I got my wish - on the 4th day we signed up for a tour to Yang Bay - the countryside tour.
This time we woke up early and was ready by 8 am for the tour. The tour company came with a big bus that could take 16 of us.
Yang Bay is located on the outskirts of NT about one hour drive away from town. We passed through winding roads up the mountain and saw fields and fields of rice farms. The countryside of NT was cool and refreshing. Green fields were everywhere. Unlike Malaysia where we had thick rainforest, NT rural was flat spaces of green. We saw beautiful brick houses of various designs that looked European or French. At some places, the communist insignia could be seen from the red flags of the country to pictures of Ho Chi Min!
First stop at Yang Bay was at a fish farm. We bought fish food contained in baby bottles. Lowering the bottles, we saw big orange fishes (not sure what they were but they were big). They came with opened mouths to suck the bottles! Yes...like babies!
Siu Yeh saw a cat fish fighting to be fed but because its mouth was not small like the big orange fishes, it could not suck from the bottles! It was also edged out by the fat fishes. SY dripped the bottle over the mouth of the cat fish and it swallowed the food dripped from the bottle! According to the guide, the big orange fishes are not meant to be eaten only the cat fish can be eaten.
Next stop - was feeding the crocodiles. We were given long fishing rods with chicken meat attached to the rods! The crocodiles moved slowly, some with open mouths as though waiting to be fed. Crocodiles jaws are very tough...the moment they took hold of the meat, they held on tight! Some of us had to have a fighting match with them to see who was stronger. We were warned not to put out our hands at the crocodile ponds otherwise we will be chicken meat too!
Thereafter we took a small open air car to watch a stage show using traditional musical instruments and singers sang traditional Viet songs. There was also the famous beautiful Yang Bay waterfall that was perfect for photo shoot! Whilst the children went for fish massage, we opted to watch the show and the father gamely participated in the on-stage dancing. It was all in good fun.
Next stop - fighting chickens! Our daughter told us that it was animal abuse as the chickens looked like it had lost its feathers in earlier fights.
She was initially upset to see a crocodile with its mouth tied at the crocodile farm earlier. The crocodile had its mouth shut by a string just so that we could take pictures with it. Of course we did not do so.....!
So this fighting chicken or fighting cocks really upset her. Thank God they did not fight to the death although we were also given a chance to bet. The price was a chicken statuette!
Next stop - racing black pigs! The pigs were given a chance to race another with the pens numbered 1 to 7. Just for fun, each of us chose a number (we could pay 20k dong to place our bets but did not want to as the price was a mother pig with baby pigs statuette!
The father won his bet - no 7 outran all the other black pigs. Me - I was thinking of how delicious they could have tasted just like the black pork we ate in Jeju!
Lunch was fried omelette, crocodile and ostrich meat, Viet spring rolls and vegetable soup. Of course, no one told us which was which until after we ate our meal. I thought the croc meat was ostrich meat and vice versa so I ate what I thought was ostrich meat but it turned out to be croc meat...yuks....but I must stay it tasted like chicken.
As for the ostrich meat, I did not touch it thinking it was croc meat.
The nicest part of this tour was meeting 2 couples - a Dutch couple from Copenhagen and a British couple from Portsmouth. I guessed we clicked as we all were conversing happily in English. The Dutch couple were both divorcees and the lady was proudly showing us pictures of her children. She was genuinely nice.
After lunch we dipped in natural hot springs. We got back to NT about 4 pm and prepared for lunch at Lanterns not wanting to miss out since it was our last night.
Thank God that the queue was not so bad as we were early. Lanterns did not disappoint. We had a hot pot - the soup tasted like tomato soup but even more delicious. It was not sourish or spicy at all. There were fish, cuttlefish and prawns to go with it and lots and lots of vegetables. Vietnamese cuisine is super healthy!
We ordered beef cooked in pineapple shell, Vietnamese fish curry and chicken cooked in coconut! Truly the best meal of this whole holiday! The tables at Lanterns filled up the moment we vacated it. People just waited patiently for a seat. The price was about 600k dong which was about RM100 plus....reasonably priced for a most delicious meal. Kudos to the management for handling the crowd well and putting on a smile even though they were serving a continuous stream of people. Now....I wonder...is there a Lanterns in KL? They should open a branch or have a franchise.....
After dinner, SY went to see the Dream Show again. The sister went shopping for clothes and had a gel manicure (before the dinner)!
An awesome end to a memorable trip!
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Day 3 - Vinpearl Land
Feb 2 and we decided to go to the NT theme park called Vinpearl Land. Although the review mentioned a small theme park to my surprise this theme park is a big theme park!
It is divided into several different worlds like most theme park. We bought tickets from the Hotel but found out that the queue to the theme park via the cable car was really long. However everyone was disciplined enough to queue to wait for the theme park. However if you have weak knees, it would be advisable to bring a portable chair.
