Imagine for a minute we are in an island hut and I'd offer you either a cup of coffee from a french press or a fresh-from-the-tree coconut. For first time visitors of the blog, this is the sort of feeling you might expect around here. 

Throwback Thursday. I won't say much today. Here's a collection of images from a summer road trip in  Belgium with a stop over in Brussels.  The sky was a bit grey during our visit, but it didn't stop the large groups of tourists from exploring the beautiful square.

Angkor Wat deserves a feature on its own. I used to draw it a lot during architectural classes at the university. Its magnificence captivated me long before I visited Tour d'Eiffel  Memories of Angkor Wat are kept deep in my subconscious in the company of Machu Picchu and Jordan's Petra. I remember feeling excited in the tuk-tuk that morning on our way there.  

The Pub Street greets us in the afternoon after a long slumber recuperating from a feverish ride at the night bus. I was struck with a bad case of flu and the constant dust in the air resembling that of a mini sandstorm every time a vehicle passes made it worse.  Siem Reap is lovely. I felt a lot better during our stay there.  A promise of a fresh pint ran along the alleys and streets, with tourists treating themselves to a 4pm happy hour. USD $ 1.00 per 1 hour foot massage couches lined up the streets and carts of various offerings from books to exotic food.

You will notice that Travel Gourmande will start featuring Interior Design more and more. I have given up my first blog, Design Gourmande in order to focus all of my energies here. 

As a tribute to our life in Dubai, I would like to re-post an apartment makeover. Here are some before and after shots of my friend, Christine's One- Bedroom apartment.  Some of the furniture are existing when we moved in the flat, provided by the company she's working for particularly the sofa set. One of the rules in the building is to never remove the chandelier (heartbreaking, I know).

A Mountain Pagoda.  A Buddhist temple stands on top of a hill. Legend has it that a rich widow named Penh found three bronze statues of Buddha inside a large koki tree. She had this shrine constructed in 1373 to house and protect the statues and was then transformed into a sacred sanctuary. 

Loss of Innocents at the Memorial Site Stupa

I think this will be one of the most difficult posts I will ever write. After an internal debate whether I should or shouldn't write about the horrors of this tragedy, I have come to realize that if something shakes one's core, it is worth writing one's thoughts about it. 

I try my best to check out the coffee culture when visiting a country by paying much closer attention to local coffee shops over big chains. Despite the number of International Coffee brands, I was intrigued by the gourmet coffee shop named Brown Coffee and Bakery in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. One can be quick to assume it's another Western coffee chain, but it's originally Cambodian.  It started about 4 years ago and now they are on their 8th chain.

After a big breakfast from a diner on the road, we walked towards the direction of the Riverfront. We had 5 hours to spend before our room was ready. It was interesting to watch the city come to life on a Wednesday morning. Tuk-tuks, motorbikes and big vehicles all drove purpose-filled to their destinations. Kids ready for school, the smell of fried rice and surprisingly, barbecue. Tourists slowly filled up the gates of popular landmarks and this wasn't an exception.

I am happy to have arrived safely in Phnom Penh with my husband this morning around 6AM after a 7-hour shaky bus ride from Siem Reap.

Sorry, my phone cannot connect to the internet and the weirdest thing was two draft posts I've published went missing. I will write about island hopping experiences when I am able to get my phone to work. In the meantime, here's a recent project that I completed for the love of doing it.

Exploring the island of Busuanga for nearly 5 hours can be hard on the bums. Nothing that a good massage can't cure. I bet though that this is the closest if not the best way to experience the beauty of the island.

A stop over at Les Burons de Salers on the Cantal Mountains in France is a delight to see for a cheese lover.   Men built these "burons",  mountain chalets on the plateaus for cheese making. The House of the Salers cheese has become one of the most visited sites for cheese tasting and cheese making expositions.

Two days in Manila catching up with family left me feeling happy. I am content as I am sitting at the boarding area waiting for our delayed flight to visit the island where our future home will be built. For the first time in many many years, I have finally felt that I am home. In this country, the Philippines.

Moving can be stressful. Trust me, the day after New Year when reality hit me, I had no idea where to begin.  So  I drafted a checklist and I hope it would help you somehow, especially to my dear friends leaving Dubai this year.

While I spend these days uncovering the residents of each closet and cabinet in every room, I found my paintings.  Finished and unfinished.  There are lots of unfinished canvas waiting to be noticed and yearning to be completed.  

