Imperial Cuisine

Well, it's happened. Just as I knew it would. When you live in a currency long enough, you forget what "expensive" really means. Like last night, when we went for dinner and ended up at a very basic street restaurant. The food was great. We had "bun" (kind of like pho soup) some fresh rice paper salad rolls, meat on a skewer, and two beers. And the bill came to $8.00! That's almost highway robbery! However, afterwards we went for beers at a local beer place (you sit on the side of the street on little plastic furniture) and drank a few Kuda beers at less than .50 each and felt better very quickly!

Hue is very different than Hoi An. It's a much larger city, and therefore, less quaint. But, it has some great things going for it. Like the Imperial Hotel. It's the fancy pants place that's beside our lower rent place, and has a fantastic top floor bar (16 floors up) at which to have a sundowner. Gin and tonic is really extra pleasant when you're drinking tonic for the quinine content to keep away malaria. Really!

We had Indian food for lunch. Our very first foray away from Vietnamese food. It was, as Mark said, quite simply some of the best Indian food we've had. He had the vegetarian thali and I had some delicious stuffed potatoes. It was too much food for the two of us, but Mark valiantly cleaned it up. Lucky he has that hollow leg.

After lunch, when we should have been napping, we instead went for a motorcycle tour around Hue. We rode out to the countryside to see the rice paddies and people working in the fields. Terry, I will never, ever complain about working too hard (I hope). If I do, remind me about the Vietnamese farmers. They walk through the muddy rice fields planting and harvesting, under all sorts of weather conditions - it's truly amazing what they do. If they're poor, they don't have a water buffalo or tractor to help them out, so they are dragging along a plough. By sheer muscle power. In 35 degree heat. Astounding. We in the western world have nothing to complain about.

The ride was very cool. The drivers took us along some incredibly narrow roads that were covered in drying hay. I thought it would be very slippery, and maybe it was, but the drivers didn't show it. In one spot it was so narrow that the truck we passed had to push his driver's side mirror close to the door so we wouldn't take it off (or get injured by it).

We went to "bunker hill" - where there are 4 bunkers built and still standing, but they were from the French occupation, not the American. We also spent an hour at Tu Duc tomb, which was very peaceful and felt a bit like being in a large park with a lot of ruins. The series of buildings was built between 1864 and 1867, but it looks like they are really, really ancient instead of just 150 odd years old. The climate must be harsh here, and perhaps the quality suffers when you use slave labour......

On the way back into town, we happened across a couple of elephants strolling by in their finery with their handlers for the festival happening next week (which we, sadly, will miss). We stopped at a Buddhist monastary and watched the monks in prayer for a while. The chanting accompanied by the ringing of a deep bell is really magical. And, we went to Thien Mu Pagoda, 4km out of town and also a very quiet, lovely spot. At least in the heat of the day. Apparently in the a.m. it gets hordes of tourists, but since we opted for the afternoon tour, we were spared the crowds.

Man, it felt hot today. Like it does every day, in fact. We have been treated to distant lightning storms the last few nights, but no rain. I expected it today, but it did not materialize. Just as well. I've already experienced riding a motorcycle through pelting rain. It's not so bad, but I don't need to repeat it.

Hue is known for it's Imperial Cuisine which is very finicky and decorative. To experience this degustation, we went to Y Thao Garden restaurant for dinner, a complete splash out. $24.00!!! Unheard of in this country. It was kitschy (sp?), but good. On offer was a set menu with 7 courses. Thankfully the courses are small, so I didn't roll out of the place. First we had deep fried spring rolls, in a most novel presentation (Kim and Adrienne, I think this would be a hit at Citrus Cafe! - see pic) vegetable soup, steamed prawns, Hue's specialty pancake which was filled with shrimp, mushrooms and duck, mixed salad fig (tasty, but I'm not sure where the figs were, I think it was young jackfruit) grilled beef that was sweet served with shredded carrot and green papaya salad that was pickled (providing the sour component) mixed steamed lotus rice (lotus seeds taste like chick peas) and finally, pineapple pieces carved like chicken's feet and green bean cake formed fruit (looked like marzipan, and tasted way better than it sounds!) As always, we were well satisfied.

