Singapore Slinging

by kinsay20December 28, 2017December 28, 2017

Disclaimer- Singapore sling is an iconic drink that Singapore is known for. Ironically, John and I didn’t even have this drink while in Singapore. We talked about it , and planned to, but we just never did. As we sat on the plane flying out John said, “wait, we never had the Singapore Sling.”…oops! So now we plan to look up the recipe and make one when we get home 😉

We departed KL for Singapore around lunchtime on a Sunday. The flight was short (about 1 hour). When we arrived at the airport we purchased a 3 day pass for unlimited metro train and bus access. Great deal, and I highly recommend it! It saved us so much money! John also purchased a SIM card from the airport so that he could use Googlemaps / Trip Advisor to help us get around the city.

Check out hubby’s brilliant way of carrying both his bags front and back lol

The super clean and efficient metro train took us right near our hotel- the Hilton Garden Inn . We had to switch trains once, but were at our hotel in about an hour. Our hotel was in the area of Singapore known as “Little India”.

Little India is known as being the closest thing to India, without being in actual India. On the metro we noted almost all Chinese Singaporeans, so we were shocked when we got off in Little India. Hundreds and hundreds of true Indians everywhere. For as much as we have traveled, we had never seen a complexion quite like this. We both were in complete awe. There were so many very, very dark complexion people in Little India. We later learned that many are actually from Bangladesh, and move to Singapore to work, sending money back to their families.

I realized something during our stay in Singapore. I truly believe most prejudice and racism in the world is from ignorance- and simply exposure, or lack there of. I remember just 5 years ago, waiting outside of a DC metro station, and feeling fearful of women near me in Muslim hijab covering all but their eyes. I actually considered waiting to get on a different metro bus. Why was I fearful? I had no bad experience personally with them or anyone dressed like them. In fact I had previously had a few Muslim friends, and good experiences. Was I fearful because of the media? Because of Islam terrorism constantly being brought up in the news? I don’t know. But what I realize now, is that I barely notice when someone is wearing a Muslim hijab near me. After spending a lot of time in countries which are primarily Muslim ( i.e. Morocco, Myanmar, Laos, and now Malaysia and Singapore), I can be the only one in a crowded space not wearing the traditional Muslim attire, and I feel fine.

Now here we are in Little India, and John and I definitely stand out. We are the only white Americans amongst large crowds of much darker skinned Bangladeshi and Indians, many wearing their traditional/ cultural attire. Did we feel odd or out of place? Maybe for a minute or two, but since we are now used to traveling and being” out of our comfort zone” we adjust to these feelings rather quickly. Because really, that is all they are is “feelings”, that we place upon ourselves. We make ourselves feel comfortable and not comfortable many times in life. It is all about perception and overcoming ignorance. If anything, we were more fascinated by the new culture and experience. One of the reasons why I think travel is so important- it forces you out of your comfort zone. It makes you understand others and realize that as different as we are, we are also very alike.

The Hilton Garden Inn was nice, and we had a great view. The hotel is located next to a Hindu temple.

View from our room

We quickly set out to explore. Singapore is a city and a country. The Singapore Chinese make up a huge amount of the population, followed by the Malay and Indian. Apparently when the British were in control of Singapore, they didn’t help assimilate the cultures, so that is why there is such segregation. The charts below show the demographics breakdown in Singapore.

We took the metro over to the China town area.

Where we walked around and found a famous Hawker stall area for dinner. There are hundreds of stalls and choices of food in one area.

These aren’t like food courts you see in the US. No, no, these are good quality food at amazing prices. I had a delicious dinner of laska- the popular Singapore dish. For my first Laska, I had a coconut curry top broth with chicken. Conner was eager to try the famous chicken and rice dish from a place famed by the likes of Anthony Bordain and Chef Ramsay. We also got a 3rd dish to share and try 😉 This was all about $25 USD- more than other Southeast Asia countries, but still less than in the US.

After dinner we walked around some more, and then headed back to walk around Little India. We couldn’t believe how crowded the Little India streets were. Hundreds of mostly men, were sitting around everywhere. They were talking, playing cards, hanging out. We weren’t sure if this was a nightly event. We later found out it seems to be a Sunday night thing. I think many of those there to work from either India or Bangladesh, leave their wives and children back home, and send them money (hence why less women and children seen in the area). Some research I found was pretty sad. I read that some Bangladeshi have big dreams of making good money in Singapore, but it doesn’t always work out to their advantage. One man I read about sold his family farm and home in Bangladesh to have enough money to get to Singapore to work. When he arrived, his promised job no longer needed him, so he ended up working construction. Years later he was returning back to Bangladesh in debt- with less money and no family farm or home. I also read some interesting interviews/ articles about how the Bangladeshi and Indian feel unwelcome in parts of Singapore. They state that many Chinese Singaporeans get up and move if they sit by them on the metro. They often avoid the fancier shopping and business districts, afraid of being shunned by the Chinese. Very interesting, and sad.

Interesting article Bangladesh in Singapore

As we walked through Little India, we noticed many shops selling Gold and jewelry, as well as many fruit markets and smells of incense all around. A few times we heard the sound “ Tsk, tsk” as we walked by. We weren’t sure what it meant, but my dear friend google explained to me later. It is basically an expression in Singapore showing “displease”. So perhaps they were expressing “displease” for us being in their area? I am not sure.

