Category: Asian Holidays


Itsy-Beachy in Phi Phi

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October 5, 2023

Our catamaran took us on a day trip of Phi Phi and the nearby islands including Maya Beach which was featured in the Leo Di Caprio movie “The Beach” . My second time here. It was a long day of swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, beer-drinking and beach bumming. Life is a beach indeed. The little boy in our family was most active in all departments except in the beer-drinking. Gave us a scare one moment when we couldn’t find him for some 2 minutes. Turned out someone from the boat crew took him snorkeling a little away from the bunch to a spot with better fish-viewing. The boatman was actually quite impressed with our little man’s swimming and zest for water adventures. Still, we got worried for some moments.

Such clear, turquoise water!
From Country to Country. From Beer to Beer.

It was a long day. We started at 9am and called it a day around 5pm. In and out of water, hopping from island to island, capped by a rocky boat ride on our way back to pier. It was exhausting but so much fun. Family bonding to the core. I couldn’t remember how many island stops we made. There were at least 5. The high temps didn’t even deter us from basking under the sun with a bottle of cold beer or cantaloupe juice in hand. Every so often, the boat crew would serve us slices of sweet pineapple and watermelon. There was also an endless stock of cold drinks from coconut water, cantaloupe, orange and pineapple juice. Lunch was delicious too, buffet-served in a restaurant in one of the islands.

First of Many Dips
Kayaking Family

Family trips are my thing. Staying together 24/7, sharing all meals, enjoying the same outdoor activities and conversations running from the most mundane to random topics like travel blunders and celebrity crushes. This is where and when you get your updates on most everyone especially the younger members of the family. Growing up, their dreams and perspectives are ever changing and the family trips help us keep apprised on their goings-on and evolving characters. As a child, I still recall our fond memories of the family beach outings, picnics, concerts, reunions, sports activities and special dinners and stuff.

Life is a beach!
Water Taxi

Koh Phi Phi is a good island/boat destination but it has also become so popular it seems to have transformed into a party island. Last time I was here was 10 years ago in 2013. Even then, it was kind of busy. I am glad we chose to stay in the quiet part of Phuket. Mai Khao is isolated from the more popular beach resorts and an hour’s drive from the resort town of Patong. Judging by the crowds in the street markets, local beaches and the boat traffic between the nearby islands, the Phuket evenings must be so vibrant and festive, if not noisy. All told, the memories we created here should serve the “little boy” well into adulthood. Likewise with the adults, while smarting from the fatigued muscles gained from all those dips in the water and the tans on their skins! Life is indeed a celebration. 🎉

One rough homebound ride in this Catamaran
One framed souvenir photo for each member of family.
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Sunday Street Market in Old Phuket Town (Thailand)

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — 2 Comments
October 4, 2023

On my first visit here years ago, I was with friends and the trip was really a spur-of-the-moment thing. We were invited to spend 3 nights in the island and all we wanted to do then was to enjoy the island life. The sun. The sand. The speedboat. The beer. The spicy food. The fruits. Oh, the fruits! At the time, Phuket was simply a tropical holiday destination for us. Island-hopping seemed like a must-do in this corner of the world. A beach holiday, if you will.

Sino-Portuguese Architecture
Sunday Street Market

We arrived here in Phuket on a Sunday so we didn’t waste time and checked out the Old Phuket Town Market. The Sunday Street Market was teeming with tourists eager to try local snacks, especially the local fruits, as well as shop for local clothes and souvenir items. Trendy, cheap and vibrant. I love the houses lining the Thalang Street here. The Sino-Portuguese architecture with bright lights and street performances by musical groups give the street market a festive atmosphere. Tons of photo opportunities. Lotsa shopping options. No wonder it’s a popular attraction among the tourists. It’s also a welcome break after some trips to nearby islands for those beach adventures.

Thalang Street Market in Old Phuket Town
Micro-Pineapples. Really Sweet.

