Posts Tagged With: food

Day 12 Vietnam: Hue

Posted on July 7, 2024 by Mel

The little kids here are obsessed with B and it’s hilarious. They all wave and say hello and then every now and then we get a brave one who comes over and wants to talk to him. They are way less interested in me.

Our new guide (Mr Hung) agreed to a sleep in today before we were off to explore the ancient architecture Hue is known for. We visited the Imperial Citadel in Hue. Our wandering (in absolutely insane heat and humidity) included the Flag Tower, Ngo Mon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace and Forbidden Purple City (Tu Cam Thanh). It’s a large area to explore and really interesting – the history of the kings and the French occupation is particularly fascinating. It is also quite different to what we have seen elsewhere in Vietnam! You will notice I look a bit damp in some of the pictures…I literally dumped a bottle of water over my head to try and regulate my temperature 😂 it didn’t work haha.

We also took a dragon boat upstream on the Perfume River to the Thien Mu Pagoda (means the “Heavenly Lady”) which was built lt in 1601. Thien Mu Pagoda is one of the oldest religious buildings in the country.

We came back to the hotel a bit earlier than planned as I have very swollen and puffy feet currently. Poor me. I did manage to make it across the road to have some roast pork rice noodles for $2.50 AUD though!

From here, we had a free afternoon/evening. After resting my feet a bit more we went off to explore Hue at night! Our hotel is very central so we walked 10 mins away to the Trang Tien bridge which was designed and built by Gustave Eiffel in 1899.

From here we walked another few minutes to the start of walking street. We followed a restaurant suggestion from both the guide and hotel staff to try out Madame Thu which was really tasty. B got to knock another Hue specialty off the list with Bun Bo Hue. He also got stalked by a school group of 5-6 year olds who desperately wanted to be his best friend 😂

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Day 11 Vietnam: Ha Long bay – Hue

Posted on July 6, 2024 by Mel

After my Long Island iced tea adventures last night I woke up at 4am from all the sugar (I felt fine – thanks to B for making me have hydralyte lol) and watched the sunrise.

After an early brekkie we joined a guided tour to explore Luon cave. We chose to go in a sampan rather than a kayak which was a good call as we watched all the kayaks ram into each other. We went through the cave and into a little inlet area, then came back out and saw monkeys!

We were back on the boat around 9am where we had time to shower and then move all our stuff to the dining area. We were then able to sit on the deck or in the dining room – the deck was hot but the dining room was full of idiots. It was a tough choice. They served a light brunch at 10am and then we settled the bill before it was back to the terminal and the 2.5hr drive with a private driver to Hanoi Airport. Settling the bill required me to stand up for about 10 mins on a boat that was ricking back and forth which made me very motion sick…that kept up for the entire rest of the day. Lucky me. I almost threw up multiple times in the car and then at the airport so ended up aching to use one of my odansetron wafers. That definitely helped.

The flight to Hue took just over an hour and it’s a very different kind of place! A little slower paced.

We went to dinner near the hotel – a place called “Hahn Restaurant” which was recommended. It had lots of local people in it which is always a good sign! We tried one of the “Hue specific dishes” here called Nem Lui.

This dish is made up of grilled minced pork rolls on lemongrass stick served with rice paper, vegetable and peanut sauce. You stick it all in the rice paper, wrap it up and then pull the lemongrass out. Then dip!

We are staying 2 nights in Hue at the Eldora Hotel which is a bit flash!

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Day 7: Vietnam – Hanoi sites, food tour and train street

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Mel

Today we started our Hanoi exploration with a walk around The Temple of Literature, which was founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong to worship Chinese philosopher Confucius. It then became the first university of Vietnam, also known as the Imperial Academy.

We then visited Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (outside only because the site is closed for maintenance until 15 August each year) and saw the headquarters of the Vietnam Communist Party which is ipposite. We also wandered around “Uncle Ho’s” house on stilts and beautiful garden. Near the mausoleum is the One Pillar Pagoda, an 11th-century wooden temple built on a single stone pillar in the water. It was designed to resemble a blooming lotus and is said to be a just visit for couples with fertility issues. We saw a lot of women there rubbing the statues for good luck

We stopped at My Nge Hong Ngoc which is a not for profit set up by the government to support second and third generation sufferers from Agent Orange physical side effects. The sales staff are a little pushy (not really a surprise) but I mostly ignored them and focused on the fact 80% of whatever I bought went back into supporting skills, education and home care for these people. I got to talk (and have a photo) with the lady who hand stitched the beautiful silk artwork we bought. She has been stitching these for 28yrs and is one of the only artists who does the lotus flower designs. Similar to the Friendship Village, the cause is a good one even if some of the “sales stuff” is a bit much.

