Sapa July 09

We arrived in Sapa on such a heavy rainy day and we finally found a very nice boutique hotel called Sapa Rooms Hotel. We put everything in there, took a quick shower and went out for breakfast and shopping. I suppose it sounds a bit crazy to go shopping in the rain but I quite enjoyed it and I wasn't the only one!

The ethnic minority sellers speak English very well but they do tend to be a bit pushy but I understand why. They followed me for a long way until I bought something from them. I was trying to ignore them but they kept asking me about a million times so I had to talk to them for a while and finally bought some small things from each. This handmade stuff isn't expensive at all and very beautiful. I bought about 6 blankets, a few H'mong hats, wristbands and a necklace.... I hope the sellers were as happy with my purchases as I am.

We had lunch at Mimosa restaurant in Cau May street. It is a very nice, cosy restaurant which I always go to whenever I am in Sapa. It's not very expensive but I love the atmosphere, which is casual and friendly. We ate quite a lot and I love the grilled venison, grilled pork, Sapa veggies and the sour broth. We only paid about 100,000 VND each, which is an amazing price for the amount of food we ate!

My friends wanted to visit the temple in Sapa called Den Mau and we went there for a quick prayer. I hope my prayer for luck, good health and a bit of wealth will come true soon so I can afford many more holidays :)

The next day was a really beautiful day in the afternoon in which we took a long walk down to Cat Cat village to take more photos and do a bit more shopping. After all the rain, it was great to see the blue sky against the white clouds, everything looking very clear and clean. I really appeciate this natural beauty. I think Sapa is a nice place to come for this purpose.

We left later that afternoon and on the way down to the train station at Lao Cai, we saw a bus on fire with only the frame and ashes left. I was a bit worried as on the way up, as we got stuck for almost an hour due to the rain and crazy traffic. Our bus couldn't move as we were bogged in the clay and many people just tried to get around us which was a night mare. Luckily, this road is under construction and a man driving the road digging machine came over and helped us to solve the problem.

Anyway, we arrived at the station on time and had dinner before the journey back to Hanoi and the heat. I hope it's going to rain tomorrow. Thanks to the hotel staff and my friends for giving me a great time to discover Sapa once again.

Visa For Australia Trip

Going back to Australia is so exciting as there is still so much more to discover. It is such a huge country and it is pointless to go there for just a few weeks. I hope I can see more of the beauty of Australia.

Today I went to IOM, an agency which processes all visa applications in Hanoi, to apply for the visa for my trip. Everything seemed to go well except there was a heavy storm and I didn't bring enough money. Luckily, another applicant lent me the rest to pay the fee before I ran down stairs and down a few blocks to withdraw money to pay her back. I was so thankful for her generosity. Thank god she helped me or I would have had to go back the next day. I hope my visa will be available in two weeks. Wish me luck guys!!!

Sapa July 09

I am going back to Sapa with some friends to escape the heat of Hanoi for a weekend. It's been a nightmare to get tickets as we wanted to get a whole cabin on the train for six of us. My friend spent a few days trying to buy these train tickets but he found it impossible. He asked his friend to book through an agency to get them and we paid extra for thisspecial service. It's annoying that no legitimate tickets are available but the black market has plenty of different kinds of tickets and they are very expensive.

I called a few hotels in Sapa yesterday but they are full or really expensive. We have decided to stay in a guest house with a good deal. In 2007, we went up there and we also stayed in a guest house and it was fine, clean and only $7. I hope I can get the same deal this time instead of paying $25 or $35 for a double room. One hotel receptionist told me that about 10,000 people went to Sapa last weekend and it would be the same this weekend. Bloody hell, I hope it won't be that crowded or I will have to stay in the hotel the whole weekend. I will get back to Hanoi on Sunday with some news about my trip and would probably share some photos as well.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Mangosteen Restaurant

The mangosteen is an exotic tropical fruit with luscious segments of white flesh inside. The Movenpick Hotel has taken inspiration from this fruit in the naming of its restaurant, which is located on the second floor with views across some of Hanoi’s fine French Colonial buildings. The space is artfully decked out with walls the colour of mangosteens, splashes of purple in the furniture upholstery and the modern paintings on the walls. The table setting includes a glass cube vase containing a single white gerbera and a green fern frond. The décor promises much.

And the menu offers a range of choices that would satisfy most diner’s palates.