Tomorrow morning Mark wants to go to the bakery for pain au chocolat with bananas, and iced Vietnamese coffee - which tastes amazingly similar to melted chocolate! I can't really think about food at the moment, I'm still full, but Mr. Hollow Leg is almost planning our next meal before the current one is done!

Hue

Hello again everyone. We arrived in Hue a couple of hours ago and checked in to our air conditioned room. I didn't want to leave. It's lovely.

We left Hoi An this morning at around 10:30. Mark decided it was time for adventure, so we were going to "travel like the locals". Oh joy.

We first took a motorbike taxi to the local bus station. After a bit of bartering about price, we struck a deal and I got ready to get on. Mark was on his bike and away before I got on mine - and when I went to sit on it realized it had been sitting in the sun. A black plastic seat gets very hot in 35 degree temperatures, so I quickly hopped off. My driver quickly got a cloth for me to sit on. I don't think I mentioned, but many women wear what look like surgical masks outside to keep the pollution out of their lungs and sun off of their faces (not in that order, I think.) Some have longish ones that hang down their chest a little ways to protect their neck. The cloth I was sitting on looked suspiciously like one of these masks. I hoped someone didn't have to put it back on their face when the driver was done with it.....

I eventually caught up with Mark and we arrived at the bus station. There was one decrepit bus going to Danang in 5 minutes. Timing was pretty good considering we didn't really planned this little trip. We hopped on the bus (complete with deity with flashing LED halo in the front window as all buses seem to be) and s-l-o-w-l-y crept out of town. I kid you not, an old lady carrying a pole with heavy baskets on each end was keeping pace with us and bicycles were pulling out to pass. A few locals got on the bus, including one guy with his ancient bicycle. The bus conductor tied his bike to the wall and all was well.

We did eventually pick up steam (and maybe not coincidentally, the deity's halo started flashing faster) and made it to Danang in about an hour. We got dropped off close to the train station for our 3 hour train ride to Hue. Again, good timing. We bought "soft seat" train tickets for the 1:05 departure. As it was only 12:15, Mark of course wanted to go somewhere to eat lunch - no sense risking missing a meal, after all.

I tend to get a little stressed when at airports, train stations, and bus stations close to departure times. I like to have plenty of time to chill out and not worry about missing departure times. Mark has no such worries. I caved and we went for lunch, with the caveat that it was close to the train station. Our lunch arrived at 12:35. I told him I wanted to leave at 12:50 at the latest (all the while checking my watch). We did make the train, with, according to Mark, plenty of time. I think we were in our seats for all of 5 minutes before the train began to move.

The train ride from Danang to Hue is really beautiful. Mark spent all of the time in the vestibule at the open window admiring the view and snapping pics. I couldn't bring myself to leave the air conditioning of the car (such that it was.) I dozed a bit, looked out the window a bit, and began reading the novel that I "borrowed" from our hotel "3 Moons Over Vietnam". I think it will be a good read for the trip.

The train follows the coast for almost the entire time, and there are some pretty spectacular views as the train winds around the mountainside. I hope Mark got pictures, as the train's windows definitely needed a bath. Luckily the local kids along the route didn't throw big rocks at the windows as we had been warned. At least not on this trip, but there was evidence of such misbehavior.

Arrived at Hue to the throng of touts outside the station and the many calls of "need taxi?" and "need hotel?" We decided to take a cyclo to our hotel - less than $1.00 for a 10-15 minute ride. Much more enjoyable than hiking through town with a heavy backpack.

That's all for now. Going for dinner soon!

PS Did you notice that there's hardly anything about food in this entry??

Our last night in Hoi An

Howdy everyone! Today we were up at 5:00 a.m., so don't think that this is a lolly gagging relaxing vacation. The market is a crazy hive of activity, so we wanted to catch the action before it slows down in mid morning.

Hoi An is situated on a river, and the market is right next to it. The fishermen fish during the evening and night, and the catch is brought to the market starting at 4:00 a.m. It was interesting watching the women do all the wheeling and dealing. Many unload their catch from little boats lifting big wicker trays of all types of fish, prawns, crab, and shrimp to the dock. Their balance is amazing. The catch is sold to those that run stalls in the market (or other markets) money is exchanged, and they go on their way.

