It's been awhile since my last travel blog. But I thought best to pen down this trip as it was a much needed one as my beloved dog, Rainbow, of 14 years had just passed on two weeks ago (2 Oct 2017) and I am still dealing with grief.
I first started this travel blog in 2012, where my first destination was also to Vietnam (the Central region). Coincidentally, I ended that post with a photo of me giving my dog a belly rub as she greeted me at the door when we came home. This time, she is no longer :'(
This trip was not a long anticipated one. A close family friend - Uncle Terence, had initially wanted to take my sister and I on a three-day cruise off Port Klang (which he suggested over dinner about a month before). He then decided that since my dad, sis and I have not been to Hanoi, it could be fun to enjoy a cruise at Halong Bay instead. I had a week off as school is closed for a week for Deepavali break whilst my sister only had to take two days leave off work. I hadn't anticipated my dog's death, but I am grateful for this trip as it was very much needed for my family to spend some time together away from home.
Day 1 - Sunday, 15 October 2017
We met our local guide, David, at the airport early in the morning and headed off on our journey for a night's cruise at Halong Bay based on our initial itinerary. However, it's raining season in Hanoi and the Vietnamese Tourism department had issued a ban against going out to sea. So we had to turn around and head back towards Hanoi. We were a little disappointed as Halong Bay was supposed to be the highlight when travelling to Hanoi.
Nevertheless, I was just happy to take some time off with my family and the itinerary didn't matter too much to me, as long as we enjoyed our time together.
We discussed the change of itinerary with our private Vietnamese guide, David, who then made a few calls. Ninh Binh was open for us to have a boat ride and so off we went.
A quick stop along the road for lunch at a popular Vietnamese Restaurant, famous for buffalo meat dishes.
Our lunch at the restaurant along our journey to Ninh Binh.
Dad had to try Saigon beer.
Buffalo meat wrapped in seaweed.
Buffalo meat stir-fried with morning glory plant.
Chicken which was tougher than buffalo meat.
Buffalo meat with bamboo shoot.
Roadside/Highway fruit sellers.
Flooded rice paddy fields.
City view along the journey.
Limestone hills in Ninh Binh.
Limestone hills and flooded paddy fields.
We arrived at Ninh Binh which is famous for it's river boat rides between limestone hills. Ninh Binh was initially the capital of Vietnam before central Vietnam and Hanoi. Hence why ancient temples and archways can be found there.
Beginning of boat ride through limestone hills.
Our boat peddler, peddling the boat with only her feet.
Floating pass flooded homes.
View from our boat.
Random strangers under the sunlight.
Family of ducks.
Our boat peddler offered to take a photograph.
Mum and dad thrilled with their ride.
Notice the bag in front of our boat peddler?
Our boat peddlers stopped us at the middle of the river and started pulling out 'tourist merchandise' for sale.
I would suggest not showing any interest to begin with as my mum did
and it held them back for a while until the peddler decided to take them back to shore.
Uncle Terence and Aunty Naa.
Lam family on 'sampans'
Some of the more popular river boat rides, such as the Tam Coc boat ride which sails between paddy fields, were closed due to the flood. However, a family photo against the beautiful serene landscape was a must.
View of Tam Coc.
Dog having a river bath.
Empty boats at Tam Coc.
Roast duck seller. We purchased half a roast duck for dinner.
Ninh Binh Street.
Mansion behind Ninh Binh Street.
Our dinner venue. A restaurant which sold a lot of Vietnamese handicraft souvenirs.
King Kong Hostel next to Lion King Hostel?
According to our guide, the King Kong Hostel was where the film crew stayed during the King Kong movie shoot in Ninh Binh.
Goat meat, roast duck and pork for dinner.
How to eat: Place starfruit slice, green banana slice, goat meat and mint leaves onto rice paper, wrap it, dip in the sauce and enjoy!
Spring roll, fried chicken and prawn platter.
Snake wine for sale.
After dinner, we adjourned to our hotel for the night. A beautiful French-styled hotel in Ninh Binh.