For our starters, we opted for the seared scallops served atop a delicate fresh garden salad of lettuce, herbs and avocado and a swiss chicken salad, rich and sweet with cheese, apple and a mayonnaise dressing. The portions, on teardrop shaped white plates, were perfectly sized which we appreciated later when our main courses arrived. A generous selection of breads, including some great salty pretzels, was served on the side. We probably ate too many of those.

From the grill we selected our main courses, which were served with potatoes and vegetables done to the customer’s liking. Accompanying the salmon was a neat stack of crumbed roasted vegetables and crispy potato rosti along with a ramekin of creamy lemon sauce. The stack of lamb cutlets got delivered on a flat raft of spring beans and came circled with halved new potatoes served face down. A herby mint sauce with a hint of chili finished the dish nicely. The kitchen staff should be commended for the timing, temperature and presentation of these meals, all of which were spot on.

Suitably impressed by this stage, there was little need nor room in the stomach for dessert. So we rested for a while to make room.

Room for big desserts with a distinctively European feel. A king size serve of apple strudel came with homemade vanilla ice-cream and cream while the vanilla soufflé contrasted with the raspberry coulis alongside it. Every single mouthful was savoured even though we were both full to bursting.

The Swiss do hospitality well, with the local staff representing them professionally with service that was warm, efficient and hardly noticeable. Movenpick’s venture in Hanoi appears on the way to success if our meal at their classy Mangosteen restaurant is any indication.

Homemade

When the word homemade is used it usually refers to delicious food made at home. In Vietnam, this word can be used in many more contexts because we are quite ingenious in making and repairing things at home. I mean, have you ever heard of a homemade car????

Occasionally I see these kinds of cars around Hanoi and it makes me laugh. They look so cute but are definitely not safe for driving. I am not sure if the goverment actually allows them to be driven on the roads or not. To make these cars, Vietnamese people use the machines of different cars or motorbikes and they shape a new body or frame around the engine and turn it into a car somehow. Of course these cars don't have modern features like air-conditioning or CD players but I wouldn't be surprised if someone is thinking about how to include them. I don't know how fast these cars go but the man I saw was driving it quite fast. At least it was keeping up with the motorbikes. I'm not sure how it would cope in an accident but maybe better than modern cars because it's actually made of steal! Cars are becoming a way of life in Hanoi now but I'm not sure if these models are going to catch.

What do you think?

Nha Trang, June 09

The Sea Festival is one of the biggest events in Nha Trang which happens every two years. It's a really big time and attracts a lot of visitors to Nha Trang. Most hotels put their prices up unbelievely high. That's not the only thing that's high. The weather is a bit too hot for me, hot enough to burn my feet as I walked along the beach. While I was there last week, it was about 37 degrees everyday but luckily there is a sea breeze so that it's not too bad.

My brother's family and I went to the evening fair one night to have a look. It is right on the beach with numerous stalls and activities. The noise are from all the different speakers around with different music, sale girls voices, together with the crowds made it a bit tiring for me. I lost interest after 30 minutes wandering around the fair. I don't think I'll go to these fairs anymore as it's so boring and most of the stuff on sale is old fashioned and ugly.

I missed trying a bowl from the biggest noodle soup show during the festival. This is the first time and a record for Viet Nam for a single shop making a huge pot of pho, enough to serve almost 700 people. Pho Hong is one of the popular noodle shops in Nha Trang. There were also plenty of exhibitions on the beach especially painting and photography shows. I spent over an hour looking at the paintings, which were indeed great stuff.

During the day, I went to the Lousiane Brewhouse for swimming and relaxing, drinking some house-brewed beer and reading a bit. I started trying to read more in English last month and it has opened up my mind heaps, a new world for me and for my imagination.

As usual, I went to eat all of my hometown's local specialties for breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper. I just love these dishes and am amazed that they are so cheap. The most expensive dish I had was only 25,000Vnd, which is the same as what I pay for a bowl of noodles in Hanoi or Saigon. I will write about these dishes in the next post. Hope everyone is having a great weekend !!!

Bargaining Games

As I'm a man from the south with a southern accent, I have to bargain for most things I want to buy. I think it's a kind of game and I need to be part of that and play the game with the sellers to the best of my ability, if I don't want to get ripped off. I usually start at 50% of the quoted price with the florists near my place. The process is actually quite predictable and normally includes funny stories about how high the price was that they had to pay. After a while, they normally agree to sell for around 60% of their original price.

