Among the adventures we’ve lined up here in Shiretoko Peninsula is a wildlife-watching cruise. We tried managing our expectations considering that it’s only an hour-long cruise and we weren’t that confident we can stay on the boat’s deck for most of the journey. The waters weren’t exactly calm, adding to the excitement as we reached the ice floes where eagles hovered over the floating ice. So many birds and I can only name the Steller eagle and the white-tailed eagle. Migratory birds who “shuttle” between Russia and Hokkaido. Consider them birds with dual citizenship. 😊 Frankly, we only learned all these trivia from our guide Nobu-san, who further explained that Russia’s Sakhalin Island is only 28 miles across the Sea of Okhotsk. Bird lovers would love it here. No chance for owl-sightings on this trip as such is a nocturnal activity and winter isn’t the best time to be outdoors at night. We weren’t lucky with spotted seals too but the bird scenes were enough to remind us of that movie by dear Alfred Hitchcock.
The wildlife we were looking for are the Steller sea eagles, which the Japanese call “owashi”. These aggressive eagles visit the island of Hokkaido, specifically the ice floes found in Rausu, every winter. Looking powerful and haughty, it was a big thrill seeing them on the ice floes while our boat’s skipper allowed one of his crew to throw out fish for these migrant birds to feed on. Another type of eagle found here are the white-tailed eagles. Both types of eagles competed for the fish throw. It would have been exciting to capture these birds of prey catch and clutch their fish with their talons but my fingers weren’t that quick and my simple iPhone camera no good for some otherwise NatGeo shots.
Some trivia: the owashi eagles feed on salmon in their breeding grounds in Sakhalin and Siberia. In Japan, they feed on cod. But we learned they also feed on squid, shellfish, crabs, and also ducks and other small animals. With a wingspan reaching up to 8 feet, one can imagine these birds being Kings of the wide, open sea. 🦅
In Russia, it’s called Okhotsk Sea. In Japan, it is called the Ohōtsuku- Kai. Among the many adventures in Shiretoko Peninsula is “drift-ice walking” where you’re suited into this swimming gear that feels like a mini-sauna but absolutely keeps you dry while you are flailing about off this marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. Best time is from January to March but peak season for drift ice is February. The week before we arrive, temps were hovering around double-digit negatives but this group of adventurous foodies from the Tropics brought sunshine with them. Temp was at zero Celsius which the locals compare to “spring weather” and “too warm” for winter. Luckily too, it wasn’t windy at all! How’s that for an auspicious morning for water adventure?
Ready to Rumble!!!
Those ice floes! No, we didn’t do the ice walk here. 😜
Before we set out to do “the walk”, we struggled putting on these suits. Oh, how we struggled! I had to go on my back, lift my legs to get our guide pull the suit up my legs and thighs. It doesn’t stop there. Getting my head through the “hole” and finally zipping me up was another struggle. And just when I was getting the hang of walking in this suit out in the open, frozen sea, I slipped! But slipping in and out of water in between drift-ice walking was really this morning’s activity. The guides made us walk towards a certain area off the frozen Sea, by the breakwater I think, then challenged us to jump while saying “I love Japan”. Jumping together on what our hindsight tells us must be thin ice was all it took to break the ice. We floated for a while, then some of us climbed over the floating ice slab. Then there were those who quickly gained the confidence, jumping here and there, breaking more ice! At some point, one of the boys jumped in and went down body limbs, head and all!
Getting into it is an adventure by itself!
We’ve met others who went ice diving. I cannot imagine how they put on their more complicated gear and what nerves of steel they must have. What we did was nothing compared with their adventure. But I’m sure we drew more laughs as we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves lying down on the icy sea and floating among the ice floes. Some of the pictures and videos are simply too funny to be posted. For sure, we’d talk about this adventure for many years to come. 🥶😜🙄😊
Late last year, this same group trooped to Vienna and Bologna and braved winter for the love of food. You bet we’re at it again. This time to Hokkaido for a taste of its “cruel winter”. Call us insane but we have very specific reasons for being here. Beyond the freezing temps and snow flakes, we’re here to spot some very rare species of birds like the red-crowned cranes, Blakiston’s Fish Owl, some whooper swans, the rare Steller’s sea eagles and white-tailed eagles. Many of these birds have chosen Hokkaido as their home and hopefully, we can spot them as we walk on the drift ice. Yes, that’s what we plan to do. Walk on drift ice! Yup, that’s the plan. So go ahead. Call us insane 🙄.
