Summary of Elaine's Summer 16' (Part 1)

Hey guys! Wow it been a while, I'm sorry for being so MIA. Its already November, but it feels as though summer was just a few moments ago. I was having some serious summer withdrawals and went through my pictures and was thinking "why not share some with you guys?!"

I am returning with some crazy new content from my summer! Its been one hectic adventure with nonstop travels and I am excited to share it with you all!
I will be dividing my summer into two parts; my adventure in Asia, and lastly my trip in Europe. I will try to provide a timeline that is as accurate as possible. Enjoy!

Bye Canada! April 14, 2016

Singapore:

My summer spontaneously began with Singapore, also referred to as the "Lion City". It is a beautiful country known for their gardens and modern architecture. The people in Singapore are super competitive and hardworking which makes getting a job there so difficult. Their English was really good making it easy to travel around on the public transportation which is really advanced compared to the TTC of Toronto. There were a lot of people from other countries in Europe and North America that have moved there.

Within four days of moving back home after my exams, I was catching a plane to Singapore. When I was home I heard terrifying news that one of my closest relatives took a bad fall while walking outside her home and was now in the ICU at one of the biggest hospitals in Singapore. She broke her neck and was lucky that she did not become paralysed. It was crazy to think that my invincible aunt had a near death experience! She would need to take the whole summer to recover which is why my aunt requested that I flew over to keep her company and to help her out with daily tasks at work. 

While in Singapore, I learned a lot about responsibility and taking care of others while being by her side. I saw that life can surprise us, but through suffering comes light. I noticed a change in my aunt. She used to live her life by the clock and was always running around to get things done, even if it meant staying up till dawn. She always took care of others instead of making sure that she had herself in check. But after her accident, she didn't take life lightly. She started to eat healthier, saw who her real friends were, and had people help her get things done instead of taking it all on her own. Her life inspired me and made me rethink my life's choices; who do I want to be remembered as? 

Natasha, Me, and Cassandra

After a month of being of myself, my closest cousins arrived in Singapore. It was hard being away from home, where all my friends were, but when they arrived it was then that the fun really began. We took the public transportation to go out shopping, dining, and enjoying the nightlife. We would dance through the night, on weekends, in one of our favourite spots called Clarke Quay, which is known for their dining options and night clubs. The place was safe and security was always on sight. The clubs would let us in as VIP guests with drinks on the house every night that we went as a way to promote their venue. Security guards were by our side throughout the night which was a plus.

Me and my cousin in Clarke Quay

FCLUB

A place we visited frequently was Marina Bay, which was the home to luxury goods, beautiful gardens, and five star cuisines. It was where three girls dreamt big. We convinced each other to work really hard, fall in love, and accomplish all of our dreams, together. 

Marina Bay

Gardens at Marina Bay are filled with beautiful structures that had plants and greenery growing along it. It was beautiful whenever you went, in the morning, during the sunset, or at night. There were lights that shone so bright that even if you were high up in a building you could see them twinkling afar.

Gardens by the Bay

Marina Bay Sands (infinity pool at the top)

Marina Bay

Japan:

After spending a few months in Singapore, the second destination of my summer was Japan. I spent a couple of days there by myself. Japanese people did not speak English fluently and signs were mostly in Japanese, so travelling around involved a lot of sign language and jibberish. Japan is known for their technology innovations and creativity. They are the home of Panasonic tech, Toyota automobiles, and many more influential companies.

It was a cool experience for me since I got to use the public transport where I met a really hard-working woman, who added me on Facebook after helping me with directions to the best of her abilities.
I went shopping on a famous street for the locals and shopaholics (me) which was called Harajuku Takeshita Street. I had to put myself on a strict budget to make sure that I don't overspend on unnecessary items.

Harajuku Shopping District 

Malaysia:

The last destination of my adventure in Asia was in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, tropical country. This was the country that I was born in and moved away from when I was four years old. I spent a week here and spent time with my relatives that still lived there. It was absolutely stunning, which made me realize how much I've missed it. I would start my day off by dipping into the pool and then going to local restaurant with my family.

Bikini: Triangl

This was where I went swimming regularly in the mornings before my day began.