With ceramic sellers, I usually choose some bowls, plates or vases then ask the total bill. I paid 7,000Vnd for a very nice plate compared to my friends who paid 45,000vnd in the shop. They look exactly the same, no mistake. But when you buy ceremic stuff from street vendors, you need to check each item carefully for flaws which they sometimes try to cover with stamps. Don't worry about taking those stamps off before you pay to check that there is no chip or mark. I normally pay about 45% of the first price when dealing with the pottery sellers.

Going to market is even more challenging for me. Most Vietnamese bargain for every single vegetable. I only bargain for veggies if I'm dealing with a vendor for the first time and I generally stand behind another customer to see what the situation is like. After that I will go back to the same vendor as she knows me. I got terribly ripped off by a chicken seller at my local market, paying 50% more than the normal price. I almost went back to shout at her but she's a damn hard woman and I think I better take it as a lesson and never go to her shop again. One thing that I'm always careful about now is watching what the vendor chooses for me...this is really important. Sometimes, after they agree on a cheap price, they pay you back by giving you the bad produce.

It can be a fun way of shopping in Hanoi and Viet Nam. But I think it's important to remember that "you get what you pay for."

Brasserie Westlake Restaurant

Recently, I was invited to the Sofitel Plaza Hanoi for a birthday dinner at the Brasserie Westlake Restaurant. Luckily for me it was a Friday evening, when the restaurant hosts lobster at the most popular seafood buffet in town. Originally from the south central coast of Vietnam, where seafood is a daily part of the diet, I have to say that I have rarely looked forward to a meal this much. I see buffets as a great chance to really have large serves of the foods that I love or don’t get to eat that often. I really feel like a child in a candy shop.

Brasserie Westlake is located right next to the lobby of the hotel with sweeping views of the chaotic traffic on the streets below. A table by the window offers a more intimate dining experience but the space can also cater for large parties. Actually getting to the table can be problematic though, as diners have to walk through the actual buffet area to be seated. I defy anyone who can negotiate their way through such a feast without stopping to consider what they will start with!

And the options are immense, not just limited to seafood. Japanese features in the form of sushi and sashimi. Smoked salmon and fresh oysters are located alongside. Salads comprise a large section of the buffet, both those designed by the chefs and ingredients to custom make one’s own, including a nice range of dressings. Hot dishes under shining silver chafing lids vary from night to night and might include Asian inspired curries and stir-fries or dishes from the Mediterranean and other regions of Europe. Carbohydrates in the form of rice, bread and potatoes are available, too. I ignore them as I want to fill up on the fare from the grill.

Here, my seafood cravings are satisfied. Arranged across a big refrigerated display case are a range of creatures from the seas, including red snapper, sardines, flower snails, prawns, squid, mussels…the list goes on. Of course, the star of the show on Fridays is lobster. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven, as I went back again and again to select and watch my seafood being cooked. For those who are allergic to seafood – and I feel sorry for them – there is a good range of lamb, pork, beef and chicken to be grilled up too.

My only problem was that I could not do justice to the dessert buffet. The centerpiece is a fountain, under which pieces of fruit can be drenched in liquid chocolate. Dozens of bite size cakes and little flans in shot glasses lined the dessert trays. A chocolate bread pudding looked delectable and rich. Next time I’m going to leave room.

Executive chef Mike Drew and his very capable team at the Brasserie Westlake can be assured by the crowds present on my visit and on most nights that they know how to put on a good buffet spread.

I’ll be back.

My Sport

I always dreamt about being a tennis professional. I love playing tennis and it's the only sport I play. I'm lucky to be able to play almost everyday. Thinking back to 20 years ago, Vietnam was very poor and I knew my dream couldn't come true. I was born in a working class family and we couldn't afford to play tennis as the time I was growing up. Tennis was considered a sport only for rich people. I remembered going to the tennis center in Yersin Street in Nha Trang and watching from outside.

I started playing tennis when I was 20 after I started working. It was tough to manage my time as I had to go to school every day in the afternoon, evening classes in the evening and working in the morning. But I promised myself to give tennis a try. I played with my own coach three times a week at noon between my work and school commitments. In fact, before I started working, my father wouldn't allow me to play. He thought that it would reflect badly on the family.

It's now 12 years since the first day I hit a tennis ball. Since then, I have actually played in a few tournaments but never make it past about the third round. The first time I ever played in the Hanoi Open, I couldn't sleep for the whole night and keep going to the bathroom every half hour. By the time I played I was so nervous and exhausted that I could hardly get the ball in the court.

I love watching tennis too and I have stayed up all night long just watching Hingis and Federer playing their matches. Maybe you guys think that I am crazy but I just love them and I was really sad when Hingis retired then happy when she announced her comeback but truly sad when she retired last year. I hope Roger Federer will retain his old form and break the grand slam records of Sampras.