The next morning we got up early knowing we had a full day ahead. I will commend John and I on the fact that we make the most of our days. We are not relaxing, lackadaisical travelers. We are very “go-go”. We like to see the most and do the most we can in a day. We have tried relaxing on trips, but after an hour by a pool or a beach, we often are ready for the next activity. I am glad we are both this way, as it makes us extremely compatible companions. Most days on trips we walk anywhere from 5-10 miles- whether hiking, or just walking through cities. This is good, because then we can enjoy the food without feeling too guilty 🙂

Our busy day in Singapore began with a train ride to the popular attractions area. We bought a combo ticket for the world renowned Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. The cloud forest was really quite amazing- a massive indoor greenhouse-like ecosystem. We spent a good amount of time walking through it and enjoying the sights.

We enjoyed the flower dome as well- many beautiful trees, flowers and plants that we have never seen.

We found another popular Hawkers food stall area ( thanks to John’s awesome research) for lunch. We ate at a famous place called “ A noodle story”, which serves unique Singapore pho. It was so very yummy! A fried potato wrapped shrimp and very delicious and unique noodles, made this unlike any pho we had ever had!

We then walked off our pho by exploring around Quay clarke area, the world known Marina Bay Sands, Fort Canning park, and a huge Singapore mall. Like the Malaysians, the Singaporeans definitely love they malls!

For dinner, John did more research and found us a fabulous authentic Northern Indian restaurant called Aromas, right near our hotel in Little India. The food was really good! The samosas were the best!

The next day we decided we would go to the Singapore zoo. It is rated in the top 10 of zoos worldwide! We were interested to see some animals that we aren’t able to see other places.

We stopped to get some water from a little store. I really wanted chewing gum! I realized I hadn’t been able to find it anywhere in Singapore. Later on doing some research, we learned that selling gum in Singapore is illegal. Turns out this beautiful, pristine country has some really odd and disconcerting laws to include- singing in public, walking around your house naked if curtains aren’t closed, not flushing a public toilet, and homosexuality. Really “modern” “futuristic” Singapore? You don’t realize how lucky you are to live in freedom, until you see that others do not have the same luxury. Read more in link below.

Ridiculous Singapore laws

To get to the zoo we used our unlimited 3 day transportation cards and took the city bus system. The zoo was pretty far- about an hour or so out of the main city area. The zoo was really awesome though!

After hours wandering around the awesome zoo, Conner got really hungry and was craving a burger. He googled the top rated burger place in Singapore, and we set out on a long bus journey back towards the main city. Once arriving at the burger place we were really disappointed to find it was closed. Conner was pretty hangry and would not settle for anything other than a burger. We trekked quite a bit to try to find another highly rated one. We arrived at the huge famous shopping area in Singapore called Orchard road. There were many high end stores and of course, a huge mall! We soon realized the burger place we were in search for was in the huge mall. We couldn’t figure out where it was and walked around for quite awhile. We tried looking at maps, but still couldn’t find it. John had his mind set on this darn burger, so we weren’t going to give up until we found it. The website said it closed at 3pm- it was 2:55pm and we still hands found the place. Finally right at 2:59 we found it. Thank goodness the crazy hunt was over and we could enjoy our burger.

We headed back to our hotel to change clothes for nightly outing- the famous rooftop bar and infinity pool at Marina Bay Sands. We decided to first have a drink at the top of one of the Supertree Grove restaurants. When we arrived we were told we had to purchase ticket to enter the area of the Groves because it was a “winter wonderland” event. After some sweet talking Conner convinced them to let us in to go to the restaurant only. We had to pay $20 each once inside to go to the bar/ restaurant, but that included a drink each. The views were great but it was really, really windy!

After sunset, we made our way over to Marina Bay Sands rooftop bar. Now this place was impressive! Pictures don’t lie- it is just as marvelous in person! We enjoyed the views and people watching!

It was a fabulous way to enjoy our last night in Singapore!! And the next stop would be a truly big change as we headed for Indonesia!

Sayonara Singapore! Perhaps we will meet again one day 🙂

<3,

Kinz

The Conners take Asia, 3.0. New places, New adventures….

by kinsay20December 22, 2017

There’s just something about Asia. My husband and I first travelled to Asia in 2014 on our honeymoon. We were fortunate enough to visit 5 countries that trip- Japan, China, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. We fell in love with the different cultures and knew we would have to return. To read about our honeymoon adventures click here- Conner Honeymoon

Last year we visited Laos, Myanmar and Thailand (again- new area). While each country is very distinct- they each have their own charm, extensive cultural traditions, and deep routed history. They all are wonderful in their own ways. I can’t even explain how much I have learned from visiting these amazing places.

This year we are heading back, this time to 3 new countries- Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

We typically travel with backpacks when doing our longer international journeys. This was a bit of a challenge for me to get accustomed to, as I am an indecisive packer, and always felt like more is, well more. But I have had to learn that less is more.

