Ms Skinnyfat

When it comes to beach destinations, most would consider Maldives for a luxurious and decadent getaway ie expensive or Bali and Phuket for something affordable and accessible ie touristy. Well, for somewhere that has the best of both worlds, I recommend Boracay, Philippines.

Boracay is about 6 hours away from Singapore (inclusive of flight and land-boat transfer to hotel) which makes it doable for a short getaway. That said, I'd recommend at least a full 4 days for a relaxing trip. The problem with me and beach holidays is that i get bored easily. Thankfully, the accessibility to a host of activities kept us sufficiently occupied. Other than lying on the beach and chilling out, here are some things you could do in Boracay.

Island hopping

While it may sound like a tourist trap, I quite enjoyed my morning out at sea. We did a private island hopping tour which only costs a wee bit more than the group package. The privacy was certainly worth it as we scooted around in our personal boat plus guide for a good 4-5 hours or so. This would cost about 1600PHP/US$36 per pax.

Do not give Crystal Cove a miss when you are in Boracay. There are caves and coves to be explored and turquoise waters to be admired. I didn't think i'd see such blue in the SEA region (the last time was Croatia!)

Tip: Make sure you get those waterproofed pouches for your camera and phone. We were pretty much soaked just getting to the caves. And here's S before the waves came crashing in and up towards him.

Snorkeling was included as well and the gears were provided for. I find that it's not necessary to dive because you can see the fishes so clearly from the top. Plus snorkeling is way more convenient than diving. That said, diving is pretty affordable in Boracay is about 1600PHP/US$36 per dive.

Whatever you do, DO NOT go Helmet Diving (1500PHP, 30mins). It's kinda lame but included in our itinerary anyway. It was this or banana boat and I rather be bored than be thrown at high speed into the waters. Though the thought of our oxygen supply being cut while underwater. Anyway it was a lame 15mins of our lives feeding fishes and being photographed/videographed while at it. Do not waste your money on this.

Another lame activity (part of the island hopping tour) was fishing. It involved a primitive way of baiting fishes using a 'fishing rod' made out of a string and a plastic bottle. We felt like we were being forced to catch some fishes just to kill time. Thankfully that was just a short filler.

After swimming with the fishes, we had a seafood lunch by the beach. Nothing fanciful- some satay, soy meat, stewed vegetables etc. The highlight was the steamed/boiled crab.

We didn't expect too much from this sad looking crab. Well I've been too pampered by the flavorful and fancifully cooked crabs in Singapore so this didn't look too appealing to me. That was until we were showed how to eat this crab. Little wooden blocks were provided for the purpose of bludgeoning the crab to pieces Flintstones way. The red amours were cracked, sweet and briny juices spilled, and finally succulent white flesh devoured. Yums!

Kite Surfing. Boracay has really good winds and calm waters at Bulabog Beach and the conditions are ideal for kite surfing. We woke up to pretty kites every morning when we were staying at 7 Stones Boracay Resort. There are many kite surfing schools for your picking and the prices are cheap in the region.

Other water sports such as Stand up Paddling and Kayaking are available too.

Sunset Sailing is certainly recommended. You can do it on a Paraw, which is a traditional long sail boat with two outriggers and sails (1000PHP for 2pax, 1h). We lay on the nets right above the waters with our feet just skimming the surface and enjoyed the view of the burning sun. Parasailing is a good option if you're not afraid of heights (2200PHP/pax, 15mins).

Dining and Shopping at White Beach, D'Mall. White Beach is the life of Boracay. Most of the hotels are on the White Beach and there are many dining options ranging from budget meals and fast food to specialty restaurants. 2 restaurants that i'd recommend are CYMA Greek restaurant and Dos Mestizos for some really good Spanish Tapas. Quench your thirst with some yummy fruit shakes at Jonah's Fruit Shake & Snack Bar. Their Mango Shake is must.

You could also shop for some local produce such as dried mangoes (do not forget them!) and other dried goods.

Scoot around in tuk-tuks to explore parts other than the White Beach. I'd recommend heading over to Shangri-La for an awesome view of Boracay. Go for a spa session, do dinner and drinks after. Better yet, book yourself into one of their fabulous villas. ;) We also had a great 4h session at Mandala Spa Boracay.

Of course, if you're not interested in any of the above, it's perfectly fine to just hang by the beach, or your private pool, get a tan, read a book, do whatever.

