Beat the heat at DIB Club

Posted on August 19, 2017 by littlelilly

What’s the perfect way to cool off under the kiss of the summer Cambodian sun? Under the open sky, we took a dip in the soothing warm water, with stunning views of the tropical surrounding while relaxing with my family.

DIB Club

DIB Club is a brand new place in Phnom Penh blessed with a refreshing breeze from the Mekong River. When we arrived at the place, we were pretty impressed with the swimming pool – a huge, clean outdoor pool to lounge at!

DIB Club

Each poolside is cozy, perfect for lounging, dining and conversing.

DIB Club

Also, the kids can enjoy the paddling pool and the bouncy castle.

DIB Club

The entire place is tidy and nice. The food was good even though it was quite pricey for what it was. Plus, there was only a limited choices of drinks, and the music was too loud.

DIB Club

Overall, it’s one of the good places in Phnom Penh where to relax and beat the heat with family or friends away from the bustling city.

DIB Club

Little Lilly travel tip:

It is located on Kock Pich Street, near Golf Driving Range in Diamond Island, Phnom Penh.
The pool charge is $5 per person. However, if you order food and drinks there, you can use the pool for free.
You can make a reservation at (+353) 099-997-740.
No happy hour.

Relaxing at L’lephant Blanc Resort

Posted on August 17, 2017 by littlelilly

Last weekend, we headed off to L’elephant Blanc Resort to relax, unwind and to escape the rush of our everyday life. It is a little heaven on earth in the middle of nowhere surrounded by the tranquil tropical gardens.

L’lephant Blanc Resort

We love the peaceful ambience of the place.

L’lephant Blanc Resort

We also like the saltwater swimming pool – it’s big enough and clean.

L’lephant Blanc Resort

There’s also a pool table, ping pong and a nice poolside restaurant. The food is good and the prices are reasonable (around $5 for a meal). We did enjoy our food and the drinks.

L’lephant Blanc Resort

The staff were friendly and helpful, and the wifi was descent.

L’lephant Blanc Resort

The place gets busier at weekends, but when we went there it was not crowded and we almost had the place to ourselves.

L’lephant Blanc Resort

Even though the whole place is tidy and nice, I think it needs some makeover to refresh the resort.

L’lephant Blanc Resort

Overall, it’s a good value for money and it’s good for family weekend getaways.

L’lephant Blanc Resort

Little Lilly travel tip:

In some websites it is called Domrey Sor.
It is about 10kms, about 30 minutes drive, from the city centre. Cross the Monivong Bridge and continue along National Road 1 for about 6 kms then you’ll see the resort on your left.
For non-guests, the pool charge is $4 for adult and $2 for children. Otherwise it is free if you rent one of their bungalows.

Taking our Son to see the Temples of Angkor

Posted on August 5, 2017 by littlelilly

Last weekend, we took our 10 year old little wanderer to Siem Reap to show to him one of the most amazing places in the world – the temples of Angkor, the landmark of Cambodia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was our 5^th visit but it was even more special because we were showing such magnificent place to our little one for the first time.

Angkor Wat

Angkor was the capital city of the Khmer Empire from the 9^th to 15^th century. I have learned that it was the largest city in the world from 1010 -1220 with about 0.1% of the world’s population. The Angkor Archaeological Park comprises of several temples such as Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon, Ta Prohm, Ta Som, Banteay Srei, and many more, and the ruins are located in the middle of the jungle between farmlands.

Angkor Wat

The temples truly are amazing! And our little explorer was amazed at the beauty of the architecture, craftsmanship, the size and the details of each monument. Even though it was very hot and humid, he was still very energetic and very keen to explore everything, walk within the structure and marvel at the architecture of so long ago.

Angkor Wat

Ta Prohm

Bayon Temple

This time, we only visited three temples – Angkor Wat, Bayon, and Ta Prohm.

We all love Angkor Wat the most – it is grand and majestic! We went there twice before, during sunrise and sunset and the two visits gave us different feels.

Angkor Wat

Besides Angkor Wat, we also like Ta Prohm. I think it is the most romantic temple in the entire complex as you could feel the joint venture between nature and architecture merging into the forest. Pete, our little navigator was mesmerized by the several hundred years old trees and the way they were going out of the ancient ruins. It is incredible to think that this has been hidden for centuries.

Ta Prohm

We also enjoyed visiting Bayon Temple, the cutest of them all – it’s mystical, charming and you could see huge smiling Buddha faces everywhere.

Bayon Temple

Places like this certainly remain in our hearts forever and it is a wonder that you must see to experience it as pictures do not give it justice.