Noticed that the theme park was not so disabled friendly as there was no signs anywhere highlighting wheelchairs for rent like what we normally see in Japan. It was a good thing that I had taken some pain killers to alleviate the knee pain!
Even to go to the cable cars, we had to climb the stairs - no option for lifts! Wah liao...
It was here that we met the Russian couple from Siberia...interesting that they travelled more than a day to reach NT. In the words of the Russian man "this is a dream". He was referring to the weather. Surprisingly NT has an interesting weather - the sun shines for a while during the day enough for you to get a nice tan and at night it could be cold and windy.
The first section of the theme park had so many interesting rides that we spent the whole morning there. Hubby and I decided to try the swinging boat and immediately regretted it. As we were swinging up and down I really felt sick...in fact I thought I was going to had a heart attack! I think its called the zamperla or something like that...let me look for a picture of it.....
We opted to wait for the children as they tried all the various rides available. The rides were all of a good quality and rather enjoyable. There was also a ride where you seem to be flying called the superman ride. The sister advised us not to ride it as it was rather painful to be lying down on the chest and going round and round like a merry go round!
The middle section was Adventure World....my favorite world.
I enjoyed the trampoline section (indoor park) where we played trampoline basketball and also took part in a simulated dancing section. For the first time I had a chance to exercise every part of my body through the simulated dancing! The best part of the theme park for me! At the Adventure World, we also participated in a 4D game where we took the gun and started shooting onscreen enemies. I felt that I was shooting the devil and prayed in tongues throughout the game.
I emerged no 2 and no 3. Of course, Siu Yeh (SY) was tops both sessions!
We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant and ordered noodles, rice and Viet spring rolls again! It was delicious!
Other rides that they tried were the musical rides where it went clockwise then anti-clockwise according to the music. The children also enjoyed the bumper car rides and thereafter the 4D cinema where we could feel the chair moving under us! I have seen 4D shows at Disneyland HK and also at Brisbane and I must say the show here is quite good too...comparable by standards.
The dolphin show was really fun to watch. Although not as hebat as the one in Brisbane, the dolphins here could toss balls, dance and play with hoops on their dolphin noses.
Last stop was the water park. The water rides were really fun (the children told me).
They really enjoyed the slides saying that it was their favourite. Me, I enjoyed sleeping on the deck chair and watching a different kind of water park. It was a water park in the sea! I cannot describe it in words....you have to see it to believe it....its not man-made. The only thing man-made was the big balloon-like objects floating out in the sea which had carved out swimming areas in the sea for swimming! Its like a swimming pool in the sea.
We had dinner at Lotteria and ate Korean chicken. It was bathed in cheese or soy sauce. I liked mine in soy sauce. The family preferred theirs in cheese!
We stayed back to watch the beautiful dancing fountain that moved with popular music. The sound, lights and music was an awesome combination. Just like Singapore the light, water and music show did not disappoint.
Once again going back, we had to queue almost one hour! However there was a band to entertain us as we stood patiently in line waiting for the cable car to take us down.
It was a wonderful day at Vinpearl Land thus far my favourite tourist destination on NT!
It is divided into several different worlds like most theme park. We bought tickets from the Hotel but found out that the queue to the theme park via the cable car was really long. However everyone was disciplined enough to queue to wait for the theme park. However if you have weak knees, it would be advisable to bring a portable chair.
Noticed that the theme park was not so disabled friendly as there was no signs anywhere highlighting wheelchairs for rent like what we normally see in Japan. It was a good thing that I had taken some pain killers to alleviate the knee pain!
Even to go to the cable cars, we had to climb the stairs - no option for lifts! Wah liao...
It was here that we met the Russian couple from Siberia...interesting that they travelled more than a day to reach NT. In the words of the Russian man "this is a dream". He was referring to the weather. Surprisingly NT has an interesting weather - the sun shines for a while during the day enough for you to get a nice tan and at night it could be cold and windy.
The first section of the theme park had so many interesting rides that we spent the whole morning there. Hubby and I decided to try the swinging boat and immediately regretted it. As we were swinging up and down I really felt sick...in fact I thought I was going to had a heart attack! I think its called the zamperla or something like that...let me look for a picture of it.....
We opted to wait for the children as they tried all the various rides available. The rides were all of a good quality and rather enjoyable. There was also a ride where you seem to be flying called the superman ride. The sister advised us not to ride it as it was rather painful to be lying down on the chest and going round and round like a merry go round!
The middle section was Adventure World....my favorite world.
I enjoyed the trampoline section (indoor park) where we played trampoline basketball and also took part in a simulated dancing section. For the first time I had a chance to exercise every part of my body through the simulated dancing! The best part of the theme park for me! At the Adventure World, we also participated in a 4D game where we took the gun and started shooting onscreen enemies. I felt that I was shooting the devil and prayed in tongues throughout the game.