There are many pros to traveling with a pack. For starters, you can board flights easier, not having to check in a bag. You also can catch connection flights and get out of airports faster when not checking a bag. You also don’t run the risk of your bag getting lost in transit. Additionally, moving around cities is much easier with a pack on your back instead of trying to negotiate large crowds, busy metros, stairways and curbs with a suitcase or rolling bag.

I have gotten much better at packing, and have learned some tricks. Packing cubes are ideal to keep things organized and compact. Travel underwear is ideal because it can be washed and dries very quickly. Silk robes bundle up very small and can be used to sleep in. Hubby likes his hybrid shorts that can be used as bathing suits also. Toms and regular tennis shoes are a must for lots of walking. I always still squeeze either a pair of wedges or heels into my pack- just in case, although I end up wearing them only once or twice. The only thing that really still challenges me is the liquid limits. I mean considering, hair products, skin and cleansing products/ lotions- to fit a month’s worth in 1 quart size ziplock bag is tough. I do like Lush’s “coalface” hard soap for face wash, and take it whenever I travel.

All packed and ready to go! Up at 4am to catch our first flight out of Washington DC Dulles , scheduled to leave at 7am. Kissing our sweet kitties Shiraz and Syrah goodbye, I was comforted knowing they are in good hands with our fabulous kitty sitter.

Arriving at the airport timely, we enjoyed great lounge access for breakfast. Arriving at our gate for an on-time flight, we were annoyed to hear the announcement overhead that one of the flight attendants was late. We were not able to board the plane because the attendant ( per announcement ) slept-in at her hotel and was “on her way”. Are you kidding? We became anxious knowing that we could not miss our connecting flight in Dallas, or we would be in trouble. Our flight from Dallas to Hong Kong was booked using America Airlines points and there weren’t any others out to Hong kong later that day.

The attendant arrived 25 minutes later than our scheduled boarding time. I couldn’t help but snarl at her dumb grin as we boarded the plane. I can understand situations that can’t be controlled (i.e. weather), but I can’t understand an ignorant woman who simply just didn’t wake up in time. We then sat on the runway as the pilot informed as that they were now fixing a maintenance issue. Really?? John (aka Conner, aka hubby for new readers), and I began frantically researching on our phones back -up plans in case we missed our connection. A nice steward came over and told us he realized our situation, and that they were trying to figure out an alternative plan for us. John also called the American Airlines priority help desk. Since he flies American Airlines for work travel too, he is considered Sapphire, which gets us priority access, lounge access, upgrades, etc. It is a nice plus sometimes. The woman on the phone offered to put us on a completely re-routed journey. Instead of going to Hong Kong, our only other option was to fly all the way to London, via British Airlines ( another one world alliance airline). From London we could then fly to Kuala Lumpur. So we basically would be back tracking and going all the way around the world. Considering our flight still hadn’t departed , we didn’t think there was any way we could make the connection in Dallas. We accepted the phone offer. The steward offered us the option to get off the plane in DC and try to board another flight from there, but that wasn’t a guarantee.

We arrived in Dallas with 10 minutes to spare before our original Hong Kong flight was to take off. We literally sprinted through the huge Dallas airport ( worst place to have a short connection). It takes quite some time to get from one terminal to another in Dallas. We tried though, thinking we had nothing to lose. We arrived at the Hong Kong gate just minutes after it took off. With a now 5 hour layover ahead of us, we begrudgingly found the American airlines help desk, just to confirm again that our only option was to go through London. It turns out it was. We had to go all the way out of security, and then re-enter via British Airlines. Thank goodness we were able to relax in another lounge area during our long layover. They were conducting actual real fire drills, which was interesting to watch!

I called American Airlines customer service from the lounge, expressing my many concerns. The fact that us missing the connection was the airline’s fault, made us feel as though they need to make it up to us. Here we are losing time, losing money on a hotel for a night, not getting all the miles points that my husband had paid for ( since we were switched to British air), amongst other things. After some very unhelpful customer service reps , I finally got a call back from a supervisor. She granted as each a $300 travel voucher, and said we could be reimbursed for other things ( i.e. hotel) via written request online. I sent a very detailed email, and as I type this ( 1 week later) I am waiting to hear back.

Eventually we boarded our 8 hour flight to London. Because of the whole fiasco , we also weren’t in the extra legroom seats that Conner paid for us. Not to sound spoiled, but an 8 hour flight is a very long time to be in a regular seat. I can handle it as uncomfortable as it can be. But Conner is over 6 feet tall, and being stuck in the window he had no room at all for his legs.

I suppose the frustration (stated clearly in my email), was that people work hard, save money and plan well in advance (6 months in our case) for a big trip like this. Why should the consumer be penalized for something not their fault? Airlines in the US have been gradually declining their quality over the last few years. They are all about quantity and less about quality.

To make things more uncomfortable for my poor hubby- the woman in front of him put her seat down for about 7 of the 8 hours. The media screen was basically in his lap, so even watching a movie to distract himself of the discomfort was difficult. We watched “ It” and tried to relax. We both were able to sleep a few hours of the flight.