Thalang Street is right smack in the center of the historical part of town. The Old Phuket Town. All of 360 meters, it is open only on Sundays from 4pm to 10pm. The shophouses beautifully display the Chinese and Portuguese influences. Reminded me of the Peranakan influence expressed in the Penang architecture in Malaysia. Shops on the ground floor, living quarters on the upper floor. If there was time, it would have been interesting to explore beyond this street market to see the Peranakan heritage houses and mansions as well as a couple of museums in the old town.

More shophouses.
There was a park at the end of the street market with shade trees and less crowd.

Before coming here, we had a good lunch elsewhere. If not for sated cravings and full bellies, we would have given in to all those tempting street food. Pork barbecue for 20 baht a stick? A pack of pineapple minis for 60 baht? I found packed meals for less than 100 baht here. Prices were reasonable and I saw many locals buying street food to take away. Beats cooking dinner, I guess. Or one may opt to “eat in” or eat while walking the street market while listening to the blaring music from street buskers. As it turned out, we managed to buy more food to stock the refs in our hotel room. We had way too many of those micro pineapples to eat for the entire 4 days and 3 nights we stayed in Phuket. 🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍

Local Lunch. So Thai. So yum.
They’re like mini crepes that’s crispy. .
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Let’s Fruitify! (Thai Series)

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October 1, 2023

Whenever I get an invite from friends to go on a trip to Bangkok, it’s almost always a “food trip” or more aptly, a “fruit trip” in our minds. I’ve tried going in summer so there are more fruits in season, but the heat and humidity is nearly a curse so I promised myself I’d never go in summer. To welcome October, my niece and I flew into Bangkok on our way to catch a connecting flight to Phuket the next morning. Just time enough to check in our bags at an airport hotel and gorge ourselves on all the fruits we fancy (many we stuffed into our bags flying into Phuket) before calling it a day. Half of our OZ family is waiting for us in a beach resort in Phuket and we are dripping in so much excitement. My niece-in-law who is Thai, her family and ours, are waiting. But first, we “fruitify”. Got that word from my apo’s friend with whom my apo shared the fruit box I prepped whenever I fetched her from school then.

Custard or Sugar Apple, Strawberries, Guapple, Jackfruit, Grapes of all kinds and sizes, Watermelon, And More
My All-Time Favourite along with Persimmons

We also found the time — rather failed to resist — trying Thai curry and seafood pot rice in the mall a short cab ride from our airport hotel. (Incidentally, the spartan but spotty clean airport hotel is one I’d recommend. Nothing fancy but value-for-money for just a night to rest your bodies before an early morning flight. No rush means no anxieties!) Not to forget, have you tried fish flakes with your watermelon? Ours was served that way and it’s an interesting combo.

Watermelon with Fish Flakes
Fruits Galore

From Amari Don Muang Airport to Rangsit Future Park Mall is around 100-120 baht by taxi. There, you can buy as much fruit as you can HARDLY muster. I wanted to try all of them! And the food court offers both cheap and delish samples of Thai cuisine. We tried S&P, which had a good display of bread and pastries we could buy for next day’s breakfast in our room, but ended up sitting for a proper meal. Just be warned: my chicken curry was smoking hot. Even the papaya salad served with it was so spicy. But really good. I’m just warning you to have a glass — or a pitcher — of water ready. 😝

Chicken Curry with Coconut Rice and Papaya Salad
Seafood Pot Rice from S&P

Bellies full, bodies rested, we walked from our airport hotel to Terminal 2 of the domestic airport. In under 15 minutes, we’ve checked in and walked with the robot-sweeper towards our gate. Did I tell you we had a cute-sy budget airplane flying into Phuket? Lookee…..