Packing for this trip was a real struggle. I pack my stuff on a day by day basis. This way, I need not have to decide which shirt to pair with which pants or skirt. With previous trips, one packing cube is typically good for 3-4 days of clothing. Not this time. One day’s wardrobe fills an entire packing cube! An inner/thermal shirt, a wool shirt, a fleece vest, a winter jacket. Four layers. Paired with winter pants and fleece leggings. Warm enough? Throw in those mufflers, beanie and gloves. And an extra pair of socks for good measure. Phew! And don’t start asking me for my nighttime wardrobe. You bet I feel like a grandma in wools and a bonnet.
All packed and ready for snow adventures? Temps have risen but are still in the negatives. Early this morning of our arrival, I can almost feel those ice crystals landing on my cheeks and forehead as the wind blows. Yay, can we actually walk on drift ice tomorrow? It’s our first activity on this trip and my nerves are going haywire. Hmmm…. go ahead. Call us insane. 🥶
A whole week in Vietnam. From Manila, Ho Chi Minh City was our first destination but we were really excited over our first time in Central Vietnam. This is our story covering Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh), the Imperial Citadel in Hue, Langco Fishing Village, the Cham Museum and beaches of Danang, the preserved Ancient Lantern town of Hoi An and the Ruins of My Son. Staying a couple of nights each in Saigon, Hue and Hoi An, we took day trips to nearby attractions and maximised our time without really forgetting we’re on holiday. It’s not about ticking off from a list, but we left room for some spontaneous and serendipitous adventures. Including trips prompted by food cravings 😊
Hoi An is a well-preserved ancient trading port where many restaurants offering authentic Vietnamese cuisine are clustered in an area looking more like a quaint French village. Here, the nights get more vibrant as lanterns lit up and canal boat rides are peddled to tourists. The street food scene is very lively as stalls after stalls offer Hoi An specialties like steamed and fried dumplings, chewy rice noodles like Cao Lau, pancakes, mango and banana cakes.
It was very tempting to claim one of those low stools and order the very Hoi An rice noodle dish called Cao Lau, topped with barbecued pork slices, beansprouts and herbs. So with the White Rose dumplings which locals call Banh Bao Vac. And then there’s those open-face pancakes which are really fried wontons with toppings of shrimps and more herbs. We did the next best thing — dined in Miss Ly which offerred all these street food and Hoi An specialties in a restaurant in the Ancient Town. All had a little kick and mildly spicy and we liked it. If you want to try it here, best to go early as it’s popular and gets really packed.
From the next table, we spotted some grilled pork served with noodles and tried those too. Very tasty. Again, with a bit of kick. We were asked, and we specified “mildly spicy” so I guess it can get spicier. All dishes are very delicious even if you have to enjoy them inside where it is more humid. Most restos offer cold towelettes to refresh you before meal is served. Without it, we’d likely sweat as most dishes are a bit spicy.
Just as popular, but a bit pricier, is Morning Glory Restaurant also in the Ancient Town. The resto must be so popular it now has a Morning Glory II just across the street. The extension likewise holds cooking classes, but we’re not into that. We’re here to eat 😊. I’ve heard many tourists asking for directions to Morning Glory. If we go by the reviews, there’s good reason to check out this place. But I think many, many restaurants here all make the grade, judging by how food aroma wafts from the kitchen to the lantern-lit streets. The fish dishes and curries we’ve so far ordered were not big hits though so we didn’t try the restaurant’s bestseller fish in caramel sauce. Besides, we weren’t that hungry when we got here for dinner and didn’t want to overstuff ourselves in the evenings. (Our hotel breakfast buffet in Belle Maisson was very good!) And so, we settled for the usual salad, banh mi and the special spring rolls offerred here called “Three Best Friends Spring Rolls”. They say Miss Ly and Morning Glory serve the best spring rolls but I’m telling ya…… they serve good spring rolls just about anywhere here!
Our guide brought us to a place called Triet (Treat) where there is no crowd and where we actually enjoyed a very good, quiet lunch. Same lunch fare like Papaya Salad which we love, but served with tasty taro spring rolls here. We really liked this for appetizers. The main dishes were pleasant surprises too.
The grilled chicken with lemon grass was served wrapped in aluminum foil and smelled as good as it tasted. But our favorite dish was the Braised Pork in a Clay Pot. Tasted like our local “adobo” but with chili and chives. The chicken and the pork paired well with the vegetable dish with fried shallots we had. Good lunch! Nothing fancy but really cooked well.