In the afternoon, we walked a bit further into the Old Quarter of Hanoi (where our hotel is) and stopped at Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son temple to learn about the legend of the lake and turtle tower. I SAW A TURTLE! We then had an arranged cyclo tour back to the hotel. I wouldn’t do the cyclo tour again even though it is an ethical form of tourism here – it’s not our sort of thing and the traffic is stressful.

Dinner tonight was another food tour! Omnomnom. This one was a bit cheaper than the Saigon tour as it was a small group one. It was also someone organised via our northern tour guide and I think I prefer doing my own research for these sorts of things. We met out guide (and random extra member who was an English backpacker) at the hotel at 5:30pm. We were generally happy at the end of this tour as although it was a hit more informal than the one in Saigon, it was all different food that we had not tried yet. We did note it was definitely less organised than other ones we have done. Despite that, we went to special corner shops, random dark and alleys and up terrifying stairs in restaurants of The Old Quarter.

We tried a variety of street foods including Bún chả ( Grilled pork with noodle) which was made famous by Obama on his visit here, Phở bò,gà (a version of Pho which was dry chicken noodle soup), Bánh cuốn (Steamed rice paper rolls), Bánh Mỳ (Vietnamese sandwich) but Hanoi style with dipping bread, Hoa quả dâm (Mixture fresh-fruit with condensed milk cream and coconut icecream) and Cafe trứng
(the infamous Egg coffee).

During the tour the guide told us about Train Street which is literally a spot where a large passenger train comes through and there are heaps of tiny bars on the side so we went for a look. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Aussie OHS would have a fit haha.

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Day 6: Cai Rang Floating Market (Can Tho) and Hanoi

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Mel

After another early breakfast at the eco lodge that not only didn’t feed me last night but also has beds that feel like concrete….our guide collected us. We caught an early morning cruise to Cai Rang Floating Market- the busiest floating market with heaps of boats. So much people watching! We ate some tasty fresh fruit purchased from one of the boats.

We were meant to walk around a village and visit a rice husking mill but as you can see from that last photo, the weather turned. Instead we went back to the pier early, had highlands coffee and people watched some more. We then visited Binh Thuy ancient house and learnt all about the different aspects of pottery, Chinese gifting and family life during the Nguyen Dynasty.

Around 10am we headed off for Can Tho Airport to take a domestic flight to Hanoi. This meant saying goodbye to our south Vietnam guide John and driver Ben.

When we arrived in Hanoi we were met by our northern guide (Lucie) who took us to the hotel. She is very efficient! In a 30 min car ride she booked us on a food tour tomorrow night, moved our meeting time to 10am instead of 8am and showed us heaps of dog photos haha. She also recommended a restaurant a few mins walk from our hotel (Palago Hotel) in the old quarter.

The restaurant was called Cha Ca Tháng Long and serves Cha Ca – a unique specialty of the Hanoi people. Cha Ca can be made from mudfish or snake headed fish, but the best one is made from Hemibagrus (Ca Lang). The fish bone is removed to keep the meat moist, it is seasoned, covered by hanana leaves and grilled by coals to about 70% cooked. It then comes out to the table and a small table hot plate is used while serving to keep the Cha Ca hot. Cha Ca is served with roasted peanuts, rice noodles, spice vegetables (dill, spring onion, coriander, mint) and fish sauce. It turned out they also have a 2023 Michelin guide mention so I’m super glad we went!

Note to self: next time I plan a trip itinerary like this I need to build in a few nothing days throughout rather than lump them at the end. We have done 3 x early wake ups in a row and have 8 more to go. I have regrets. It’s been so long since we had a trip like this I didn’t even think of it!