Guess who is going to win Roland Garros? I hope Roger will win this time.

Alez Roger !!!!

Banh Xeo

Last night, I looked up my Nha Trang food photos and my mouth was watering at the Banh Xeo (steamed rice pancake) photos. I decided to make it tonight for dinner. Huong, my cleaner, went to the market and got some prawns, pork, vegetables and squid and I went to buy rice flour, different kinds of herbs, beanshoots and some more pork.

It's nice to make something different for a change at home. It took 30 minutes to get everything ready and quite easy as the flour had instructions on the bag. I do know how to make this cake as I ate and saw it alot when I was in my city. The dipping sauce is the most important as it determines the taste of the whole dish. Ms Huong made a dipping sauce using the WildRice restaurant recipe. It tasted great but in Nha Trang we make it a little bit different, slightly fruitier with more pineapple and lemon. I will make this sauce next week when I have another go at Banh Xeo next week.

When I'd finished and had more than enough myself, I gave my landlord some cakes and he just loved them, as did my housemate and Huong. This was the first time she's ever made this cake, and even though she thought it was difficult to make, Huong said she's going to try it at home for her family.

It really is a great dish from the south of Vietnam.

Weddings in the countryside

Weddings in the countryside in Vietnam are common, even if you live in major cities and most of your friends do, too. Most people who reside in urban areas have some ancestry in a rural province. ‘My fatherland’, even ‘my countryside’, is a commonly heard reference, even though they may only visit the place once or twice a year. Getting married often means organizing a countryside wedding, sometimes in two provinces, the bride’s and the groom’s. It can be quite an experience to attend these kinds of weddings.

Getting there is half the fun, though on popular wedding days, the traffic departing Hanoi in the mornings and arriving back in the afternoons can be worse than city traffic jams. Often the travel time is far longer than the time spent at the actual wedding. In my experience, finding the location of the wedding is always quite a challenge. Because maps of rural areas in Vietnam are non-existent, finding the way once the town is reached involves asking directions from half a dozen or more locals – some who may not have a very good sense of direction. I’ve been known to actually phone the bride or groom for some decisive guidance. In several cases, special guides may be sent on motorbike or bicycle to greet guests at a particular landmark. In western weddings I know that it’s common for the ceremony to be delayed because the bride is late. In Vietnam, it is more likely to be the guests!

In the countryside, weddings normally occur in the family home. Sometimes a tent is erected to accommodate the invitees, which commonly include the whole neighbourhood or village population. In almost all cases, relatives and neighbours are recruited to help arrange the event. They cook the wedding meal, erect the tent and decorations and are generally available throughout the day to deliver food, pour drinks, collect and wash dirty dishes. It’s a real group effort and the atmosphere is very warm as a result. The parents of the bride or groom are usually at the gate to welcome all of the guests before tea and candy are served prior to the wedding meal.

There is little ceremony in these weddings, apart from the official welcome and a speech or two, mostly just to thank everyone for attending. Guests toast the couple by wishing that they love each other until they are old, in fact until their teeth and hair are falling out! There is no priest or celebrant on hand, no kissing of the bride or bridal waltz. But there is normally very loud music playing throughout the occasion and sometimes karaoke. Noise is atmosphere at these weddings.

When it seems that all of the guests have arrived, people are seated for the wedding meal. Because there is a tradition to consult a fortune teller about the most auspicious time of the day for the groom to pick up his bride for the wedding, it is not uncommon for everyone to be sitting down to this meal at 9am. Numerous toasts of local rice wine or sometimes Vang DaLat are compulsory, regardless of the time of day. Chicken, beef, goat, pork, veal and dog are the most popular meats served at weddings in rural provinces but in some places they also add their local specialty. In Thai Binh, I ate cat once at my friend's wedding and I didn't know it was cat until I left the party. A range of vegetable dishes are also served and the meal is generally finished with more tea and seasonal fruit.

And then it’s over. With little fanfare, the guests start filing out little more than ninety minutes after arriving, onto buses and into cars for the journey back to town.

Jam?

My friends and I went to the Jam Club for the first time on a Wednesday a few months ago. It was great as I saw the small hiphop show where customers competed in a dance-off together. The girl who won was a great dancer, looked great and really enjoyed herself. The Jam Club is a new world for me compared to other clubs in Hanoi and is currently one of the most popular clubs for Hanoi's young folk. I wondered whether their parents know where they are, how much they are spending on drink and clothes.

