Weekend in Kuala Lumpur

We spent the weekend in Kuala Lumpur (or KL as everyone in Asia calls it) July 11th and 12th. Patrick went during the week for work and I met him there for a short weekend get-away. We enjoyed the views of the skyline from the KL Tower, the Petronas Twin Towers were amazing, and we had dinner with a wonderful couple from Scotland that Patrick met through work. It was a really nice, short escape from Singapore!


Petronas Twin Towers....they were the tallest buildings in the world until Taipei 101 was built!

View of the city from KL Tower.....

Friends in Singapore

We've made some great friends over the past few years in Singapore, mostly through family connections or people we've met through work. We're starting to say goodbye to some of them as they move to other locations for work.

Bar on the 70th floor of the Swissotel with the Kirkham's,

Dunlap's, and Lauren.....


Coldplay concert with Matt and Laura........

Our girl's group (starting from the left): Claudia, Laura, Christina, Kim, and me! We all met through my company, FMC Technologies. Claudia, Kim, and I work there and Laura and Christina's husbands work there too. Kim and Kaes moved to Perth this week, Laura and Matt move to Perth in a few weeks, and Claudia and Julio move back to Houston in a few weeks! Christina, Lou Anne (not in the picture), and I will be the only ones left!

Belgian pub in Singapore with the Dulaney's, Dunlap's, Kirkham's, Andy, and Lauren visiting from Dallas....

Lauren had an eventful visit to Singapore.....she became sick during the past few days of her visit, and when she went to the local doctor they panicked....sending her to the Center for Disease Control on suspicion of having H1N1. They quarantined her for 10 hours while they confirmed that she only had a sinus infection. Lauren was surprisingly positive about the awful situation!! In general, Singapore has taken the H1N1 situation to a whole new level!

Temples of Cambodia

We visited Siem Reap in Cambodia in January during our Chinese New Year holidays. The town of Siem Reap is located 20 minutes from the ancient temples of Angkor. Many of the temples were built in the 12th century and remained undiscovered by the outside world until the 19th century. Because the temples were hidden in the dense jungle, they were very well preserved.

Patrick and I spent four days touring as many temples as possible. It was an amazing and unforgettable experience.

Main temple complex of Angkor Wat....

Temple of Ta Prohm, used to film Tomb Raider....

Handing out candy and coloring books to children in a poor

village near the temples...

Faces of Bayon Temple....


Gate leading into Angkor Thom, the capital city of the

Khmer empire.......

Statues outside Victory Gate leading into Angkor Thom...

Trip to Australia

We visited Australia with Patrick's parents in early April. We started the week in Sydney with an early morning start after an all night flight from Singapore. We visited the Sydney Aquarium, saw a Symphony at the Sydney Opera House, enjoyed an amazing boat tour of the Sydney Harbour, shopped at the Rock's Market, and had a blast at the zoo! It was a busy few days of sightseeing. Sydney is such a beautiful city and the harbour is fantastic!

Sydney Opera House on a beautiful, sunny day.....

Amazing view of Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge at night!....

Sydney Harbour Bridge......

A night out on the town....with Charliene and Phil.....

The last day in Sydney we rented a car and drove to the Blue Mountains (100 km west of Sydney) for a day trip. We took the Scenic Railway (415 m descent) down to the Jamison Valley and rode the cable car for a great view of the Three Sisters rock formation. The cooler weather was a wonderful change from the heat of Southeast Asia!!


Three Sisters rock formation.....

View of the Blue Mountains.....

The next day we hit the road for the Hunter Valley (120 km north of Sydney) for relaxation in the Wine Country. We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast surrounded by wineries and packed in as many tastings as possible!....we love our wine!!!

Enjoying red wine at Oakvale.....

Scenic view of the Hunter Valley.....

Running into kangaroos in between wine tastings!!!

We ended our week in Australia with a flight up north to the Great Barrier Reef. We stayed on the beach in Palm Cove with great shopping and restaurants and we took the Quick Silver catamaran to the Agincourt Reef (outer edge of the Barrier Reef). The snorkeling was fantastic!!

Evan and Kate Visit Singapore

Evan and Kate visited us in Singapore from May 15 - 19. We had a great week with them enjoying all the wonderful flavors of Singapore.....Thai food in Pasir Panjang Village (sweating from the spicy Tom Yum soup), Garlic and Cheese Naan on a banana leaf in Little India, Mongolian BBQ in Clarke Quay, and Chili Crab and Black Pepper Crab at the famous Jumbo's! We also had a great time visiting the Singapore Zoo and enjoying the view of Singapore from the Singapore Flyer.

Evan and Kate spent a few days touring Singapore while we were working and then we celebrated our 2nd Wedding Anniversary over red wine and pizza (our 2 favorite things!) before we flew to Hong Kong the next morning!



Enjoying the Singapore skyline from the Flyer.....




Waiting for the Naan to arrive at the Banana Leaf Apollo in Little India!

Hong Kong

We visited Hong Kong with Evan and Kate from May 20-24. We had a blast eating Dim Sum, enjoying the amazing view of the skyline, riding the Peak Tram, and shopping for bargains at the markets, while the boys had drinks at the pub!! Ending our first night with the laser light show over the skyline was unforgettable.

The Star Ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island was the cheapest ride (less than $1) with the best view.

Other highlights were High Tea at the Peninsula Hotel and Happy Hour in the rowdy bars of Lan Kwai Fong. We took a day trip to Macau and the boys gambled while Kate and I took a walking tour of the historical Portugese sights....unfortunately Evan and Patrick didn't come out ahead on the gambling!

The last day we took a cable car to Lantau Island to see the largest outdoor Buddha statue in Asia......but the day turned out to be a bust due to bad weather!! What a wild cable car ride it was.....with lightening and fog completely covering the view.....you couldn't see anything!!!..the Ghazi siblings were hanging on for dear life (Evan with white knuckles)....while Kate and Patrick laughed and tried to provide good distractions. It was definitely an adventure!!

We had a spectacular end to the trip with shopping in Stanley market and drinks at Smuggler's Pub (a hole in the wall bar with a fantastic juke box).



Hong Kong skyline at night before the laser light show.....

The Peak Lookout on a clear day....in Hong Kong standards!

Drinks in Lan Kwai Fong....

Riding out the storm from the cable car to Lantau Island....hold on to your seats!