Category: Musings & Ramblings


Elsewhere In Hanoi

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

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

Filed under: art, Asian Holidays, Food Trip, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
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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Café Crawl In Sapa, Vietnam

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Food Trip, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
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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A Beach Affair To Remember

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Musings & Ramblings, Philippine Travels, Seniors, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
September 19, 2023

The Resthouse

Once you cross 50 years since graduation, you treasure every moment, every minute, every get-together not knowing when the next one would be. Nor who’d be around at the next reunion. This sentiment prompted many based abroad to come home, and for the core organisers to line up as many events. Any excuse to see each other in the limited time everyone is around. Amazingly, the adrenaline of seeing each other again must have pumped up these “energiser bunnies” as every event, every single affair proved to be well-attended, well- organised, and superbly enjoyed! Best of all, that very same energy pushed these senior ladies to brave the long drive to LAIYA, San Juan in BATANGAS and to pull an overnighter in this wonderful paradise of a beach resort.

As one rolls into their 70’s, the service demands grow several notches higher. Food, customer service, cleanliness, convenience and leisure/entertainment option all become mandatory rather than simple wish lists. It would be a nightmare to fail their standards. But The Resthouse truly delivered. The 9-hectare beachfront estate provided the sea breeze, stillness, tranquility and scenic views to soothe the nerves after long drives. The memory of a beach affair among giggly, life-loving, cheerful and cool, rocking grandmas is a gift made possible by The Resthouse management and staff. Five stars won’t suffice. And the fond memories will last for a very long time.

Thank you, The Resthouse, for granting our wish of this lifetime memory. We treasure our time spent in this slice of heaven on earth. Till our next gathering there!

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Bac Ha Sunday Market

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Exotic Cuisine, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — Leave a comment

The Bac Ha Market some 3 hour drive from Sapa totally overwhelmed me. But what’s most interesting isn’t so much what they sell but how the hill tribes of Northern Vietnam have created a community here. The Flower H’Mong, the Phu La, the Black Dao, Tay and La Chi Nhung minorities. How to tell one tribe from another? Don’t ask me 🧐

The forecast was one rainy WEEK, but we’ve been enjoying sunshine since we reached Sapa here in Northwestern Vietnam. On the day we visited this Sunday Market, it was totally humid. The animal trading — horse, buffalo, dogs, etc — wasn’t my cup of tea. So my travel mates and I spent more time in the fabrics/textiles area. Along the way, we passed some organic plants, herbs, nuts and fruits. There was a display of assorted natural “viagra” and the sales pitch is one for the books. We chanced upon a couple on a mission to stock up on a few of these herbs and the entire sales spiel was quite an entertaining spectacle. 😜

Local Color To The Core

The once-a-week market is truly both a community and commercial affair — a social and trading event that has lasted over a century now. It’s a privilege to witness this exotic cultural experience. The open, outdoor market stretches over an expanse that it would be easy to get disoriented. In particular, I enjoyed the local color and flavor such as finding a “barber shop al fresco”. It’s your mobile barber in action! Or a motorbiker with a basket full of chickens. I didn’t have the heart to try horse stew there though. Not for moí. Sorry.

Bac Ha Sunday Market
Barber Shop?

After lunch somewhere within the Sunday Market’s periphery, we headed for the Ban Pho village just a few minutes away. Corn wine was available but I took one sniff of the stuff and promptly avoided it. Must be over 50% alcohol, enough to knock one out after a few sips. If you ask me, you can give this visit a miss. The market is quite interesting even if some of the products can be found in the town and city malls, but the local color and experience cannot be replicated in the more cosmo and commercial spots. Nor the local herbs and ethnic vibes. The locals are also very friendly yet not pushy to make a sale which I like. The “pros” in the city shops give me a headache, actually. I’m glad we came despite enduring 6 hours on the road. Along the way, we also checked out the Vietnam/China Border. Separated only by a river, it’s amazing how these “neighbors” can literally wave to each other across the river. 👋

The Way to Bac Ha Market
Vietnam-China Border
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Of Cable Cars, Funiculars And Glass Suspension Bridges

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Musings & Ramblings, Phlog, Travel, travels — Leave a comment

Fansipan
Fansipan Cable Car

Too much excitement in one day! The Fansipan adventure involved cable car and funicular rides to reach Fansipan Mountain, the highest mountain in Vietnam. Touted as the “roof of IndoChina”, it is actually higher than Machu Picchu at over 3,000 meters. Hoang Lien Son mountain range spans the horizon as the cable car climbs up to the peak. Once there, some 600 steps await you. Along the way, there are temples, outdoor Buddhas and restos. One can even ride horses in the complex run and operated by Sun World Legend. We were a big group of adventurers who endured the long drive from Hanoi to Sapa just to get here. Seniors, young professionals and toddlers all out to enjoy each other’s company and savor the sense of family we’ve come to adopt, having traveled together way too many times and seeing the family grow.

The Fansipan Complex is huge! The cable car and funicular rides are run efficiently and the dining outlets and food courts within the entire park look promising. There are also snack booths and massage chairs to fill up one’s time and the crowds seem to be manageable. The entire time we were here, the day grew from cloudy to sunny back to sunny with some breeze. Luckily it didn’t rain. Just a slight drizzle.

