Amalfi Coast - Pompeii

It's hard to believe that it's 18 months since I was in Italy. Time flies but the memories last. After a couple of days in Bari after our trip from Greece, we journeyed across to Naples and then a little further south to Salerno, where we based ourselves for a few days to explore the Amalfi coast and Pompeii. We hired a car to do our exploring, even though this seemed like a mistake when we realised that the Italians seem to park a lot by touch rather than sight!

Anyway, we set off and stopped at a small town not far from Salerno for our standard Italian breakfast of espresso and pastry for breakfast. My shopping habit started at that first stop! I bought some tea towels and magnets for souvenirs and we headed further along the Amalfi Coast. Even though the road was quite narrow and scary in parts, we had to stop quite a few times to admire the spectacular scenery and take photos. We reached Positano, a gorgeous town built into the mountains falling into the sea. Before we walked down to the beach, we had our picnic lunch in a little park on the side of the road; a lunch bought from the deli in Salerno consisting of cheeses, tuna, olives, some lovely salami and a couple of plump tomatoes. We ate like this a lot in Italy and Greece.

Finally, we walked down the 850 steps to the beach, which even though it was nearing the end of the season, was full of activity. We saw some artists selling their paintings of scenes of the local area, a few now framed on my walls in Hanoi. The restaurants were doing good business too as it was such a beautiful day - we popped into one for a local beer and the complimentary dish of green olives.

We also saw Italian guys playing beach tennis which I think I should import to the beach in my home town - Nha Trang. After a relaxing hour or two, we had to climb up those 850 steps! As the day was getting on, we decided that it was too late to continue along the coast to Sorrento, which was a pity because I remember that place from the famous song 'Back to Sorrento'. On the way back to Salerno, we stopped in at Amalfi township for dinner and to take some photos of one of the most beautiful, old Duomos, the Cathedral of St. Andrew. In that early evening light with all the bells ringing, I really had to pinch myself to make sure it was me in Italy at such an incredible place. We walked up and down the old cobbled streets for a wander; to try and buy the locally produced limoncello and some lemon soap as well. That lemon soap was so nice and I've just this last week finished the final bar. Anyhow, we had dinner in a small restaurant that served some very nice pasta and seafood dishes.

The next day we drove inland to see the famous ruins at Pompeii, spending a good few hours there. In general, we thought the Italians don't seem to maintain their archeological sites as well as the Greeks but Pompeii is such an incredible place because of the size of it and the reminder of the power of nature. While it is not quite as large, this place reminded me of Knossos, Iraklio in Crete - another ruin we visited on our trip to Greece in 2008.

After quite a tiring day walking around the ruins, we returned to Salerno and went to bed...but not before I had another ice cream at the ice cream shop next to the hotel, which I reckon serves the best ice cream in town. Absolutely loved it!!!!

Next destination on that trip was Rome
To be continued

Cafe Lam

Hanoi coffee culture is a bit different compared to the rest of Vietnam with low chairs and tables and sometimes just plastic chairs acting as both chairs and tables. I like this style very much and after 10 years in Hanoi sitting this low, I feel very comfortable.

Beside my favorite Cafe Nang, I sometimes go to Cafe Lam for a cup of coffee or juice for a change. Cafe Lam is located on Nguyen Huu Huan street and consists of two traditional old houses joined together. This cafe is very popular among all age groups in Hanoi and the number of customers leaves no doubt about the quality of their coffee and juices. The staff, who are amonst the most friendly in the city, serve the hot coffee with the cup sitting in a bowl of hot water; very cute. Their coffee is perhaps a bit stronger than average but not bitter at all. One of the features of this cafe is the photos and paintings lining the walls, making the experience of having coffee here quite a cultural one as well.

Their prices are pretty standard for Hanoi and, like the coffee culture in many of the cafes here, the best part is that you can sit on the pavement out front (away from the smokers!) to observe the passing side-show.
Cafe Lam
Nguyen Huu Huan
Hanoi

PS: I have gone off this coffee shop as of yesterday because when I took one of my foreign street food tour client there, I discovered they have a policy to charge foreigners more. I will not be going back!!!

