3 Cafés Not to Miss in Siem Reap!

Hey, and welcome to this mini blog post! 

Everybody loves a café and when I was in Siem Reap, Cambodia, there were plenty to try.  Siem Reap town centre was fairly compact and feeding off of the rather seedy and aptly named 'Pub Street' were much quieter, quirky little side streets with boutique shops, art galleries and a variety of restaurants and cafés to suit all tastes.  

Those of you who know me, will know that I follow a coeliac diet, so whilst traveling in more touristy areas I've searched for places I can find gluten free food.  I found two cafés in Siem Reap that had specific gluten free options, but were still wildly popular with all tourists.  

Sister Srey Café is a fabulous enterprise which helps to support young Khmer people to continue their studies whilst supporting other family members.  You can read all about their ethos here: Sister Srey Cafe

They provide delicious freshly prepared food and there is a real friendly bustling atmosphere in this little cafe which looks out onto the street and river. 

I opted for the pumpkin soup which was gluten free and served in this uber cute mini frying pan! 

I then decided to splurge a little more and ordered the RAW (gluten free and vegan) passion fruit cheesecake... delicious!

New Leaf Book Café was another of my favourites whilst in Siem Reap.  Tucked away on a quieter street, but still just round the corner from the main hub; I found this to be a little escape from the busy Siem Reap town.  It had a very relaxed feel about it; just the effect a good book should have! It had shelves stacked with plenty books to choose from.  Here's also where I had quite possibly the best coconut shake - and I should know, I've certainly tried enough! New Leaf also supports local NGO's which was another great plus.  You can read more about it here: New Leaf Cafe

CAKE! Who, may I ask, doesn't like cake!? That's a rhetorical question, because of course the answer is no-one! So everyone would love Blossom Café.  It serves a delicious range of cupcakes and specializes in cake art.  Their cakes are simply amazing; with so many fabulous designs - I spent a good 15 minutes or so deliberating over whether or not the handbags in the window were in fact bags or cakes!!! That's how good they are.  When I was in, a little girl came in with her parents and after much indecision picked the 'rainbow' cupcake - she was so excited when she cut it open and saw all the colours and it was fun to watch, but whether you're a kid or an adult this café is a fantastic treat!  It has a good selection of gluten free cupcakes too - so it was heaven for me! Like the other two cafés it also has a charitable aspect and is in fact a not-for-profit organisation that supports local women.  Here's the link to their website if you fancy a browse: Blossom Cakes .

Sweet Treat Heaven!

So there they are 3 cafés you definitely shouldn't miss if you're traveling in Siem Reap! I hope you enjoyed this little post! Thank you, as always, for reading. 

Little pick-me-ups for when you're not feeling your best

Hey, and welcome to my new blog post :)

I'm going to be talking about what I do to combat those times when you're maybe feeling a little under the weather, tired, lethargic or just a bit down! We all have these times whether it's because we've been snowed under at work, buried under an ever growing pile of coursework or stressed out emotionally in our personal lives.  But, I believe that as awful as these times may feel there's some things we can all do to help our bodies feel a little healthier and our minds a little happier! 

When I feel like this I usually just want to have a duvet day... snuggled on the couch under the duvet with a cup of tea and some mindless daytime TV! (or a good movie!) But as we all know this just isn't always possible - we have to drag ourselves out of bed in the cold and dark early mornings and soldier on through the day. *cue lots of sympathy from friends, family, work colleagues, the coffee shop barista, hell anyone who will give us some!*

For me, there's four main areas I try to focus on when I'm feeling like this in order to get back to my usual sunny self ASAP!!  

1. Nutrition: lots of healthy eating

2. Physical activity: sometimes a little walk in the fresh air can blow away all the cobwebs

3. Sleep: plenty of beauty sleep, my body needs rest to recouperate

4. Stress management: when I'm feeling rundown stress can make it 100X worse, staying relaxed works wonders!

I always try to do a super healthy shop (if you're not actually up to facing the supermarkets try a home delivery) I find filling my body up with lovely nutritious goodies makes me feel good plus they're packed with vitamins!  So make sure your fruit bowl is full to the brim!!!

A really easy way to ensure you get 5 a day is to make up a big fruit salad - I especially love adding lots of berries (blueberry, raspberry and blackberry) into mine. But, you can choose all your faves!

Multi-vitamin food supplements are another way to add some extra vitamins into your diet and give you a little pick-me-up! I personally love Berocca - I have it in the mornings with breakfast instead of a fruit juice.  Orange is my favourite and I think it tastes fab!  Even better is that they contain the B-12 vitamin and a deficiency in this can cause tiredness so it's super important to make sure this is included in your diet!

I love nothing more than wrapping up and heading outside on a cold, crisp and sunny or blustery day to get fresh air and blow away the cobwebs! Granted, if I'm feeling tired and run down I might not feel like a huge hike, but even a small wander round the park can help.

LAVENDER LAVENDER LAVENDER!!! I find it a MUST when it comes to getting a good nights sleep.  Sleep is really important when you're feeling rundown and you might not be getting as much as your body needs so make sure the quality of sleep you do get is good.  Unwind before bed, run a bubble bath to make you feel sleepy.  This Radox 'Relax' bath soak has notes of lavender and waterlily and it smells dreamy! Just perfect before bedtime.

I also love a hot drink before bedtime, this Twinings Camomile and Honey tea is delicious - the honey just adds a hint of sweetness and for me it is as it says on the packet really soothing!

My last tip for a little pick-me-up is to pamper yourself!.. As if I need an excuse!  Pampering and some nice beauty products can give me a lift and make me feel luxurious.  Think of your home as a spa... light some candles and chill out. Stress is good for no-one and will only make you feel more run-down.  

I've picked 3 No7 beauty products that I find really useful in combating the tired look that annoyingly accompanies the run-down feeling.  

Beautiful Skin Radiance Exfoliator -  this is a lovely 'kind' facial exfoliator that is designed to leave skin brighter; I think it does the job well, it's really creamy and moisturising at the same time which is a great bonus!

Instant Illusions - MY FAVOURITE! I could rave on about this product forever in a day! It smells fruity and delicious, it has a lovely silky feel on your skin without the grease! AND I definitely think it makes my skin look brighter and more radiant.  I have worn this on its own and underneath my make-up and it's great both ways.  Definitely worth investing in this product for days where your skin feels dull and tired!

Beautiful Skin Overnight Revitalising Eye Balm - I dab this on my under eyes at bedtime and leave it to work its magic overnight! It does have a slight slimy texture and the smell is fairly nondescript, but I do think it works well at reducing dark circles which is after all the what it's supposed to do! 

So why not treat yourself to one of these little delights to help combat the tired look! 

That's all for now! I hope this post helps anyone who's been feeling rundown! Remember Spring is just around the corner! In the meantime be kind to yourself!