Where to eat: Peoples Palace

Trip Advisor Rating: 3/877 in Makati

Peoples Palace is a Thai restaurant located at Greenbelt 3 in Makati.
I was very keen to try this restaurant having read its great reviews from Trip Advisor back home before we left, so I was very happy when we were strolling around Greenbelt and found this place.

The restaurant has a modern set up to it, but a nice relaxed feeling too. The waiters were all very friendly and helpful and spoke / understood English easily. As soon as a plate or drink was finished, a waiter was there refilling my drink or clearing the table.

Peoples Palace

We came here at lunch time so it wasn't very busy, have been past here at night and it is packed. There is also outdoor seating which I believe allows smoking so if you would prefer to sit indoors (in the aircon) call ahead and reserve a table.

For our lunch we ordered Chicken Cashew nuts with steamed rice, and a Pad Thai. Both meals were absolutely delicious and servings were filling enough for two.
The Chicken Cashew nut was quite spicy (for an aussie) and the Pad Thai came with chilli flakes but chilli is something this aussie is going to have to get used to living in South East Asia. The menu wasn't as big as most Thai restaurants typically can be, however they have all the usual Thai food options so the smaller menu still had all the favorites on there.

Pad Thai & Chicken & Cashew ... nom nom

In the end we had Chicken Cashew, Pad Thai, steamed rice, 2 lemon lime & bitters & 2 bottles of 500ml water and our bill came to a total of AUD35.15/PHP1405.00

Looking forward to returning to this restaurant ASAP for dinner as Greenbelt has an awesome buzz to it at night time.

Until next time,
Jacs xx

Where to eat: Mr Rockefeller

Trip Advisor rating: 385/876 in Makati

Our first meal in Manila was a burger & beers from Mr Rockefeller, Greenbelt 3, Makati.

Not the most cultural dish to have as your first meal in a new country I know, but after sitting on a plane for 8 hours, that burger & beer really hit the spot.

The menu had a good selection of American style dishes from seafood, pasta, steaks, burgers & oysters (their claim to fame is their spanking good oysters) and majority of the menu was pretty well priced. Steaks seemed to be quite high as they were all imported from Aus or USA. 

Beers were cold & cheap ... San Miguel Pale was AUD1.75/PHP70 each so there was no complaints from me there. 

We had 2 beers & 1 burger with fries each and the bill came to a total of AUD22.85/PHP913.00 

Wouldn't rush back here for dinner, but a good option for lunch with a cold beer on a hot Manila day. 

Until next time, 

Jacs xx 

What to pack??

What on earth do you pack when you are moving for 3 months, with the high possibility of that becoming 12 months??
Everything, you pack everything. Well that is what I did.
Thank goodness for Qantas and their new 30KG baggage allowance, because if we had only 23KG each we'd be paying a small fortune on excess baggage.
To me, 3 months can be a holiday. I spent 2 months travelling around Europe a few years ago and that was easy enough to pack for, because I knew I was coming home. But in the back on my mind, I know this isn't a holiday, this is our new life. We might not be coming home after 3 months.
A lot of people said to me 'take minimal things as you can buy everything while you are there' but what about all my comforts from home I don't want to leave behind.

29.3KG of pure craziness

Trying to separate my belongings from items I would take on holiday and items I need to live was quite hard for me. In the end I settled for the majority of my clothes, a small amount of my shoes (I bought about 7 pairs and for me that is good) only 4 handbags, and then the mother of all make up cases and toiletries.
I hate to admit it, but my make up alone weighed 3.7KG!

After being here less than 24 hours though, being close to the Greeenbelt area there really are a million different types of shops so if you do forget to pack something, you will easily be able to find a store that sells it. Including the kitchen sink.
Don't bother paying for excess luggage charges to come out here, save it for when you return back home. I know I am going to need it.

Until next time,
Jacs xx

We're moving ... To MANILA???

If you had asked me where in the world would I want to live as an expat, I wouldn't of answered Manila. I would of said New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris, or even Bangkok.

Nothing against Manila & it's people but I had never travelled there before, and it wasn't high up on my places to visit list either (I'm not entirely sure it even made the list, and if it did it was a transit airport on the way to Boracay)

So a month ago, back to normal life after marrying the man of my dreams & going on an amazing honeymoon the offer was made in passing to my husband that 'he'd be perfect for the role, but they never bothered asking as they thought he'd say no what with just getting married' 

He came home & said it to me, and we both thought about it.

I jumped online and asked my trusty friend google to tell me about Manila and I was pleasantly surprised at the results: 

The capital city & second largest city in the Philippeans - Manila is the central hub for business, education & transport -Manila has a reputation as a congested, polluted concrete jungle, and is often overlooked as a mere stopover for travelers aiming to reach other Philippine provinces or islands - Manila city is sprawling, bustling, and culturally complicated, with a colorful multi-cultural heritage and varied nightlife.

Ok maybe I, like many others haven't given this city the credit it deserves.

Four weeks later, many hours spent deciding if I can leave my dog & cat for up to a year (thank goodness for family) endless hours googling expat life in Manila, places to eat & drink & a contract being signed at work & we are locked it. We are becoming expats & fly out to MNL international airport on 1/1/14. Who said life after marriage was boring???!!!

I hope to use this blog as a way for family & friends to see what we are up to & stay in touch, but also hope it becomes a handy resource for others who are planning on making the move as that is the one thing I found a lack of when I was doing my research - there are no good blogs/sites ran by expats that give you an honest, first hand account of what expat life is like. 

Until next time,

Jacs xx