Don Muang Domestic Airport
Nok Air.
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Breezing Through North ‘Nam

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Exotic Cuisine, Food Trip, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
September 27, 2023

Vietnam is a fascinating state with an equally fascinating history, culture and cuisine. I’ve made at least 4 trips here and this fifth time around, ventured into the mountain areas up in Northwestern Vietnam. I have always enjoyed Vietnamese cuisine and thought I knew enough about it and wrongfully assumed Vietnamese cuisine up in the mountainous areas of Lao Cai are the familiar dishes I found in Ho Chi Minh, Hue, Hoi An, Danang and Hanoi. Wrong! Sa Pa cuisine is a culture in itself. Those hotpots and bamboo rice are no way familiar at all. Fish means either salmon or sturgeon. And meat can be beef, pork, buffalo, (black) chicken, horse or (brace yourself) dog meat. So we made sure we struck off horse and dog meat from the menu. Seriously. It is a vegan paradise though , with an assortment of vegetables and herbs served to us. And if you like fish stew, you’d enjoy these soupy dishes. After a few days, we grew tired of the local cuisine and went in search for Western dishes. Pizza, pasta, meatballs, steaks saved us. All’s well 😉

Sa Pa Cuisine

The French may have influenced gustatory arts in the more cosmopolitan areas but that influence may have fizzled out in the mountain areas of Northern Vietnam. Food was nothing “fancy” but served in great quantities, too much in fact. And I seriously missed my desserts 😞. It’s a good thing the coffee scene was soooo great and the coffee concoctions are truly more desserts than coffee in my book! (Tip: try the coffee shops — ate some real good apple crumble in Le Gecko) Best of all, the mountain sceneries & meet- ups with hill tribes are memorable experiences with all the local colors & flavors (pun intended).

Tribal Women and Bebes In Watercolour

Just click on the blog link below for more photos and details.

Touchdown, Sa Pa

Bac Ha Sunday Market

Fansipan Adventure

Dining in Hanoi

Glass Bridge

Cafe Crawl in Sa Pa

Red Dao Herbal Baths & Moana

Bun Cha OBAMA

Coffee Scene in Hanoi

A Museum, More Cafes, Sky Bar

ENJOY!

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Elsewhere In Hanoi

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Not my first time here but I’m traveling with my Nieta who’s a first-timer in Hanoi. Had a list of touristy spots but she crafted her own itinerary which included a visit to Vietnamese Women’s Museum, another café crawl and some honky-tonk noodle joint. Not to forget, she wanted also to check out a rooftop bar with a city view and thankfully , our hotel in Hanoi has a really lovely SkyBar . Would have included a shopping adventure on our last day in Hanoi but there wasn’t enough time . After all, our trip was really focused on Sa Pa in Northwestern Vietnam and we just had to fly in and out of Hanoi. So we made good use of those 2 days in the capital. No war museums, no mausoleum, no prison visits, really nothing that we’d find depressing. Just all positive vibes!

Vietnamese Women’s Museum
Vietnamese Women’s Museum
Vietnamese Women’s Museum

First off my Nieta’s list is the Vietnamese Women’s Museum. Went there for 2 principal reasons: the permanent collection of women’s costumes is awesome AND we were also intrigued by gender issues within some mountain tribes we met when we visited Sapa. One of our guides there recounted how women in her tribe have no say in choosing their grooms. As early as age 15-16, a man can choose a girl to be his wife, “kidnap” her for 3 days, and then arrange their marriage. Bride kidnapping is a tribal custom still practiced in this day and age. How and why? Let me just say it’s utterly bizarre that the custom is still practiced now. But it’s a culture thing and so let’s skip the subject 🧐

Bun Cha Huong Lien
The best Banh Mi in town?

We also didn’t miss that Bun Cha noodle shop made popular by the show “Parts Unknown”. It’s a hole in the wall now listed in the Michelin Guide. Check out my earlier blog on this. Another popular spot is Banh Mi 25 in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. We grabbed a couple of banh mis to eat in our room but I must say the banh mis I’ve tried in Hoi An is a notch or so better. Just the same, Banh Mi 25 is reasonably good and value-for-money. Once you’ve had your fill, you should be ready for the nightlife. We’re not party people but we sure know how to enjoy a drink or two. Choosing to enjoy a nightcap in our hotel, we tried the Ignite Sky Bar’s cocktails. Strawberry Daiquiri, Mango Margarita, and more. Sunset and city views are perfect from this rooftop bar. La vie est Belle!