Fansipan Funicular

Easily, one can spend 3 hours or more here. Longer, if you linger over lunch or snacks or if one is doing the temples. The ride to the peak via the funicular can be crowded and once at the top, it is quite magical to see, even feel, the fog envelop the area where one finds the tallest flagstaff of IndoChina. Be warned though : it can get windy and cooler once you reach the top so be sure to wrap up.

Glass-Bottomed Bridge

After Farsipan, we took on another challenge. The Bach Long Glass-Bottomed Bridge is touted as the longest in the whole world. Not one for the weak of heart. Nor one short of patience. We took too many transfers — 2 short van rides, an elevator that took all of 3 minutes, along with some waiting time in between transfers. Now, this phenomenal structure left us confused and inconvenienced. There are vans to take visitors from one level to the next. An elevator that takes a full 3 minutes to reach the suspension bridge. Why was this built, you’d ask? Just to land in the Guinness List? To draw in tourists, visitors seeking thrills and excitement? We found many locals when we visited. Thrill-seekers? I took a few steps and that’s enough. Why walk the entire stretch of 700 meters, pray tell?

Glass Bridge
Nearly 1 Kilometer Suspension Bridge

So there. Two major altitude challenges in one day. The first challenge was justified by the magnificent view of the mountain range. As for the glass-bottomed bridge, we must be insane to even consider coming here. 🤣

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Oh, Van Gogh! Oh, Magritte!

Filed under: Europe, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
May 24, 2023

We covered a lot of museums in Amsterdam. Like 7! But only 1 museum in Brussels. Both cities proud of their Van Gogh and Magritte. One with a troubled Dutch mind who found expression in his art. Another who was quite happy with his life as artist, husband, leader and friend and expressed his joys in his art.

The Van Gogh collection is impressive. In his short life, Vincent was prolific, painting almost every single detail of his brief existence. With his numerous self-portraits, you can say he indulged in selfies. The dark rooms and galleries are intended to safeguard and protect his many artworks. The art world has Theo (Vincent’s brother) to thank for supporting Vincent throughout his turbulent moods and insecurities. This brother’s love is soooo moving, and one can understand how and why Theo passed nearly as soon as Vincent left. And just as touching was how Theo’s wife Jo made sure this Van Gogh collection found their way into our world today. Once more, the power of love made everything possible. How wonderful!

On the other hand, I find René Magritte’s collections so well-curated in the museum in Brussels. For less than half the admission price of major museums in Amsterdam, the Magritte Museum is truly value for money. The museum is massive and the collections hung so impressively. Like a lot of thought went into planning how the artworks should be displayed. It is easy to spend a whole afternoon here, and even to “space out” to enjoy this master’s works. The crowds are mostly locals, like Belgian schoolchildren and young adults likely studying art here.

I know. You love Van Gogh. Can’t miss it in Amsterdam. But do visit Magritte Museum in Brussels too. Twice as big if not more than Vincent’s museum in Dutchland, and equally impressive.

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Unmistakably Japanese

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Japan, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — 1 Comment
January 17, 2023

We are home, and still dreaming of the sites we visited and the food we enjoyed. Times are better and “lost in translation” is soon a thing of the past. Google translate and the young helpful Japanese make life so much easier. When we touched down and trooped out of the Namba train station, we couldn’t figure out which direction to take to reach our hotel. When the map says it’s near, hailing a cab is out of the question and that means we should drag our luggage to our hotel just a couple of blocks away. A pair of young Japanese happily walked us to our hotel — crossed 2 streets with us and even offered to take my suitcase. Using Google translate, the young fellow asked if there’s some other place we’d like to pass by before checking in at our Namba hotel. Bless their hearts!

Love how these young Japanese ham it up!

On the way to our hotel — both in Osaka and Tokyo — we took note of all those red and gold lanterns, lightings, food stalls and shops where purchases are so neatly wrapped. Those snack foods packed in cute boxes and bags, as well as young adults in twinning outfits or in school’s winter uniforms. I just love how traditional structures, decor and traditions have survived and withstood the onslaught of modernity in all aspects of Japanese life. Like onsen, tea ceremonies, food alleys, Shinto and Buddhist shrines, temples and pagodas dotting the city landscapes. And how the locals show respect with a bow after rendering service even when no one is looking!

My love affair with Japan began long before I started traveling. Back when I was still in school, I had a weekend foster brother who is Japanese. Kazuhiro is from Osaka but we’ve lost touch many years ago. How I wish we remained in contact. My father who never had a son readily welcomed this Japanese lad on the many weekends he spent with us in our ancestral home in the province. I remember his fastidious attention to cleaning the bathroom that our family made sure he bathed LAST. My father would egg us all to hit the showers before Hiro — as we fondly called him — took his bath. Invariably, Hiro left behind him sparkling clean bathroom tiles after all the scrubbing. And that includes brushing the bathroom slippers squeaky clean!

