Merry Christmas from New Zealand

Although quite unusual, it's been a wonderful and definitely summery one for us in here! After enjoying a gourmet 5-course dinner by the vines at Amisfield Bistro, Central Otago, last night, we decided on an active Christmas Day today - with a hike through magnificent scenery towards fascinating Rob Roy Glacier, in front of which we cheered with a simple yet very merry picnic..

Secret Melbourne

Locals say Melbourne is all about hidden gems. How true. Over just a couple of days here, we came across quite a few treasures where we would certainly not have expected them - some in narrow side lanes, some behind neglected facades or even completely unmarked doors..

Mutton Murtabak in Singapore

Two months have gone by already since Tom and I started our 'grand tour'. The good news is, we've got four more ahead of us. After three weeks at Balinese pace - read: very slow and unwinding - we stopped in Singapore on our way to Sydney for a few days. This turned out to be the perfect way to reacclimatize ourselves to the big city rhythm.

Back to basics in Bali

Denpasar international airport, Bali. We will soon be boarding our flight to Singapore, thus ending a deliciously relaxing couple of weeks in and around Bali. An extended stay all the more appreciated as the previous five weeks hopping around Indochina involved frequent transfers from one city or country to another and therefore many long and tiring journeys...

Cambodian fresh spring rolls

To conclude this Cambodian series, here is the last recipe which I learnt to prepare when we stayed in Siem Reap last October.

I loved these Cambodian fresh spring rolls even more than their Vietnamese counterparts, as they skip the rice vermicelli and are just packed with lots of crunchy herbs and veggies, making a super light and refreshing dish. Some crushed peanuts provide the sweet dipping sauce with a special twist too.