Strawberry Margarita
Ignite Sky Bar
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The Coffee Scene in Hanoi

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September 23, 2023

We are back in Hanoi and still seriously in search for the best egg coffee — and where else should we look but where it all started? First discovered, or rather concocted in 1925, when an ex-bartender of the famous 5-star Metropole Hotel thought of substituting fresh milk with egg to make Hanoi’s “cappuccino”. It was the perfect solution at a time when milk was a luxury and scarce. Only problem then was that it took an entire half hour to beat the high-quality free-range eggs to make a cup of egg coffee! Thankfully, the egg blenders have made this tedious process a thing of the past now. It can only be expected that the man — Nguyen Van Giang — who created and introduced the egg coffee runs the best egg coffee place in Hanoi. Still in the same unpretentious building and yes, still the same recipe but likely using egg blenders. For the life of me, I was kind of hesitant to try raw egg yolks in my coffee but Mr. Giang’s recipe reportedly uses only eggs from free-range hens fed on natural food! They say there’s a secret ingredient but I bet Mr. Giang shared that with his daughter who now runs the 2nd best egg coffee shop “Dinh Cafe”.

Egg Coffee. One with cinnamon.
We took a Grab to reach Cafe Giang

Since we’ve already tried the iced coconut coffee of Cong Ca Phe when we were in Sapa, Northern Vietnam, we skipped their Hanoi outlet and instead booked another grab ride to arrive in the Hidden Gem Cafe. Truly hidden! The narrow alley snaked past a garage and two flights of stairs. But we’re so happy to be here. Amazing how the owner recycled so much stuff and seamlessly put them all together here. Here, we tried the sticky rice iced coffee, a good looking lemonade with blue tea and an iced coconut coffee. Their bahn mi and rolls may not be the best but they’d do if you’re hungry. It simply is exciting to be in this spot which we found bohemian and artsy. Just be sure you beat the crowds by coming real early or at odd hours. I’m sure it gets busy and because it’s not air conditioned, you may not get the spot we had where there’s a breeze to ward off the heat.

The Hidden Gem Cafe
Lemonade with Blue Tea

This coffee place didn’t waste any walls nor corners. There was always something going on on some walls — a mural, a garden, something both artistic and odd. The 2 flights of stairs get you on the 3rd floor that’s more “al fresco”. Better than the 2nd floor which we found more stuffy. I am not sure we’d find this place on our own. Booking a grab ride was easy and real cheap! So install that app if you haven’t.

More Iced Coconut Coffee?
Bahn Mi and Rolls at Hidden Gem Cafe

But in case you haven’t tried Iced Coconut Coffee — that modern-day concoction of coffee, coconut cream, milk and ice cream — there are several outlets of Cong Ca Phe in Hanoi. Choose one nearest you, and have that iced coconut coffee fix! This time, feel the communist vibe here with the cafe’s military-green walls, a server clad in military uniform and comm posters straight out of the 1970s to instill that vibe! Mind you, we had the best iced coconut coffee here. Oh, there’s the green rice coconut coffee too which I particularly liked. More like a dessert. Enjoy ☕️ 🧋

Cong Ca Phe
Hidden Gem Cafe
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Parts Now Known (Hanoi)

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September 21, 2023

Parts Unknown by Anthony Bourdain is one of my fav shows. Lamentably, Tony is no longer around to guide us. Not only in terms of what and where to eat, but on how to appreciate food in the context of culture and even traditions. One show on Hanoi food adventure is that one where Bourdain dined in some honky-tonk joint with no less than THE PRESIDENT OBAMA. So what do you expect from a food show that features a dinner date between Tony and Barack?