Landing in London we had another couple of hours before our flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We again had to go out of security and then back through. The TSA flagged my bags. I had removed my quart ziplock with liquids as asked. They insisted on searching my other bags. They considered my makeup in my cosmetic bag as liquids. Um huh? I had traveled with a makeup bag separate from my liquids through 12+ countries now, without any issue. They said I had to get rid of stuff. I was livid. They considered another face wash I use, ultrabland, from Lush as a liquid. It is not a liquid. They also said I was “lucky” that they would not consider my contacts as needed to be in my liquid bag. “what???”, I said “ they are prescribed and I cannot see without them”. Contacts lenses in their original box with prescription on them are not a liquid! What was wrong with these people? The woman then said “ miss I’m sure you also have glasses!”. At this point I was so angry I started to cry. They continued to analyze all my belongings, even considering my cream eyeshadow and mascara as liquids. Complete jerks! I am all about safety and TSA security, but nothing they were saying made any sense, nor had I ever been treated and humiliated in that way before at an airport check point. I was very upset after they threw away about $100 worth of products. Conner tried to console me but I was just angry. I honestly think the rude TSA woman took my brand new Younique liquid foundation and ultrabland face wash for herself.
After I finally calmed down a bit we rested in the Malaysian airlines lounge before our flight. We definitely save money by having access to the lounges. We don’t need to buy food at the airport, and always grab water bottles for our flights. They of course provide water on the flights, but on a 14 hour flight, a tiny cup of water doesn’t get me very far. I like to have my own bottles.

We were able to talk to Malaysian airlines and get extra legroom seats! Things were looking up! Woo hoo! Thank goodness for that! This was a very long nearly 14 hour flight!

It actually was not bad, and quite enjoyable, considering how long it was. I watched two new movies I hadn’t seen- “The Glass Castle” and “ The Shack”. Both really good! I am notorious for crying during movies on long flights. This time was no different. Both movies were tear jerkers. Malaysian air fed us a decent chicken and potato dinner. We took a couple naps. I enjoyed watching one of my all time faves ‘ The Sound of Music”, and then we were fed breakfast prior to landing.

Landing in Kuala Lumpur, we were so excited to finally be in Malaysia! We had left our condo 36 hours prior to finally arriving! Malaysia does not require US citizens to have a visa of staying less than 90 days with a valid passport good for at least 6 months. Going through customs and immigration was easy. You pay a set price for a taxi inside the airport, receiving a receipt to redeem at the taxi stand. We suppose they do this to prevent over charging.

The drive from Kuala Lumpur airport into the city is quite long- at least an hour without traffic. We were amazed at how many billboards we passed along the way. It is crazy, and we have never seen anything like it! The Malays must love their billboards!

Arriving at the beautiful Doubletree Hilton around 9am, we both were in dire need of a shower and fresh change of clothes. Our room was very nice with complimentary treats and a great view!

After our showers we headed out to explore! We used the city metro system, which was pretty easy to figure out and very inexpensive.

metro token

Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, consists of 1.6 million people- 50% Malay, 23.7% Chinese, 7.1% Indian, plus 11% indigenous tribes such as Orang Asli and Iban.
All of whom are considered Malaysian nationals.

We walked all around the city, exploring the downtown area, spectacular Petronas towers, and had lunch at an authentic Indian restaurant.

Malaysia has a large population of Indians, Chinese, As we walked around we definitely stood out. As opposed to other Southeast Asian countries, there were far less American and European travelers here. It was very hot, 90+ degrees and humid. We both were definitely sweating. We did so much walking ( probably 7-8miles) and needed another shower. We enjoyed the executive lounge happy hour that evening, with glorious views of the city.

We were able to eat enough in the lounge, that we didn’t need to venture out for dinner. We were pretty wiped out after all the travel, and walking. Not to mention the time difference of 13 hours back home.
We were asleep by 9 that night, which was good because we had big day ahead! Our breakfast the next morning at the hotel was one of the best hotel breakfast buffets we have ever seen. The only others of which are even comparable that we have seen are Tokyo Hilton, Myanmar Hilton and Beijing HIlton.

This breakfast was so impressive and delicious! Fresh made Roti with curry sauce, coconut chutney, fresh squeezed guava juice, lentil fritters, yellow watermelon, jajik salad, ….yum!

With full stomachs, we called an uber to take us to Batu caves. Uber is very popular in Kuala Lumpur ( known by many as KL), and is advertised everywhere. It is also very inexpensive! After only a 20 minute ride, we arrived to the Batu caves. The entry is free, with signs asking visitors to carry pails of clay up to the workers remodeling the structures in the caves. A steep set of stairs, brought us to the top.

The caves were very impressive with monkeys everywhere! These monkeys were way less aggressive than the monkeys we encountered last year in Myanmar. Mt. Popa in Myanmar had nice views, but the experience itself was tainted by having to take our shoes off and climb many stairs covered in monkey poo. Monkeys aggressively jumping over us and approaching people unafraid, grabbing things from them. Batu caves monkeys, were much more polite. They were cute , and their poo was not covering the grounds.

After the caves we ubered back into town and found a great food stall place for lunch. Food/hawker centers are very popular in Malaysia. We had delicious Penang style soup!

We spent the afternoon walking around the city more , exploring. We enjoyed the Butterfly park , as well as a 3D art museum, and many monuments.