I emerged no 2 and no 3. Of course, Siu Yeh (SY) was tops both sessions!
We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant and ordered noodles, rice and Viet spring rolls again! It was delicious!
Other rides that they tried were the musical rides where it went clockwise then anti-clockwise according to the music. The children also enjoyed the bumper car rides and thereafter the 4D cinema where we could feel the chair moving under us! I have seen 4D shows at Disneyland HK and also at Brisbane and I must say the show here is quite good too...comparable by standards.
The dolphin show was really fun to watch. Although not as hebat as the one in Brisbane, the dolphins here could toss balls, dance and play with hoops on their dolphin noses.
Last stop was the water park. The water rides were really fun (the children told me).
They really enjoyed the slides saying that it was their favourite. Me, I enjoyed sleeping on the deck chair and watching a different kind of water park. It was a water park in the sea! I cannot describe it in words....you have to see it to believe it....its not man-made. The only thing man-made was the big balloon-like objects floating out in the sea which had carved out swimming areas in the sea for swimming! Its like a swimming pool in the sea.
We had dinner at Lotteria and ate Korean chicken. It was bathed in cheese or soy sauce. I liked mine in soy sauce. The family preferred theirs in cheese!
We stayed back to watch the beautiful dancing fountain that moved with popular music. The sound, lights and music was an awesome combination. Just like Singapore the light, water and music show did not disappoint.
Once again going back, we had to queue almost one hour! However there was a band to entertain us as we stood patiently in line waiting for the cable car to take us down.
It was a wonderful day at Vinpearl Land thus far my favourite tourist destination on NT!
Day 2 - Feb 1 at NT
Day 2 and we decided to sign up for the 4 island tour as recommended by the reception at the Hotel.
Lina, Sonia and Harry aka Harry Potter was really helpful in arranging the tours for us. However we were rather late and the tour guide had a sour face when we boarded the van about 20 minutes late. Lessons learned - never be late for tours as the tour van had to go around picking up passengers.
We were taken to a harbour and waited for the boat called Funky Monkey also the name of the tour company. The boss owned 3 boats bearing similar name.
First stop was a small island with a smallish aquarium but the aquarium had some of the most beautiful fishes! It was also built into a rocky outcrop so as you moved inside the aquarium it felt as though we were moving inside a cave. The reward at the highest point was an awesome view of the islands surrounding NT.
The second stop was for snorkelling and diving. Yours truly stayed on board the boat as I could not swim! However the rest of the family had a good time. Although the currents were strong, the boat owner gave some clear instructions to keep together.
Having been to Lombok where we saw some of the most beautiful marine life and the clearest underwater corals (plus taking pictures of them with my Samsung S7) they were most disappointed as there was nothing to see underwater! Yes...at Lombok I could even see the corals and beautiful fishes from my boat!
Anyway we had lunch on the boat. Delicious food like tomato chicken, Vietnamese spring roll, egg roll, vegetable soup, noodles were served to us in small plates. Guess what was used as a table? The very chairs that we were sitting on right in the middle of the boats were laid flat and a mat rolled over it! Yes, unique as it was a floating restaurant!
After lunch, the Funky Monkey owner lined up all his boats one after another and had his own boy band sang some songs for us.
The fun thing was when he started to call different nationalities forward to introduce them country by country and made them sing some of their country's well known songs! Whilst some of the songs were played by the boy band (actually they were more the middle aged boy band as some of them were really middle aged and not so young ) the Malaysians were asked to sing any song as they did not have the repertoire. We sang Rasa Sayang! Just the chorus but this song is really a lovely song and very Malaysian.
Of course for the Koreans, it had to be Oopa Gangnam style!
Diving sessions followed where the guests on the Funky Monkey boats dived from the roof of the boats into the sea. They had floats around their bodies due to the strong currents. The boat owner advised to hold on to each other floats due to the strong current. Drinks were served in the sea!
We were then taken to chill out on a private island. We had to pay some money to go into the island. We sat on deck chairs and drank coconut water!
We got back rather tired and decided to try out Lanterns, one of the top 10 recommended restaurant at NT. Incidentally it was just about 5 minutes walking from our Hotel!
However Lanterns turned out to be so popular that the queue to go up lined the narrow staircase...yes...if you have knee problems this is not the place to have dinner unless you go there at 5 pm!
As I could not stand for too long (you guessed it - knee problem) the family decided to try a Russian Chinese restaurant nearby. Did I tell you that the whole street seem to be teeming with Russians (shops especially) although an equal amount of Chinese and Koreans also liked NT very much!
On the boat there were only about 8 Malaysians and 2 Russians but quite a bit of Australians who sang Waltzing Matilda and a lot of Chinese from China!