Hong Kong

I have just been to Hong Kong for the weekend. This is Hong Kong sevens rugby weekend so there are many tourists coming in just to watch few matches. I'm a big tennis fan but rugby is a game that me and most Vietnamese don't understand. So I took myself off to enjoy the geography of Hong Kong, wandering up the mountain by escalators then walking down to the harbor and around the streets is the best way to see Hong Kong. While most of the old buildings seem to have disappeared, the city is very much about buildings in general. In fact, sometimes it feels as if the sky has disappeared. The trams and buses also are things I love to see and photograph. I took so many photos of the beautiful old trams, which these days are covered with amazing advertising.

Hong Kong of course is famous for food and I was lucky during my trip to eat Dim Sum at Maxim's Palace City Hall with my friend's cousin's family. It is the best place to eat Dim Sum in Hong Kong, a place which required us to queue for some time to get in. I walked out of there completely full. For the rest of the trip, I was eating on the street but it perhaps wasn't the best street food because I hadn't done much research about where to go. Next time I come back, I'm going to find out the best places.

In general, I think most people seem to come to Hong Kong for shopping. I've never seen so many shopping centers and specialist designer label shops in my life. And it is by no means cheap. I can't afford to shop like that. I was told that it's mostly the mainland Chinese coming for that kind of shopping.

I would like to go back to Hong Kong for a longer vacation to get a better feel for the city, perhaps also to see the other islands and Macau. Thanks to Tracy very much for the great hospitality and for inviting me to stay in your lovely apartment.

Florence

I have all these posts about my 2010 trip to Greece and Italy that I never posted. This one is about Florence.
Florence is my friend's favorite destination as she's been here before and she know this place quite well. We arrived in the rain late at night by car from Frosinone, further south, and we managed to find a small hotel in a huge old Florentine building near the river. The hotel owner, a lovely guy, told us to park the hire car on the Ponte Amerigo Vespucci, one of bridges over the Arno River. Parking in Italy was a night mare as people park by touch and we were very worried every time if any damage had been caused to our rental car. Anyway, we were fine without any drama and we got some excellent recommendations from hotel owners for food and the best way to reach the famous spots. We had a great meal at a small restaurant called Il Contadino in which the chef comes to tell the menu, which is different every night. We each ordered different dishes in each course so that we could try every thing on the menu that night!!!! It was one our best meals in Italy, and very much thanks to local knowledge.

The next day, we started our day by walking up toward the Ponte De Vecchio, one of the most famous bridges in the world, where gorgeous jewelery is sold. We stopped at the shop just over the bridge on the left hand side for ice cream :) which was my idea, of course. Who else would want ice-cream at 9am?

We split up then, with one of us heading to the museum and the other two to the Duomo, an incredible church in one of the squares in Florence. We walked up to the top of the Duomo to see the whole of Florence view. It was breathtaking. It's a quite a few steps up tothe top but it's really worth it. It was a great experience but not so good if you are claustrophobic or a bit unfit or overweight as the passages are very narrow.

We walked to the area near the Uffizi Gallery, which has a square with some amazing statues, including a copy of the famous Statue of David. There was a Japanese couple celebrating their wedding with an Italian priest, something which is quite popular for Japanese tourists, who spend a fortune on it.

We had lunch inside the main market and I had the best squid ever. We couldn't ask any questions to the owner about the recipe as she couldn't speak English. We need to learn Italian if we come back and can't blame anyone but ourselves. After lunch, we walked to the leather market which is something Florence is famous for. There are thousands of leather products hanging and they are real, not made in China :) Also there were lots of African men trying to sell fake stuff even though there are signs around the market to warn against it. I treated myself to a small bag to put my belongings in and it will always remind me of Florence. I wouldn't say my bag was expensive nor my friends' bags and jackest but I found out in the end, when we returned to Vietnam that our stuff was much cheaper than in Vietnam and we are assured of the quality.
Florence is a magical city but that's it for now.
To be continued

Winter Winter

Winter in Hanoi is super challenging for a southern beach boy like me. Today, there are more signs of warm spring, though it's very wet and quite cold still inside the house. Hanoi's humidity makes the 'feels like' temperature several degrees lower or higher, depending on the season. The cold gets into my bones. The heat I don't mind. Winter tourists upon arrival don't seem to notice but within a few days they are seeking out the jumper shops.

