Baixa in Lisbon

Family Friendly Stay at the “Arsenal Aparment” in Lisbon

Today I wish to introduce you to the "Arsenal Apartment", a good homely vacation rental that I stumbled upon (literally), the other night as I was finishing up some star cheese (Queijo Serra da Estrela) with Douro wine in the lower Chiado area of Lisbon.

Siem Reap from the air

Flying into Siem Reap: Airlines and Destinations

Being an international tourist attraction has its advantages. Although Siem Reap is sometimes a sleepy provincial town, many flight paths lead to Angkor. Most Asian capital cities have direct connections to Siem Reap.

Pub Street in Siem Reap

A Quick Guide to Avoiding Pub Street in Siem Reap

Pub Street is also known as “Thirst Street” in some languages. The disco nights come out, the giant speakers start thumping really loudly, and the local police corral tourists into the nightly Siem Reap human zoo.

Fake real yakitori in Paris

Fake Real Japanese Restaurants and the Parisian Student

Fake real Japanese restaurants can be found all over Paris, as they are staple casual eats. In the Latin Quarter, they are concentrated around La Sorbonne University. We started eating fake real Japanese food as students, and years later, we still have our lunch breaks there!

Singapore chilli crab

Singapore Chilli Crab is Sweeter than Hot

Singapore chilli crab is a sweet and tangy, tomato and chilli sauce stir fry. When freshly cooked, mud crabs have a firm texture and a refined sweet taste. Old crabbies tend to be nutty tasting with a paper consistency. Thus, you absolutely want to go to restaurants that serve the freshest seafood.

Fish amok

Fish Goes Amok in Cambodia

Amok Trei (Fish amok) is a traditional Cambodian dish of steamed curried fish. The fish is presented in a banana leaf cup in which it was cooked. Don’t eat the banana leaf! Although there is some gravy, amok trei is nowhere near as liquid as fish curry. Fish amok is steamed, not boiled or baked.

Singapore football match

Attending a Local Football Match in Singapore

There are some good football fixtures to be watched in Singapore. The real kind of football, at a real stadium, with real friends, and even real players! It may not be Premier League material, but it is good fun nevertheless.

Singapore mooncakes

Watching the Moon while Eating Mooncakes in Singapore

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, you’ll find the broadest variety and highest quality of mooncakes. Everywhere you look in Singapore (supermarkets, malls, bakeries, coffee shops, food courts, convenience stores, hastily set up stalls etc), mooncakes will pursue you.

Haggling at Cambodian markets

How to Haggle over Prices at Cambodian Markets

If you don’t know the usual price for an item you are interested in. I suggest you check prices at three different stalls to have a feel for the prevailing market conditions! With the exception of a few scoundrels, Cambodian vendors don’t usually ask for crazy mark-ups.