If there is one reason why I will solely go to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, it would be for the TWG Tea Salon at the newly opened Yas Mall. You must have seen their Dubai Mall branch in one of my posts here I'm a frequent visitor and their tea salon in Abu Dhabi is always fully stocked. They even had the Milk Oolong Tea exclusively sold here which costs AED 70 per 50g. So yes, I don't mind driving for an hour and a half just so I can purchase my tea of choice.

Since it's Throw back Thursday, here is a sneak peak of a life in France in the summer. During a leisurely walk, the interesting texture of this wall captures one's attention. The play of various materials with a contrasting wooden shutter result to a recently renovated charming house in the french countryside.

"Let your dreams be bigger than your fears, your actions louder than your words, and faith stronger than your feelings. " Dreams of the future keep us going.  

This is my first post for 2015.  I spent the year end and the beginning of the year doing inventory of items we want to keep and sell.  It was difficult, liberating and nostalgic. Difficult, because each furniture has a story to tell. Each of these black and white photo frames has my personal shots of specific destinations that mean something to us. They are usually conversation starters with guests and each time I look at them, they make me smile.  

The above dining furniture, we are taking with us.  The photo frames, we plan to sell soon as well as my paintings.  The below furniture will go as well as the rest of our appliances.  So what will you be expecting from Travel Gourmande this year?

Happy New Year!  As I type this post, I'm enjoying a cheese platter with Ardenian Salami by myself. Yes, on my own. Dim lit living room with French music drifting in the air. My husband and baby are both sick and in bed already. Now that I'm off the nurse duty, I dressed up, poured myself a glass of wine and enjoying delicious cheese as we speak.

I found this quote on Pinterest and tweaked it. This is an image of our community fountain. I won't let tonight pass without sharing these goals here. Wishing you all an adventurous, inspiring, bountiful, prosperous, successful, healthy, peaceful and joyful 2015!

I raise my glass to you! Santé!

Bonne année!

Love & light,

Arni

How's your week going? I'm sure a lot of you will be cooking up a storm in the next 2 days. Here are inspiring kitchens from IKEA. A trip there always brings me a dose of happiness. I like both of these designs, especially when all of the appliances are built-in. Take your pick.

I am glad I finished all of my gift shopping in one day.  Since I have been on house arrest  {A term I refer to since we live in the middle of the desert and is not accessible via public transport and a taxi fare is more than a full tank worth of gas.} last week, I spent a lot of time researching possible gifts online and concocted the best action plan in buying them all in one trip. :) As soon as the car was ready from the garage, off I went.  I must say, shopping the entire day with a baby should be an olympic sport.  I will attempt to make my first pot roast on Christmas Day. Wish me luck. What will you be preparing?

Happy holidays and happy cookin' everyone.

Love and light, 

Arni

A collection of 10 of My Favorite Things to Do in Coron, Palawan on those chillax days when you're not island hopping. 

1.  Explore the island of Busuanga on a moped or motorbike.

2.  Relax at Maquinit Hot Spring.

I'm supposed to prepare my interior design portfolio to bid for a project in the hopes that I can work on it on a freelance basis, even if I'm overseas. Yet, here I am, procrastinating while my daughter is sleeping and writing a blog post instead.

Ups and downs, mostly challenges have been preoccupying us the past few weeks. Yesterday, our small car, the one that we have been using has met an accident. Thankfully, my husband was not hurt. The damage to the car is more than its value.  Funny how he's blamed for something he didn't do. Thankfully, the guy who reversed without looking at his mirror, admitted it was his fault and volunteered to take the blame. 

With all of these events, it's pretty clear, our time here has come to an end. My heart calls me to move. Much to the thrill of my husband who was dreading to come back here from our vacation in the Philippines last September. It has now become a unanimous decision, since I was the culprit for delaying our plans to leave. Let's face it, Dubai has become my home and I love it here. Honestly, I still do.

My logical mind dictates that my ambition will thrive here far better than anywhere else. Yet, my logical mind cannot see the future. My instinct tells me it's time to move, firmly backed up by circumstances. That small voice against reason is starting to become louder every day. 

What are you up to the first three weeks of December?  20 days more and it's Christmas! As I write this message in my favorite blogging corner at home, I think of each of you.  

My goal for next year is simple.  Gratefulness.  To appreciate every second.  I kept saying this to myself all these years, but it didn't all sink in.  Somehow a trace of discontent always manages to squeeze itself in, even in small doses.  Eliminating thoughts of complaints whenever they surface and dwelling in the good. Celebrating the good all the time, even during bad times. 

I finally got myself a plain recycled notebook for a gratitude journal where I will religiously write down what I'm thankful for each day. 

What are you grateful for this year?

We have a few days left to make 2014 awesome.

What do you have planned to make this happen?