The other problem is the lack of heating. Hanoians tend to tolerate it because the deep winter is not that long. They wear their coats and wooly hats inside while they're watching television! This year I've bought a cheap Chinese heater which is actually only useful when it is blowing directly on me and will probably put our electricity bill through the roof. I've also bought these water bottles that plug into the electricity and heat up in a few minutes. So I am prepared much better than my past ten years in Hanoi.

Another way to keep warm in winter in Hanoi is to eat smart. On the streets, trying hot sweet potato or cassava, steamed buns and even boiled corn from a mobile street vendor while crowding around their heated cart give a few minutes of warmth. Rice porridge and hot pots are my other favourites at this time of year.

Winter time is also a time that I put on weight even though I am very busy with work, because winter food in Hanoi is mostly pretty heavy and deep fried. This sometimes means I have to buy winter clothes for my expanding waistline. Hanoians actually love that they can get out of T-shirts and shorts in winter and they go quite crazy buying and wearing heavy clothes. I don't go crazy but I did buy a jumper the other day in the Old Quarter. The worst part was taking my many layers of shirts off to try it on!

I'm sure it won't be long now before people are complaining about the heat.

BBQ Wings !!!!

In Vietnam, we eat almost every part of the animal. Chicken is no exception, with the organs a regular part of pho ga at many establishments. In the Old Quarter's Ngo Gach St, there are several restaurants specialising in barbeque chicken, wings and feet. The place at 21 Ngo Gach, which is a coca-cola outlet by day, is called Tuan - Duc and is a place that my friends and I have been eating at for 10 years. The difference between this place and other similar places in town, the popular ones in Le Truc, too, is that they serve seasonal side dishes like young mango pickle, young morning glory pickle and jicama. Most of these kinds of chicken vendors in Hanoi marinate their chicken in a mixture containing honey. Here it is the same, though the unique fruity dipping sauce of chilli and cumquat also sets them apart.

The owner is a funny old skinny man whose his son is a younger version of the same. The wife is a bit of a grumpy control freak and usually shouts orders at the young team of helpers. There is always a funny thing to see or a story to hear at this shop.

The chickens are sourced from a farmer in the countryside not far from Hanoi, and the owner tells us the chickens are "happy chickens", which I think means that they are free range.

But back to the parts of the bird. When I go with my Vietnamese friends to this place, we love to eat the chicken feet as well as the wings but my western friends are more keen on the wings because they have more meat compared to the feet which only have skin. In Vietnam eating culture, when we drink beer we love to chew on something and chicken feet are a popular choice.

Also available at this place is grilled bread rolls with honey, very tasty but very filling. The other good thing about this shop is that the beer is always served cold and the price is fixed for tourists and locals alike. Ga Nuong: 21 Ngo Gach Street Hanoi

Rangoon, Burma

Rangoon is a fascinating city which reminds me a bit of Vietnam in the 80s. Every beaten up 1980s Datsun and Mazda is now on the roads in Rangoon, many of them operating as taxis. Interestingly, due to an assassination attempt a few years ago from the back of a motorbike, the ruling military put an immediate ban on the use of motor cycles in the city, a ruling which still stands today. So, unlike the cities of Vietnam, there are no two wheeled vehicles in Rangoon.

The architecture is beautiful old British style and not so different to what the French built in Vietnam in the colonial period. There are some really gorgeous old apartment buildings, many painted blue, green or pink. Sometimes these buildings are right next to something more functional or modern. This is interesting but occasionally very ugly.

Burmese people are incredibly friendly, apart from a few sellers near the famous temples. I understand why they have to be a bit pushy as their lives aren't that perfect. It's funny because I thought that the people would not be so positive and happy due to the political situation there but I saw them smile a lot during our trip, which is a great sign.