Dining here in Hoi An is an adventure. Don’t be limited by the restos we’ve listed here. But the few days we were here, we certainly ate well. On your way back to your hotel, try checking out the Night Market and buy some jackfruit, custard apples and there’s this fruit I’m not familiar with but tasted like small green apples, just better. Bon apetit!
While it sizzled in Hue, it was “nearly burning” in Hoi An and My Son was “on fire”. Nearly 40C and here we are in the jungle, in what was once the sanctuary of Hinduism in Vietnam. This UNESCO Heritage Site was the political and spiritual capital of the mysterious Champa Kingdom which flourished from the 3rd century to the 14th century. Some records put it until the 18th century. About 17 of the original 71 monuments made of bricks and sandstone can be found here. These are the 17 that survived the war. And after the war, this heritage site had to contend with flooding from the nearby river and extremely high humidity which hampers preservation efforts. Not to mention the de-mining activities to keep the site clean and safe.
We spent 2 hours here, mindful that we walked only on paved, marked paths. Restoration work is ongoing but restricted because of the possible unidentified and unexploded mines in the area. A pity. We even found bomb craters side by side with the pockmarked tower monuments which were used to shield Vietcongs who hid there during the war while the Americans tried to chase them out by bombing and machine-gunning the area. So there. The site lost more than 50 tower temples to the war, climate conditions and flooding. It may not be as grand as Angkor Wat in Siem Reap nor the temples in Ayutthaya, but the legacy of the Champan Kingdom must be preserved for future generations. It helped that on our way from Hue to Hoi An, we visited a Cham Museum in Danang. Many Cham sculptures, many headless, are housed there.
My Son is only an hour away from Hoi An. Our hired van was allowed only up to a point, and we walked beyond the entrance marked by double arches towards the tram station. Here, you take the shuttle for a 10 minute ride and get off near the ruins of this complex of Hindu temples. There were tourists offloaded from a few hired vans and tourist buses. There were also the adventurous ones who came on motorbikes. There is a tiny Museum, as well as a theatre stage where guests were treated to a spectacle of cultural performances. If I were to do this again, I’d time it in the cooler months of January and February. At the height of summer, it’s an ordeal walking drenched in sweat around the complex.
I didn’t expect to like the cultural performance before we started the hike. But I found the Apsara dance very expressive, even sensuous. The play with the hands and bent knees require grace, poise and elegant execution. I couldn’t even stretch and bend back my hands the way they do! From the stage, the same performing group moved to one of the ruin sites where they danced with an impressive backdrop of brick temple ruins.
The Chams are a minority tribe in Vietnam now. Back then, they worshipped the Hindu god Shiva and created this cluster of tower temples spread across Central and Southern Vietnam. This one in My Son lies in a lovely valley surrounded by 2 mountain ranges and covering 2 square kilometres. Try to imagine how this heritage site — so pretty and serene — was carpet-bombed by the Americans in a single week! Heartbreaking 😔
Just arrived for 2 nights in this lovely lantern town of Hoi An. An ancient trading port in Central Vietnam, it’s a melting pot of cultures expressed in its cuisine and architecture. Hue may have its temples, pagoda, royal tombs and Citadel but Hoi An is very quaint with its mustard-colored merchant houses, lazy canals and a Japanese covered bridge! Being Sunday, it looked like the entire population of 200,000 is out having a family day along with the many tourists agonizing where to dine in its many restaurants housed in old French-colonial buildings.
I’ve read about Hoi An being a lantern town, touristy and looking like a mini-Venice with wooden boats in lieu of gondolas. I was delighted to explore its narrow streets and alleys. My only regret is not using the free bicycles from our hotel to save me the 20 minute walk in this very humid evening. Still, it was a pleasant pedestrian tour of this heritage town. We reached the Japanese bridge just as the sun was setting and it sure was lovely.
Many Portuguese, Japanese, French, Chinese and other nationalities must have lived in this ancient trading port. Cooking classes housed in its many French colonial houses seem to be in vogue among the many tourists. Those round basket boats plying the waterways even add more charm to this heritage town that was mercifully spared from the ravages of war. Most hotels, even home stays, offer bikes to their guests. One can bike along quiet lanes or brave the old town’s streets dodging many tourists here and there, or be more adventurous hiring motorbikes and scooters to explore the fragrant rice paddies just outside town. Or perhaps do both. Our walking tour is set for tomorrow but we couldn’t wait. No brainer to explore on our own. One doesn’t waste time here, or you’d miss the charm of a village well-lighted with colourful lanterns or a canal where many boats take in tourists for a ride (literally and figuratively). You can even float lighted lanterns on the river and watch them glide under the bridge.
