Friday, April 4, 2008
Friday, April 4 ( 8:55PM)
Arrived in Hanoi, got in late and had a quick dinner with Mum. The hotel is nice, in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. More on Hanoi and Laos tomorrow, sorry about being lame but I'm still feeling a tad under the weather.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Friday, April 4 ( 10:57AM)
I got my ass kicked by the elements yesterday, which is why there was no update. To be honest I napped instead. I finally got a sun burn, and the eating at street vendors and open markets as delicious as it can be took it's toll on my insides.
Feeling much better today, right now I'm trying to stay out of Mum's way as she tries to fit all of our new treasures gotten from various markets into our ever bulging suitcases. We are going to Hanoi this afternoon, we will be there for three nights, then we'll be in Singapore for a couple days. Then finally Bali and Jakarta. Two weeks today we'll be back in Toronto. I'll post again from Hanoi tonight, if the internet is working. Keeping my fingers crossed.
It took a few glances for me to figure out what this next image is, it was part of the evening food market we were at last night. Have a guess and I'll let you know if anyone gets it right.
Feeling much better today, right now I'm trying to stay out of Mum's way as she tries to fit all of our new treasures gotten from various markets into our ever bulging suitcases. We are going to Hanoi this afternoon, we will be there for three nights, then we'll be in Singapore for a couple days. Then finally Bali and Jakarta. Two weeks today we'll be back in Toronto. I'll post again from Hanoi tonight, if the internet is working. Keeping my fingers crossed.
It took a few glances for me to figure out what this next image is, it was part of the evening food market we were at last night. Have a guess and I'll let you know if anyone gets it right.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Wednesday, April 2 (4:56PM)
Laos is a beautiful place. This was one of the destinations that I knew the least about when Mum and I began this trip, she was totally set on getting to Luang Prabang (where we are now) if it killed her. I now understand why. It is lush, and warm and the people are very kind and the food is amazing.
Here is a view from the plane, but as with most spectacular views framing it takes away some of what made it so magnificent.
After we settled in to the hotel we decided to go check out the market across the street, we wandered down an alley and we found it lined with street vendors selling food of all description. Sandwiches (there was one lonesome doner stand), various spring rolls, roasting whole pigs, noodles of all kinds, whole roasted birds whose colour ranged from a deep orange to a stunning red. They were beginning to break down their stalls but the aroma of smoke and spice still lingered as we walked along.
For some reason I had decided before leaving that I had spent too much time behind a camera and left it at the hotel for this walk. Very dumb in retrospect.
This is what's left of my snack.
The use of the baggy all through Asia has been remarkable. Every food you can imagine can, and is, served in a baggy. It's amazing. The smaller clear baggy is the dipping sauce that came with the spring rolls, which could have been tricky but worked out surprisingly well as I walked through the market munching these yummy but definitely greasy spring rolls filled with some sort of sweet potato/squash and glass noodles. The sauce itself had three different parts that were combined in the bag. The first was a dried chili powder mixture, the second was a brown powder that looked somewhere between dried chicken stock and dashi flakes, and the last was the liquid, which as far as I could tell was a stock of some sort.
I also found the local beer, appropriately called Beerlao, which comes in both a lager and a dark beer. I have tried both in my short time here but they are both very good. Better then the Cambodian beer in my opinion. I like the dark beer better than the lager, which surprises me because I generally favor light beers. Although I did see on BBC world news that Guinness is becoming very popular in Asia because of how it pairs with the local cuisines.
Right now I am finishing my Beerlao dark on the porch of our hotel watching the night market being set up. I'm alone except for the lizards, which are everywhere. There haven't been quite this many lizards anywhere else.
Lizards directly above my head.
Night Market being set up.
I'm looking forward to more food in baggy's tomorrow.
Here is a view from the plane, but as with most spectacular views framing it takes away some of what made it so magnificent.
After we settled in to the hotel we decided to go check out the market across the street, we wandered down an alley and we found it lined with street vendors selling food of all description. Sandwiches (there was one lonesome doner stand), various spring rolls, roasting whole pigs, noodles of all kinds, whole roasted birds whose colour ranged from a deep orange to a stunning red. They were beginning to break down their stalls but the aroma of smoke and spice still lingered as we walked along.
For some reason I had decided before leaving that I had spent too much time behind a camera and left it at the hotel for this walk. Very dumb in retrospect.
This is what's left of my snack.
The use of the baggy all through Asia has been remarkable. Every food you can imagine can, and is, served in a baggy. It's amazing. The smaller clear baggy is the dipping sauce that came with the spring rolls, which could have been tricky but worked out surprisingly well as I walked through the market munching these yummy but definitely greasy spring rolls filled with some sort of sweet potato/squash and glass noodles. The sauce itself had three different parts that were combined in the bag. The first was a dried chili powder mixture, the second was a brown powder that looked somewhere between dried chicken stock and dashi flakes, and the last was the liquid, which as far as I could tell was a stock of some sort.
