Counting Our Blessings

Mr Kwek and I are back from our 1 week of adventures in Ho Chi Minh. Before we left, I was uncertain about the decision to stay in Ho Chi Minh for a whole week. Most of the people I spoke to that have gone there for a holiday told me a weekend was enough. After all, all the main tourist sights were in walking distance of each other and could be covered in a day.

But now that our trip has ended, we are so glad we went for it, 1 week was just enough. And we are thankful for all the blessings that were showered upon us:

1. For journey mercies.

Surviving Saigon traffic is no small feat. We saw a number of motorbike take a tumble in 1 week.

2. For friendships...

 ...to enjoy the journey with...

... to introduce us to their world (you guys went above and beyond hospitality)...

... that transcend borders.

3. For all the sights, sounds, smells and tastes we were able to enjoy.

4. For the person that we can enjoy being with 24/7

Even squeezing oil out of lard is fun when we do it together

Several times during the trip, Mr Kwek and I just stopped and marvelled at how richly blessed we are. It's pretty amazing. And so we praise God from whom all blessings flow :)

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at 11:27 AM

The Mountains of Sapa

Sapa is only 380km north of Hanoi. But to get there, our journey started with an 8 hour overnight train from Hanoi to the town of Lao Cai. Being the long national day weekend, many Vietnamese were also travelling and we had trouble getting our train tickets. Thankfully, our Sapa hotel hosts managed to find us 2 "soft-sleeper" tickets on one of the tourist carriages. I wouldn't describe the beds as "soft", but the rocking of the train along the tracks lulled me into sleep soon enough.

Boarding the train at night from flat form 5

The narrow walkway on the train

Upon reaching Lao Cai, we found our bus and took a picturesque hour long drive to Sapa Town. We were soon at our hotel- Sapa Unique Hotel, run by 2 young, ambitious, and extremely nice men Hung and Viet. Since our room was available, they let us check in early (7am!!!) at no extra charge. While the room was basic. The view from the balcony was one of the best views I have ever had from a hotel room- rolling mountains slightly covered by mist, plunging into a gorgeous valley, with every slope manicured by rice terraces.

That's me on our balcony

Jan and I, with our amazing hosts Viet and Hung

 After a shower, Hung set us up with a map and simple instructions on how to walk to the nearest village and other sights of interest. And we were off.

Cat Cat Village was just several minutes by foot from Sapa Town, and after surviving some of the most persistent touts (young girls from the nearby villages trying to sell us handicrafts), we were there. The village was not quite the authentic experience, but it gave us a good introduction to the black Hmong people who lived in the area.

Shops selling almost identical handicrafts lined the paths

Weaving and embroidery of traditional Hmong clothes

We thought the views from Cat Cat Village and our hotel room were amazing. But we stood in awe of God creation when we went for our guided hike to Ta Phin Village. Our guide was a young lady from the Hmong tribe who brought us on a trek through paddy fields, streams, vegetable farms, and several villages.

The journey begins

Crossing gentle streams (getting our shoes very muddy since we were slipping all over)

Photos don't even begin to capture the majesty of the mountains

The crisp mountain air, cool weather and gentle paths made for a nice easy trek. While the stunning views of the mountains in a million shades of emerald and gold left an indelible mark in the hearts and minds of us 2 city girls.

Cradling the very useful plant which provides hemp for clothes, marijuana, and lovely smelling flowers 

Unlike Cat Cat village, we saw no other tourists around and the villagers were all just minding their own business in their farms. We were joined by 2 ladies from the Red Dzao tribe who followed us throughout our journey helping us along the more difficult paths and pointing out interesting things to us. But we were of course obliged to buy some handicrafts from them at rather marked up prices at the end of the walk. They were a tad too pushy for my liking and I would have been much happier with the arrangement if I was forewarned, but well, that's the way the wind blows.

Joined by many more Dzao tribes people at the end point of the trek

After the trek, we went back to our hotel and prepared for the long journey back with complimentary use of an empty room to shower. Our wonderful hosts were so apologetic for the noise from the nearby temple the night before that they packed 4 packets of food for us to take along on our train journey and supplied us with many bottles of water. They really went above and beyond the call of duty.

Unfortunately, due to heavy rains resulting in landslides the night before, there was a backlog in trains leaving Lao Cai for Hanoi and the train station was chaotic. Our wonderful hosts called several times to make sure we were safely on our train. So sweet right?

 Finally, we boarded our train and were back on the hard beds, back to Hanoi.

