Phnom Penh Street Art – Street 93 – Phnom Penh – Cambodia – April 2019

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Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh Street Art, Street 93, Street Art

Rather difficult to find but worth the effort

Our first attempt in finding Street 93 in Phnom Penh was disastrous.  My friend Naomi who lives in this city drove my other friend Tracey and I to Street 93 or where she though it was – who would not think you are in Street 93 when the sign says just that!  We drove up and down and couldn’t find any street art; this is the very old part of Phnom Penh where all blogs and internet advice tell us the art is located.  This Street 93 has many old homes and small old shops selling car tyres but as mentioned no street art.

We stopped outside an old building which had a street sign of ‘Street 93‘ and Naomi looked at the internet for directions but all we got were GPS coordinates (didn’t really help as we didn’t know how to use them) and other people’s blogs where everyone was saying go to Street 93 and you will enjoy the sights but no specific directions on how to get there.  But always interesting to see the tangled overhead wires in Asia and there is no exception of them in Phnom Penh.We decided to take a break and I enjoyed a cold drink, a glass of vegan wine and a roast pumpkin/tomato and capsicum hummus sandwich.  By this time outside it had reached around thirty-eight degrees.  We decided on Backyard Cafe a fabulous vegetarian/vegan cafe over the road from the Mekong River.  By this stage we had wifi so all three of us were in competition to see who could find the exact directions first.  Naomi won (after a good hour of us all searching).  There are ‘two’ Street 93’s in Phnom Penh – who would have thought and the one with the street art was not properly displayed on the map!!So a couple of days later we hired a tuk tuk driver and off we went…Naomi told our driver Michael what we wanted to see and he knew exactly where to go – the proper Street 93 with lovely old homes and lots of trees and plants.  We arrive in the usual stifling heat and hopped out to take a look at the art as well as the very old homes/people relaxing enjoying a coffee and dogs lying in the sun.

I must say the effort to find this street was worth it…I just wish it was a bit cooler to walk around more.Different art is painted on individual walls; some with washing hanging nearby and lots with rubbish on the ground; but all still fabulous.And these painted ladies are particularly beautiful…[first one is my absolute favourite]There are some that are comical…Some for kids…

And some just pretty…I do believe this street is a must see for anyone visiting Phnom Penh.

 

Melia Resort – Nusa Dua – Bali – Indonesia – July 2018

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Bali, Indonesia, Lunch with friends, Melia Resort, Nusa Dua, Seminyak

Lunch and a day trip out of Seminyak

When I was visiting Bali last year, my friends and I decided to have a champagne brunch and chose the most fabulous restaurant at the Melia Hotel in Nusa Dua probably about a half hour drive from our hotel in Seminyak.  On our way we saw a parade of lovely Indonesian women…

We arrived at this absolutely amazing resort with a magnificent open foyer area which we walked through and saw large structures throughout the gardens.

The views over the swimming pools, beach and ocean were beautiful…We walked down towards the beachfront to the restaurant and because we were so keen we had arrived about fifteen minutes too early.  We waited [hungrily] in the shade and soon were seated at a round table near the window.

I have to say that this was probably the ‘best’ buffet I have ever seen and believe me I have seen a few!! The food displays were incredible and all beautifully presented.  Near us there was a large range of fresh seafood; prawns, lobster, salmon, oysters, mussels and every other kind of seafood you could think of…Our waiter informed us we could eat from the buffet and we could also order anything from the menu – all included in the one cost ($100 AUD).  And of course we could order any drink we wanted…I stuck with my usual sauvignon blanc and the other girls ordered espresso martinis, the resort’s signature cocktail and mojitos.
There was a roast station, hot quiches, pizza, pasta with a large array of sauces and Asian food including all sorts of hand made noodles.  I saw more bread and cheeses than I think I have ever seen.  My photos absolutely do not show how incredible the food was unfortunately and I didn’t take photos of all stations.I had become a vegan two months prior so there was so much food I could not eat.  But there was so much I could.  Tempura/lovely breads/amazing salads/warm vegetables/pasta/noodles just to name a few.  I did order an open falafel burger from the menu which was very nice.Then it came to the dessert area – oh my goodness!  Anything you wanted was there and like the entrees and main meals you could also order from the menu.  My friends ordered one dessert which was a chocolate ball which when arrived, hot chocolate was poured over.  The outer layer of chocolate then melted onto the plate and inside was more chocolate; mousse – incredible!  And this chocolate cake looked incredible and the chocolate fountain was a hit with the girls, well with all other diners really.As we were eating dessert (I enjoyed some sorbet), the waiter came around with warm doughnuts and a hot chocolate sauce for those who wanted them…By this stage we had been at the resort for about four hours and eaten our weight in food…time to say goodbye – what a day!