I also found the local beer, appropriately called Beerlao, which comes in both a lager and a dark beer. I have tried both in my short time here but they are both very good. Better then the Cambodian beer in my opinion. I like the dark beer better than the lager, which surprises me because I generally favor light beers. Although I did see on BBC world news that Guinness is becoming very popular in Asia because of how it pairs with the local cuisines.
Right now I am finishing my Beerlao dark on the porch of our hotel watching the night market being set up. I'm alone except for the lizards, which are everywhere. There haven't been quite this many lizards anywhere else.
Lizards directly above my head.
Night Market being set up.
I'm looking forward to more food in baggy's tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Wednesday, April 2 (8:56AM)
Just some quick thoughts. There have been a few instances where I have really taken notice of music while I've been here. The first is that Nick Cage seemed unexplainable excellent in Japan (I craved it for some reason), the second is that for some reason the Hotel de la Paix, where I've been staying in Cambodia plays Bjork all the time, and the third is that the sashimi restaurant that I loved at the Tsukiji fish market had Garnet Silk playing both times I was there. The sashimi Chef also seemed to have a real love of Hawaii, and had Luau themed decorations all over the restaurant.
I was thinking about these things over breakfast and thought that I should record them before I lose them.
On to Laos.
Buddha.
I was thinking about these things over breakfast and thought that I should record them before I lose them.
On to Laos.
Buddha.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Tuesday, April 1 (2:32PM)
When it rains in Cambodia the Internet stops working. Something I was not aware of until I arrived here.
Yesterday we left Ho Chi Minh, but not before both Mum and I graduated from the Vietnam Cookery Center. We spent the morning before out flight at the center learning about Vietnamese cuisine and also practicing a few dishes. It was nice to be in a kitchen again, I finally felt like I was mildly in my element for the first time since we arrived in Asia.
Mies.
Mum.
Meal. (Caramelized sea bass and sour fish soup.)
Our flight into Cambodia was forced to circle the runway due to rain, the same rain the killed my Internet access for the last 24 hours. Once we landed we were picked up by our hotel (Hotel de la Paix), which is a very swanky place by the way, and taken to our room. We then went to the Hotel restaurant for a seven course meal. The meal was different. The word I would use to describe Cambodian food is pungent, lots of fermented flavours and fish sauce. An experience worth having though, especially for 28$, plus a wine pairing for 17$. Things are very inexpensive in Cambodia.
This morning we went to Angkor Wat, we were up at 4:30AM and arrived at the temple at 5AM. The sunrise over the temple was a tad underwhelming because of clouds but the temple itself is pretty unbelievable.
Angkor Wat before dawn.
Saying Hello to my Favorite restaurant in Boston, owned by a Cambodian family.
Inside Angkor Wat, a view across one of the pools in the temple.
The other temples near Angkor Wat were equally if not more exciting. Mum missed out on those due to stomach issues, which she blames on the Cooking School. Miraculously, I was fine.
Giant tree growing out of Temple.
Buddha face on gate to Buddha Temple.
Some of the 400 Buddha faces carved into Temple.
Cambodia is a very interesting place, there are still live land mines scattered around the country and yet in Siem Reap there are literally dozens of expensive hotels either already operating or being built. Last year there were 2 million tourists that visited, this year they are expecting 5 million. These are just a couple of things that makes Cambodia a place unlike I have ever been before. It's hard to describe.
Tomorrow we leave for Laos.
Yesterday we left Ho Chi Minh, but not before both Mum and I graduated from the Vietnam Cookery Center. We spent the morning before out flight at the center learning about Vietnamese cuisine and also practicing a few dishes. It was nice to be in a kitchen again, I finally felt like I was mildly in my element for the first time since we arrived in Asia.
Mies.
Mum.
Meal. (Caramelized sea bass and sour fish soup.)
Our flight into Cambodia was forced to circle the runway due to rain, the same rain the killed my Internet access for the last 24 hours. Once we landed we were picked up by our hotel (Hotel de la Paix), which is a very swanky place by the way, and taken to our room. We then went to the Hotel restaurant for a seven course meal. The meal was different. The word I would use to describe Cambodian food is pungent, lots of fermented flavours and fish sauce. An experience worth having though, especially for 28$, plus a wine pairing for 17$. Things are very inexpensive in Cambodia.
This morning we went to Angkor Wat, we were up at 4:30AM and arrived at the temple at 5AM. The sunrise over the temple was a tad underwhelming because of clouds but the temple itself is pretty unbelievable.
Angkor Wat before dawn.
Saying Hello to my Favorite restaurant in Boston, owned by a Cambodian family.
Inside Angkor Wat, a view across one of the pools in the temple.
The other temples near Angkor Wat were equally if not more exciting. Mum missed out on those due to stomach issues, which she blames on the Cooking School. Miraculously, I was fine.
Giant tree growing out of Temple.
Buddha face on gate to Buddha Temple.
Some of the 400 Buddha faces carved into Temple.
Cambodia is a very interesting place, there are still live land mines scattered around the country and yet in Siem Reap there are literally dozens of expensive hotels either already operating or being built. Last year there were 2 million tourists that visited, this year they are expecting 5 million. These are just a couple of things that makes Cambodia a place unlike I have ever been before. It's hard to describe.