Love & light,

Arni

Wow, it's December! The chilly breeze outdoors beckon al fresco dinners, barbecue parties and relaxing evenings with a hookah pipe.  Speaking of which, the last bit of November was spent doing exactly that.

A Post- Thanksgiving dinner last weekend to thank everyone for everything. I love the fact that it started turning emotional when each one started sharing what they're thankful for this year.  Sadly, it would also be our last Thanksgiving together in the UAE.

After a really hard month, thank God, my husband finally came home. Though the battle is not over yet, we welcomed a short break by the beach with my daughter, husband and sister-in-law visiting from France. We hope to put everything behind us very soon once the court hearings are over.

This weekend, a quick trip to "The Beach"at JBR or Jumeirah Beach Residence Saturday market was a refreshing breeze. The perfect sunny weather and gorgeous newly constructed beach side restaurants and shops  make it a worthy-to-visit tourist destination.

Love & light,

Arni

This is what happened this weekend. Never in my worst nightmare have I ever thought something like this can happen. We are simple folks. A family with a 5 month old baby who wishes to live peacefully. I can't disclose any details on the blog, but trust that we are with the help of friends, family and even new acquaintances as we all have been preoccupied since Friday to sort this out. 

For now, I am with supportive friends and family lending help in any way they can even those from afar. There were also strangers who were kind despite the language barrier. A message of encouragement and buckets of prayers. Thank you everyone and with this experience, I realized who my real friends are and how God works in miraculous ways.

Whoever is currently deciding on the fate of my husband, please, please from the bottom of my heart to yours, please have mercy on a simple family like ours. God Bless.

Love & light,

Arni

How have you been lately?  

The daily routine kicks in and before we know it, another weekend comes, another month passes, and in a few weeks, Halloween costume clad kids will be knocking on our doors (not that we have a lot of them) and our news feed will be filled with adult friends playing dress up. This means another thing, Christmas is not far away.

Where did the rest of your year go? Did you make a goals list last year?  How's it going? Did you manage to tick some of the items off?

Remember last year when we started planning setting up something in the Philippines? That plan was indefinitely put on hold when I found a job and got pregnant.  After the recent trip home, we are going to kick start this project. Mind you, it's going to be a 1-2 year plan  setting it up, I will document  preparations here on the blog.  I will call this series "Island Home Blue Print"

Three years ago, this exact spot was where my brother proposed to his ex-fiancee. The whole family planned it all along. Sadly, some things are not meant to be, but this place will always leave a trace of that memory. So when we dropped by for a short stop over while we were cruising on a motorbike,I can't help myself from remembering that time.

Along Coron Busuanga Highway before reaching town, Coron Westown Resort Hotel proudly sits atop a hill.The kind that will draw your attention while driving along a tree lined road. This quietly elegant and inadvertently imposing structure welcomes us after an hour flight from Manila.

My husband and I went for a post-baby honeymoon getaway.  We agreed to treat ourselves. This served as our late birthday gifts by booking  four days and three nights in this resort haven.  

If you're wondering where to eat in Coron, Palawan, Philippines, here's another interesting discovery. 

Los Guapos. It was among the list of restaurants to visit on Trip Advisor. It wasn't there yet when I visited early last year. Much to our curiosity and a mood for Mexican cuisine, we were happy to have found the place. 

It is located at the ground floor of Casa Coron Hotel along Calle Real, Poblacion 2, right across Coron Eco Lodge. It is hard to miss.  This inviting and well-lit  place opens up to the street.  

"Sometimes, despite all the careful planning we have prepared well ahead, life will throw a curve ball." 

Remember in my previous post, I sent a box of baby items several weeks in advance before our trip? Well, that box never made it.


A package of this size usually arrives within a month or 45 days at the most.  Unfortunately, while we were in Manila, the shipping company informed us that this box of milk, diapers, crib, clothes and presents for the family were stuck somewhere in a ship in Singapore.  The failed idea of a declared truck ban in Manila that was recently lifted caused shipping congestion that didn't help either.  Large containers queued for days in the narrow streets of Manila port. It was a huge logistics mess.

On our second day in Manila, after the first phone call of tracking the box, I had a gut feeling, we will leave the Philippines and we will never set sight on this package.

I've learned that no matter how much planning or managing we do, we simply can't control everything in life.

Philippine-bound.  One of my dreaded challenges is to travel inside an airplane with a baby. I think the most cringe-worthy scenario is a non-stop cry fest with poor passengers darting dagger-like stares at us.

I also wondered how I will manage all of our activities throughout our trip with an infant. All these years, my husband and I have been traveling light. Carefree. Spontaneous.This time around, I should plan everything in advance.