We had 2 plates of spring rolls (really delicious) and a plate of bacon (cold but yummy) and steamed fish (which seemed rather hard to me).
After dinner the family walked to the beach (Summer Hotel is near the beach which is about 20 minutes walk) while I chose to retire early.
Lina, Sonia and Harry aka Harry Potter was really helpful in arranging the tours for us. However we were rather late and the tour guide had a sour face when we boarded the van about 20 minutes late. Lessons learned - never be late for tours as the tour van had to go around picking up passengers.
We were taken to a harbour and waited for the boat called Funky Monkey also the name of the tour company. The boss owned 3 boats bearing similar name.
First stop was a small island with a smallish aquarium but the aquarium had some of the most beautiful fishes! It was also built into a rocky outcrop so as you moved inside the aquarium it felt as though we were moving inside a cave. The reward at the highest point was an awesome view of the islands surrounding NT.
The second stop was for snorkelling and diving. Yours truly stayed on board the boat as I could not swim! However the rest of the family had a good time. Although the currents were strong, the boat owner gave some clear instructions to keep together.
Having been to Lombok where we saw some of the most beautiful marine life and the clearest underwater corals (plus taking pictures of them with my Samsung S7) they were most disappointed as there was nothing to see underwater! Yes...at Lombok I could even see the corals and beautiful fishes from my boat!
Anyway we had lunch on the boat. Delicious food like tomato chicken, Vietnamese spring roll, egg roll, vegetable soup, noodles were served to us in small plates. Guess what was used as a table? The very chairs that we were sitting on right in the middle of the boats were laid flat and a mat rolled over it! Yes, unique as it was a floating restaurant!
After lunch, the Funky Monkey owner lined up all his boats one after another and had his own boy band sang some songs for us.
The fun thing was when he started to call different nationalities forward to introduce them country by country and made them sing some of their country's well known songs! Whilst some of the songs were played by the boy band (actually they were more the middle aged boy band as some of them were really middle aged and not so young ) the Malaysians were asked to sing any song as they did not have the repertoire. We sang Rasa Sayang! Just the chorus but this song is really a lovely song and very Malaysian.
Of course for the Koreans, it had to be Oopa Gangnam style!
Diving sessions followed where the guests on the Funky Monkey boats dived from the roof of the boats into the sea. They had floats around their bodies due to the strong currents. The boat owner advised to hold on to each other floats due to the strong current. Drinks were served in the sea!
We were then taken to chill out on a private island. We had to pay some money to go into the island. We sat on deck chairs and drank coconut water!
We got back rather tired and decided to try out Lanterns, one of the top 10 recommended restaurant at NT. Incidentally it was just about 5 minutes walking from our Hotel!
However Lanterns turned out to be so popular that the queue to go up lined the narrow staircase...yes...if you have knee problems this is not the place to have dinner unless you go there at 5 pm!
As I could not stand for too long (you guessed it - knee problem) the family decided to try a Russian Chinese restaurant nearby. Did I tell you that the whole street seem to be teeming with Russians (shops especially) although an equal amount of Chinese and Koreans also liked NT very much!
On the boat there were only about 8 Malaysians and 2 Russians but quite a bit of Australians who sang Waltzing Matilda and a lot of Chinese from China!
We had 2 plates of spring rolls (really delicious) and a plate of bacon (cold but yummy) and steamed fish (which seemed rather hard to me).
After dinner the family walked to the beach (Summer Hotel is near the beach which is about 20 minutes walk) while I chose to retire early.
Nha Trang - Jan 31 - Feb 4
Day 1 - Nha Trang Vietnam
We took advantage of the long holiday between Jan 31 which fell on a Thursday and Feb 4 which ended on Sunday to travel to NT, Vietnam.
Why NT? It is a much touted destination on Trip Advisor. I read this article about a Malaysian family who went there and recommended it as a family travel destination. Why not? It is near, it is affordable and sounds interesting as it offers land attraction, sea attraction and mountain attraction!
Day 1- We landed at about 3 pm at Cam Rahn airport NT. We bought the local sim card and used it to call Grab. The driver came immediately and charged us 350k to take us to the Summer Hotel which was about one hour ride from the airport. Unfortunately for him he forgot the back cover of his luggage seat which he removed in order to put our luggage. We tried to help him find it as he circled back to the airport but it was gone in a matter of minutes!
He gave up looking and drove us to The Summer Hotel was a bit old-fashioned but located smack in the city. We checked into 2 old-fashioned rooms with creaking but comfortable beds. Otherwise the room was clean and comfortable and we had good sleep for all the nights we were there.