We saw women tying up fresh crab with rope made from wet banana leaves both so they wouldn't run away and so that they would stay wet. Other women were scraping out some small fish with a spoon, making a kind of fish paste, and then rolling it into fish balls and fish cakes. Refrigeration is not common (other than crushed ice) so people shop at the market twice a day.

Okay, so a little more about food. We went out for dinner last night to an out of the way restaurant. We had a set menu for 80,000 dong for both (about 5.00) and had a really fantastic meal. I will spare you the details, just know that our tastbuds were well satisfied.

During the day, we rented the most ancient bicycles and rode the 5km out of town to the beach. It was pretty nice, made all the better with the addition of a book that Mark borrowed from the hotel for me. Marley and Me is a very good book - so good in fact, that I finished it today. A great holiday read.

The beach seemed to be populated with gangs of grade 9 students and a few old ladies wanting us to buy things. The funny thing about the kids is that none of them had bathing suits (as we know them, anyways). They all ran into the water in whatever they were wearing. Jeans, belts, shirts....it didn't seem to matter. And of course, they all wanted to gawk at the whitey on the beach reading her book. And practice their English.

Also, as I am in Hoi An, I am getting some clothes made. Everyone who has ever spent any time at all with me knows how much I lament about finding pants that fit. Well, when they're made for you, they really do fit. It does take a lot of trips to the tailor to get it right though, but for 80.00 for four pairs of pants and a blouse, who am I to complain? Just as an aside, our clothes from the motorcycle ride did come back from the laundry surprisingly clean.

We went to cooking school today! It started with a tour of the market (which of course, we had already thoroughly explored) but it was fun to go with a chef and learn about some of the ingredients we had wondered about. Then a 1/2 hour riverboat ride took us to the "Red Bridge Cooking School". There we learned to make eggplant in a clay pot, fresh rice paper salad rolls (I think I'll stick with the store bought dried rice paper) Hoi An pancakes - a rice based pancake with shrimp that is wrapped with assorted tasty greens in rice paper, and a crash course on garnishing. After the course we hung out by their pool and I finished reading my book.

As always, thanks for posting. It makes for fun reading for us.

Next stop, Hue. Look for it on a map near the DMZ.

Happy in Hoi An

Hello everyone! We made it safe and sound to Hoi An, the land of many tailors. Apparently some 500 of them. We are staying in a 180 year old traditional wooden home right next to the market. We have the VIP room upstairs, the one with the windows that open up right on to the market. I'm sure we'll be up early tomorrow - I'm not sure I mentioned that this country seems to get going at about 5:00 a.m. or so. No air con for us at this place, but the character far outweighs the need. I'm hoping it will cool down tonight. It's currently in the mid thirties (I think). Mark had to buy a spiffy straw hat to avoid sunstroke while walking around today.
Nha Trang looked like a great place to hang out at the beach. Sadly, no beach time for us. We had a few hours between getting off of our motorcycles, and, thankfully, showering, to getting on our "sleeping bus". We took a stroll to the beach and found, joy of joys, a real BREW PUB!!! The beer was wonderful and cold.
I invited a fellow sitting on his own over to join us. His name was Johnathon, and he was from London. When I invited him over, his remark was, "I think I will. I trust you are from the new world then?" in his lovely British accent. Made us laugh, and was a great opening to some good conversation.
Our weather luck ran out just before lunch on the bike trip. A sudden downpour made us pull to the side of the road to don our plastic rain clothes. It made us very steamy, as of course, rain does not equal cold. It really was pelting down though - the kind of rain that hurts when it hits. It didn't last long, all of 10 minutes, but enough to absolutely soak my feet.
To stay with the food theme (this is all about me, after all) we went to a noodle place for breakfast that was, of course, like all other meals so far, wonderful. There was lots of lemon grass in the broth which made it very fragrant and flavourful. Then we went next door for coffee with sweetened condensed milk - it looked like melted chocolate, and I swear that any other coffee served that strong would have been bitter, but it was smooth and mellow. Dee-lish! Didn't seem to make Mark any more energetic than normal, either.
We stopped for a snack after an hour and a half on the bike to try some local food that Thiet thought we'd like. Plus, we got to see how rice paper is made. It's pretty cool. They take rice goop (looks kind of like soup) and make a crepe very similar to the French method. But, they put a lid on the crepe while it's cooking and they steam it. Then they do a second crepe on top of the first one. The snack we had was a wet, fresh crepe with a roasted dry crepe on top. Dip it in some yummy sauce and you're good to go.
The other thing we ate was a salad with a bowl of sauce that never ended. Mark thought it was like dipping your salad in salad dressing, rather than our traditional way of adding dressing to the salad. Also, of course, yummy. And the last thing was the hot tofu pudding with caramel and ginger. The kids love it, and so do Mark and I.
Non food oriented, we saw how they collect rubber from the rubber planatation, how they make bricks, how they make furniture from roots, and a recycling place that had a 155 mm shell that was found with a metal detector. Apparently, there still are remnants from the war.
We went over a gorgeous mountain pass that was all reforested. Agent orange and napalm were dropped on each side of the road as it was very dangerous during the war. It's much easier to see who is shooting at you when there are no trees to hide behind. I have to say though, if you weren't told, you'd never know. It's very lush and green now.
The "sleeping bus" to Hoi An was a treat. It made me think of what Japan must be like. You are almost fully reclined in your "pod" (see pic) and it was surprisingly easy to sleep. I figure that I got about 6 hours last night, so when we arrived in Hoi An, we were ready to go. We were at the market by 7:00, chowing down on noodles, coffee, and a smoothie that had avacado in it. Yum yum yum.

