Welcome To Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is such a modern and green city with big trees along the streets and in the parks. It is a very interesting city with lots of fun things to do, and it's very easy to travel from place to place. There are heaps of options for visitors to choose from, including bus, MRT, Sky train or taxi. This is a really multi-ccultural country which means you can find different types of great food and meet different people from all over the world.

Wandering around Kuala Lumpur is very easy and safe during the day or late at night. Accommodation and food are not really expensive as well. The people are friendly in general and helpful and I'm really impressed. There are a mix of Indian, Arab, Chinese and Malaysian people. After quite a few conversations with the locals, I guessed that Malaysians don't really like Indians and Arabs for some reason. I recognised that during my trip but my attitude is that people are different and I don't like to judge people on their race.

Follow my story in the next few posts and you'll see how enjoyable my trip was and I also will give you guys some entertaining places that I have been to. I am sure you will like them if you ever make it to this part of the world.

Noizee In Hanoi

Why Noizee? I don't really know but this is a cool name which is my good friend, Liann and her friend have come up with for their new business. They make very nice, impressive T-shirts with different designs which are unique to Hanoi. Last week, they celebrated their offical business opening in Hanoi at the Lighthouse Bar.

For now, they only do T-shirts, but they will do all type of clothes, shoes and hand bags in a few months. I guarantee the good quality because I already bought some from them and most of my friends love them heaps. Made in Viet Nam but designed by foreigners will attract Vietnamese consumers now because they don't need to spend hundreds of dollars for Gucci or Louis Vuitton or even D & G.

Welcome to Noizee Hanoi and congratulations on your summer T-shirt collection. They will deliver to your house for a surprisingly cheap price. Contact Paul Davidson by +84(0)915321317 or via email noizeehanoi@yahoo.com and take a good look at http://www.noizee.biz/. All welcome :)

Saigon, Welcome Back!

After a few hours wandering around Noi Bai Airport due to a delay of Vietnam Airlines, I arrived in Saigon at 4 pm during a heavy rainfall. I was a bit disappointed about the weather but luckily it was only raining around the airport, not in the city center. This is kind of weird because the city is only 15 minutes from the airport.

Anyway, I am happy to be here, having fun with my mum and my sister's family. Will try to update when I'm in KL and Singapore with them soon for a short holiday.

Boat Trip Along Perfume River In Hue

While in Hue, we stopped at Khuyen Trang Cafe for a drink and to hire a motorbike. We noticed that they also sold tickets for boat trips for only 25,000Vnd so we decided to take a boat trip the next day. We got picked up at the cafe at 8am by two beautiful young girls who drove us to the boat dock on their motorbikes, where the adventure would start. We were part of a group of over ten people who were already on the boat, including the tour guide, Nghia. His English wasn't great but he was very friendly and a bit shy.

Our first stop on the trip was Thien Mu Pagoda. This is such an old and beautiful pagoda located on a hill, right on the right bank of the Huong River. We spent 45 minutes taking photos and listening to Nghia talking about the pagoda's great history.

Tu Duc tomb was the second stop and this was the best stop for the whole trip because the tomb was amazingly beautiful, old and huge. We had to pay 20,000Vnd for a return trip from the boat dock to the Khai Dinh tomb by motorbike and 30,000Vnd to enter compared to 55,000Vnd for western tourists.

Khai Dinh tomb was the third stop and we stayed there over an hour walking around. The chambers inside the building were quite incredible, with lots of mosaic work.

Next up was Hon Chen temple which is not as interesting perhaps because I've been here before. It's a small temple right by the river, up about 100 steps. I think it was just a convenient place to get us off the boat so the staff could prepare and set up for lunch.

Minh Mang tomb was the last stop before heading back to the city. This one is also surrounded by huge and beautiful pavilions and gardens. We spent about an hour here before the rain came down. All the way back on the boat, it poured. Lucky for us!

We had such a great day seeing the tombs and learning a bit of history for only 25,000Vnd, which included a lunch of veggies, eggs and meat. The tour guide had a tough day coping with all of our questions but we offered him drinks and a tip at the end. Thank you very much Nghia for a lovely day.