Price for the stay included daily breakfast at M floor which had a Western, Russian and Chinese venue. The only thing that was rather disappointing was that the siew yoke and the dumpling was hard. I had to dip the dumpling into the pho soup to soften it otherwise it was not edible. Come to think of it most of the siew yoke sold everywhere was hard not like our siew yoke at home. I was thinking of how nice was our Malaysian food back home and the incredible variety we had.....traveling makes me love Malaysia more!
Total for the 5 day stay was about 10 million dong. A 100k dong is about RM17 so you can do the maths! For 4 of us that amounted to about RM240 per room per night (estimate only).
After checking in we then crossed the road to eat some Vietnamese spring roll, drank coconut water and had some Vietnamese noodles. There were so many restaurants along the road....we were spoilt for choice. However the name of the restaurant where we had lunch was unpronounceable so I really cannot put it here but the food was delicious.
We then bought tickets to a place where we could do a mud-bath i.e. bathed in mud! They had quaint egg-shaped containers filled with mud where 2 people can chill out. They also had larger pools of clean mud water where a family of 5 or more could soak. We bought a package which included a herbal bath after the mud-bath. The mud-bath was about 20 mins where we could soak ourselves in mud up to our necks. It was different. I kept thinking of teh tarik when looking at the color of the mud! The mud was clean and smooth. After each group left the mud pool, the old mud was drained out and the pool cleaned so it was very hygenic!
We then walked through pebbled paths to soak ourselves in a herbal bath. The herbs was citronella leaves! So fragrant.
A taxi ride took us to a place called the Dream Show. Here we watched an hour plus of Vietnamese dancing and singing. The girls and guys were dressed in Vietnamese traditional clothes! Sam liked it so much that he went back to see it again on Sat night (on his own)! He said the Sat show was different from the Wed show.
After the show, we crossed the road to a rooftop restaurant for some grill meat. We opted to have Western food aka meat platter. It was not enough for all of us so we ordered some chicken wings which turned out to be super yummy.
It was cold as we sat the rooftop and ordered a platter of meat such as shrimps, cuttlefish, fish and chicken. A lot of Westerners were there too but they were kind of drunk.
One thing we had to get used too was the number of foreigners in NT especially Russians! Yes, everywhere the shops had Russian names and even the mini marts sold Russian stuff. Restaurants were opened by Russians too!
We met a couple from Siberia who told us they travelled 22 hours from their town to take the flight to Hong Kong and transited from Hong Kong to NT for another 9 hours. They told us that it was bitter cold in Siberia at -30 degrees! We met them on Friday when we were going up to Vinpearl Land on the cable car.
No wonder the Russians found NT a delightful holiday destination willing to travel such a long time to reach the place. At The Summer Hotel, some of the breakfast food was Russian and next door to us Russian tour guides came to meet with guests to explain the various tours that were available.
We took advantage of the long holiday between Jan 31 which fell on a Thursday and Feb 4 which ended on Sunday to travel to NT, Vietnam.
Why NT? It is a much touted destination on Trip Advisor. I read this article about a Malaysian family who went there and recommended it as a family travel destination. Why not? It is near, it is affordable and sounds interesting as it offers land attraction, sea attraction and mountain attraction!
Day 1- We landed at about 3 pm at Cam Rahn airport NT. We bought the local sim card and used it to call Grab. The driver came immediately and charged us 350k to take us to the Summer Hotel which was about one hour ride from the airport. Unfortunately for him he forgot the back cover of his luggage seat which he removed in order to put our luggage. We tried to help him find it as he circled back to the airport but it was gone in a matter of minutes!
He gave up looking and drove us to The Summer Hotel was a bit old-fashioned but located smack in the city. We checked into 2 old-fashioned rooms with creaking but comfortable beds. Otherwise the room was clean and comfortable and we had good sleep for all the nights we were there.
Price for the stay included daily breakfast at M floor which had a Western, Russian and Chinese venue. The only thing that was rather disappointing was that the siew yoke and the dumpling was hard. I had to dip the dumpling into the pho soup to soften it otherwise it was not edible. Come to think of it most of the siew yoke sold everywhere was hard not like our siew yoke at home. I was thinking of how nice was our Malaysian food back home and the incredible variety we had.....traveling makes me love Malaysia more!
Total for the 5 day stay was about 10 million dong. A 100k dong is about RM17 so you can do the maths! For 4 of us that amounted to about RM240 per room per night (estimate only).
After checking in we then crossed the road to eat some Vietnamese spring roll, drank coconut water and had some Vietnamese noodles. There were so many restaurants along the road....we were spoilt for choice. However the name of the restaurant where we had lunch was unpronounceable so I really cannot put it here but the food was delicious.