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Day 5: Mekong Delta – Ben Tre – Can Tho

Posted on June 30, 2024 by Mel

After breakfast, the guide and driver collected us at 7:30am and it was a 2- hour drive to Ben Tre province crossing Rach Mieu bridge. Our first visit was at a brick kiln to see how to make bricks traditionally by printing and baking. Those brick kilns are opened in summer time only when there is enough sunshine to dry bricks.

We also visited a coconut processing workshop located along the canals where we drank fresh coconut water.

Upon arrival in Hung Vuong Pier, we boarded a motorized boat on Ben Tre River – one of the tributaries of the Mekong river – while sight-seeing every day activities along the river such as fishing and boats transferring fruits, flowers and rice to local markets and some even bigger coconut factories!

We stopped the boat to visit a coconut candy factory (o bought so much haha) and met some local musicians who performed traditional music. We also sampled some local fruit.

We hopped off the boat and took a Tuk-Tuk (motorized cart) to lunch at a local riverside restaurant. After lunch, we took a rowing-boat (Sampan) along a beautiful water palm creek. We got to say hello to locals…although did it quietly as many were having post-lunch naps on their sampans!

We rejoined our driver to go to Can Tho city which was another 3.5hrs driving and included a slightly nerve racking car ferry. We are staying one night at an ecolodge here which is locally run and pays living wages to locals. I won’t name it as unfortunately our experience hasn’t been amazing – but that was influenced by a very short notice change due to their renovations running over. So, I don’t think it’s reasonable to take this as an accurate reflection. The view has helped soften the blow of no food for me lol

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Day 3: Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon Walking Street Food Tour

Posted on June 28, 2024 by Mel

Today we had another day mostly to ourselves so more pool time for me as tourist adventuring starts tomorrow. We were recommended to eat at Den Long restaurant by our local guide which is a short walk from the hotel.

We had rice paper rolls, beef spicy noodle soup and some delicious fruit drinks! Well worth a visit.

In the evening we went on a street food tour! We chose one which was a walking one as I’m not confident at all on the back of a motorbike. We went with Street Food Man who comes highly recommended both online and by people we know https://streetfoodman.com/private-street-food-evening-walking-tour-in-ho-chi-minh-city. The cost is quite high for Vietnamese food at $49 USDpp but you’re paying for the experience and guide as well.

Our local guide picked us up at 5:30pm at our hotel by Grab car. We started our food adventure in a non-tourist district tasting ‘Bánh Xèo” and “Bánh Khọt” – The Central, and South’s Rice Pancake with a lot of fresh Vietnamese vegetables and herbs.

We then walked along a street known for its barbecue seafood vendors and headed to a local-favorite restaurant to taste the best “Bò Lá Lốt” (Beef in Wild Betel Leaves). 

We then walked down alleys of food in the heart of street food district (district 3) and sample a tasty “Bột Chiên”, Pan – Fried Rice Cakes with egg and spring onions which is cooked by a local chef with over 25 years experience We also tried sugar cane juice mixed with a little orange – delicious!

We also had to try the tasty Banh Mi – Saigon Baguette!

We kept walking into the centre of district 3 where Nguyen Thien Thuat is – the old appartments now home to dozens of famous Vietnamese street food vendors. On the corner of Seafood alley, we sat with locals and had delicious BBQ seafood (I am allergic to prawns, so some of ours was replaced by BBQ meat)…our menu here was scallops, beef noodles and chicken wings We also tried homemade Forest Banana Sticky Rice Wine which is brewed in a clay pot by Street Food Man owner Vinny and is 40% alcohol!

We finished off the street food walking tour at the night flower market by enjoying an amazing dessert of icecream and folding down the petals of a lotus flower to get it to bloom.

Our local guide then took a Grab car back to our accommodation with us to ensure we got home safely around 9:30pm. We paid in cash at the end and made sure to tip the guide as well – so $49 USD each for the tour and an extra $10 USD to the guide.

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Day 1 & 2: Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Mel

DAY 1

Our itinerary for the trip means our first 5 days are spent in Ho Chi Minh City (usually referred to as Saigon). We discovered that because of Vietnamese visa requirements, we had to line up in Perth to check in – it’s been a long time since we did that! They have a terrible system now where everyone just mills around….not my favourite process and especially not at 3am. We flew in to HCMC via Singapore (4.5hrs Perth to Singapore) and spent our 3.5hr stopover relaxing at the airport rooftop pool. Such a nice way to have a break between flights!

