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Having heard so much of the latest cafe opening in the Bukit Merah area, we finally decided to go down and try it for ourselves! A pretty cosy space that's comfortable for about 20 pax, the ambience was welcoming and a relaxed one, perfect for the weekend.

Craving for some mains before trying their desserts that they're better known for, we settled for the Eggs Benedict yet again.


My first thought upon seeing this was that 'good things probably comes in small packages'. It was a little too small as compared to other cafes that we've tried, yet charging similar prices. Taste-wise, it'd completely been a miss for us, with the hollandaise sauce tasting bitter without any buttery taste to it, while the eggs were just extremely over-cooked! It's probably the first time that I've had any eggs ben without any of the yolk flowing.

I didn't like how the eggs were cold as well, and with every mouthful, you could taste cold water with the egg white. The smoked salmon portion wasn't generous enough either to have the taste of it coming through, and the piece of bread below was soggy. The only redeeming factor was perhaps the well-toasted bread on top that was just crisp and warm still.

Most people, like us, would have seen tourism promotional footages or at least heard of the existence of floating markets in Thailand but it was our very first time experiencing how it is like to be in the midst of it all!

Following our trip to Maeklong Railway Station, we left for the famous Damnoen Saduak Floating Market which was about 15 minutes drive away. We were really looking forward to it and shortly after arrival, we were separated into two separate paddle boats and the tour guide was kind enough to group us according to couples and family.

Damnoen Saduak is actually the name of the canal dug in the reign of King Rama IV and in today's context, most people live close along both sides of the canal and grow different kinds of fruits and vegetables for trade. Apart from providing transportation, the Damnoen Saduak canal also provides farmers with adequate water for agricultural purposes all year round.

With countless floating markets across Thailand, the colourfully clad merchants at these lively markets paddle along congested canals in sturdy canoes laden with fresh fruit and vegetables to sell to shoppers on the banks. Expect lots of chatter, shouting and hawking and do remember to bargain because this is a tourist hot-spot so the merchants are known to rip-off unaware tourists. I managed to buy a swiss knife for just 100THB down from an initially quoted 400THB!



Most of these merchants can speak basic English or even Mandarin, but do not expect to get into a lengthy discussion because those were just about the only words to get you interested in their wares.



While the lady paddling our boat rowed us through the canal, we realised that she tends to stop us at a few particular shop fronts where the merchant would hook our boat close by and tried desperately to sell us some of their wares.



Expect all forms of trade to take place be it freshly baking crepe, pancakes to selling fresh produce!


You will inevitably come to a 'boat jam' towards the end of the journey as all paddle boats and motorised boats forced their way through and someone on our remarked that they should install canal traffic lights to facilitate traffic flow!

When we eventually alighted and came to the end of the boating experience, we walked along the banks to check out some of the food stalls which serve about anything from snacks to a fragrant plate of stir-fried pad Thai!

Coconut ice cream (30THB)


We actually had one of the best coconut ice creams from a humble merchant by the river bank. The couple humbly served us scooped in a coconut husk and we were issued a ticket to make payment inside the shop.
Strong coconut taste in each mouthful, it was not the smoothest ice cream to be honest but you could taste the quality and quantity of fresh coconut that went into the making of the ice cream with the flesh neatly scooped for convenience of consumption.

I am sure we have all visited a market of some form at some point in our lives, but how about a marketplace that is located right beside a railway track? It was an eye-opening experience and certainly one of the highlights in our recent trip to Bangkok!

December marks a month of joyous festive celebrations for many with Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday to kickstart. Like how retail stores partake in Black Friday, #GivingTuesday works exactly the same way, except in a more meaningful manner, where it is a campaign to create a national day of giving at the start of the annual holiday season. It celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support non-profit organisations.

#GivingTuesday is a movement that originated from United States and they are not an organisation nor do they accept or distribute donations. All donations are to be made through partner websites, hence official partners are responsible for their respective fund-raising activities.


Everyone has their own reasons for giving back to the society. We believe that it helps to create a more fair and equitable place for everyone to live in. Most people nowadays are very fortunate and privileged to have a roof over their heads, especially if you grew up in developed cities such as Singapore or Hong Kong (where we come from).

Before you go out to make that luxurious purchase, has it ever occurred to you that this seemingly little sum of money could enrich the lives of some or even provide a chance to someone out there to live a healthy and productive life?

Food for thought, maybe? Help spread the initiative #GivingTuesday today and meanwhile reflect about how we can help to shape a better world for everyone to live in. No effort is too small, happy holiday season all!

For those in Singapore, you may wish to refer to http://www.givingtuesday.sg/ for more details on how to participate while for our readers worldwide, please refer to http://community.givingtuesday.org/News for more details.

The iconic Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore ("SCMS") concluded yesterday with some 54,000 people taking part this year. Helmed as the nation's marquee running event, it is no wonder that this well-established race holds the Gold Label certification by the International Associate of Athletic Federations, placing our very own SCMS alongside world-class marathons such as Berlin, London and New York City marathons.