Though there are many dining options, I’ve heard many tourists asking for directions to Morning Glory restaurant. We found it very near the bridge and being rather early, found a table by the window. It was very hot and humid and most restaurants and shops were not air conditioned. Yet, many locals and tourists don’t seem to mind. Like an instant immersion into local life? The charm of this well-preserved town must have sent very positive vibes and they radiate in the way locals and guests behave even in very dry, humid conditions.
More to discover in our walking tour, I bet. Plus there are the beaches and rice and vegetable paddies to visit. Can’t wait to see where our lunch and dinner ingredients are sourced, or where we can dip our tired feet. Till the next blog, friends. 😘 Watch this page.
Whay. That’s how locals in this lovely provincial city say it. Just an hour 25 minute flight from Ho Chi Minh. We knew it can be hotter and more humid here but Hue welcomed us with pleasant, breezy weather on the day of our arrival. Not so the following morning, when we explored the Citadel or Forbidden City, royal tombs and the Thien Mu pagoda. We only got a respite when we took a small boat from the pagoda back to the city center, helped along by refreshments on board.
The Citadel is right in the heart of the ancient city of Hue. It occupies a wide area, counting 520 hectares on the Perfume River’s left bank. Our guide made us walk the first half hour till we insisted on taking the electric buggy around the “Forbidden City”. Long, our guide, advised that the walk would take 2 1/2 hours. We promptly took the buggy without much thought. No walking at high noon 🙄 please.
The Citadel run may have taken shortcuts but our bodies still took and absorbed all the heat and humidity. Buckets of sweat and hardly a wind to blow dry our wet clothes. We dripped till it was over. The Imperial City within the Citadel reminded me of the Forbidden City in Beijing. For sure, the first 2 monarchs from the Nguyen Dynasty chose the site very well. And just like it, geomancy played a part in its architectural design to invite harmony as well as guarantee protection from harmful elements.
As the sun sizzled, we moved around as quickly as we could. We could have lingered longer in the theatre, or in the house of the king’s grandmother’s, but migraine was threatening to cut our Citadel tour short. It was more pleasant when we explored the royal tombs earlier. More than beating the crowd, the heat was more bearable then. Still hot and humid, but bearable. We may have done more justice visiting the Mausoleum of King Minh Mang than the walled palace of the Imperial City.
You can thus imagine how we felt by the time we reached Thien Mu or the Pagoda of the Heavenly Lady. Here you find the best view of the Huong or Perfume River from the Ha Khe hill, but one needs to scale steep steps to reach the scenic viewpoint. Mercifully, we climbed safely while sweating profusely. Our eyes hurt as beads of sweat ran down from our foreheads. Not even it’s iconic 7-storey pagoda nor the displayed car of the “protesting/burning monk” who immolated himself in 1963 Saigon helped unsettle our restless, sweating bods. We were just too eager to finish the tour in this high and dry temp. Our bods protested, just like the monk Thich Quang Duc burned himself to death in June 1963 in a busy Saigon intersection as an act of protest to South Vietnam’s persecution of Buddhist monks back then. We should have been thrilled to watch a couple of the 10 or so monks living within the pagoda grounds. But we’ve lost the enthusiasm, just as we found the young monks doing exercises by lifting weights. How could they…. in this heat?
From this pagoda, we took a wooden boat along the river. Just a short boat ride where we replenished our potassium levels with coconut juice and water. Tour’s over, and our late lunch is ready. The nourishment was another Vietnamese feast but we were just craving for the showers in our spacious, air conditioned, well-appointed hotel room. A day well-spent in Hue. Enough history lessons for my grandson. No more long walks and climbs for us. Phew!
We flew from Ho Chi Minh to Hue to visit this former imperial capital in Central Vietnam. Other than the Citadel, some pagodas and tombs, we hardly know anything about this former capital that was the seat of Nguyen Dynasty emperors till 1945. Pronounced “whay”, we were cautious not to overdo the touristy stuff under this sweltering heat. In a sense, we welcome the occasional afternoon rain.