The rooftop pool is located in T1 (airside) at the Aerotel Airport Transit Hotel, Level 3, Departure Transit Hall (near D40 Gate). It costs about $27SGD per adult and as well as the pool it also features comfy lounges, a jacuzzi, poolside bar and included towels and showers.

We hopped on our second flight (2hrs Singapore to HCMC) and arrived just before 5pm local time. Immigration was not too bad – about 30 mins – even with my schedule 8 meds. We had an airport transfer arranged and checked into the Eden Star Hotel Saigon in District 1 around 6:30pm.

The evening was spent checking out the amazing rooftop pool at the hotel and going in search of some local food! We had beer and beef pho at Quán phở số 10 which cost about $8 AUD for us both and was a few mins walk away. B not being able to fit properly in the tiny plastic chairs caused much hilarity for the old guys drinking next to us!

DAY 2

I had some work to finish off so after hotel breakfast, I had a quiet start to the day completing that before it was poolside relaxation time. We then headed off for an evening exploration of the Saigon Skydeck. It is located on the 49th floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower and gives panoramic views of Ho Chi Minh City. I booked ahead as I wanted sunset (not that it matters when it’s raining!) but you don’t have to and can just show up.

We had been planning to eat at the restaurant at the top of the building (SENS) for the novelty and the view but the prices were absolutely outrageous. Instead, we walked a few mins up the road to Rice Fields – Homecooked Vietnamese Food which is a little more reasonably priced and has a Michelin guide mention.

After dinner, we used grab to get to Bui Viên which is the “walking street” similar to Bangla Road in Thailand. This one was a little more full on than Bangla Road though with the music being absolutely bonkers.

We walked down and took some photos, including of the insane water levels and then visited The View rooftop bar which was recommended to people watch while avoiding the loud music and drunk people. They also do 3 for the price of 2 cocktails until 9pm!

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Phuket day 4-6: Old Town Food Tour

Posted on December 5, 2023 by Mel

Day 4 and 6 were very much just about relaxing. Day 5 was a new experience and something a bit different!

Days 4 and 6 were mostly spent at the Burasari Resort lazing in the pool or reading next to it. We also swam at Patong Beach. We went for a walk to the well known No 6 Restaurant where there was no lines…we are noticing it’s not very busy here currently but expect that to change in the coming week as peak season approaches. Already on Day 5/6 we noticed a lot more drunk and loud aussies at the bars.

On Day 6 we had a lovely “Burasari signature massage” at the hotel spa. More expensive than the street but 100% worth the cost! I got a pretty hair braid from my massage lady.

Day 5 was my first ever food tour. B recently went on one of these in Canada and was very keen to find a Thai equivalent, so I chose this one which is the most highly rated option in phuket. We got at least 15 food tastings and a walking tour of Old Phuket Town which has been on my list of things to do for ages. They do state they can’t support severe allergies (eg shellfish, peanuts) as street food is not controlled, but as my shellfish allergy is minor – and I eat street food here all the time – it was no issue for me. It was a southern flavours tour so explored some of the regional influences in southern Thailand food including:

A walk through the fresh food markets

Breakfast from Myanmar at Mingalar Coffee. Turns out I really like sweet tea!

Aunties street food cart which she has operated for over 30 years…the chicken skewer and waterfall pork salad was amazing

Baba coffee shop (now a restaurant) serving Chinese influenced Thai pork belly. Totally different flavour to anything else, very peppery. We also had honey lemon ice for dessert

The next place was a no name noodle shop informally called “3 siblings noodle” that made amazing egg noodles. We got to try them plain and then with different condiments added to create different flavours.

A shortcut took us to some authentic coconut crepes that apparently don’t cut any corners eg no use of yeast to quicken certain processes. These guys are in the Michelin guide!

We found an icecream bike which has been operating for 70 years!

We then finished off by sampling 5 curries and the best beef soup at Aroon Restaurant to round things off with the Muslim regional influence.

I may have had to be rolled out of the taxi coming home!

We also got to check out some of the great architecture around Old Town. Originally settled by traders from China, India, and Portugal in the 16th century, Old Town is the areas bustling trading hub. The fusion of these different cultures is evident in the town’s architecture, cuisine, and traditions, creating a unique blend of distinctly Phuketian.