The Malaysians did not stare or make us feel uncomfortable, even though we clearly stood out. They were nice enough, but not overly friendly towards us. I think we both agree, the friendliest people overall in our travels have been the Cambodians. They were just so incredibly friendly and nice. The overall rudest so far have been the Chinese in China (in Malay the Chinese are nicer/ more polite). In Morocco and Vietnam, we were definitely stared at by local groups of men, and harassed at times to buy stuff. Don’t get me wrong though- we came across very nice people in Vietnam and Morocco as well. The Japanese were reserved and mostly kept to themselves, but when they did interact with us, they were very nice. Oh, and the Thai! How can I forget mentioning the Thai! They were also another very friendly, welcoming group overall. The French in Paris were surprisingly very nice- not what we had expected hence debunking the myth that the French don’t like Americans.

Ok, back on track. So we enjoyed our afternoon and even came across a huge Comic con with hundreds of people in crazy and cool costumes!

We had these delicious sweet treats from a street vendor cooked in bamboo. We saw them featured on a travel special and just had to try them! They were so yummy!

We changed clothes to head back out for the night. We planned to see the Petronas tower fountain and light show. We were pressed for time so ended up eating dinner at a restaurant near the fountain, connected to the mall next to Petronas.

The Malays like their malls! They have huge, clean and beautiful shopping malls throughout KL. I should mention, KL overall is very clean. The architecture is amazing and so modern! Every building is like artwork! We kept thinking, “ Why can’t the US have buildings like this”.
Dinner was good and the fountain light show was awesome!

After the fountain light show we headed to Skybar. We had heard good things about this place, and were excited to check it out. There was no entry fee because we got there before 9pm. They had drink specials so Conner had a few beers and I got two wines for a great deal. We enjoyed the stunning views and music. A really beautiful nightclub! It wasn’t very crowded since we were there early, but I can imagine that place gets pretty busy!

The comic con people even came to Skybar

The next morning after enjoying that ridiculously delicious international buffet again, we packed up our stuff to head to the airport for our next stop- Singapore!!

KL, you were super interesting and we really enjoyed getting to know you!! We will see you again on our last night of the trip before heading back to the US!

harap sabar menunggu (stay tuned in Malay)-

<3, Kinz

No Passport, No Problem!

by kinsay20December 10, 2017

In early May, Conner had a meeting in Massachusetts. We had talked about going to Niagara Falls, so he had the wonderful idea that we drive after his work meeting and make a long weekend out of it! Massachusetts was on the way, so we set out on a Wednesday after work. We arrived that night to Pittsfield, MA, a small town, which I explored the next morning while Conner went to his meeting.

After his meeting we set out on our way to Niagara Falls. Through research, we decided we wanted to stay on the Canada side. We had read that the views were even more astonishing on the Canada side, so we booked a room overlooking the falls at the Hilton. A few hours into the 5 hour drive, it suddenly hit me- we hadn’t packed our passports. “Um, babe—“, I said anxiously- “We didn’t bring our passports!”. My husband’s face dropped- “Oh my gosh, what were we thinking”, he replied. We both could not believe that the thought hadn’t even crossed our minds! I think because we were driving we weren’t thinking of the fact that we were actually crossing the border into another country. We debated the idea of just turning around and going home. Then we thought about maybe just staying on the New York side. Conner didn’t want to do that, and was upset to lose the money for our nights at the Hilton. I called border control and the officer basically told me it was “luck of the draw”. He said us getting across into Canada all depended on what border officer we happened to get. We had our driver’s licenses, our work IDs, proof of our vehicle being registered in Virginia. Technically, if you don’t have your passport you are supposed to have some other proof of US citizenship (i.e. a birth certificate). Well, we certainly didn’t have that. We did however both know or passport numbers by heart.

As we approached the large border crossing area, we both became really nervous. It would really stink if we drove all this way, took off work, booked hotels and didn’t even get to see the falls. As we inched toward the Canadian border gate hubby looked at me and said , “just let me do the taking”. Ok, no problem there. Conner politely said, ” Hi sir, I apologize we forgot our passports”. The officer looked at him sternly and unimpressed. “What do you mean you forgot them?” he replied. Conner’s response, ” We rushed and just didn’t even think about bringing them. We do have our licenses, IDs, vehicle registration”. The officer looked at our drivers licenses. He went in his office, typed some information into a computer. He asked details on what hotel we would be staying, how long we would be in Canada, and what our plans were. He then inspected our car, walking around it. We told him our memorized passport numbers. He looked at me sternly, “Mrs. Conner, where were you born?”, to which I replied “Fort Lauderdale, Florida”, immediately realizing this was not my place of birth. Dumb! Why did I say that? I was born in a city near Fort Lauderdale. I sat nervously for what seemed like 10 minutes, but was probably only 30 seconds. He handed us back our ID’s and said “Proceed”.

We slowly drove through, immediately laughing and cheering that we made it through. “We did it!” I said. ” Of course babe, I told you to let me handle it”, Conner said confidently ( remember he wasn’t so confident 2 hours earlier when he almost turned the car around. He couldn’t believe I said the wrong city of birth, but we could laugh about that now too.