Ninh Binh Legend Hotel
Day 2 - Monday, 16 October 2017
Our breakfast at the hotel's restaurant.
A group shot outside the grand French Hotel.
View of a semi-developed building across the road from our hotel.
After a hearty breakfast of beef noodle soup, french loaves, crepes and pate, we headed off on a 3-hour journey to Hanoi city.
We arrived at the heart of Hanoi city just in time for lunch at a popular Vietnamese restaurant, recommended by our guide.
Ground level of restaurant.
We on the other hand, were taken upstairs to be seated.
The lunch party.
Vietnamese Spring rolls.
Shrimp and pork in egg pancake. Meant to be eaten rolled in rice paper with mint leaves.
I'm not a fan of escargot, but dad wanted some...
Baked snails.
Juicy beef cutlets.
Deep fried spring rolls.
Deep fried squid.
Hanoi beer.
Dessert Hut.
After a very satisfying Vietnamese lunch, it was time to explore the city! However, as it was a Monday, a number of tourist sites were closed, including the World museum. And so our guide took us to the Women's museum instead (Yes, we were surprise that there's a museum dedicated to women). According to David, our guide, women are highly regarded in Vietnamese society and hence why they have a museum to honour them.
Vietnamese Women's Museum.
Wasn't too heavy but I probably wouldn't last an hour with it.
Vietnamese women honoured as they lost their husbands/sons during the Vietnam war.
Tribal kids.
Vietnamese mother and child.
Women harvesting paddy.
Golden statue in museum.
A necessary shot outside the museum.
After a visit to the museum, we were in for a Vietnamese treat. Our guide took us to a local cafe joint where the specialty was Egg Coffee!
The tiny shop front led to a little narrow space with tiny tables and stools which was crowded with people - both local and foreign.
We headed upstairs and waited for a table. Service was quick though as the crowd kept coming in.
Big people, little people all seated on tiny stools.
So what is Egg Coffee? It's a raw egg yolk cracked into a foamy cup of Vietnamese coffee.
I had a sip of it and frankly couldn't really taste the egg. It tasted pretty rich and dense though. Absolutely lovely if you're looking for a shot of cholesterol!
After our little taste of Vietnamese coffee culture, we decided to take a stroll along the streets of Hanoi.
Hanoi street
Hanoi Old Quarters.
Cafes abound in every street corner.
Lantern shop.
Tombstones?
Meat skewer street vendor.
Hanoi street.
Pretty modern cafe amongst old buildings.
Here's a video I shot of the streets from an electric car.
Lady selling dry snacks.
St. Joseph Cathedral.
Interior of cathedral.
Pretty skybar outside the cathedral.
Hanoi Opera House.
The Water Puppet theatre.
Red bridge at Hanoi Lake across from the Water Puppet Theatre.
Group shot! Proof we were here. Our next destination? French dining!
Le Restaurant d'Arthur. I guess it means 'Arthur's Restaurant'?
Exterior of the French Restaurant.
A group photo before we say 'Bon Appetite!'
Fruit salad with seafood starter.
Salmon tartar starter.
French Onion soup.
Steamed seabass with cream sauce and mashed potatoes.
Veal with pasta.
Beef medallion with potato and vegetables.
Creme Brulee for dessert.
After a busy day, it was time to call it a night. And so we checked into Somerset Hotel in Hanoi city.
Giant teddy at the lobby.
View from our room.
Day 3 - Tuesday, 17 October 2017
Early the next morning, our guide brought us good news - that the Tourism department had lifted the ban against going out to sea and we could head out to Halong Bay. And so we embarked on a 3-hour journey to the sea.
There are various cruise companies to choose from when taking a cruise out to Halong Bay. We took one of the luxurious ones called 'Bhaya' which is owned by a local Vietnamese. We were introduced to a few of their fleet which accommodates various amounts of people.
Bhaya Large Cruise Ship.
Bhaya cruise ships, all in a row.
A little snippet of Halong Bay from the docks.
Our private cruise ship.