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Bali: Day 4 (Uluwatu Temple)

Posted on December 19, 2022 by Mel

This morning we got on the first shuttle to Kubu Beach which is a private beach and bar accessible to the resort. We got to go down a beach lift to avoid the 200 stairs (hooray) and started out on lovely lounges right on the beach.

After about 20 mins a loud family moved in next to us so we moved to the private cabanas in the beach bar that overlook the ocean.

After a lazy morning and lunch time with beach/poolside drinks and snacks, we prepared to head out for our one and only day trip while we are here. This was very much a relaxing holiday and not a touring holiday! I also really struggled with what I wanted to do for day trips here as I try very hard to only promote ethical tourism and unfortunately that can be hard to source here. Things like coffee plantations, all animal experiences and some of the rice plantations were a no go for me personally.

In the end, I booked with Bali Suta tours and arranged for a half day tour to Uluwatu Temple to view the sacred site, watch some traditional fire dancing and then enjoy a local seafood dinner down on the beach. We were collected at 3:30pm on the dot by our driver and drove about 60 mins in busy traffic to the temple. If you get motion sickness take medication as it is VERY windy on the roads and traffic is mental. Also, it goes without saying that you should dress modestly when visiting a religious site.

Etymologically the word “Ulu” means “the end, top, or peak”, while “Watu” means “Stone”. So Uluwatu Temple means a sacred place built on the top of a rock. Uluwatu Temple sits on a 70-meter-high cliff protruding above Indonesian Ocean. Because of its unique location, visitors to the temple have to take a long stone stairway to reach it. Note: stairs are not my friend so allow extra time if you need it.

The temple heads east, unlike other Balinese temples which face west or south. There are hundreds of monkeys roaming along the path outside the temple as they live in a small forest out the front. All the tourist guides and documents state “these monkeys are classified as very smart” and known to hold tourists items hostage for snacks. The monkeys are fed and protected by temple staff as they are believed to guard the temple from bad influences.

After we visited the temple, we had arranged tickets to watch the traditional Kecak dance near the temple, where there is an open theatre. The dance and songs tell the story of the Ramayana as the sun sets behind them. I was prepared before we went that this is a large cultural attraction and gets very busy – since Covid they also don’t do it as often so it does attract a huge crowd. I would say well over 1000 people.

You will also notice from the above image and video the sun is absolutely BAKING hot in the stands. We were using the religious site sarongs as sun shelter and it was still horrendous….and today wasn’t even that hot! Come prepared for the 30-60mins you’ll be in direct sun before sunset starts.

After viewing the dance and enjoying the traditional singing, we located our driver again (that could have been a bit of a nightmare but our guy was so organised…and boy did I tip him well for that!) and then headed to Jimbaran Beach to have a seafood dinner on the beach. I selected the restaurant (Bawang Merah Beachfront Restaurant) based on recommendations for their fresh seafood (for B) as well as their availability of some other options for me who can eat fish but is allergic to shellfish.

Our driver dropped us back to the hotel around 9:30pm and we are exhausted. Too much sun! I wasn’t so exhausted that I didn’t squeal excitedly when I spotted today’s housekeeper towel effort….

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Day 3: Bali (Jimbaran)

Posted on December 18, 2022 by Mel

We spent the day at the resort today. We enjoyed the included breakfast at Sami Sami and then were lucky enough to snag a cabana next to the Ocean Beach Pool again.

After some reading and fresh juice, we walked up to the spa for our “gifted” 90 minute couples massage to make up for the noise on our first night. It was a lovely pressure point massage in a very peaceful garden setting.

After the massage we were lucky enough to score a cabana back at the ocean beach pool again (very lucky, I may have stalked some people) and spent another few hours listening to the ocean crash while lazing near the pool.

We then caught the little shuttle bus which runs around the different parts of the resort over to “Rimba” which is the more family focused area. We checked out the huge pool system (complete with water slide!) before heading up to the rooftop bar.

Up at the bar “Unique” I finally got my beautiful sunset. We ate some delicious Mexican food and I had the infinity pool pretty much to myself as I floated around drinking mojitos and enjoying the view.

We then caught the shuttle bus back to our part of the resort (Ayana Segara) where I discovered A TOWEL ELEPHANT WITH A FRANGIPANI! Amazing.

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