Tuesday 30 July 2013

Vietnam I


Travelogue.

There's something exotic about visiting Southeast Asian countries that the rest of the world cannot fulfill - the medley of cultures, the (almost) untainted countryside and the myraid of Asian cuisine bursting in your mouth. Before I went down to London, my family and I headed to Hanoi, Vietnam for an eye-opening backpacking trip. From Hanoi, we took an overnight sleeper train down to Sa pa,  frontier town and capital of Sa Pa District in the Lao Cai province in northwest Vietnam. (Don't be fooled by the word capital) Albeit being a mere couple of hours away from Singapore, it felt like we transited into a different era the very moment we landed.

Some snippets from my travel journal for the first day: "First day of Vietnam. Our taxi from the airport took us speedily to the Central district, we're tailgating the vehicle in front of us (ditto for the truck behind us) and lane markings don't mean anything here. My mum looks at me with concern and we begin to voice our concerns amongst ourselves in Mandarin before telling the driver to slow down. He doesn't care and proceeds to talk loudly on his phone in Vietnamese. Welcome to Vietnam."

"Survived a three hour flight, but almost got knocked over whilst mastering the Art of crossing Hanoi traffic. It is indeed an Art mastered only by the locals, for the traffic here is horrendous. Getting close to being knocked over 20 times a day spells a good day for any tourist. Traffic lights are non-existant, but while some are erected along the junction, no one bats an eyelid!"

We settled in a quaint cafe for lunch by the busy road.



"The streets are bustling, especially along the main market square. Makeshift street stalls are promptly set up, with plastic stools around wooden tables on high bricks. Many locals gather around, shouting their orders across. The sound of the chopsticks, the porcelain bowls, the slurping of noodles. Hanoi is also famous for its narrow alleys of food goodness, with many illegal hawkers peddling Vietnamese delights - bicycles laden with groceries and weariness. They settle anywhere along the road, it's the same process again and again - they perch their goods on an empty plastic chair, call out to hordes of tourists passing by and keep a keen eye for the police all at the same time.

A lady in a white nón lá (leaf hat) does just that, but it's her unlucky day. Seconds after a fortunate bulk sale to a Caucasian couple just a mere 3 feet away from me, a police van swiftly turns down the bend. Three uniformed officers jump down, grabbed her and whisked her away - in the matter of seconds that I barely had time to react. It was excruciatingly heartbreaking to watch as she cried out. But one man's misfortune may be the treasure of another - for the squid balls she was selling weren't put to waste, and was quickly scooped up by an accomplice (who probably went into hiding when the police arrived) and sold them to other oblivious tourists in the vicinity. She takes the 3 second food on the ground rule to a whole new level."







"Shopping is more of a cultural activity than actual retail therapy here. Being on a backpack limit for our necessities, the goods sold were interesting to see, but not exactly my cuppa tea. For the fashion label buyers, there are many branded outlet stores in the Central district to cater to your palette as many have factories based here. That being said, I still bought a lifetime supply of black hair ties and a fleece coat for winter."





"Popped by the famous Thang Long Water puppet show located at 57B Dinh Tien Hoang, an enchanting puppet show showcasing historical legends and tales from the past. Many traditional old Vietnamese speak French, and I see french scattered all around. Marionnettes sur eau du Vietnam can be translated to mean 'Water puppetry of Vietnam'. It's a fascinating cultural experience if you want to get to know more about traditional Vietnam."














"Rushing down to the Hanoi train station was a blur. Securing the train tickets was a challenge, as we didn't know which train company offered the best deal but we got ours from a budget travel counter who helpfully broke down the pros and cons. To make matters worse, the heavy Vietnam rain and the crowd of the locals were making rushing more unbearable. While free ponchos were being given out, it was not so much of a saving grace as the rain was heavy. So there we were, hobbling through the rain with our backpacks and dim lights across train tracks (bright streets would be appreciated!) to find our train and our carriages. The trains here all have fancy names, not numbers so it was pretty hard to find. We found Pumpkin on the Livitrans express and quickly boarded."






"Wet and tired, we were comforted to see our sleeper train beds equipped with seemingly warm blankets. A  train crew comes by and gets us hot green tea - such a treat after all that fuss in the rain. The lights in the cabins are quite dim, and the cabin space itself is very narrow. We change out of our wet attire, and I regret wearing my canvas shoes which are soaked down to its core. There are no shower cubicles, so we dry ourselves using towels and wash up with the icy water running on the tap. My sister and I take the upper bunks, and we pretend it's a mini adventure climbing up and down.

Shortly after, baby cockroaches start to appear one by one. We try to get rid of them, but we're tired and it's dark to even spot them out. We try, hesitate and finally fall asleep."