Restaurants In Hue Part II

We drove around the city and wanted to find Hue food for ourselves in the end. Finally, we found some food stalls in Truong Dinh street which had a couple of beautiful small dishes, which are what we were indeed looking for. We tried Com Hen and Bun Hen, two of the most famous dishes in Hue and we just loved them. They were so good and I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the price, only 12,000Vnd for 4 bowls. People from the shop were so nice and friendly and they didn’t rip me off. In fact I feel like I ripped them off!

We were so excited about finding that place; we drove further along that street and found another small restaurant which sold all types of Hue food. We tried them all until we couldn’t fit anything else in our now huge stomachs. Another surprise with the total bill only 66,000vnd including three Huda beers. Isn't that amazingly cheap?

Here are my recommendations for good restaurants in Hue:
1. Ba Cam in Truong Dinh Street
2. Ba Hoa 7 Truong Dinh Street
3. Lac Thien 6 Dinh Tien Hoang Street

Restaurants In Hue Part I

Hue people have a very special accent which is sweet and soft but a bit difficult to understand if you come from other areas. In Hue recently, there were many times that I had to ask for the locals to repeat themselves and I felt so embarrassed.

I love Hue food and people kept talking about the Am Phu restaurant where real traditional Hue food is sold. Well, we went there and they didn’t serve Hue food that evening at all. We tried some normal Vietnamese dishes anyway, but they were nothing special unfortunately. The man who ran the restaurant was a bit grumpy, too.

So, the next evening, we asked some Hue people about the real Hue food and they recommended the Ong Tao restaurant. After half an hour following crazy directions from a few different people, we ended up at the restaurant. It was the same result - that they only served normal Vietnamese food which is available all over the country. I asked the waiter why the restaurant had a sign advertising traditional Hue food. He said that they served boiled meat with shrimp sauce, and that’s the only one dish. Strange? We left this big empty two storey restaurant after ordering a drink and some peanuts. Still no Hue food!

I called the tour guide from our river tour and asked him about Hue food again. He told me that we should go to the Hue restaurant near the Ong Tao restaurant. We found the place and I asked the staff and they said they only serve Hue food during the afternoon. We wondered why they only sell their beautiful Hue traditional food during the day. We were disappointed about this situation and decided to just walk into any restaurant we saw along the street. Luckily, not long after, we found Lac Thien restaurant where they sell some traditional dishes. This is a really special restaurant which is run by a deaf family. It has been open for years and is very popular for both locals and tourists.

Tobe continued

Tay Thien Pagoda And Silver Waterfall Part II

We left Tay Thien Pagoda at about 1pm and took a xe om down to the Silver Waterfall for a look. A shock for me was that there were quite a few agent orange victims sitting around asking for money, including little girls and boys. Looking at them made me feel so sad. We all donated some money to help them to get some food even though I know it will never be enough. We walked up a bit to see the waterfall but some guys in uniform wanted us to pay an entrance fee. We refused and walk in adifferent way but ended up at Cau Temple. We decided to stop here for another prayer and some relaxation. We took an oracle each and waited for an explanation from the old man fortune teller. He told us what it meant and he asked everyone to give him some money for his work.

There are many services here along the way up to the waterfall such as plastic shoe rental, walking stick rental and also many stalls selling the famous running chickens(free-range chicken)and vegetables.

After visiting Cau Temple, we walked back with feed of running chickens to enjoy as a second lunch at a little restaurant. Some of my friends took a nap and the others played cards. We had a great time until bill time, when the lady ripped us off so much for the vermicelli we ordered to go with the chicken. She charged us 70,000Vnd for half a kilogram of vermicelli. Oh my gosh! Everyone was angry and we told her we would only pay half that price even though it was still too much. Anyway, we ended up paying 60,000Vnd to that rip off merchant and left. Wish these things would never ever happen. My friends said to me that we were their big fish of the day and they don't catch many fish around in such wild areas. Shit happens.

We finished our tour on a different bus as the other bus couldn't be fixed. I got home at 6pm and was happy with our trip. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt!

I Had Accident

I went out for lunch with my friend at the Singapore Fast Food shop. I took a xe om home and then the accident happened. I'm always scared going on the back of a xe om and usually choose old men for my trips because they mostly drive slowly and carefully.