Where the hell are we?

Hi everyone! Imagine our delight to find an internet connection here in wherever we are. (Mark says we're in Buon Ma Thuot - or something like that)

We have spent 2 days riding with our Easy Riders - and are having a lot of fun. The weather has held out, so far so good. A spit of rain today, but no downpours, so we are very lucky. In fact, a few lucky things have happened. Like we both got a lucky leech on our leg! And at Lak Lake we toured around a M'Nong village, and there were very many Vietnamese pot-bellied piggies. Apparently, also lucky. Not to worry about the leeches, it's all good and they don't hurt.

We feel very lucky to have one of the original Dalat Easy Riders touring us around. Thiet (Mark's rider's name) has been taking tourists on the back of his bike for 15 years or so. He seems to know everyone, so we have been able to go into people's houses and get a glimpse of how they live.

We've been eating with the locals - and the food has been very, very good. Nice and fresh, with great flavour. Can't wait for the cooking classes in Hoi An!

At one stop (where the photo was taken) there were a group of teachers celebrating the end of the school year. Rice wine (medicine wine, according to my rider) was flowing rather freely. They wanted the foreigners to have a drink as well, of course, so of course we obliged. What glee they showed when I downed my shot!

The scenery has been spectacular. Lots of rice paddies, which are a gorgeous color of green. We have seen all manner of fruits and vegetables in both the markets and growing in gardens. I even saw, for the first time, a pomegranite tree. Sadly, they aren't in season.

The church in the photos was bombed during the war. We haven't seen as much evidence of war as I thought we might. At least not so far. There's one day to go (on the bikes, that is).

Being on the back of a motorcycle with a guide is the best way to get off the beaten track that I can think of. You have a built in interpreter, so communication with locals is possible. Plus, you get off the major roads that the buses travel on. This was a very, very good idea.

We had a lot of fun reading posts. Joanna, I hope your keyboard gets better. And Terry, yes, Mark is here, but he's the official photographer, so not in many photos. We have to head to dinner soon, so no time to thank everyone personally. Just know that Mark says that reading posts is almost as good as post restante (but I think it's better!)

Tomorrow we'll be in Nha Trang and then we take the overnight bus to Hoi An, where we can hang for a few days. Apparently it's the place to get clothes made, which is good because I think I have to burn the ones I've been riding in. I'm sure there will be internet connections galore, so we will post more then.

BTW, there's nothing better than a shower after a long dusty day on the back of a bike!