My only regret was that we were too busy feeding Hiro with local delicacies instead of leaving him to try his kitchen skills. Back then, we weren’t too keen on Japanese cuisine. Sushi and ramen were totally not favoured over mami and siopao to ignoramus like moí and eating raw would have been unwelcome even to my Pa and Ma. Too bad. At the time, what I considered “unmistakably Japanese” then was limited to thoroughly clean, a manicured and pebbled garden, a bow to show appreciation, welcome, and bye, perfectly-cooked rice and good tea!

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Around The Capital (Tokyo)

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Japan, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
January 16, 2023

Been here countless times, each time with someone visiting Japan for the first time. That means checking out all spots in a tourist’s itinerary and getting “trapped” in camera-touting crowds. I wrongfully assumed that the crowds would have thinned because it’s winter but obviously that idea is way off. Shinjuku, Shibuya, Asakusa, Ginza, Harajuku, to name a few. There wasn’t even enough time in the 5 days we were in the capital to check out Odaiba or Roppongi!

Memory Lane or Piss Alley?
Mt. Fuji and the Metropolis

Our hotel was in Shinjuku area right across the Observatory at the top of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Quite a surprise to view Mt. Fuji very clearly from many of its glass windows, sans any clouds. As they say, the great dame makes a solid appearance come winter time. A short walk from here is the Shinjuku JR Station which is right next to an alley fondly referred to as Memory Lane as it’s been there since the 1940s after the war. It is now called Omoide Yokocho, home to some 60 bars and food stalls. Not exactly the comfiest place to have a proper meal but if you’re into a few drinks and bar food like “anything grilled” and some seafood, it’s the place. Claim your stools and enjoy. We had a marvellous time drinking and dining with 3 young Aussies and a couple of locals who love raising their glasses, shouting Kampai! Even the bar hostess grilling and serving our drinks looked like having a good time with us.

Sensoji Temple

Now, if you want to do some temple and shrine-spotting, don’t miss Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. The way to the temple is far from spiritual though as crowds mill around the many souvenir and snack booths. But if it’s serious shopping you plan to do, there’s Harajuku, Ginza and Shibuya-jungamae. Well frankly, there’s more but for this trip we only managed these spots. The alley in Takeshita-Dori right across the JR Harajuku Station caters to the younger set while the other two have shops with more variety. Some signature shops can be found there as well, and we were lucky to find Louis Vuitton’s pop up store in collab with Japanese renowned contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama in Jungamae. The installations were fantastic and somehow, the experience made up for my missing out on a visit to the artist’s museum in Tokyo.

Tokyo is for the young. I still can’t get used to the rushing subway crowd and the so many confusing exits at every train station. My heart pumps nearly out of my chest each time, right through the ride standing toe to toe during rush hours and heaving a sigh of relief only upon exiting. Maybe that explains why and how we ended up taking the Shinkansen with our green pass to savor country air in the less touristy spots.

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Snow Monkeys Enjoying Onsen

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Japan, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — 2 Comments
January 11, 2023

It’s a long journey to meet them snow monkeys in Jigokudani Park. The Shinkansen ride took 1.5 hours from Tokyo to Nagano where a Snow Monkey Pass can be bought to cover the nearly one-hour bus trip and entrance fee to the park. That’s not bad but you need to walk from the bus stop to the park. Should have ordinarily taken about 30 minutes of walking 2kilometers but the narrow paths are slippery with last night’s snow. Icy by the time we got there and our rubber shoes are no longer good to go. We rented snow boots and finally started walking — for a good hour! No way you can go faster as we eyed the edge of the paths that showed drops I dare not even imagine. Here and there, we dropped to our knees as we slipped and our weights carried us down the paths. At one point, our hands “burned” as we slid hanging by the ropes. It was tempting to give up but having wasted 2.5 hours on a train and bus, we decided to wing it.

Lonely walk towards the park,
Snow all around!

The hot springs serve as haven for these macaques during winter. The heat keeps them warm as they frolic between the mountain slopes and the pond. Never aggressive, but it’s wise to keep a distance. On a few occasions, a couple of macaques squirrelled past me. Every now and then, there’d be “quarrels” among them — I guess claiming their onsen spots — but nothing so dramatic, nor threatening. After a while, you get used to the snarling sounds. It’s just magical just watching them have a good time.

Almost there.
Finally there.

The snow monkeys are having a good life here. An onsen life in the wilds. While we stood watching, Mama Monkey and her babies are soaking warm in the pond. The park sits close to many nearby onsens catering to humans. Same hot springs, I bet, but nothing beats how these snow monkeys are enjoying their own brand of onsen-dipping. The peace and quiet is only broken by camera shutters busily snapping shots, and humans doing what they do worst — being noisy. If these monkeys aren’t quarrelling, they just sit quietly with eyes closed, seemingly meditating. You can say they behave better in onsens than many humans. 🤣

These snow monkeys are having a good life.
Mommy and Baby enjoying the onsen as Papa dozes.

I’m glad we came. It’s best visited in winter when the macaques are drawn to the hot springs. But I should have remembered to wear snow boots to keep me from slipping, and a beanie to keep my head and ears warm. Well, hard lessons learned. For those of you making plans to visit this winter, pay heed. So there.

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