Bun Cha

I remember searching for a pho joint in Ho Cho Minh City whose claim to fame is that President Bill Clinton happened to eat there. Pho 2000 isn’t bad but I’d say food taste is really just your average Joe. Or average Huy or Nam, if you like. And now, there’s Bun Cha Huong Lien. But first a lesson on what is pho vs Bun Cha. Pho is a noodle soup while bun cha is more dry. Like having barbecued pork over your vermicelli plus some really, really good broth flavoured with sweetened vinegar and fish sauce. I love bun cha!

They call it Combo Obama👌
The Combo Obama goes with this Seafood Roll

Price-wise, this joint is a winner. You can’t go wrong at these unbelievably low prices for some truly good soupy dishes. And the servings are soooo generous. The veggies and vermicelli are all laid out on a platter even before you order anything. I guess the veggies and thin noodles go with anything you order. Go help yourselves, folks. Just don’t expect fancy tableware nor linen service 😂 . Service is not impeccable but fairly prompt and standard. Honky tonk that it is, we actually enjoyed the same bun Cha and Combo Obama that Barack and Tony Bourdain enjoyed. Value for money it is.

Bun Cha 👌

Oh, btw, “bun” in Vietnam means vermicelli and “cha” means grilled pork. Bun Cha is one of the iconic dishes here in Vietnam and certainly worth a try! And once you’re done eating, how about going up to the upper floor to check out the glass-encased box on display where Obama and Bourdain ate their bun Cha along with their dining sets and tiny stools. Such is Bun Cha Huong Lien’s claim to fame. Enjoy!

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A Few More Scenes from Sapa

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On our last full day in Sapa in Northern Vietnam, a rainbow adorned the skyline amidst the mountain range and terraced rice fields. It’s like a reward for us braving and enduring the more than 6 hour drive from Hanoi just to check out the highest mountain peak, hill tribe folks in Bac Ha Market, glass-bottomed suspension bridge, Ta Phin village with Red Dao herb bath, as well as the lively coffee scene and interesting garden parks in the “boondocks”.

Rainbow in Sapa
Image Sourced from the Net. The Pao Sapa Luxury Hotel where we stayed.

Two of the touristy activities here are visits to the Moana Park beside our hotel or to Heaven Gate and to experience the red dao bath in Ta Phin Village. Not exactly my preferred outings but if you’ve got time, it would be an experience to meet more hill tribe folks who seem quite at home with tourists curious about their costumes and handicrafts. I think the red dao baths would be a good experience. The folks in Ta Phin Village claim these herbal baths have healing powers. Interestingly, each bathing house has its own “family recipe”, with an assortment of medicinal leaves, roots and herbs foraged from the forests.

The Tribal Women from Ta Phin Village
The Healing Baths

Some hotels such as where we stayed offer similar healing baths in a more convenient setting. And you may check out the spas too which combine herbal baths and massage for a total experience. And while you’re checking out the medicinal baths in our hotel, go visit the nearby Moana Park too for some photo opps. 😜

Ta Phin Village is dotted with many red dao
bathing facilities.
This photo opp park is just right beside
Pao Sapa Luxury Hotel.

While the tourists go crazy with healing baths, hill tribe markets and mountain trekking, many locals seem to enjoy these parks offering photo opportunities with a variety of installations like a Balinese gate, suspension or hanging mini-bridges, grand piano scenes inspired by some Korean dramas, art sculptures, etc. Amusing, if you ask me. If it’s not your cup of tea, there’s shopping and the coffee scene! Or simply go around town to visit the church, town plaza and pond.

Moana

The Coffee Scene in Sapa

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Café Crawl In Sapa, Vietnam

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September 20, 2023

Back in Manila, we’d schedule our cafe or bar dates at least once a week. The prospect thrills us and the actual experience is always a delight. On our trip to Sapa in Northern Vietnam, we spent an entire afternoon for our post-lunch cafe crawl. We haven’t had a proper dessert since we got here but first off, we just had to try the popular egg coffee and coconut coffee.