We got to have our private cruise ship which has four bedrooms for guests. Together on our boat, there were approximately 6-7 other crew members (captain, guest relations officer, chef, waiter, small boat driver, etc).
Layout of our private cruise ship.
Map of Halong Bay.
Our room on the cruise ship.
Sea-facing view outside our room.
Well-furnished bathroom comes with a shower.
And a bath tub.
Sky Deck of our cruise ship.
Group shot at the front of the ship. It was cold and windy!
Our private dining area.
Our guide briefing us on the itinerary for the day.
Our lunch on board the cruise ship.
Seabass on lemongrass skewers.
Pan-fried seabass with mashed potato.
Pickled salad.
Then off we went for a 20 minute hike uphill at Titov Island. Which my dad did (and made us walk along) in 10 minutes, to which he is very proud of.
Mr. Titov.
Titov Island is named after a Russian Astronaut called Gherman Titov, who was the 2nd man to orbit the earth. In 1962, he toured the Island together with the revered Vietnamese leader, Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh later decided to name the island after him as a gesture of friendship between Vietnam and Russia.
View from the top of the hill on Titov Island.
Tourist cruise ships, view from above Titov Island.
We were very amused by this tourist.
We returned to the ship for a spring roll cooking demo by our chef on board the cruise.
The ingredients - spring onions, shrimp, mushrooms, minced pork, black fungus, carrot, vermicelli, garlic.
Mixed the ingredients in a bowl together with an egg. Place a tablespoon full into a sheet of damped rice paper.
We were also thought how to make carrot and cucumber decorations.
We had a hand on rolling the spring rolls.
Our chef pan frying the spring rolls.
Plated nicely for each of us.
We then headed out to one of the main tourist attraction at Halong Bay - Hang Luon Cave. This is where tourists get to choose between Kayaking or a boat ride under stalactites through to a limestone enclosure.
After our day out kayaking at Hang Luon Cave, we came back to a scrumptious dinner.
Pumpkin Soup.
Oysters and prawns.
French loaves.
Stir-fried squid.
Fried chicken.
Pickled vegetables.
Our last supper in Hanoi, on board a cruise ship.
Our ship was parked at Dong Tien Lake for the night, where we got to snooze with full bellies in the comfort of our luxurious rooms.
Day 4 - Wednesday, 18 October 2017
We woke up to this...
Morning view of the sea.
Morning Tai Chi.
View from our cruise ship.
Breakfast was simple and hearty.
Croissants.
Raisin rolls.
Cheddar cheese.
Pork bacon and sausages.
Fruits and stir-fried noodles.
We then headed to Hang Sung Sot/ Surprising cave for a 20-minute morning hike. One of the biggest most popular caves for visitors to Halong Bay.
So to make our walk in the cave a little bit interesting, our guide told us of a legendary love story...
"There was a rich old man who wanted to marry a young girl from a poor family. However she refused as she loved another. But the rich old man was powerful and she could not refuse...
Hence, she can be spotted crying the in cave..."
See the silhouette of a crying girl?
"But true love reigns and so she ran off together with the young man and hid in this cave where they can finally be together..."
The man and woman together.
The End."
Oh and here's a joke from our tour guide:
"What's the difference between 'Finished' and 'Complete'?"
Me: Erm... 'Finished' means 'Done'. 'Complete' means 'Completely done'.
Sister: Huh? It's the same la...
Tour guide: No... In life, if you marry the wrong person, you are 'Finished'. But if you marry the right person, you are 'Complete'.
Sis and I: *Facepalm*
There were stalactites and staglamites everywhere which you could easily make up as some familiar character...
Spot the stalagmite that resembles Kwan Yin?
View from the top of the cave.
The Surprising Cave.
Heading back into our boat that ferries us back to the cruise ship.
View from above our cruise ship.
A supermarket rest stop area along the road to the airport.
This is where local residents can be found sitting on little stools, nibbling on local delicacies.
The beautiful night view of KL City from the plane with the Twin Towers welcoming us home.