After a long day with family and doing activities, we would end the day off by visiting a fruit market filled with tropical fruits like mangoes and jackfruit. After buying fruits, my family would go to one of my relatives' place and just sit around and catch up. It was one of my favourite moments from my trip.

Fruit market that opens till 3am 

This is the view from the place I stayed in Malaysia 

Where from I lay...

So that concludes my trip in Asia. I hope you enjoyed experiencing my summer with me, again.
Part 2 of my summer will be put up shortly, so stay tuned!

Thank you for reading our blog! Stay tuned for the next post from Elaine and her trip.

If you have any questions or would like to input anything, email us @bow.n.arrowduo@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @elaineyongg and @mirandatrann or our joined account @bow.n.arroww

5 Days in Thailand

Hi guys! We are back and this time around we are taking a new approach! We wanted to expand our blog and not only share our sense of fashion with you guys but also our escapades. Since we both traveled to Asia this summer (unfortunately not together), we thought why not blog about our individual trips? 

So here we go!

Miranda: 

I know we haven't blogged for quite a while and we apologize, but we are now back and bringing new content and exciting travel adventures! I haven't travelled back to Asia since I was two so this is kind of like going there for the first time. In the three weeks that I was there I visited two countries, Thailand & Vietnam. 

I finally got to go back to Vietnam, which is where my parent's originated from and I was able to experience the place that I am also from. It was an amazing trip which truly opened my eyes to a whole new culture in which I have not experienced before. 

Thailand 

Day 1

My first stop was Thailand, a fascinating and mind-blowing country, with amazing infrastructure, shopping, culture, and very interesting experiences (which will be blogged about in the later posts J).

While in Thailand, my family and I booked a tour bus that toured us around Thailand for a week. The tour guide was super funny and was nicknamed, “Apple”. Although the tour guide was hilarious, I would not recommend going on a tour bus because you are very limited to all the other amazing places that you want to go to. Also, the last three days we just went shopping (they need to advertise these certain brands and malls).

I was surprised to find out that Thailand is mainly influenced by the ways of Buddhism. My parents are Buddhist and I always wanted to learn more about it and I was able to practice and witness this fascinating religion being practiced while being in Thailand.

Here are some pictures before visiting The Grand Palace: 

Took a boat to see around Thailand

Water vendors come to your boat to sell you fruit and souvenirs

Market we went through before going to The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok

The Grand Palace is where the Thailand’s kings used to reside, this complex includes halls, government buildings, and the famous Buddhist temple called Wat Phra Kaew, also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. 

The Grand Palace

This was a very beautiful place to be able to get a chance to visit. The towering and detailed exterior of the buildings will make you stand there in awe. I actually did not get a chance to explore the entire Grand Palace because were given a limited amount of time. I was only able to see the exterior of the Chakri Maha Prasat hall and its architecture was very interesting as it consisted of a mix of a western and Thai style. 

Advice: Go early in the morning because there will be a little less people and the heat will be somewhat bearable compared to when I went in the afternoon.

Wat Phra Kaew 

Dress Code: 

No shorts / skirts 

No tank tops

Basically, you are not allowed to show legs or shoulders in the Buddhist temple. So I advise you to bring a change of clothes or there are sarongs that are sold outside of the Buddhist temple that you can buy. 

The Wat Phra Kaew was stunning with its numerous tall, gold, and jewelled Buddhist structures. I went into one of the temples and it was truly heavenly, I was not going to go in because you have to take off your shoes but I am very glad I did. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture for you guys because pictures were not allowed.

Pattaya Floating Market

The Pattaya Floating Market was very pretty and was like no other market I have seen before where the entire market is built above water (which is already a given due to its name “floating” market). The market is divided into the four regions of Thailand which are Central, Northern, North Eastern, and Southern. There are various stores and water vendors floating around in their boats within the market that sell food, souvenirs, clothing, and art. Also, there are cultural performances to entertain visitors. This attraction may be pricey but it was well worth going and getting the chance to experience the scenery and the different cultures of Thailand.  

Thank you for reading our blog! Stay tuned for the next post from Elaine and her trip.

If you have any questions or would like to input anything, email us @bow.n.arrowduo@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @elaineyongg and @mirandatrann or our joined account @bow.n.arroww