Cong Cafe
Coconut Coffee now tops my list of iced coffees

This is our first time to try coconut coffee. Cong Ca Phe is 👍that we recommend it — iced! More dessert than coffee, actually. Back in Hanoi, we tried egg coffee but it wasn’t the best so we went in search of good egg coffee here in Sapa. Found one in Le Gecko. In both coffee shops, we took “front seats” to appreciate the street scene. People-watching can be habitual if I were to live here. The cars and motorbikes with passengers or cargo (unbelievable!) passing by is what life is all about here. Sapa may be 6 hours away from cosmopolitan Hanoi but it certainly isn’t a sleepy town or ghost town. Sure, it’s in the boondocks but commerce and tourism has touched this mountain town and even the hill tribe folks are quite comfortable plying their wares in the streets here.

The street scene from Cong Ca Phe.
Inside Cong Ca Phe

Cong Ca Phe is in a two-storey building, but the best seats in the shop are those in the porch. There is even a resident fur baby who seems so “at home” here. As for Le Gecko Cafe, it’s in another busy section of this mountain town near the pond area. Again, we took the “front seats” from where we enjoyed our egg coffee and an apple crumble pie. So yum! The egg coffee here is more dense, foamy and frothy than the one we tried in Hanoi. So so good that we actually thought of heading back after our dinner!

El Gecko
Egg Coffee
Oh, that apple crumble!

P.S. We actually trooped back the following day for another iced coconut cafe and to try the Cot Dua Com Xanh or Coconut Green Rice Coffee. So so refreshingly good!

Iced Coconut Coffee and Green Rice Coffee
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Dining in Hanoi

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Travel, travels — 1 Comment
September 19, 2023

We are actually headed for Sapa in Northern Vietnam, some 5-6 hours away from Hanoi. But there’s time enough to check out some Hanoi eats before the “nature trip” up North starting with this Hanoi signature dish called Cha Ca. Served with dill, spring onions and vermicelli, this turmeric fish is a classic. Cha Ca La Vong is its full title but in Hanoi, they simply call it Cha Ca. One of the popular restos serving this Hanoi specialty is just right across our hotel. The Cha Ca Thang Long Restaurant in the Old Quarter of Hanoi has 3 outlets IN THE SAME STREET but the one across our Hotel Peridot has a tiny, narrow courtyard leading to a two- storey French-inspired structure in faded yellow hues. The main ingredient is the grilled catfish marinated in turmeric and cooked with dill and spring onions right on the table. We were taught to fill our individual bowls with vermicelli before spooning in the turmeric fish with dill and other herbs like coriander and mint. There were also peanuts one can throw in with some fish sauce mixture to taste.

Cha Ca
Vermicelli goes into bowl first, then spoon in the fish and herbs. Next, throw in the nuts and some sauce.

If you’re dining here, don’t think there are many menu options. People come here really for the Cha Ca dish. You may order some fried rolls just for variety but I didn’t find them particularly good. The Hanoi beer is a good accompaniment, or you can go for some tea instead. This is not my first time in Hanoi but it’s my first time to try this Hanoi dish.

Egg Coffee
Hanoi Beer

Post-Chaka lunch, we trooped to the cafe a few meters away to try the EGG COFFEE. Introduced way back in 1940s during the French war, egg as a milk substitute just burst out as the perfect remedy at a time when milk was in truly serious shortage. I can’t say I was floored, but under the conditions when it was resorted to, I bet it was a hit! Now a popular Vietnamese coffee aside from that which uses condensed milk, the egg coffee is bold, foamy, dense, and syrupy. Best spooned than sipped. Almost like a dessert. An experience, if you like.

Rolls and Prawn Pad Thai
Chicken in Skewers

After Sapa, we’d stop by Hanoi again before flying out. Let’s see how we make out in the dining department. In the same hotel where we stayed, I wouldn’t mind repeating some of the dishes we enjoyed in the lovely Grand Peridot Boutique Hotel. Not exactly traditional Vietnamese cuisine, but the prawn pad Thai, rolls and chicken in skewers made for a delightful dinner with all the theatrics in presentation, capped by a dramatic cocktail concoction. Xin Chao!

Cocktails With A Flair
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