The temples in Rangoon are incredibly beautiful, very gold and shiny in the sunlight. I believe that the Burmese live their religion, which is mostly Buddhism, because I saw thousands of local people going to visit their temples everyday to pray and give offerings. It seems like a more peaceful experience than visiting the pagoda in Vietnam.

In five days, I didn't get to try as much food as I would like but it seems the food in Burma is influenced by Indian, Bangladesh and Chinese as well as some of the ethnic minority groups. It's quite an exciting food city, particularly the street food, which is my real interest. I really like the unique herbs, salads and pickles I tried. More on that in future posts.
In short, go to Rangoon now before too many tourists go there. It is amazing.

Bali Experiences

My first time in Bali meant many first experiences.

Bali is a popular place for Aussie tourists as it is pretty close to Australia and there are many great deals from Garuda Airlines, direct and cheap. A lot of Aussie guys and girls love surfing and I didn't want to miss out so I took a lesson from Ketut, a young experienced local surfer on the beach. He charged $20 a lesson which was much cheaper than the expensive schools further along the beach. Finally, after some training on the sand, we entered the water and after a few wipe outs, I managed to stand up. I surfed! On the last day of our holiday, I went back to the beach again to have another practice. This guy Ketut is also a fake-tattoo artist so I got a tattoo on my arm as well. He is definitely a jack of all trades.

My second experience was a bike ride arranged by an Ubud gym. Wayan, one of the gym instructors, was on the duty for our ride from the mountainous Kintamani region back to Ubud. It was fun and we had such a great time. Along the 25km route, we stopped at quite a few different places. At a coffee plantation, we tasted coffee with vanilla, chocolate, and ginger as well as some teas. Later down the hill, we visited a carving village and the guy explained the way Balinese carve their gods and other products. Some of their big carvings take an amazing 6 months to complete but the income doesn't seem to match the time they put in. We also rode through the incredibly green rice fields and had lunch at a very small local restaurant. The young chef served us amazing traditional Balinese food and it turned out only $20 for 5 people including beers and soft drink. The bike trip was a real highlight.

The third experience was the Balinese dancing at the palace near the market in Ubud. What was very impressive to me about the way they dance is the movement of their eyes rolling around, their dresses and also the amazing gamelan music. It was quite a moving experience and I was very impressed by the way the Balinese not only promote their traditions to tourists but also the way they seem to live their unique culture every day.

I will definitely be making another trip to Bali some day because apart from all the things to do, it is also possible to really relax there.

Hanh Cafe

Nguyen Huu Huan is a street full of cafes that I drive along almost every day. It's weird that I've never ever stopped in at any of these cafes to give them a try. But today my favorite cafe was way too busy and a friend recommended that I should taste the coffee at Cafe Hanh which is just a minute around the corner. As it was the weekend, they were busy as well but we landed a spot at the corner where two people had just left. On a bright and hot sunny day, we were lucky to be under the shade of a big old banyan tree.
Cafe culture in Hanoi is way different compared to the south, not necessarily in terms of the quality or quantity, but just about the atmosphere; the people spreading along the footpath, chatting and enjoying their coffee, no matter how busy or dangerous the street is. Having coffee in these kinds of locations is a great way to observe the happenings in the old quarter of Hanoi.

I love looking at the different ways people serve and even drink coffee in the old quarter. No matter if you are rich, famous or poor, everyone sits at the same kind of low tables and chairs. Most cafes in the old quarter use plastic chairs and tables because its very easy to collect them up especially when the police are patroling. Businesses are not supposed to take up the footpath with their goods or chairs and tables so when the police come, it's quite amusing. The customers stand up with their coffees while the staff move these plastic chairs so they will not be confiscated. Of course, it's back to normal after 5 minutes when the police have disappeared.

That's quite a normal part of Hanoi nowadays though I'm sure tourists get really confused if they experience it. But it's something that tourists shouldn't miss - sitting in the old quarter for half an hour, watching the craziness.
Don't forget to say, khong duong (no sugar) or it duong (only a little sugar) because black coffee comes with the sugar already in it. For white coffee, sweet condensed milk is always used. Yum!