Cheers!

Still in Dalat - but not for much longer

We had such a wonderful time on our motorcycle trip today that we have decided to take a 3 day trip with the Easy Riders. We leave tomorrow at 8:30 and will most likely be out communication until we get to Hoi An, which should be on Sunday. So don't worry about us.

Our day started with a fantastic breakfast at the hotel (it's included with our room). All sorts of fresh fruit were available: papaya, watermelon, mango, pineapple, dragonfruit, and passionfruit, plus scrambled eggs. There was fresh French bread and peanut butter (the only time I've seen it so far), jam, and marmite. Or was it vegemite? I guess they get a bunch of guests from the southern hemisphere here.

Our Easy Riders showed up at 8:45 or so, and, once outfitted with the proper safety gear (helmets that mostly fit) we were off. Let me assure everyone (you too Mom!) that our drivers ride very small motorcycles - 120 cc. That's barely bigger than a vespa. It's shocking to me the things that I've seen on these motorcycles: chickens, televisions, computers, loads of bricks.....all on bikes that we would barely consider taking a second person on. The top speed we've gone has been 50km. It's very safe, or I wouldn't do it. So, don't worry. The traffic here is NOTHING like Saigon!

The roads were beautiful - very twisty and turny in lush green countryside. We saw everything from flower farms to coffee plantations, silk worm grubs to the full on factory where we saw silk being made. Stopped at someone's house where they made rice wine and fed the rice mash to the piggies in the back yard. Ate the absolute best Pho Bo (noodle soup with beef) at a hole in the wall - cost: less than $1.00. Of course, that included tea as well. And did I mention the roads were beautiful? I can only imagine what they would be like on a full size motorcycle!

The Elephant Waterfalls were pretty darn fun. Our guide walked with us down to the base of the falls, and showed us the cave where you can stand and get blasted by spray. I was soaked in seconds! Luckily, it has been fantastic weather, so I dried off quickly.

After our very very fun day, we had a difficult decision to make. As you can see from the beginning of the post, we decided to go with the 3 day tour to Nha Trang, and then we'll hop on a night bus to Hoi An. We'll hang there for a few days, get some clothes made, and, of course update you all on our adventure. This was a hard decision because taking 3 days to do what we planned on taking one day at most will compress the end of our trip. But, as one of the past customers of our Easy Rider said (all Easy Riders carry a book with comments from happy customers to help sell you on their services) "STOP STOP STOP everything you're doing and take this trip. Unless you were planning on going to the moon tomorrow, nothing will be better." We'll let you know.

Dalat

Yesterday was a very long day. The morning started with breakfast at the market - always a good thing. Nothing like a "meat with rice" to start your day! Then it was a very long bus ride to Dalat. I convinced Mark to take the "tourist - air con" bus instead of the local bus. It was a small battle, but he let me win this one. It didn't seem like much of an upgrade. The aircon was nearly non existent, but at least there wasn't chickens on the bus!
We were on board for 8 1/2 hours. I thought that was a long time until I heard other traveller's tales of 11 + hours, buses breaking down, buses on fire - ours was pretty tame. The front of the bus offered us great views of the crazy traffic in HCMC, and later, the lovely mountains. Marring the great views was the constant blasting of the air horn. Next time I'm wearing my hearing protection.
Arrival at Dalat was very refreshing. It's actually cool here. I needed a pashmina when we went for dinner last night!
We are off for our "easy rider" tour. A full day on a motorcycle to see the sights of Dalat.
Thanks for posting comments - it's fun to see them. In fact, it was a special day today because we haven't been able to view our blog until this morning, for some reason. So, we're glad to see that people are reading and posting.

Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon

We have been here for a few days, just long enough to get a feel for the place. Must be time to leave!

The thing that really hits you first is the traffic. It really is crazed. From what we can see there are about 10 or 15 motorbikes for every car. Crossing the street is exciting each and every time! In talking to our local motorbike taxi driver (yes, we got on the back of one to head to Chinatown), he explained that locals can not have more than 120 cc. Police have more. He was most impressed with my 750cc sitting in the garage at home! I think it's a good thing, because the bikes have to be small and maneuverable in order to get through the quagmire called everyday traffic. Helmets have, within the last 5 months, become mandatory, although you will still see many children and babies without them of course.