I returned to this club last Friday night with some friends as they wanted to listen to some dance music. 90% of the club's clientele is Vietnamese. My friends had never been to the Jam Club before and they were very surprised about how crowded and crazy it was. This club is kind of a replacement for the New Century Dance Club which used to be in Trang Thi street but was closed down by the police. However, Jam is much much smaller and a bit pricey as well. Beer is 50,000Vnd per bottle, with wine and other liquor over the top as well. But most tables seem to have 2 or 3 different kinds of liquors, from Black Label to Gin.... Where do these kids get the money from? Unluckily for us, the Jam Club has $1 Carlsberg beers every sunday, monday, tuesday and thursday... except on wednesday and weekend!!!

They don't allow anyone to take photos here or bring alcohol in from outside. Damn!

Cooking Class

I was invited to join a cooking class at The Hanoi Cooking Centre in Chau Long Street to cook Middle Eastern food for the first time. I have to say, cooking is not an easy job unless you desire to cook. Like most Vietnamese men, I can cook some basic Vietnamese food but going to a class about another cuisine is totally different.

It was so interesting to cook something from a part of the world I've never been to and learn some of the basics of cooking, including bread-making. Tracy, the chef instructor showed us her passion for food and her cooking experience. It was very nice meeting her. Anyway, the menu consisted of Cinnamon Braised Lamb, Lemon Cous Cous, Baba Ghanoush, Pita Bread and Semolina, Almond and Rosewater Syrup Cake.

It took us two hours to finish these dishes. All of the members of the class had a great time making the dishes. By the end, though, I was actually quite physically tired and my arms felt like they has a workout after making heaps of Pita Bread. After the class, we all went upstairs to the bar/cafe area where our table was set up and we tried the results of our hard work. I have to say, I cooked really well that night :) The food was really yummy.

Thanks Tracy, thanks to the Hanoi Cooking Centre for giving me a chance to learn and for the nice company on the evening.

Bai Dinh Pagoda

Two weeks ago, my tennis club arranged a day trip to Ninh Binh to visit the Bai Dinh Pagoda. We'd heard that this new, unfinished structure will be the biggest pagoda in South East Asia. The new structure lies behind the old Bai Dinh Pagoda, a 7-minute walk away. The old pagoda is really interesting with a fantastic view from the top.

Covering an area of around 700 hectares, the exact location of the pagoda is Gia Sinh Commune, Gia Vien District, Ninh Binh Province in front of the lake. The best locations for pagodas are near water and looking over the surrounding countryside, so the Bai Dinh complex is lucky in both respects. Even though it isn't finished yet, thousands of pilgrims are visiting, particularly as it's still early in the new year.Being among the first to visit a new pagoda is also something to be proud of too.

Hundreds of stone statues surround the pagoda in addition to four bronze huge ones, three weighing over 50 tons and one over 100 tons. Another feature is an enormous 36 ton bronze bell. They are all sculpted by Ninh Van, a local craftsman. Bai Dinh Pagoda is predicted to become one of the biggest centres for Buddhists in Vietnam.

Despite the crowds and the fact that the pagoda is unfinished, it was a really pleasant day in a special place in the fresh country air. I'm hoping to return when it's finished.

Hospitality and Service In Greece

In Greece, I was really surprised that most of the people working restaurants are middle-aged or old men. In Asia and maybe in many other countries, waiters and waitresses are recuited young to attract customers but not in Greece. Most people I talked to said that these men have been working in restaurants since then were very young and love that job and don't bother to try different jobs.

Of course they are very familiar with everything about their restaurants. They know exactly what to do and where things are. Some of them were very funny. I loved talking to them as they always have different stories to tell you even though some times, I didn't really understand at all.

Unfortunately, we experienced some misunderstanding with Greece's tourist information offices, too. The problem was that because we were travelling in the season just after high season, many of the timetables had changed but the office staff were still giving out outdated information. As a result, a few times we missed ferries or buses and this also meant we had to pay for extra accommodation. Oh well, that's something we need to learn and part of the experience for the next trip.

In the shops in Greece, the shop assistants were all interested in Western people but not so interested in me. It was really funny as I was shopping a lot when I was there. A western man or woman would walk past a shop and receive very special greetings but when I walked past these sellers didn't say a thing. Some of them were quite rude but I responded by simply walking out of the shop. They lost my interest but I hope they change their attitude for their future business as Asian people shop alot when they travel as their culture is shopping for souvenirs for their family and friends.

Anyway, been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.