 The day we left Vietnam was a rainy rainy day. We were so thankful for the wonderful weather, journey mercies, amazing people and stunning scenery that we got to enjoy during our stay :)

Beautiful memories to treasure

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at 11:14 AM

Days 107-108: OHana in Hanoi

The Oldham Hall family extends to Hanoi! I thank God for this extended family that we have been blessed with all over the world.

Thanks for taking me out and sharing your favourite local food with me.

Unfortunately the weather did not allow us to explore the streets, but I enjoyed chilling at the cafe with a view of the lake and the old quarter, over the famous Vietnamese iced coffee. Now let's hope I can sleep tonight.

Outfit of the day: reversible top and black pencil skirt.

Exotic local food

That's yesterday's outfit of my pink dress and black heels.

Our workshop organizers brought us to a rather kitschy cruise dinner last night. We shared the cruise with a Vietnamese family celebrating a birthday over hotpot n karaoke. We could hear everything from our dining area upstairs. They were clearly having fun. 

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at 12:52 AM

Day 106: Hanoi

Hello friends! I'm now in Hanoi. I'm here for a workshop for 2 weeks. I'll be eating, learning, hanging out with the same group of people for 24/7 the next 10 days. Hopefully, it will be a good time of learning. 

Sadly, I'm here alone, so there's no one to take my daily photo for me. At least, my room has a full length mirror. So we are just gonna have to live with the poor lighting.

Today's outfit was in anticipation of being cooped up in an economy class seat, as well as the heat of the Hanoi summer- top from Sisley, and jeans from Mango. Good choices, if I may say so myself :) 

P.s. let me know if you have any good recommendations for hanoi or sapa. Or if you are here, let's meet up!

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at 10:52 PM

Day 60: Painting Shopping

Our last morning in Ho Chi Minh was spent on shopping for the painting that Mr Kwek had set his heart on buying.

After trawling many streets, over the last few days, we decided to go back to the backpacker district. And in the end, we bought the painting that we had laid eyes on earlier. I guess that's that thing about art- completely subjective and if you like it, you will always go back to it in the end. Life is like that as well isn't it? 

In a street filled with art stores that sell copies of famous paintings, this store had unique art works which was what captivated us (especially Mr Kwek). 

With painting in hand, we raced back to the hotel, got our stuff and went right to the airport. 

A few hours later, we were strolling around ikea in tampines. The wonders of globalization. The world really is quite small.

Outfit of the day: black maxi dress a hand me down.

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at 11:54 AM

Day 59: Foodie Adventures in Saigon

Before I left for my holiday, one of my colleagues said, "call my cousin, he'll bring you to eat all the best local food!" I was skeptical. A Singaporean expat in Ho Chi Minh, who I don't even know will bring me eat the best local food?

When I finally got his contact number in Ho Chi Minh, I dropped him a message, and he appeared at our hotel lobby minutes later, insisting that he take us to lunch, even though we just had a big hotel buffet breakfast an hour before. That was the beginning of or foodie adventure in Ho Chi Minh. My colleague was right. His cousin brought us to try food that wasn't on trip advisor or any food blogs. But they all tasted oh so good. Lesson learnt: Never doubt a Singaporean foodie. 

Lunch was at a restaurant that claimed to be the oldest restaurant in Vietnam. They were famous for small pieces of catfish in a slightly sweet and garlicky buttery sauce fried to perfection at your table with a lot of herbs and other greens.

Stepping in at lunch time, the place was filled with locals. First sign of good food. The place only serves 1 dish. 2nd sign of good food. You hear the sizzle at every table and your nose gets a whiff of the aromatic herbs and butter. 3rd sign of good food. When I finally savored the dish, I was sold. Prices are pretty steep though its worth a try.

Cha Ca La Vong

36 Ton That Theip, District 1

For dinner, we ventured to a local joint that looked more like a garage rather than an eatery. 

First up, DIY barbecued prawns. Sweet and tasty. Grilled to the point where the shells are edible. My favorite dish.

Then comes a squid dish and the stars of the night, goby fish, done 2 ways- grilled in bamboo and hot pot. I found the bamboo ones more tasty but looking around the eatery, the hot pot seemed more popular.

Goby fish are really ugly fishes, looking almost like eels. But just ignore that and enjoy the tasty little fishes that melt in your mouth. 

In between the feastings, we walked through the Ben Thanh Market. The place was chock full of stuff though many stores were selling the same things. 

The outfit of the day is a sundress a gift from Indonesia, my rainbow bag from China and Bata sandals. 

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at 8:22 AM