And what an assortment of helmets are available for purchase! Hello kitty, Bad Bats Maru, bumble bees, camo, flowers....you name it, you can get it!

The food is living up to its reputation. Delicious, flavourful and very fresh. There are markets everywhere - my favorite thing in the world to visit.

Yesterday a.m. we went to the market for breakfast - our first foray into potentially dangerous food. Mark had an omelette of sorts, with prawns served with a side of lettuce and basil. We weren't sure how to eat it until a local showed us to wrap it in the lettuce and dip it in the sauce. Messy, but wonderful. I had noodles with tofu and peanuts with a spring roll. I love breakfasts like this. So much better than toast and eggs!

Did I mention the coffee is great? What's not to like about sweetened condensed milk in your morning cuppa joe?

Understanding the currency is getting easier. There's something about big numbers that make us think that things are expensive. But when there are 16000 dong in 1 dollar, and something costs 20000 - it's really pretty cheap when you do the math. But, dividing by 16000 has never been my strength - "math is hard" like Barbie says. So I try not to do the math and just get a feel for the cost of things. Which, by and large, is pretty darn cheap. 1 kilo of mangosteens (approximately 10 or 12) costs 20000 dong. At home, you can maybe get one mangosteen for that price. Dinner out for two including beer has not yet been over 100,000.

We have also had "sundowners" at the Rex, the Majestic and the Sheraton. Those places are all regular prices - between 7 - 12 USD for a drink. It's pretty great to be sitting after a long day of sightseeing to enjoy a beverage and remember that "hey, we're in Saigon!!" Don't worry, we always have a toast to our friends back home.

Hong Kong

Hello friends! Mary here. We spent a fun evening in Hong Kong, was it really only the day before yesterday? Hard to believe - time all sort of runs together when the energizer bunny doesn't let you sleep.

Arrived in Hong Kong after a very long flight - it's been a while since I've spent that many hours on a plane. We flew Cathay Pacific and it was refreshing to have a blanket and a pillow on my seat, and have food served - all at no additional cost! (Sorry Martin)

We landed at 8:00 pm, and Mark and I jumped on the MTR and headed for Kowloon, sleepiness be damned. We walked over to the harbour and checked out the view to Hong Kong side - it really is a fantastice city, and we both prefer the spectacular night time view. Luckily, it was night time and clear, and the view did not disappoint. But, photos cannot transmit smell, luckily. There's a reason it's called "Fragrant Harbour".

Spent a few hours wandering about in the night market, having some beerz and a plate of gai lan, and made it back to the hotel at 1:30 a.m. Hong Kong was still wide awake, but we definitely were NOT!

More soon.....

We're leaving, on a jet plane

One more sleep. So much to do, so little time. Just checked the YVR website, and Mark's flight from Dallas (via Chicago) is 10 minutes early arriving at 10:51 pm. Nice surprise. I expect that he'll be tired, but he has much to do before he sleeps tonight. At least I'm mostly packed. I didn't pack very much in the way of clothes, as I hear there are many places to get clothes made. I'm grooving on that idea. I'm less thrilled with the measuring tape that awaits me, but whatever. I'm sure I'll be an amazon there anyways, so I might as well get used to it. The next blog entry will be from somewhere way cooler than our "den". (I can't believe they called this nooky thing a "den" when we bought it! Realtors have good imaginations!)
Cheers everyone!
Mary

Getting ready to go

Mary here. Okay, so here's our first entry into our new blog!
We are heading off on May 15, that's only 5 sleeps away. And, Mark just let me know that he'll probably have to go to Dallas for a business meeting next Wednesday. It would be good if he can make it back to Vancouver for our 3:15 pm flight on Thursday. I'm sure it'll be fine. Right?

Guess we'll have to cram the planning and packing just a little more. I guess I should find out what kind of weather we will encounter so that I can try to pack! But honestly, all I'll really need is a credit card, passport, ticket (return) and toothbrush. And with the credit card, I don't really need a toothbrush now, do I?