"The 8 hour train ride was pretty bumpy. Bumpy, but manageable....even though there were times where I woke up in complete oblivion I was on a sleeper train and thought I awoke on an amusement ride. The train also stops at various points through the night, where Vietnamese words are exchanged loudly and luggage are being thrown out  - we were afraid that we would miss our stop so we asked a train crew. He tells us that our stop is at 5am, a few hours away but we fall back to sleep anyway.

5am arrives, and we are back in the bitter cold rain at Lao Cai railway station. We packed up in a frenzy (the baby cockroaches surfaced once again but we were in too much of a frenzy to bother about them) and lament on how we haven't showered for a few days. Alighting and walking out to get a cab, my mum realized that she couldn't find our passports and we dash straight back to the train and banging on the carriage doors to plead the drivers not to drive off. And where were the passports and tickets? Happily nesting in my mum's handbag the entire time."

After a 1 hour's drive, we reached Sa pa - said to be the place where Heaven meets Earth, we'll see ♥

Part II
Part III  

Sunday 28 July 2013

Midnight pangs,


It's Sunday night, and I'm googling tzatziki (cucumber yoghurt dip), fava (puree of yellow split beans) and souvlaki (skewer meat), all the Greek food I'm missing ever since we got back from Greece! This is torturous, maybe I should gather some recipes hmmmm (Hint to R). Baking pangs are also arising. Can't wait to get hold of more baking materials, a hobby I've been severely deprived of since I came back ♥ Outgrowing cupcakes and cake rolls, and a lot more into fresh bread after hopping about Europe - next challenge: croissants. 

Saturday 27 July 2013

Bienvenue à Paris 2.0,

Notre dame Paris

Photolog. 

Paris never ceases to seduce, or so I have been told. It's my second time in Paris. The streets, the Parisian bistros claiming to serve modest meals, the cathedral architecture, the overly friendly buskers, the not so friendly waiters, and the dusty metro chairs ring a slightest bit of the bell. Faint, but definitely memorable - especially one in 1997 where my family and I had to seek cover in a boulangerie during a heavy hailstorm. Heavenly smells of freshly baked bread and falling ice from the sky, what better way to make the day of a little girl who lives near the equator.

The charm of the city isn't the romantic aura you're psyched to believe (there you go, a jibe about the hype) but there's a certain unspeakable charm about the place that draws you in - perhaps it's in the bohemian vibe of Montmartre or the friendliness of French passerbys entertaining to every request of my 'Excusez-moi, est-ce que vous savez où est....' It makes you feel alive. Understanding doses of French really helped with getting around, or so I like to believe that my hours invested in French classes did conjure up to something useful hahaha. Another gem about Paris is the abundant flea markets, seemingly overrated but you can get quite good bargains and hunts if you spend half a day looking through the little bins. R and I spent an hour sieving through old postcards and black/white photographs, what a treat! Having bread at every meal was also a delight in its own, as I'm a huge fan of fresh bread.

Decadence: while we couldn't afford to march down Avenue des Champs-Élysées laden shopping bags, we did indulge in simple(r) luxuries of life like walking along la Seine, falling in love with my first bite of Ladurée, red wine and giving thanks for even being in Paris! Or just having warmth when the icy cold wind blows....or staring at the oddly shaped trees at their parks. Sur[reality] at it's best.  

My only regret was not staying long enough to soak in more of the city, and not getting my hands on an amateur (and preferrably old and dusty) French novel. Post travel note: Got one on my third trip back ♥

Notre dame Paris

ste chapelle paris

ste chapelle paris

Pont neuf paris

Paris street buskers

Paris metro

Comptoirs richard

arc de triomphe paris

Le Roi du Pot au Feu

Le Roi du Pot au Feu

Laduree Champs elysee

louvre birds

louvre water

Eurostar

Eiffel tower paris night

Eiffel tower paris

Eiffel tower paris

Eiffel tower paris

Eiffel tower paris night reflection

Paris RER

Paris RER

Paris trees square

Paris trees square

Jardin du Luxembourg

Jardin du Luxembourg

Notre dame

Eiffel tower paris

Paris junction

Boulangerie paris

Paris metro ticket

Porte de clingnancourt

Porte de clingnancourt

Porte de clingnancourt

Paris crepe

montmatre street busker


montmatre artist

Basilica du sacred coer

Basilica du sacred coer

Basilica du sacred coer view

Basilica du sacred coer

Basilica du sacred coer

Père Lachaise cemetery

Cafe du rendevous

Cafe du rendevous

Paris pont neuf night

Porte de clingnancourt

Basilica du sacred coer view

Au revoir Paris, je ne vais pas manquer votre métro malodorante.
(Read: Good bye Paris, I will not miss your smelly subway stations)

Side note: Do try Le Roi du Pot au Feu located at 34 Rue Vignon, 75008 Paris, France, they serve a mean French stew. Coupled with fresh bread and red wine, you're in gastronomical heaven♥ 
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