Angkor Archaeological Park

Little Lilly travel tip:

I strongly believe you must spend a minimum of 2 days and longer would be more preferable.
Entrance fees – 1 day=$37. 3 days=$62, 7 days= $72. Children below 12 years old don’t have to pay the entrance fee. Bring your child’s passport to show to the security otherwise you’ll have to pay for the admission fees.
Tuktuk charge for a day tour in Angkor complex is $15.
Wear proper clothes – no sleeveless, no shorts. Some temples like Angkor Wat, Baphoun, etc do not allow you to get inside if you are not properly dressed.
Wear comfortable shoes for walking because you have to walk a lot.
Bring a bottle of water to keep you from dehydration.
Bring a towel, an extra tee-shirt, a hat or an umbrella.
Bring a camera. There’s a lot opportunity to take good pictures.

Taste of Home: Beef Stroganoff

Posted on July 25, 2017 by littlelilly

Beef Stroganoff is always a hit with the whole family. It is one of our comfort foods that everyone loves and makes everyone smile.

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff is a simple beef dish with mushroom swirled with fresh cream to make a creamy sauce and served over with rice, pasta, potatoes, green beans or French fries. But my family always loves it with hot steamed Jasmine rice.

In this recipe, we cook the mushrooms first before adding it with the rest of the ingredients so that the water in the mushrooms will evaporate and mushrooms don’t taste squishy.

It’s super yummy; uses easy ingredients and it whips up quickly.

Ingredients for 6 servings:

500 grams of beef, cut into thin strips
2 kilograms of tomatoes, sliced into small cubes
2 big onions, sliced into small cubes
20 cL of fresh cream
200 grams of mushroom, sliced thin strips
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
33 cL can of beer
4 tablespoons of flour
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Step 1: Marinate the beef for at least 1 hour.

In a bowl, put the beef. Add soy sauce, black pepper and water. Keep adding water until it covers the meat. Mix well. Let it set for at least an hour.

Step 2: Cook the mushroom

In a frying pan, put the mushroom. Cook it above a gentle fire until the mushroom look dry and wee bit brown. Stir it regularly so that it won’t get burnt.

Step 3: Prepare the flour mixture

In a cup, put in the flour. Add about 20cl of water and mix until it becomes homogeneous.

Step 4: Prepare the tomato and onion mixture.

In a frying pan, put the tomatoes and onions together. Add a glass of water so it doesn’t burn. Mix well. Let it cook until it melts.
Add soy sauce and pepper. Stir.
Put in the beer. Stir. Let it cook until the beer stops foaming.
Add fresh cream. Stir.
Add the flour mixture. After you added the flour, stir it regularly so that the flour will not stick at the bottom of the pot.

Step 5: Putting together

Add the meat into the tomato and onion mixture. Stir.
Cook it above a gentle fire for about 5 minutes.

Step 6: Serve hot with steamed rice, pasta, potatoes, French fries, green beans or have the Beef Stroganoff by itself.

My Son’s Favorite Healthy Snacks for School

Posted on July 15, 2017 by littlelilly

July 2016. Finally reunited with my 9 year old son (now 10) and we started living together abroad as a family.

So then, every day, I always look forward to waking up early and preparing his food (breakfast) and packing his snacks for school. Fortunately, his school is near our place (5 mins away), so we prefer eating lunch together at home.

As a mother, I try to send my son nutritious foods I know he would love and enjoy. During this period, we also learned that one of the best ways to encourage him to eat healthy is to make him part of menu planning and food shopping. We let him make choices – which bread to eat, sandwich fillings, fruit and vegetables, etc. Also, even though we know that fruit and vegetables are nature’s best snacks, sometimes we need to get creative to make them kid friendly and exciting.

Since today, marks my first year both as a working mom and fulltime hands-on mom, I would like to share with you my son’s favorite snacks (he asked me to make it several times) that I prepared for him last school year:

Fresh fruits

Skewers time!

A bowl of grapes with a small box of apple juice

Freshly cut mangoes with yogurt juice

Fresh oranges and juice

Cookie time!

French cookies with blueberry yogurt

Danish cookies with blueberry yogurt

Cookies and fruits

Oreo cookies (without the sweet stuff inside) paired with yogurt juice.

Chicken nuggets

Homemade chicken nuggets with 4 in 1 Dutch Mill juice.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Homemade spaghetti carbonara with apricot juice.