A short drive took us right to our Hilton Fallsview Hotel. We had an amazing room with spectacular views of the Falls. We arranged our falls tour the next day through the Hilton concierge. We opted for a fabulous deal that included the Hornblower boat tour through the falls, behind the falls, the whirlpool and the daredevil museum. We had a delicious dinner that night at the Brasa Brazilian Steakhouse in the hotel. The Hilton Fallsview was huge and gorgeous! Very similar to a smaller scale Vegas hotel. There were many shops, restaurants and a casino. We hung out at the casino some after dinner. I am not much of a gambler, but Conner taught me how to play a couple of games and we won some money!

The next morning we had an awesome breakfast in the Watermark restaurant of the Hilton. We had some time before our tour so we checked out the daredevil museum. It was pretty interesting. It is crazy that so many daredevils through the years, attempted to go down the massive falls. We watched a cool IMAX movie as well.

We then met our tour guide and set off on our tour. Our first stop was the Hornblower. It was a cold and rainy day, but they said it wouldn’t matter because we would be getting wet sailing through the falls anyways. We were given ponchos and led to the area to board our boat. We had a large group and ended up waiting in freezing cold rain for quite some time. Conner wasn’t happy. I wasn’t either, but what could we do?

Once we were on the boat, we forgot we were cold and annoyed with the wait. The views of the enormously powerful Falls were unlike anything we imagined! Pictures and videos just don’t do it justice. This should be on everyone’s bucket list!

After our breathtaking boat experience, we made our way back to our tour bus meeting place. We rushed to get there at the agreed upon time by our guide, not wanting the tour to move on without us. Come to find out, we were the only ones on time. Nobody else from our group showed. We waited and waited. Our guide realized that the others got on a different (later boat than us). We had to wait quite some time and our guide kept apologizing. He ended up giving us complimentary passes to the Skylon tower as a gift for our patience. Unfortunately, we never got to use the passes- but I still have them and they don’t expire, so on our next trip to Niagara we can use them 🙂

We finally then ventured on to “behind the falls”. Now, this was cool! I highly recommend doing this as well! We were given new ponchos and free to walk through different caves which led us out to views actually behind the majestic falls!

The explosive power of the falls is just glorious!!

Our next stop was the whirlpool view which was also neat!

After our fun filled, but chilly day, we headed back to our hotel to rest a bit. I took a hot bath in the huge whirlpool tub! This Hilton was definitely impressive!

View from our room–

We had a fabulous dinner that night at the Watermark restaurant, and then enjoyed some more time in the casino.

The next morning we set out early to Toronto! We figured “eh, we’re in Canada, eh, we should go see Toronto!” The drive was not bad, taking us less than 2 hours.

We checked into the beautiful Intercontinental (using hotel points), and immediately ventured out to have lunch and explore!

We had a really great day just walking around the city. It was a bit windy and cold (keep in mind this was May)- so definitely dress accordingly if heading to Canada that time of year. Toronto is a pretty clean city. There were musicians, and peaceful protests and a lot of great shopping! For a big city it seemed not too chaotic, and easy to navigate.

We loved St. Lawrence market, and of course had to try real Canadian bacon!

Our one night in the Intercontinental was great! The hotel has a very nice lobby and bar/ restaurant. We watched the Kentucky Derby , and literally 2 minutes before the race I convinced Conner to put money on “Always Dreaming”. He was the underdog but I liked the name. And guess what? He won! Yay!

We set out back home the next morning. A bit nervous and unsure if the US border patrol would let us back in without fuss. The officer definitely drilled us and seemed annoyed when we explained we just plain forgot our passports. Eventually, he let us through. A pretty long drive, about 8 hours. It was so worth it! We just loved Niagara Falls and Toronto! Niagara falls should be on everyone’s bucket list! Canada is a beautiful country and we would love to explore it more in the future! The people are so incredibly nice. Like almost ridiculously nice! Every person we encountered (besides border patrol officers), were over the top friendly, helpful and just nice! But just don’t forget your passport 😉

<3,

Kinz

J’adore Paris <3

by kinsay20December 4, 2017

As a little girl I remember hearing about Paris and thinking, “Oh, how romantic it sounds”. It seemed so far away, and like a magical place that was unreachable. In high school I took French for 3 years. As freshmen, my best friend Tori and I picked our French names- Sandrine and Claudine. We were so excited to learn this beautiful language! After a few semesters I sort of lost interest. The grammar was quite challenging and I had greater interests such as theater, American literature, and sleepovers with my girl friends. French grammar fell far down the list, and after 5 semesters I switched to Latin.

As I got older, I remember hearing that the French were rude and did not like Americans. As a young adult, with a gazillion places on my bucket list, France was not on the list for many years. With my husband’s job we had been able to go to England and Scotland. We also took a wonderful trip all through Spain. While I loved these places, we became enthralled with Asia. Our love affair with Asia continues to grow with future destinations in sight. We had decided though, that we would love to see more of Europe.

After our last big trip we took 2 month hiatus from travel before I got antsy. We took a short trip to south Florida to see my family, which is always fun, especially when it is 20 degrees winter in DC ;).

My hubby mentioned he had his work trip to England approaching in March, and that perhaps we could take a trip somewhere nearby. I mean why not? He would already be there for work, and well, March was my birthday month after all. I explored some different options and found a fabulous plane ticket deal to Paris on a new airline – WOW. I convinced John ( aka Conner/ aka hubby), that Paris was exactly where we should go!