So what would you do on a beach holiday? Share with us!

XOXO

Travelerintransit

A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past. The young always inherit the revolution. So we got schooled in the Museum of Revolution in Havana Cuba.

The Museum of the Revolution is the best museum in Habana in my opinion, and probably one of the best in Cuba. So little of the Revolution is told from the other side and it was an education for me who knew so little about Che and Fidel and the whole ideology. I wouldn't go into the lengthy and dramatic history or a debate on the different political systems and blahblah, all of which you can read about in your free time.

A little on the Neo-Classical architecture. It has elements of Spanish, French and German, all harmoniously combined. I found it somewhat ironic that the Presidential Palace, which houses the Museum, is decorated by Tiffancy & Co. of New York.

The exhibition covers the rise of the Cuban nation till the current day (which has nothing much in fact). I guess the younger generation just don't live the same dream or by the same ideals. Well that's pretty much the same everywhere else.

The fight that is not ours.

I just gotta say that Che Guevara was pretty cute when he was younger. I guess being good looking helps a little in persuading people to be in your camp. :P

Caricatures of the American Presidents. These Cubans have a sense of humor.

The Granma Memorial lies behind the museum. It has a large glass enclosure which houses the Granma, the yacht which took Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries from Mexico to Cuba for the revolution. The state of the memorial was pretty bad actually. The tanks, military vehicles, surface-to-air missile, spy plane, Soviet tank destroyer etc. were exposed to the elements. Holes in the roof allowed rain to freely pour onto the relics. I'm surprised that they look pretty new. Hmm..

The Museum of the Revolution is certainly worth spending an hour or 2 at.

Museum of the Revolution
Address: Calle Refugio No. 1 e/ Monserrate y Zulueta. Ciudad de La Habana.
Open Daily

I'm usually at a loss when people ask me what's my favorite/best meals. 1. I dine out way too much 2. I find myself increasingly hard to be impressed 3. I've a memory of a gold fish. I don't seek out life changing experiences when it comes to food and traveling, I think people try too hard to find them and set too high an expectation, which usually ends up in disappointment or self delusion that that's the best simply because you went out of the way/paid an arm or a leg just to experience it (and that was a terribly long sentence). I'm not judging btw, it's partly self reflection.

Back to the question on favorite/best meals. It's so much easier to pick favorite ones from my travels because they're more precious. Plus it's a combination of my 2 most favorite things. So the absolute best from New York City under the Michelin star category, I present Eleven Madison Park.

Eleven Madison Park is a 3 Michelin star restaurant, also S.Pellagrino top 50 restaurants in the world. Not that these accolades mean everything.The other 3 stars like Daniel and Per Se were simply underwhelming. EMP however, just kept blowing my mind course after course (there were 13!). To me, it was like going to the theatre and watching a play. What's lovely is that the multi-course tasting menu focuses on the agricultural bounty of New York and its culinary traditions.

The gorgeous backdrop of the park, the spacious dining room and the pampering and impeccable service by the attentive and warm staff, also contributed to the overall dining experience. EMP is possibly the first fine dining restaurant that I felt absolutely at home in.

Of course, the food played a large part! I'm sorry if there's not gonna be much description. Remember I have the memory of a goldfish?

Cheddar- Savory Black and White Cookie with Apple. EMP totally get that desserts are the best appetizers. Loved that crumble.

Oyster- Wood Sorrel, Buckwheat and Mignonette.

Asparagus- Custard with Caviar and Rhubarb.

Surf Clam- Fava Bean, Meyer Lemon, and Green Garlic. Ethereal mousse on top of the sweet clam.

Littleneck Clam. This is EMP's interpretation of a Long Island Clam Bake. I love that the dish had different components to it. Clambake with Whelk, Parker House Roll, and a light chowder served in a teapot.

Channeling my inner Japanese domestic goddess here.

Foie Gras- Seared with Pencil Asparagus and Potato Souttle. The best way to cook foie gras is to sear it. Really.

Carrot- Tartare with Rye Bread and Condiments. I was anticipating this dish throughout the meal because I saw how it was done at the other tables! The waiter would first affix a meat finder to the table and then insert some really fresh carrots (with leafy heads!) for grinding. We were presented with a selection of condiments for us to construct our own dish. Well I just mixed everything up. #notthatcreative

Lovely bread rolls with butter that I could devour on its own.