Tomorrow we leave for Laos.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Sunday, March 30 (4:34PM)
Spent the last 8 hours walking around Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City. I think I've had a very complete experience for one day. I saw an old temple, spent lots of time at the huge central market and got ripped off by the local transport. I've enjoyed myself a lot today.
Our hotel is beautiful, and very old world, classic. Everything is wood. We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant, fresh fruit and a wonderful bowl of noodle soup. I have always thought that soup was the best possible breakfast, and I think that the very little time I have spent in Vietnam has proved my theory beyond a doubt. We then walked to the Ben Thanh Market, which is huge and has everything. Shoes, bananas, birds, coffee of all descriptions, all different types of meat, dried everything, oreos. I managed to buy three pairs of prescription glass and two prescription sunglasses. The lovely lady who owned the stall took my prescription off the glasses I was wearing.
Ben Thanh Market stall.
Flowers at Ben Thanh.
Meat at Ben Thanh.
Oreo's at Ben Thanh.
Pigs ears at Ben Thanh.
After that we went to another market, in one of those bike carts. The men who took us were very charming but managed to WAY overcharge us in the end. But the temple they took us too was beautiful. And in reality the extra twenty bucks probably makes more of a difference in their lives than it does in ours. All part of the experience.
The temple itself was beautiful. Very old, very Buddhist. The decorations were worth the trip there, and probably the extra cash spent on the sketchy drivers. I can see why people find Buddhism so alluring, it was very beautiful, and even though I have never been a religious person there was something very mystical about this place.
Me outside the temple.
Inside the temple.
Alter in the Temple.
Amazing giant incense cones hanging from ceiling in the temple.
Lunch was delicious. Shrimp paste on sugar cane, rolled rice flour rolls with crab, beef and pork pho and grilled meat vermicelli. The freshness of the flavours in the food here is eye opening. Even with the meats that were served in the pho, which had been cooked for hours there was something very fresh and clean tasting. I've also tried two of the beers here, Tiger and 333. I like both, their light and crisp like the food here. They are also very helpful in taking the edge off the oppressive heat.
Partially through lunch (I forgot about the camera.)
Pho.
Beer.
We are leaving tomorrow afternoon for Cambodia. Definitely not enough time for this city, but it is worth a trip back here at some point.
Our hotel is beautiful, and very old world, classic. Everything is wood. We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant, fresh fruit and a wonderful bowl of noodle soup. I have always thought that soup was the best possible breakfast, and I think that the very little time I have spent in Vietnam has proved my theory beyond a doubt. We then walked to the Ben Thanh Market, which is huge and has everything. Shoes, bananas, birds, coffee of all descriptions, all different types of meat, dried everything, oreos. I managed to buy three pairs of prescription glass and two prescription sunglasses. The lovely lady who owned the stall took my prescription off the glasses I was wearing.
Ben Thanh Market stall.
Flowers at Ben Thanh.
Meat at Ben Thanh.
Oreo's at Ben Thanh.
Pigs ears at Ben Thanh.
After that we went to another market, in one of those bike carts. The men who took us were very charming but managed to WAY overcharge us in the end. But the temple they took us too was beautiful. And in reality the extra twenty bucks probably makes more of a difference in their lives than it does in ours. All part of the experience.
The temple itself was beautiful. Very old, very Buddhist. The decorations were worth the trip there, and probably the extra cash spent on the sketchy drivers. I can see why people find Buddhism so alluring, it was very beautiful, and even though I have never been a religious person there was something very mystical about this place.
Me outside the temple.
Inside the temple.
Alter in the Temple.
Amazing giant incense cones hanging from ceiling in the temple.
Lunch was delicious. Shrimp paste on sugar cane, rolled rice flour rolls with crab, beef and pork pho and grilled meat vermicelli. The freshness of the flavours in the food here is eye opening. Even with the meats that were served in the pho, which had been cooked for hours there was something very fresh and clean tasting. I've also tried two of the beers here, Tiger and 333. I like both, their light and crisp like the food here. They are also very helpful in taking the edge off the oppressive heat.
Partially through lunch (I forgot about the camera.)
Pho.
Beer.
We are leaving tomorrow afternoon for Cambodia. Definitely not enough time for this city, but it is worth a trip back here at some point.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Sunday, March 30 (7:07AM)
We arrived late in Ho Chi Minh City last night. There's a whole process of getting a VISA that I have never gone through before, involving giving the Vietnamese Government two copies of my passport photo.
I haven't gone out yet, but here's some photo's I took of the balcony of the hotel room.
Road.
Building.
I just ate a piece of mango, it was awesome. I also just woke up, so I've really got nothing much to say, still getting used to mornings here. I'll post again later today, hopefully with a better impression of Saigon.
I haven't gone out yet, but here's some photo's I took of the balcony of the hotel room.
Road.
Building.
I just ate a piece of mango, it was awesome. I also just woke up, so I've really got nothing much to say, still getting used to mornings here. I'll post again later today, hopefully with a better impression of Saigon.
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