A few days before the planned trip, a huge winter snow storm was heading for Washington DC. There were threats of complete city shut downs. We attended dear friends’ baby shower that weekend before. At the shower everyone convinced me that I just had to get on an earlier flight. John would be leaving that night, but my flight wasn’t until Wednesday- the exact day the huge storm was predicted to hit! I couldn’t bear the thought of my Paris birthday trip getting ruined, and losing our money on plans/ plane ticket home etc. Plus, I had already been approved off of work– and it was my birthday! I didn’t want to sit stuck at home in a snow storm while my husband was over in europe! I had to make this work!
With some help from my little brother, I got on an earlier flight. That Tuesday, the day before the storm hit, and my 34th birthday, I flew to France. I had a quick layover in Russia, and as I arrived in Paris I was suddenly overjoyed with excitement. The overwhelming security as soon as we de- boarded the plane was surprising. Security guards asking for each person’s passport. With the recent terrorist attacks, I suppose they were being extra cautious.

I had no trouble finding my way through the Charles de Gaulle airport , and quickly hailed a taxi to the hotel (for a pricey $50 USD). We were staying at the Hilton Le Defense. Conner would not arrive until very late that evening. When I arrived it was midday, and still my birthday in France :).

I was surprised to have my suitcase opened and searched as I entered the Hilton. Another security measure the French were taking very seriously. As I checked in, the front desk clerk knew it was my birthday (either my hubby told them or they saw on my passport), but either way I was given free champagne cards. Score!

Once in the lovely room, I showered, and immediately headed out to explore. Wanting to save most things to see with Conner when he arrived, I decided to just explore the Le Defense area around the hotel. The area is more of a business district, and not typical of actual “Paris”. It was later explained to me that Paris has specific rules about architecture, building heights etc. The La Defense area was a separate area, very localized, that could have taller office buildings. It had really interesting modern art all around as well.

I enjoyed walking around and found an Italian eatery for lunch, Yes, I had pizza as my first meal in France. I also had a glass of wine, as I sat and enjoyed people- watching.

After some more walking and exploring, I headed back to the hotel thinking I could rest before Conner arrived. I remembered my complimentary birthday champagne, so I headed to the lounge area. Relaxing with my champagne, I loved reading all my birthday messages from friends and family. The bartender wished me a happy birthday with a second glass of champagne.

As I was finishing it and ready to head back to the room for a rest, a 3rd glass was suddenly brought over to me. I heard from across the lounge a strong French accent , ” Bonjour mademoiselle, my compliments, happy birthday”. The frenchman, another patron of the lounge continued to say, ” don’t worry, I am married, I am harmless. I am just interested in chatting with Americans and learning from them”.

“Hmmm”, I thought- ” is this is creepy or nice?”. I quickly made it clear that my husband would be arriving soon, and thanked him for the champagne. He asked some questions from across the lounge regarding American politics and explained how the French feel about American culture. He said many French don’t travel to America, with fear of disappointment. They like to think of America as “pure” with ” cowboys” and ” strong American soldiers” and are disappointed when they see the news of shootings and the obesity epidemic.

Since I work in healthcare I was very interested to learn about the socialistic healthcare system. He explained its pros and cons- and many flaws. He explained the high taxes that the French pay, and said he was indeed “not in favor” of socialized medicine. He said most of his wealthy friends choose to go to the US for surgeries and other medical procedures. Now, this is just one man- and his opinion, but I really did find some of the things he said to be very interesting. One reason I love to travel is for this- meeting random strangers, and learning so much about their culture and beliefs.

The nice Frenchman suddenly became obviously intoxicated and was rambling on about personal issues with his family and how he was afraid to go home and confront his wife. Things got uncomfortable and when he was in the bathroom I politely thanked the bartender and escaped to my room. I fell asleep only to awake to hubby’s arrival! Yay! It was nearly 10pm ( still my birthday), Conner asking if I wanted to go to do something. We decided to get some good sleep, so we could awake early and make the most of the next day.

After a lovely breakfast , we set out to “Musee d’Orsay. We decided to take the metro, as we have found in most major cities around the world, this is often the fastest, cheapest and easiest way to go! The La defense metro station was right by our hotel- a typical busy, chaotic city metro station. After studying the very confusing maps we had the route we needed figured out. Paris maps are broken down into zones. Certain passes/ prices get you access to certain zones. Quite confusing. We tried purchasing our metro tickets from the electronic machines but our cards kept getting declined. We had let our banks know we were in France, so this was odd. We searched for a human employee to help us but couldn’t find anyone for quite awhile. All of the in-person ticket booths were vacant.

While looking we saw quite a few Syrian refugees begging for money. Syrian children are beautiful! I had learned from the Frenchman the night prior, that the French government had been taking drastic measures to help the Syrian refugees. They had assistance centers for shelter, job placement etc. Some French were not in favor of the influx due to increased homeless/beggars as well as their tax money spent to help the refugees. What a tough situation- and I will not get into politics at this time- I don’t personally know what the answer is, but I am always in favor of helping those less fortunate.

After some time we finally found a woman to help us. She didn’t speak great English, so we had some trouble understanding her. We eventually understood that for a 1 time set price for the week, we would have a metro card that would give us access to all zones, and even get us outside of Paris to Versailles, and to the airport. Perfect! Why was this not advertised? All of our research online prior never mentioned this?