Meatballs

Korean pork style meatballs paired with yogurt

Wraps

Omelette, Emmental cheese, bacon and luncheon wrapped together with onion and chives wraps. 😍👌

Bacon wrapped in yellow mango served with apple juice

Sandwich

Egg sandwich served with apple juice

Sausage time!

Sausage with freshly cut green apples

Sneak Peek into our Oudong Mountain Adventure in Cambodia

Posted on July 11, 2017 by littlelilly

Here’s a sneak peek of our little adventure to Oudong Mountain yesterday. It was my 3^rd time to visit the place but yesterday’s visit was also significant as we were showing the place to our son.

Oudong Mountain

Phnom Oudong is an ancient capital (from 1618 to 1866) of Cambodia. It is located in Kampong Speu Province, about 40 km northwest of Phnom Penh. It is a popular weekend picnic getaway for locals, especially at weekends. It is also a place visited by tourist who wish to safely witness a part of Cambodia that is a bit off the usual tourist trail.

Oudong Mountain

On the way in, we climbed about 509 steep stairs.

Oudong Mountain

At its peak there are magnificent temples and stupas and shrines dedicated to the by-gone kings such as PreahSanchakMonyChedai stupa (the newest stupa built there), Arthaross Temple, etc.

One of the beautiful golden doors in the newest stupa.

Oudong Mountain

The views from the top of the mountain are truly spectacular and breathtaking – the clear blue sky, the vast stretches of rice fields, the beautifully scattered coconut trees and palm trees, and the silvery fresh air.

Oudong Mountain

From the newest stupa, PreahSanchakMonyChedai, we walked to the south to see more old stupas and shrines and temples. We saw a huge Buddha statue in the last temple we visited.

Oudong Mountain

On the way back, we just kept walking down and followed the path from where the old temples and stupas were until we reached the base.

Oudong Mountain

Overall, it was a great family day out. If you are visiting Phnom Penh, a half-day trip to Oudong Mountain is worth it.

Oudong Mountain

Little Lilly travel tip:

You can get there by motorbike, tuktuk, local bus, or a taxi. It takes about 1.5 hour by tuktuk and it cost $30 for a roundtrip plus waiting time.
Don’t forget to bring your camera – Oudong is very picturesque.
Go there early. The midday sun made walking up the hills a little tough.
If you are sensitive to humidity, you take the other way, south of the new stupa, PreahSanchakMonyChedai stupa. This way, you do not need to climb steep stairs. Once you get at the base, take the unpaved road, just keep going until you see a building and some stairs.at the very end (about 100 meters from where the souvenir shops are). Then you start there and begin your journey.
There are local restaurants and souvenir shops at the base of the hill, although please keep in mind that the food there is traditionally local and there are no foreign dishes available.

Sun, Splash and Relax at Aquarius Urban Hotel in Phnom Penh

Posted on July 6, 2017 by littlelilly

It was a quiet weekend for us, but what is better than a beautiful Sunday relaxing around the amazing rooftop infinity pool, swimming, enjoying a drink or two, an aperitif in the hand while watching a gorgeous sunset? With my two lucky charms, we headed to Aquarius Urban Hotel to splurge into an authentic afternoon escape.

Aquarius Urban Hotel

Aquarius Urban Hotel is a haven oasis that nestles in the heart of the city surrounded by the consequential landmarks. It has an open sky bar and restaurant overlooking the charming city of Penh. The city view is unmatched – even at night as you can use the pool until 11pm. It’s shabby chic, tidy and calm. The food was good and the staff was friendly too.

Aquarius Urban Hotel

We lounge by the poolside while enjoying our food and drinks. Even though we certainly enjoyed swimming in their infinity glass walled salt water swimming pool, our best moment there was when we watched and experienced the tranquility of a stunning sunset arm-in-arm with my boys, that was truly a marvel. To be honest, its rooftop infinity pool is really amazing and I think it is the highlight of the hotel.

Aquarius Urban Hotel

All in all, it’s a great place to gather with family or friends and then stay for dinner if you are so inclined. If you are in the Penh and if you wish to spend some calm afternoon or nights in the hustling city center, Aquarius Urban Hotel is for you.

Aquarius Urban Hotel

Little Lilly Meets the World

Every step is a memory

Beat the heat at DIB Club

Relaxing at L’lephant Blanc Resort

Taking our Son to see the Temples of Angkor

Taste of Home: Beef Stroganoff

My Son’s Favorite Healthy Snacks for School

Sneak Peek into our Oudong Mountain Adventure in Cambodia

Sun, Splash and Relax at Aquarius Urban Hotel in Phnom Penh

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