiece it is today wasn’t without its hiccups, according to her!

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang 2018

All in all, the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion proves that it is not just an everyday boutique hotel furnished with pretty relics. It is an unforgettable 19th-century landmark that has survived the test of time and it is certainly well-deserving of its reputation as a heritage gem. I’m sure it will continue to tell its story for many more generations to come!

We stayed in a heritage shophouse on Petain Road and we liked it + Two Bakers, Singapore

September 29, 2018

Singapore 2017

Back in November 2017 (I think it was November, my memory’s fuzzy), we had the opportunity to stay a night in a pretty quaint Airbnb loft. The “Fitzroy Loft” (as the listing is called) is found in one of the elegant colonial shophouses that make up the colourful block along Petain Road in the hipster neighbourhood of Jalan Besar. The shophouse itself has multiple floors and bedrooms, but we stayed on the fourth floor and attic, the double-storey space of which contained a living area and two bathrooms. Here’s the actual listing on Airbnb. I didn’t take too many photos of our Airbnb space (I don’t remember why), but the bedroom one level below us was empty and drenched in beautiful natural light from the window, so I sneaked a few pics. Not sure if it’s also listed on Airbnb, but you can try your luck! The communal area downstairs is a delight–there’s an indoor pond and some very cool art on display. Everything in the shophouse screamed eclectic charm.

Singapore 2017

We stayed there on a work night, but we still found some time to visit Two Bakers at 88 Horne Road, an artisanal bakery-cafe that specialises in pastries and desserts, alongside good coffee and some decent fresh food options. We didn’t stay long, but it was a nice place to catch a break.

Singapore 2017

Another walk through the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore 2018

September 7, 2018

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore 2018

Here’s us visiting the reserve back in 2015, when the tide was high. We encountered plenty of tree crabs and monitor lizards during that walk. This year, in March, we went during low tide, which meant a whole different crew of animals. We weren’t expecting to see saltwater crocs, but we saw at least three lurking in the depths of the mangrove swamp. Horseshoe crabs aplenty; easy to spot even from the boardwalk, thanks to the lack of tide making it harder for them to hide. Caught sight of many interesting birds, and even an adorable acid-green tree snake hanging around on a branch at eye-level that we spotted only as we came within two feet of it. Of course, the archer fish and mudskippers were doing their usual thing.

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore 2018

See? We weren’t kidding about the crocodiles–don’t believe the naysayers who think there are no crocs at Sungei Buloh. They are there, being sneaky.

There’s something magical about Valais, Switzerland

June 7, 2018

Valais, Switzerland

It’s surprising how much you can learn in a week. I’ve been staying in Switzerland, in the municipality of Conthey, with an incredibly lovely couple in their incredibly beautiful house up in the mountains. I’ve been lucky enough to be sent on this kinda-sorta immersion trip that combines business with pleasure, so I’m really grateful for this opportunity. I’ve seen so much, discovered so much, experienced so much, all in just a small amount of time. So far, I’ve seen the magnificent landmark castles of Sion, driven through the impressive rock tunnels along the road to Derborence, admired the black Hérens cattle Valais is famous for, encountered wildflowers bursting with colour and life, marvelled at the emerald green vineyards stretching as far as the eye can see, tasted local cheeses and sampled plenty of Swiss chocolate, even travelled through the Val d’Hérens and Val d’Anniviers alpine valleys to explore the little villages… it’s really been a dream.

Valais, Switzerland

As you can probably imagine, I’ve taken hundreds and hundreds of photographs. It’s been a painstaking process to choose the best ones to feature, but here’s a tiny collection to showcase the beauty of what I’ve seen so far! These are mostly photos from my first day in and around Conthey (some taken elsewhere, but nearby). Once my journey in Switzerland is complete (17 days away from home, and I’m still not done yet!), I’ll have a bit more time to upload the rest of my collection and write about other regions. For now, enjoy!

Valais, Switzerland

Surprise Birthday Staycation at Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa

May 19, 2018

Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa

James surprised me with a 3D2N staycation at Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa over the Mother’s Day weekend. Nope, I’m not a mum (ha!), but it was my birthday on Friday. 28 (yuck). He’d already had it planned before he discovered I had to make a work trip out of the country to stay at a Shangri-la resort for 5D4N just immediately before my birthday weekend. That meant an entire week away from my comfy bed. It’s okay, I didn’t complain.

Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa

Holy heck, finally. A stay at Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa. James knows me so well. I’d been gushing about how they have peacocks just wandering about the resort grounds, by the poolside, at breakfast, just outside the guest room gardens… James even booked a room that led straight out to the ground floor gardens so we got to make friends with this particular peacock who kept coming back to our little porch. Ahhhhhh! I wanted to take him home with me!

Everything from the fairy lights in the trees at night, to the friendly bartender we met at Le Bar who takes pride in preparing the more elaborate mock/cocktails from the menu, to all the water features everywhere — not to mention the super easy access to the beach from behind The Cliff — made this stay really lovely. The selection at Kwee Zeen’s daily breakfast buffet is pretty amazing, too! Plenty of pastries to choose from, and a smorgasbord of local and international fare. Sit on the veranda and you get to watch the peacocks and peahens wander around. Just try not to feed them human food!

Would I stay here again? Heck yeah.

Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa

Road Trip Through Australia’s Gorgeous South West – Spring 2017

September 23, 2017

Sugarloaf Rock, Western Australia Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia

It’s been a long time since you’ve last seen me here, and daaaang, so much has happened since! This year has been a roller coaster ride so far. Now that I’ve got a smidgen of time, I wanted to update the blog with a quick travel post about a recent road trip I embarked on this week. Just covering half of the adventure for now — snapshots from Busselton down to Augusta. I’ll try to cover Augusta to Albany at a later date! And just a quick note about our driving soundtrack: it included the likes of Mitch King, The Black Keys, and City & Colour, among others.

We started the drive on Monday, from Perth down to Busselton. Yeah, we made the famous jetty — longest in the Southern Hemisphere at an impressive 1.8 kilometres — our very first stop. On the way there, we passed beautiful wildflowers of all colours, cows and woolly sheep grazing by slow-moving rivers, mobs of kangaroos hanging around (and when I say “mob”, I mean about 300 kangaroos in a group, being lazy and not doing much), tranquil wetlands shrouded in mist, wild lilies growing in clumps under low-hanging trees, and even a number of one-hump camels by the side of the road. The flora of Western Australia is quite different to South Queensland (where I grew up). It was certainly an eye-opener of a drive!

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The Datai Langkawi: The Tropical Paradise You’ve Always Dreamed Of

May 22, 2017

The Datai Langkawi

There are so many things we loved about The Datai Langkawi —

The fact that it is surrounded by lush virgin rainforest. The abundance of wildlife, including tame dusky leaf monkeys and cheeky macaques intent on climbing through the guestroom balcony window. The constant cicada noises that echo through the surrounding forest. The balmy sea breezes that cocoon you in tropical bliss. The sound of calm waves washing along the shore by the Beach Club. The sunbirds and swallows and hornbills that drop in to say hello. The resort’s dark wood furniture and modern touches here and there. The pretty orchid blossoms that are thoughtfully placed throughout the bedroom and bathroom. The little green frogs in the lilypad pond by the Lobby Lounge that insist on hopping all over the place — up pillars and down corridors. The panoramic view of the Thai islands belonging to Tarutao National Park in the distance (we were that close to the border!). The two swimming pools — the smaller ‘family’ pool by the beach and the larger one that the lobby overlooks. The fancy breakfasts each morning at The Dining Room (think DIY cocktails and à la minute signature dishes, among a decent buffet spread). The much-needed peace and quiet. And, as a cherry on top: the fact that there is high-speed wifi pretty much everywhere. Including down at the beach, and at every far-reaching restaurant of this sprawling place, so you can do your work wherever you are!

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Photo Diary, 23 April : Joo Chiat Road – Koon Seng Road – Tembeling Road (Singapore)

April 23, 2017

Singapore

It’s always a pleasure exploring areas of this country that we’ve never been to. Joo Chiat and its surrounding streets are pretty photogenic. Koon Seng Road is famous for its vibrant shophouse style terrace homes, many of them decked out in Peranakan tiles and traditional embellishment, so that was a treat to photograph. As with most old neighbourhoods, it didn’t surprise me that we managed to locate a few grungier side roads and back alleys with the usual chaos of peeling paint, air-con compressors and abandoned furniture.

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