Hue welcomed us with pleasant weather. No rain upon arrival in Hotel Saigon Morin. Breezy. And just perfect. We have a full day tomorrow visiting the Citadel, royal tombs, the Thien Mu Pagoda and its bonsai garden. Thus, we wanted to take it easy today. No cyclos, no boat rides, no late nights. Just one quiet night in our lovely century-old hotel. Perhaps quietly drinking a cold beer in the balcony with a perfect riverside view. Or maybe swim in the hotel pool, sipping one of those sugarcane juices laced with lemon grass. That was the plan.
Then, food thoughts interfered. Strolling along the Perfume River, we stumbled upon Pho Di Bo walking street. Immediately, we knew this won’t be an early night. There were many food choices, many shopping options, plenty cafes and bars, street mimes, and of course those low stools and tiny tables lining the streets. We managed to do some decent shopping but not before our dinner in this Vietnamese restaurant serving special Hue dishes. Loved everything we ordered. We were almost done eating when we decided we needed another round of those yummy spring rolls. 😊
It’s Day 3 and we have been eating Vietnamese everyday. Fat chance we’d grow tired of it especially the way my grandson has taken to spring rolls. That’s fine — he’s eating more vegetables now, and drinking fresh fruit smoothies like there’s no tomorrow. I’ve tried the Jackfruit Smoothie and loved it. You can smell it even before you drink it. Been eating our fav custard apples (atis) too. Happiness 😊
Beyond Golden Rice Restaurant are the cafes and bars. In one bar, several hunks were playing a game where players had to be garbed in ladies’ clothes. Some losers prowled the streets without changing back to men’s clothes. Could they be…. are they? Well, in my book they looked cool in midriff and short blouses. In the next street corner, children stood still and in awe of street mimes, while stalls selling ice cream, sugarcane juices, souvenirs, civet coffee and whatever else lined the street.
Remembering we have a full day tomorrow, we headed back to our hotel. A short riverside walk brought us to the place where people got on boats for a dinner-cruise, and where a vibrant night market was in full swing right under the bridge spanning Perfume River. Here we met 4 sweet, twinning teenage girls.
We weren’t expecting to be “busy” on our first night here. But even before our history lessons start tomorrow, we already like it here. Chances are we’d be back in the Pho Di Bo walking street tomorrow, if we aren’t too tired. There’s a certain vibe there that we appreciate. Like we enjoyed chatting with the friendly hotel door man, the cyclo drivers, the night market vendors, the teenage girls in identical clothes, the store owners, etc. Looking forward to explore more of Hue tomorrow. 😊
P.S. We loved it so much here that we went back again for dinner, some shopping and drinks. Found another gem — Elegant Restaurant just a few meters from Golden Rice. Enjoyed their duck spring rolls, papaya salad, grilled pork with vermicelli, stuffed squid, and a tofu dish. Finished off with banana Flambé (the real McCoy, not the one with coconut milk) and some vanilla ice cream. And while the boys shopped, the girls enjoyed a Huda beer . Life is good.
It’s been nearly a decade since I visited the tunnels. Yeah, did the “duck walk” inside and came out alive, gasping for breath. A decade later and here I am, older, weaker knees, agonizing whether to go with my grandnephew down the tunnel and risk losing oxygen. But he won’t go without me. Clingy? 🤷🏼♀️ So off we went!
Took us all of 2 hours getting here from Ho Chi Minh. Like the last time, I’m dripping in sweat just a few minutes after arrival in Cu Chi, meandering through the bamboo forest trying to imagine how the Americans set up camps while them Vietcongs survived underground. Like the last time, I’m still in awe of Vietnamese ingenuity and courage. And cringe at their horrible weaponry and victorious psyche war strategy. They used whatever was available (sharpened bamboos, nails, wood, etc) and it’s hard to wrap your head around these torturous war traps and combat gear without cringing.
Martin had his history lessons on the 🇻🇳 Vietnam War in a day with this visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels, followed by a visit to the War Remnants Museum. I tried to wriggle myself out of the latter, but ended up sharing that horrible feeling one experiences reading war trivia and viewing all those war photographs by courageous war journalists and photojournalists. This is the real #buwisbuhay (life-threatening) job. After such a visit, you head home (or back to your hotel) feeling drained. Hopefully Martin gained a good appreciation of how there is clearly NO WINNER, NO REAL VICTOR in any war. Enough said. Enough seen.
lifeisacelebration 