The Capital of Maldives- Male

After a week stay at a resort in the southern part of Maldives, We headed back to Male and decided to stay there for one night to be able to see the capital. A small island located at the southern edge of North Male Atoll with one third of the nation's population, Male is definitely not the picturesque scenery of Maldives. The capital is heavily urbanized and there isn't much to do in Male unless you're interested to go to the local market and shop local products like batiks, pearls, spices, etc.

Downtown!

Muliaage- The Presidential Palace.

Jazz Cafe- Serves good food! Recommended by a Filipina working at our hotel in Male. The chef and the staff working here are also Filipinos. :)

My Hong Kong Favorites

A former British colony, Hong Kong is known for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. With a population of 7 million, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Even though Hong Kong is one of the largest metropolitan cities in Asia, you can still relax and enjoy the city.
Below are the things I love to do when in Hong Kong.

1) Sightseeing. Want a breathtaking view? Go to Victoria Peak. Still a kid at heart? Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Ocean Park Hong Kong will surely delight your stay. A nature-lover? Visit Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens. Check Discover Hong Kong for more attractions.

 Hong Kong Disneyland

2) Shopping. Hong Kong- A shopper's paradise, the city where shopping never stops. Hong Kong is a haven of Luxury brands as well as Designer Outlet shops. For the best luxury shopping experience, head to Central District. If you want big discounts, check Citygates Outlet and Prada Outlet. If you're on a budget, no problem! Mongkok and Wan Chai Street Market are good and cheap place to shop.

Shopping at Prada Outlet

3) Eat. Known as one of the best culinary destinations in Asia, Hong Kong offers a lot of Michelin-starred restaurants with a mixture of savory dishes from Dim Sum to Western cuisine. There are also nice places to try out various local street food.

Yummy Street Food!

Food Trippin' in Con Dao

If you're a seafood lover, Con Dao is definitely a place to go for food tripping. An exotic island with only 5,000 inhabitants, most of the restaurants in the island prepares the best seafood with a Vietnamese twist and offers a tantalizing menu that surely excite your taste buds.

About 40 minutes away from Ho Chi Minh City by plane, Con Dao is definitely a seafood paradise not to be missed if you're travelling to Vietnam.

Below are the must-try restaurants in the island.

1) Thu Ba Restaurant
Address: 7 Vo Thi Sau, Con Dao, Vietnam
Locals recommend Thu Ba as the best seafood restaurant in Con Dao. When we went to try, YES, it's absolutely the best seafood restaurant!!! They serve a wide variety of the yummiest seafood that we actually had dinner there thrice during our week stay in the island. Price-wise: reasonable!

Deep-Fried Calamari- Must Try!

Stri-Fried Squid with Paprika

Garlic Prawns- Highly Recommended!

Stir-Fried Squid with Vegetables

Garlic Rice- Must Try!

Seafood Glass Noodles Wrapped in Banana Leaves

2) Con Dao Sea Travel Resort (Beach Club Restaurant)
Address: 6 Nguyen Duc Thuan, Con Dao, Vietnam
If you want to have a cozy dinner, this is the perfect place to go. The restaurant menu offers a balance of tasty unique Western dishes and old Asian favorites at affordable prices. With breezy outdoor dinning area facing the ocean, you will surely enjoy the delicious food as well as the view!

Vegetable Spring Rolls- Must Try!

Seafood Fried Rice

Grilled Squid with French Fries

3) Tri Ky Restaurant
Address: Nguyen Duc Thuan, Con Dao, Vietnam
Also known for it's fresh and tasty seafood menu at affordable prices. Tri Ky restaurant is also a locals' favorite.

Buttered Squid- Highly Recommended!

4) Infiniti Cafe and Lounge
Address: Pham Van Dong Street, Con Dao, Vietnam

Had enough seafood? Craving for hamburgers, pasta or ice cream at reasonable prices? Then this is the only place in the island that mainly serves Western food. Also a very cool place to enjoy your cocktails!

Day Trip to Maadhoo Island, Maldives

Maadhoo is one of the 1,192 coral islands of Maldives. With soft white powdery sand and calm turquoise waters full of marine wildlife, it is a perfect place to celebrate parties or simply join the ''picnic tours'' offered by the island resorts and hotels in South Male Atoll.

With less than a hundred dollars, a day trip to Maadhoo island will surely be worth it if you want to enjoy the beach, partake a delicious barbecue lunch prepared by your resort and see the Maldivian marine wildlife like reef sharks, dolphins, moray eels, Manta rays, stingrays and even turtles.

Tour Cost: 40-60 USD per person (depends on the resort)
Tour Includes: Speed boat transfer + Barbecue lunch
Maadhoo Island Entrance: 11 USD per person

Mini Perfume Pendants

Since I have a few those of mini perfumes as freebies from cosmetic shops and duty-free, I decided to make something out of the cute little bottles. Some of the mini perfumes can actually be made as pendants.

All you need:
* a string of any color/design you like!
* glue
* scissors

Here are some of the mini perfumes I made into cute necklaces.

Easy Banana Cake

Some days ago I bought a lot of really nice bananas down on our street and since they start to become overripe, I decided to make a banana cake with a very easy recipe from my grandmother. So when you feel like having an afternoon snack, this banana cake is just perfect with coffee or hot chocolate.

Hope you enjoy!

Easy Banana Cake

Ingredients:

2 ripe Bananas (crushed)

2 cups All Purpose Flour

3 tsp Baking Powder

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Milk 

3/4 cup Melted Butter

1 tsp Salt

1 Egg (beaten)

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2) In a large bowl, combine all purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, salt. Mix them well.

3) Add egg, milk and melted butter. Mix thoroughly.

4) Then add the crushed bananas and stir the batter for 5 minutes until it's thin.

5) Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 30-45 minutes.

5 Most Beautiful Castles in Europe

Coming from a country where we have no grand castles and royalties, it was a great opportunity for me to see the beautiful castles in Europe. Whenever I travel to somewhere in Europe, I always check if there's a castle nearby to visit.

Below are the 5 most beautiful castles I've been.



5) Trollenäs Castle in Eslöv, Sweden.

Trollenäs Castle is known since the 14th century and has been owned by only two families, Thott and Trolle. It was originally called as Näs castle and was then changed to Trollenäs castle in the 18th century. It was renovated by architect Ferdinand Meldahl in the 19th century to resemble a French renaissance castle.

This beautiful castle has a big garden and a chapel.

4) Hohenwerfen Castle in Werfen, Austria.

Built as a fortress during the 11th century by Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg to protect the Salzburg Archbishopric against the forces of King Henry IV. 

Hohenwerfen was used as a castle 'Schloss Adler' in the 1968 film ''Where Eagles Dare'' and part of the castle were used in the mini-series ''The 10th Kingdom'' and the movie ''Just Married''.

3) Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany.

A 19th century Romanesque Revival Palace built by Ludwig II of Bavaria dubbed also as ''the Fairytale King''. 

Neuschwanstein Castle also inspired Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. 

2) El Castell de Guadalest in Marina Baixa, Spain.

Eventhough the castle is now in ruins, El Castell de Guadalest is one of the most beautiful attractions I have ever seen.

1) Lichtenstein Castle in Lichtenstein, Germany.

Built in 1802 by King Fredirick I of Württemberg , the castle was used a hunting lodge located on a cliff in the Swabian Alb, Baden-Württemberg (Germany).

The castle now, which has large collections of historic weapons and armors, is owned by the Dukes of Urach.