We then bought tickets to a place where we could do a mud-bath i.e. bathed in mud! They had quaint egg-shaped containers filled with mud where 2 people can chill out. They also had larger pools of clean mud water where a family of 5 or more could soak. We bought a package which included a herbal bath after the mud-bath. The mud-bath was about 20 mins where we could soak ourselves in mud up to our necks. It was different. I kept thinking of teh tarik when looking at the color of the mud! The mud was clean and smooth. After each group left the mud pool, the old mud was drained out and the pool cleaned so it was very hygenic!
We then walked through pebbled paths to soak ourselves in a herbal bath. The herbs was citronella leaves! So fragrant.
A taxi ride took us to a place called the Dream Show. Here we watched an hour plus of Vietnamese dancing and singing. The girls and guys were dressed in Vietnamese traditional clothes! Sam liked it so much that he went back to see it again on Sat night (on his own)! He said the Sat show was different from the Wed show.
After the show, we crossed the road to a rooftop restaurant for some grill meat. We opted to have Western food aka meat platter. It was not enough for all of us so we ordered some chicken wings which turned out to be super yummy.
It was cold as we sat the rooftop and ordered a platter of meat such as shrimps, cuttlefish, fish and chicken. A lot of Westerners were there too but they were kind of drunk.
One thing we had to get used too was the number of foreigners in NT especially Russians! Yes, everywhere the shops had Russian names and even the mini marts sold Russian stuff. Restaurants were opened by Russians too!
We met a couple from Siberia who told us they travelled 22 hours from their town to take the flight to Hong Kong and transited from Hong Kong to NT for another 9 hours. They told us that it was bitter cold in Siberia at -30 degrees! We met them on Friday when we were going up to Vinpearl Land on the cable car.
No wonder the Russians found NT a delightful holiday destination willing to travel such a long time to reach the place. At The Summer Hotel, some of the breakfast food was Russian and next door to us Russian tour guides came to meet with guests to explain the various tours that were available.
Friday, September 22, 2017
Day 4 - Chiangmai - 15/8
Time to fly back home to Kuala Lumpur and we are all geared up for at Thai massage.
We decided to try the Thai massage at the shop just next to the hotel. I opted for the oil massage as I heard that Thai massages tend to be very painful. Slightly expensive at 300 bt it was really good.
Before the massage we tried to look for the white tomyam but the lady did not open the stall. We settled for some anchovies and took it to a cafe nearby for a hot drink. After the cafe, we checked in for the massage.
It was good and relaxing but the massage ladies asked for tips which we found rather obnoxious.
For breakfast T bought a Thai pancake to eat at the hotel.
It tasted sweet and crispy at the same time. The stuffing tasted like eggs and coconut cream while the toppings were coconut shreds and carrot.
We went early by private car to the airport. The hotel arranged a nice car for us but we had arrived rather early. At the airport, we looked for gifts to buy home. The only thing we could buy with our funds was seaweed and some nuts. You see we had used up all our bhats!
For lunch, we decided to try the kao soy and I had tea latte. T had to have his black coffee without sugar.
The flight was delayed by 2 hours but we were given Macdonalds for dinner.
Farewell Chiangmai - I will return to buy the wooden amplifiers and the handmade wallets at Wua Lai and Ratchadamnoen for friends.
We decided to try the Thai massage at the shop just next to the hotel. I opted for the oil massage as I heard that Thai massages tend to be very painful. Slightly expensive at 300 bt it was really good.
Before the massage we tried to look for the white tomyam but the lady did not open the stall. We settled for some anchovies and took it to a cafe nearby for a hot drink. After the cafe, we checked in for the massage.
It was good and relaxing but the massage ladies asked for tips which we found rather obnoxious.
For breakfast T bought a Thai pancake to eat at the hotel.
We went early by private car to the airport. The hotel arranged a nice car for us but we had arrived rather early. At the airport, we looked for gifts to buy home. The only thing we could buy with our funds was seaweed and some nuts. You see we had used up all our bhats!
For lunch, we decided to try the kao soy and I had tea latte. T had to have his black coffee without sugar.
The flight was delayed by 2 hours but we were given Macdonalds for dinner.
Farewell Chiangmai - I will return to buy the wooden amplifiers and the handmade wallets at Wua Lai and Ratchadamnoen for friends.
Chiangmai - Day 3 - 14/8
Today is my birthday. I turn 57 this day!
We woke up bright and early. The van that will take us sightseeing was coming at 7:30 am. We had booked a full day tour up the mountains to the highest peak in Thailand - Doi Inthanon.
The tour include a visit to the king and queen garden built specially for the king's 60th birthday.
Lesson 4 - bring enough money so that you can sign up for better tour trips like the Doi Inthanon tour!
We almost missed this fascinating tour as we had insufficient funds until we found out that the tour company allowed us to pay with card.
Excited, we make the 2 hour journey to Doi Inthanon with a break at one of the highway stops. I found an Amazon cafe and enjoyed the green tea latte again. I had become hooked! Probably from the green tea latte I took in Hokkaido so much so that everywhere I went I had to look for the same latte that I had tasted and drank!