Cafe Hạnh
51 Nguyễn Hữu Huân
Hoan Kiem - Hanoi

Offerings In Bali

The offering ritual in Indonesia is a real highlight of a visit to Bali. The Balinese perform their offering to the gods every morning. The tray of offerings contains various kinds of flowers, usually picked from the surrounding gardens, small spoons of rice on banana leaves, crackers, cigarette and, of course, incense. Each little tray is placed around the house, on the garden altars, on doorsteps and on the streets. They spend hours just preparing, perhaps as much time as for a meal. They look amazing. Offerings are also placed on motorbikes and inside cars.

One interesting side effect of this daily ritual is that it provides food for the native wildlife. I have seen rats, birds and other animals, even squirrels, in town climbing up onto the altars to eat the offerings and wonder if this actually prevents them from going inside kitchens to rummage for food. Itbis definitely a special treat for these animals.

Observing this aspect of Balinese culture everyday was a very special experience.

Greetings From Ubud

The main idea of going to Indonesia was to experience Ubud, where we spent two weeks staying at the Lala Lili Vilas in Penestanan. This little section of Ubud is located up 94 steps from the main road just after it crosses the river gorge. The two villas are behind a warung of the same name where we had breakfast any many other wonderful meals.

Lala villa is like a treehouse, open-air with the sleeping areas contained in two lofts. The swimming pool surrounds a little sheltered island where we spent many hours reading and relaxing. The atmosphere was filled with the sounds of birds, frogs and geckos. The gardens are lush with tropical plants and flowers and insects. In short, a perfect place to spend a holiday.

I discovered the neighborhood as much as possible by walking around, riding a bicycle and also driving a motorbike. Compared to Hanoi, the people in Ubud are much calmer in the traffic, even though the main streets in the town have traffic jams several times a day. One morning, my friends and I woke up pretty early and went to the local market, which operates as a food market first before changing at about 9am into a market for tourists where all kinds of souvenirs can be bought. The sellers are generally pretty open to bargaining but can be a bit touchy if you go low on price.

Our time in Ubud is nearly over but we intend to discover a bit more of the surrounding countryside over the next few days.

Postcard From Kuta - Bali

I have arrived in Seminyak - Bali after a stopover at Singapore airport. It was actually a pleasant flight with acceptable food from Vietnam Airlines. The second sector of the flight with Singapore Airlines was real contrast and clearly Vietnam Airlines have a lot to learn. The level of service, the range of in-flight entertainment and the smiling faces of the crew are all lessons for my countries national airline.

The last few days on the coast in Bali have reminded me of my hometown, Nha Trang as there are many restaurants along the beach. The only difference is that the beach is not as beautiful. The people in Bali are gradually becoming more friendly to me. I sometimes think Asians treat each other differently than the way they treat western tourists. I'm not sure why - probably someone could write a research paper on that topic! I'm not worried about that as this is my holiday and I am going to enjoy it as much as possible.

We're staying at the Kusnardi Hotel where the hotel room is ok and the garden and pool are very beautiful. I have realized that most hotels on the coast and maybe in the whole of Bali have lovely design aspects with beautiful gardens and swimming pools. My other friends are staying at the Jayakarta, a very expensive hotel but they are very disappointed with the experience. We are lucky!

Indonesian food is great and we have tried many different dishes and most of them have been very tasty. Some places serve very slowly (in Bali time) such as the Tekor cafe on the beach and Be Tunu cafe on the main shopping road. I would recommend Tunu due to the great food; huge serves at a very reasonable price. This afternoon during my walk along the beach I tried noodles from a seller on a motorbike. The noodle he served was very nice included noodle, tofu, dried shallot, few different balls, mint and celery on the top just only 10,000.

Just few thing for the first post about Kuta Bali, a very interesting small town 20 minutes away from the airport with mostly Australian tourists. I think this is the second Australia as more than 90% tourists are from Australia. Most sellers and restaurant staff speak English with Aussie accent and sellers here are everywhere and it seems to balance to Aussie tourists. Most restaurants here have Australian flat around the place and in the middle of the restaurant, but NO Indonesian flag. Weird!!!!!