Lobster- Poached with Snap Peas, Morels, and Sweetbreads. Flavors from the garden and the sea.

Nettles- Creamed with Fingerling Potato and Goat Cheese. Tastes of spring.

Beef-ore and After.

Beef- Grilled with Mushrooms, Amaranth. See that little piece of marrow?

The rest of the Bone Marrow went into this dish. Bone Marrow Braised Oxtail with Foie Gras and Potato. Savory, creamy and delightful.

Celery Root- Creme Cake with Apple Sorbet, Walnut, and White Pepper. I was honestly way too stuffed but there's always space for desserts.

We took away the Chocolate Pretzel covered with Sea Salt and the Sweet Black and White Cookie with Apricot for our picnic in Central Park.

I loved the Muesli Granola that was given to us at the end of the meal. I rationed this for the longest time because they were the perfect savory and sweet snack ever.

S and i have different takes on our meal at EMP. Him being the practical guy thought it was a long drawn meal affair (it took us close to 3h) which also happened to be really expensive (it's US$225/pax before tax and gratuity). I on the other hand was reveling in the theatrics of the entire dining experience. A play plus a really good meal would amount to that price as well. Perhaps the ladies would enjoy this much better (my gf loved it too).

So if you feel like splurging on a really good meal, go to Eleven Madison Park. It may not be life changing but it may possibly be the best fine dining experience in NYC.

Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10010, United States
Tel: +1 212-889-0905

I've been dying to find a Southern meal in Singapore e.g. Chicken & waffles or biscuits & gravy for breakfast but nothing seemed to have met my expectations. Well, i finally checked out the new Sunday Brunch at The Beast. Southern comfort food say what! It's time to get started thinking about bacon maple glazed doughnuts and lotsa bourbon.

Located just a step away from my other favorite brunch spot Symmetry, The Beast is a Southern Kitchen & Bourbon Bar. I've noticed it for a while but didn't feel like i could stomach such a meaty meal. With their $20/ hour all-you-can-drink Mimosas and a Do-it-Yourself Bloody Mary bar, it was hard to resist brunching here.

So we went with our empty stomachs in preparation for a huge meal ahead.

For starters, make sure you order yourself some Cornbread ($6). I love this one! It's way better than Kenny Rogers corn muffin which sometimes has these really strange chewy corn kernels. Expect a nice brown crust with a fragrant corn perfume. Make sure you dip into the maple syrup.

Chicken and Waffles ($20) cannot be missed as well. Ok mainly the Southern fried chicken cannot be missed. The waffles are an afterthought (it was bland and thin) but that massive juicy chicken steak was flavorful and addictive. I still can't get over how much fried chicken i ate. The bourbon maple butter sauce added that little alcoholic bitterness and light sweetness to the overall flavor.

The Pulled Pork Hash ($18) features a 10 hour pulled pork with bbq sauce that wasn't too overpowering. BBQ sauce has got to be my least favorite sauce of all time but this was quite enjoyable. The poached egg gave the dish a nice yolky moisture which made it even tastier. I could imagine this dish being made into a sandwich a la momofuku style.

Biscuits are a huge part of Soul food and so we had to have the Sausage Biscuit ($18). It came with buttermilk biscuit, sausage patty, truffled mushrooms, swiss cheese and a sunny side up. The sausage gravy was sinfully flavorful (you really don't wanna know how gravy is made), but the biscuit and sausage were on the bland side. On the whole, it was sufficiently tasty.

Bacon Maple Glazed doughnut ($5) was of a lovely density and had a nice crispy shell. It may be a little oily, and it also had that hint of oily taste but it's such comfort food! I couldn't help taking a few more bites.

Our other dessert was the Mississippi Mudpie ($14). Well it's just boring ice cream really. It's not that it isn't tasty, but we were too stuffed to tackle my preferred Bourbon Pecan Pie with fig and honey ice cream ($12).

We had an awesome time at The Beast. Food is really the highlight here. But be warned, make sure you keep the entire day free because you wouldn't be able to get out of that food induced coma after the meal. The good news is that you only need one meal for the day. Heh.

The booze that we had were less than adequate however. Skip the sangria for it was way too diluted for me. The Mimosa was ok but it was more OJ than white sparkling wine. But I guess it works out ok if you do the 1h free flow version.