Doi Inthanon was cold. The temperature about 15%C but it was clear and refreshing. We walked the nature trail and admired the trees and flowers.
After the trip to the top, our van took us to the king and queen garden. Beautiful flower gardens adorned 2 pagodas dedicated to the king and queen. They were built for them when the king turned 60. I did not go up to the pagoda-like structure as I felt that it was like a temple.
However the flower gardens were really enjoyable. We then visited the Hmong market on the way down. We saw many types of nuts and local sweets but no coffee.
We had lunch at the king's station a place opened by the late king of Thailand to provide employment for the local people. All kinds of vegetables, fruits, chicken and fish were bred there. The restaurant served lunch which was cooked from the produce freshly harvested from the station to the tour group - 2 ladies from Barcelona, a couple from Singapore and us.
We then made our way to the karen village. Here we sampled the best coffee freshly ground (by the way I am not a coffee fan but T is) and T decided to buy their freshly ground. The fragrance of the coffee was intoxicating. According to T, they were the best coffee he had ever drank.
Final stop, the beautiful Watchirathan waterfall meaning diamond waterfall. Indeed the falling waters look like diamond drops from afar. It was so cool and refreshing. We could have stayed there whole day enjoying the splashing cool waters.
We reached about 5:30 pm at our hotel. After a short rest and shower, we were ready for Khun Toke!
Khun Toke is a traditional Thai restaurant serving Thai dishes in a big platter and with traditional seating places on the floor and long tables. We opted for the tables. While we dined we were treated to traditional Thai dancers from the many different tribes in Thailand.
The dancing was lovely and graceful. The food was unique. We were served many kinds of dishes in small bowls. Waiters continually refill the dishes upon request - chicken, pork, pork skin, vegetables, sweet potatoes, sweet sauce - it was simply delicious.
At the end of the dinner, we were invited to join the dancers on stage with guidance from the dancers themselves!
Later when we got back to the hotel, we were surprised to received a small cake and fruits - compliments from the hotel to celebrate my birthday!
A memorable birthday indeed!
We woke up bright and early. The van that will take us sightseeing was coming at 7:30 am. We had booked a full day tour up the mountains to the highest peak in Thailand - Doi Inthanon.
The tour include a visit to the king and queen garden built specially for the king's 60th birthday.
Lesson 4 - bring enough money so that you can sign up for better tour trips like the Doi Inthanon tour!
We almost missed this fascinating tour as we had insufficient funds until we found out that the tour company allowed us to pay with card.
After the trip to the top, our van took us to the king and queen garden. Beautiful flower gardens adorned 2 pagodas dedicated to the king and queen. They were built for them when the king turned 60. I did not go up to the pagoda-like structure as I felt that it was like a temple.
However the flower gardens were really enjoyable. We then visited the Hmong market on the way down. We saw many types of nuts and local sweets but no coffee.
We had lunch at the king's station a place opened by the late king of Thailand to provide employment for the local people. All kinds of vegetables, fruits, chicken and fish were bred there. The restaurant served lunch which was cooked from the produce freshly harvested from the station to the tour group - 2 ladies from Barcelona, a couple from Singapore and us.
We then made our way to the karen village. Here we sampled the best coffee freshly ground (by the way I am not a coffee fan but T is) and T decided to buy their freshly ground. The fragrance of the coffee was intoxicating. According to T, they were the best coffee he had ever drank.
Final stop, the beautiful Watchirathan waterfall meaning diamond waterfall. Indeed the falling waters look like diamond drops from afar. It was so cool and refreshing. We could have stayed there whole day enjoying the splashing cool waters.
We reached about 5:30 pm at our hotel. After a short rest and shower, we were ready for Khun Toke!
Khun Toke is a traditional Thai restaurant serving Thai dishes in a big platter and with traditional seating places on the floor and long tables. We opted for the tables. While we dined we were treated to traditional Thai dancers from the many different tribes in Thailand.
The dancing was lovely and graceful. The food was unique. We were served many kinds of dishes in small bowls. Waiters continually refill the dishes upon request - chicken, pork, pork skin, vegetables, sweet potatoes, sweet sauce - it was simply delicious.
At the end of the dinner, we were invited to join the dancers on stage with guidance from the dancers themselves!
Later when we got back to the hotel, we were surprised to received a small cake and fruits - compliments from the hotel to celebrate my birthday!
A memorable birthday indeed!
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Chiangmai - Day 2 - 13/8
We booked a half day tour today with the hotel.
Lesson 3 - when booking tours, book the ones that the hotel has to offer to avoid being taken for a ride.
Our guide was a pretty lady called Chanya (managed to give a tract to her) who took us to 2 places: the CM orchid and butterfly farm and the Maesa Elephant Camp.