We finally made it to Musee D’orsay, and were not disappointed ! We spent hours and hours exploring this glorious museum!

What a wonderful time we had! I think I could have spent 3 entire days there! The afternoon was spent walking all around the city!

Love Lock Bridge

The Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile

View from the Arc

Seeing the Eiffel tower in person was so exciting!!! We had tickets later that evening to go up to the top! After researching before our trip, I learned it was best to reserve tickets ahead of time. We wanted to time it so that we would be at the top during sunset. We arrived early and had some popcorn and people watched while waiting to go up! We quickly moved through the line when it was our scheduled time, escorted to a diagonal leaning elevator which took us all the way up!

Beautiful Views! We had a really great time! While on top Conner started thinking about dinner- he must have been hungry. He found a very highly rated restaurant nearby on Trip advisor. Here’s a little tip- he booked a last minute reservation through TripAdvisor and we got a discount (basically a free bottle of good wine). What we didn’t realize, was that at sunset the stairs to go down the Eiffel Tower close for safety reasons, so the only way down is via elevators. Many people wait for the sunset , so the lines to go down the elevators get quite long. We waited quite awhile- probably 40 minutes before we could get down. We were afraid we would miss our dinner reservation. We ran and made it just in time!

Dinner was delicious— and I only wish I remember the name of the quaint restaurant!

The next day we spent hours at the Louvre- another fabulous museum! I just can’t put into words, how it felt to walk all around and through this world renowned place!

Parisians lived up to their romance reputation. They seemed so relaxed and happy. At all hours of the day and night, lovers could be seen kissing, holding hands, or just laying in parks together. Children playing, and elderly walking with ease and contentment.

Outside the Louvre- a park during lunchtime on a Thursday- locals just enjoying life

We had an amazing crepe lunch, followed by just enjoying walking around this wonderful city!

That night we had my birthday dinner at the ridiculously delicious 114 Faubourg, a Michelin rated restaurant located in the dine Le Bristol hotel.

Every bite was decadent, every dish a beautiful display of art! The Le Bristol hotel was so lovely- and even had a resident kitty!

The next day was spent exploring the vast and spectacular Versailles! A short 1 hour train ride, followed by a brief walk, getting to Versailles was easy! Tickets are 18 Euro or about 21 USD per person. We did have to wait in line for about an hour before we could enter the immense grounds. We had an audio tour that explained in detail every room, and the amazing gardens that went on and on and on!!

Definitely plan to spend at least 4-5 hours at Versailles! We probably walked 5-6 miles all around the gardens/ interior!

That night we enjoyed a fun food and wine tour around the Montmartre District. The interesting, artsy district is situated on a hill. We arrived to meet our tour guide and her trainee. We waited for the rest of the group to arrive, but as it turns out, they were not going to make it. So we got a personal tour! It was quite fun and interesting. The tour guides took us to many sites, explaining history and culture. Every once in awhile we would stop at a bakery, butcher shop or fromagerie, and gather things for our dinner, which we would have later.

We enjoyed our food and wine pairings in the small “secret food tour” space, which was sort of like a wine cellar.

We had more than enough to eat, and think our $100 was well spent. Each cheese paired perfectly with cuts of meat and delicious French wine. The French do not use preservatives like Americans. Therefore, everything is ultimately organic. They use only fresh ingredients, and purchase from the markets daily. They only buy what they will eat. They think the idea of large US supermarkets, and freezer stored food is crazy! The meats, cheeses and breads all taste much better in France- so fresh! Some of the smellier cheeses, Conner was not a fan of, but I really enjoyed!

After all of our wine and food we set out with our tour guides to a local bar. We ended up joining a bar crawl and making friends with some guys from California. We had a fun time!

Me and our tour guide

The next day we spent seeing Le Jardin du Luxembourg, Notre Dame, Palais Garnier Opera house and Sainte Chapelle.

Opera house- Palais Garnier

A lovely lunch of delicious duck and escargot- every meal we ate in Paris was so delicious!

Our last night in Paris was spent on a delightful sunset Seine river cruise. What a great way to end our time in this splendid city!

Paris, you did not disappoint- in fact you exceeded every expectation over, above and beyond! What an amazing place- a place I hope to visit again. A place, Conner and I both agree we could live! We don’t say that about many places! The people were nice and charming, with signs of love and laughter everywhere! The food was beyond amazing ( and the wine not so bad either ;)). The streets clean, the architecture divine, with history and rich culture at every turn! Once we figured out the metro card trick, public transportation was easy! March was a nice time to visit, as the weather was cool and refreshing , but not too cold, and no humidity. Paris is not a cheap city however. Be prepared to spend money for most sites. And be prepared to walk! The best way to see the city and get a real feel is to walk the streets.

Sunset in Paris

Oh, J’adore Paris!

Stay tuned for more Conner 2017 adventures- next Niagara Falls

<3,

Kinz

Keeping up with Kinz

These are a few of my favorite things….Live, Love, Travel

Month: December 2017

The Conners take Asia, 3.0. New places, New adventures….

No Passport, No Problem!

J’adore Paris <3