The old man was driving quite slowly but a guy cut us off really suddenly and of course, the man couldn't stop the motorbike. The result, as you can imagine, was me flying over the motorbike after the third motorbike hit us from behind. At that moment, I just didn't know what was happening to me because it happened so fast. The old driver was on the road with a bleeding head, the guy who pulled in front of us had cuts and bruises on his legs but was still sitting on his motorbike looking at us. The third motorbike was fine and disappeared quickly after the accident. I gave my driver 200,000Vnd for him to pay for a hospital visit and asked another xe om to take him to the hospital.

It was a mess because everyone said it wasn't their fault, but we all blamed the guy who turned in front because he didn't check before he turned. People were shouting at each other and I told them to call the police. Finally, two police men came and I had to tell them the full story with two other people. The police man started wandering around trying to find a stone to draw on the road and take some measurements. After five minutes, he had found something from the other side of the street and started drawing. They left afterwards with two motorbikes on the back of their truck and invited the two drivers to a meeting at the police station thenext morning. I hope everything went ok with the old man's head and his motorbike.

Tay Thien Pagoda And Silver Waterfall Part I

Khai and his friends invited me to join their day trip to Tay Thien Pagoda. As usual for our pagoda trips, we left very early in the morning and it took us fours hours to reach the beautiful pagoda which is located right on the top of a hill. Unfortunately, the bus broke down halfway up the hill, and we had to walk up to the top. The scenery was beautiful along the road and also from the pagoda.

We chose a quiet day in the middle of the week but the pagoda was still really busy. Many people from other provinces and Hanoi came here to pray for a good year for their families. I saw many people taking xe oms(motorbike taxi) up the hill, even though they travelled from Hanoi by bus. You have to pay 10,000Vnd each for a return trip from the road where the buses stop up to the top and most motorbikes took two or three people at a time.

We spent two hours walking around the pagoda and had lunch in a beautiful bungalow right on the side of pagoda. I was so impressed about how clean the pagoda was, as people put their waste in the rubbish baskets around, unlike some other places in Vietnam

To be continued

My Goodfriend's Birthday

I have been living in Hanoi over 5 years and I have two really good Vietnamese friends, who I can trust and talk to. We meet several times a week for coffee or breakfast. Their names are Cong and Khai. Cong is now working at the Hilton Opera Hotel and Khai is currently working at the Sofitel Plaza Hotel. They are both good at their jobs and happy with them. Last month was Khai's birthday and we had a good time and last week it was Cong's turn.

We were all invited to our favorite Photo cafe where there is a nice, cool garden and upstairs section. Cong reserved the upstairs section for his party and we spent the evening drinking juice and eating cakes and fruit. His friends gave him gifts and flowers and we all had a good time.

Congratulations Cong! Another year coming with lots of luck for both work and life.

Van Anh Carving Shop

I was wandering around the old town of Hoi An and I noticed a young guy doing carving. I walked in and spoke to both him and the owner and bought a beautiful carved face which cost only 30,000Vnd. He told me that it took him half a day to make a small face. Most products at this place are crafted from bamboo or wood and are good for house decor.

They used to do wholesale sales only for fifteen years but just started their own business four years ago. This shop attracts both Vietnamese and western tourists. But most of their profits come from large orders for shops in big cities such as Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Van Anh Shop
40 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai
Hoi An

Hue

We spent four hours on the Sinh Café bus to Hue. We had the most careful driver who drove from 30kms to 40kms per hour meaning we could have been in Hue in an hour. Anyway, during the journey the bus stopped at Marble Mountain and Lang Co Beach before heading to Hue. Lang Co Beach is quite a nice beach, very clean with not many tourists around. Marble Mountain was a bit boring for me, maybe because I’ve been there before.

Over the years, I've heard so many people mention the Thanh Noi hotel, which is apparently one of the most quiet, old and beautiful hotels in town. This hotel is located in the citadel area, five minutes by motorbike from the centre of Hue which was just perfect for me as I need real quiet for relaxing. Anyway, we made the wrong choice as the hotel staff were terrible and the swimming pool was very cloudy. Some workmen started banging the wall at 7am and of course, the whole hotel was woken up. Oh my gosh, I couldn’t stand that at all. I told myself to calm down and get out of the hotel until the evening and just think about the beauty of Hue only.