If you are into orchids, you can buy pretty real orchids that have been preserved and made into brooches and necklaces.
Whilst the orchid and butterfly farm was nothing to shout about, the Maesa Camp was simply fascinating. There are many camps in CM but each elephant camp will specialize in different things. This camp specializes in elephant drawings! Yes, elephants who can draw beautiful pictures with their trunks!
Firstly we were taken to the elephant feeding enclosure. We took photos with some elephants and then went for the elephant ride (the price we paid is all in). We sat in a sedan chair atop an elephant. Up and down a small hillock the elephant and the mahoot took us. Even with my braces, I found the ride very comfortable and enjoyable.
The highlight was the elephant show. Elephants paraded, played football, threw darts, gave massages to their trainers and finally a few selected elephants drew beautiful pictures with their trunks. The pictures were sold at about 2k to 3k bt per painting. One painting stood out. A young elephant had painted a baby elephant and a mother elephant and drawn the words "Mum"! Wow!
At the shop we saw the biggest elephant painting done by a group of elephants that were entered into the Guiness book of records. It was so beautiful. Elephants can draw better than me!
After this trip, we took the hotel van to Ninmanhaemin road (something like Bukit Bintang in KL). We had red tomyam and pineapple fried rice at a small restaurant.
While T explored the rest of the street, I decided to rest at the Amazon cafe (this seems to be a chain of cafes in CM that is quite popular). I simply love the green tea latte.
At night we went to Ratchadomnoen, a market that was only set up on Sunday night. Surprise, surprise, God heard my prayer, the lady who sold the wallet I wanted was there too! So I did manage to buy my wallet after all.
The Thais are very friendly and hospitable. I could not walk the whole length of this 1 km plus market and decided to rest in a cafe. I only ordered a blueberry soda but the owners let me sit down for over 2 hours. They even allowed us to buy noodles from outside the cafe to eat inside the cafe. This restaurant is smack in the middle of the night market. Remember this place - Ratchadamnoen cafe somewhere in the middle of the Ratchadamnoen night market. Food and drinks are reasonable, owners are hospitable!
Lesson 4 - while at the night market, if you find something you like buy it as you may not have a chance to go back there again!
Lesson 3 - when booking tours, book the ones that the hotel has to offer to avoid being taken for a ride.
Our guide was a pretty lady called Chanya (managed to give a tract to her) who took us to 2 places: the CM orchid and butterfly farm and the Maesa Elephant Camp.
If you are into orchids, you can buy pretty real orchids that have been preserved and made into brooches and necklaces.
Whilst the orchid and butterfly farm was nothing to shout about, the Maesa Camp was simply fascinating. There are many camps in CM but each elephant camp will specialize in different things. This camp specializes in elephant drawings! Yes, elephants who can draw beautiful pictures with their trunks!
Firstly we were taken to the elephant feeding enclosure. We took photos with some elephants and then went for the elephant ride (the price we paid is all in). We sat in a sedan chair atop an elephant. Up and down a small hillock the elephant and the mahoot took us. Even with my braces, I found the ride very comfortable and enjoyable.
The highlight was the elephant show. Elephants paraded, played football, threw darts, gave massages to their trainers and finally a few selected elephants drew beautiful pictures with their trunks. The pictures were sold at about 2k to 3k bt per painting. One painting stood out. A young elephant had painted a baby elephant and a mother elephant and drawn the words "Mum"! Wow!
At the shop we saw the biggest elephant painting done by a group of elephants that were entered into the Guiness book of records. It was so beautiful. Elephants can draw better than me!
After this trip, we took the hotel van to Ninmanhaemin road (something like Bukit Bintang in KL). We had red tomyam and pineapple fried rice at a small restaurant.
 |
| Amazon cafe is somewhere inside here. Best green tea latte.... |
While T explored the rest of the street, I decided to rest at the Amazon cafe (this seems to be a chain of cafes in CM that is quite popular). I simply love the green tea latte.
At night we went to Ratchadomnoen, a market that was only set up on Sunday night. Surprise, surprise, God heard my prayer, the lady who sold the wallet I wanted was there too! So I did manage to buy my wallet after all.
 |
| Edible insects like crickets and grasshoppers |
The Thais are very friendly and hospitable. I could not walk the whole length of this 1 km plus market and decided to rest in a cafe. I only ordered a blueberry soda but the owners let me sit down for over 2 hours. They even allowed us to buy noodles from outside the cafe to eat inside the cafe. This restaurant is smack in the middle of the night market. Remember this place - Ratchadamnoen cafe somewhere in the middle of the Ratchadamnoen night market. Food and drinks are reasonable, owners are hospitable!
Lesson 4 - while at the night market, if you find something you like buy it as you may not have a chance to go back there again!
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