We've been home a month now and
I've finally got around to blogging.
We spent 17 days visiting Vietnam and Cambodia
and what a fantastic trip it was.
We ate amazing food, went on all sorts of boat rides,
saw beautiful scenery, stayed in beautiful
hotels and met lots of lovely people.
After arriving in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon),
we flew to Hanoi. This is the famous Train Street.
The trains come down through the
centre and you are really close.
It had a very different atmosphere.
The food there was amazing.
We did a street food tour. After enjoying our
first spring roll, this was our second stop.
I can't remember what it was called but it was delicious.
We had a Banh My (pork roll) which
we saved for later as we were quite full.
Then we went for coffee and had a demonstration
of how they make the famous
Vietnamese egg coffee. It was way too sweet for
me but I liked the salt coffee.
Sounds strange but it was very nice.
Lunch with a view!
Thong Nhat Park, Hanoi.
Rice paddies, Mai Chau.
Lunch at a Stilt house in Mai Chau.
Pu Luong Bocbandi Retreat.
View from the bar at Pu Luong Bocbandi Retreat!
Thai dancers at Pu Luong Bocbandi Retreat.
Bamboo raft, Pu Luong.
Bamboo raft, Pu Luong.
Van Long Lagoon, Ninh Binh.
Van Long Lagoon, Ninh Binh.
We were lucky enough to see some
Delacour's Langur monkeys.
They are often hard to see.
Unfortunately the video is too long for blogger.
Van Long Lagoon, Ninh Binh.
View from the temple at Ky Lan Mountain, Ninh Binh
Ky Lan Mountain, Ninh Binh. Ky Lan Mountain, Ninh Binh.
We stayed on this overnight.
Ha Long Bay.
Bamboo sampan, Ha Long Bay.
We went to the Dark and Bright Grotto
(also known as Bat Cave).
On our way back the lady sang to us.
Didn't know what she was saying
but she had a lovely voice!
Learnt how to make fresh spring rolls.
Noel was very pleased with his.
Lan Ha Bay.
All of us looking gorgeous in our colourful ponchos.
This was the only real day of rain and
then only for an hour or so.
Cat Ba Island.
Trung Trang Cave on Cat Ba island.
We stopped at a pottery.
These pots are painted free hand.
Saw woman doing the
most beautiful embroidery.
One came home with me!
A rough outline would be drawn and then the
shading is stitched using a photo for reference.
Spinning silk.
Breakfast with a view, Hoi An.
Hoi An.
Hoi An.
Rice drying, Hoi An.
Noel and I did a cooking class in Hoi An.
Chef Tri picked us up and we rode bikes to
the market for supplies and then
through rice paddies to his restaurant.
We even braved the roads of Vietnam!
Doesn't look too bad at this point
but traffic is chaotic in Vietnam.
This was what we cooked and then enjoyed.
We made rice paper, Green papaya salad,
fresh spring rolls, Tam Huu (Three Friends Spring Roll)
and Banh Xeo (rice pancake).
Chef Tri, Noel, myself, Paul and Kitt
with our certificates. Apparently we can now open a
Vietnamese restaurant here! LOL!
where we stayed in Hoi An.