Hue is a beautiful, charming and green city. There are so many old trees and old houses around, the food was great. I ate so much of it in just two nights. I love Bun Bo Hue, Banh Nam, Banh Bot Loc, Banh Hoi, Che and Huda Beer. I think I put on weight heaps during this holiday.

Architecture in Hue

I fell in love with Hue again recently. The feeling of history is so strong there with so many really old houses in the city and along the Huong River. There are now quite a few modern houses around but the good thing I saw was that people try to maintain the old houses and structures. There are some houses and historical temples in need of renovation and the government should invest money to help the community in Hue to do it.

We loved riding around the Hue streets taking photos of the streets, which are so green and nice. But I was also quite shocked by how many ugly houses built in the city center, even really big hotels which have appeared which has ruined the character of Hue a bit. Some of these houses and their color really do not suit this historical city. I saw green houses, pink houses in between the beautiful old houses or between old French villas. They look strange and really stand out. I wonder if the local planners worry about this?

Hoi An’s Architecture

Hoi An is such an ancient beautiful city with so many old houses. There are lots of houses with hundred of year of history and I was so glad to see them still in good condition. In the past five years, Hoi An has changed so much. Besides the old houses, so many hotels and new houses have been built which is ruining the charming old city to some extent.

There are about 20 resorts and a range of hundreds of hotels in this small city, not to mention thousands of cloth shops and restaurants. I wonder why these modern resorts get approval by the government? They don't seem to fit the character of the place.

I hope the government stop allowing people to build modern houses, and tries to maintain the old houses for our next generation to enjoy.

Hoi An Beach

Away from the ancient city of Hoi An - about 10 minutes by motorbike - is Cua Dai Beach. On the last day of our holiday I was woken by a flash of sunlight through the curtains. A relaxing day at the beach is always a good way to spend the last day, so we rode along the 4km road which has some great scenery.

Hoi An beach is so quiet in the morning and I realized that there are much fewer sellers on the beach compared to last time I was here a few years ago. There are a few old ladies trying to earn some money from tourists. They keep coming back all the time until you buy something from them. They also charge a very high price which can be annoying. Also, the people who own the chairs on the beach are really aggressive, the food is over-priced and not good quality. Once I got over that, I relaxed.

Hoi An beach has its good points: it's pretty clean and wide with white sand and the beer's cold.

Service In Hoi An

In general, the people in Hoi An are sweet and nice, but service is a big problem here judging by what I’ve seen after one week. I don’t expect everything to be perfect like in high class or five-star places, but in the average tourist restaurant the service is not great.

I was so surprised to see staff in a very nice café serving with bare feet and staff arguing each other or talking loudly around the customers. The tone the waiters use to talk to customers is a bit strange, too. Even in my hotel, I went down stairs to reception to ask a question, but the receptionist kept talking to her friend on the speaker phone instead of holding the phone. I don’t think this kind of service is acceptable at all. I don’t think that I am difficult but when you work in hospitality for a long time, it’s difficult not to judge the service wherever you go.
However, eating on the street is different; the local street vendors are just so easy going and sometimes they even speak slowly to tourists because they know we might be confused. I imagined the service in Hoi An would be better than in Hanoi because of the number of tourists but it seems just about the same or even not as good in some cases.

I’ve noted some places that I’ve been to where my experience was not so good. Maybe they were having a bad day but these places were not up to standard in terms of food and service.

1. Café Dan
2. Dang Thang restaurant
3. Hai Scout café

On a different note, laptop computers are not worth taking to Hoi An if you wish to use a wireless connection, because there’s only two places but the connection signal is really weak. Unfortunately, the staff at these places didn’t tell me about the bad connection until after I’d already ordered. They tried to tell me that the connection depended on the value of the laptop? I didn’t know why the waiter told me that, but it ended up being a waste of time.

Beside these bad places, there are some good names which provide good services, good food, clean and friendly atmosphere that I would highly recommend such as:

1. Nam Long Restaurant
2. Vinh Hung 2 Hotel
3. Tam Tam café
4. BaLe Well Restaurant
5. Ngan Ha Cloth shop at 80 Nguyen Duy Hieu Street.
6. Sakura Restaurant
7. Xua va Nay - Before and Now Bar and Restaurant.

Hope this post can help you avoid bad places and enjoy yourself at nice and good places.