Food Trip all over Vietnam and Thailand

Dinner at spiffy, posh Hong Ngoc Restaurant: Pork meal with “small” order of rice – haha! – and a mushroom soup. Cost: VND 200,000 ($12.40), Hanoi

Tom Yum Goon (B90/$2.85) and Pasta (B70/$2.20), Coke in Can (B20/$0.60), at the "Brown Coffee", Pier near Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok

Stir fried chicken with garlic and pepper, Four Sons Village Guesthouse, Soi Rambuttri, Banglamphu area, Bangkok. Cost: 60 baht ($1.90/PhP80). This was my favorite during the whole trip. I must have returned 4x at the same place just for this. It felt like comfort food then.

Food was never on the “menu” every time I travel. It has always been about places, accommodations, and transportation that highlighted my concerns. Even during my very first solo backpacking trip – which was in Europe, hopping on and off European trains on a whim with no prior reservations for 3 months – food didn’t become a major concern. If there was a McDo nearby, I was contented. In Berlin, the most German delicacy I’ve had was an apple strudel. In Segovia, I felt like a connoisseur after trying out their own version of lechon (“roast pig”). I wasn’t too fond of those “steel-belted” 2-feet long French breads in Paris! In London, I was delighted with a bag of fish and chips – with a dash of salt and vinegar (cod, please!) And of course, you can’t escape the paellas of Madrid. Other than those mentioned, my gastronomic experience during such travels is nothing to boast of.
Lately though, I’ve caught myself actually reading the “Food” section of each Lonely Planet city guide and taking note of the local culinary pride. I’ve started noticing how the Vietnamese love their coffees bitter and very sweet; or how odd it was to find a sweet potato (kamote) in a Khmer’s curry. My whole 3-week trip in Vietnam and Thailand was more enlightening. I found out that I wasn’t too different from the other travelers. Both my German and London-based Malaysian friends had no idea what a Tum Yum Goon is (which might as well be Thailand’s national dish). I taught them that. Haha. As I was checking out my stakes of photos, I realized I had too many “food pics”. So I decided to dedicate a special photo-blog of all the culinary delights – both good and bad, scrumptious or gag-inducing, cheap and expensive, fine-dining or street food - during the whole trip. This constitutes a wide range of dishes, fruits, and anything that I could masticate, swallow and digest! Bon appetit!

Sumptuous breakfast buffet at the posh and newly renovated New World Lodge Hotel, riverside, Banglamphu area (one of the very few high-end hotels in the Banglamphu area), Bangkok. Cost: B1,600/pax/night, breakfast inclusive ($50.80)

New World’s chili version of stir-fried chicken, New World Lodge Hotel, Cost: B150 ($4.75)not to mention the gustatory damage it did to my tongue and buccal mucosa. It was hot~! Hot! Hot! My mouth was on fire.

Lunch at our Coral Island (Koh Larn) visit, an hour travel from Pattaya. Cost: B1,200 ($38) for the whole tour which includes this mediocre set.



Street food: garlic fried chicken. YUM! It was so delicious I wanted more! Tumutulo ang laway ko remembering it! Hehe! Sarap! Cost: 40 baht ($1.25). Saw this stall while taking a stroll along the main stretch of road facing the beach in Pattaya, South Thailand.

Chicken Meal, some small café, Hanoi. Cost: 55,000 dong ($3.40)




Street food: rice cake of sort. These cakes are fried, cut into little squares, then dipped in a sauce, and eaten beside the vending lady. Cost: 10,000 dong ($0.62). I brought my cake with me on my way to Hoa Lu and Tam Coc.

Dinner at another high-end restaurant, Dinh Fang Restaurant, located just beside Hoan Kiem Lake, in the heart of Hanoi. Crunchy and delicious spring rolls (small order: 170,000 dong/$10.50), braised grilled chicken (165,000/$10.20), plus “normal” sized rice (40,000 dong/$2.50). The moment I went up the steps, I knew this was gonna not going to be cheap. We were paying for the touristy atmosphere, the magnificent view of the lake, the French-speaking Vietnamese waiters, the ethnic musicians playing ( a lady was giving roses to each table. Cost (including service charge, etc.): 450,000 dong/ $28.



Dinh Fang Restaurant, Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi, Vietnam



Fruits galore at a stall near Tung Trang Hotel, Hanoi. I bought several pieces of huge atis aka “sugar apple” half the size of my head. Cost:20,000 dong per piece.









Guava-looking fruits locally called "tao" (taw).

Breakfast at the Ciao Cafe: Sausage, bacon, fried eggs and a super-sarap hash brown (45,000dong/$2.80) and orange juice (20,000 dong/$1.24 )

Atis aka custard apple aka sugar-apple. Cost: 20,000 dong a piece. Had fun eating the huge piece at a bench facing Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi. One Viet even stopped and asked for the other piece sitting beside me. No-no-no!


Dessert at the Highlands Coffee (Viet’s version of Starbucks). This one was set on a boat parked by the dreamy West Lake. Capuccino Cheesecake (right, 35,000 dong/$2.18) and Crème Brullet (left, 40,000 dong/$2.40), plus fresh coconut juice (40,000 dong/$2.40). Didnt like the cheesecake at all as I couldn't taste the cheese at all.

Hanoi Marina Restaurant dinner buffet, West Lake, Hanoi. One amazing, delighful discovery in Hanoi. All these, plus several replenishments, several change of dishes, 3 more table stretches plus drinks, Cost: 99,000 dong/$6

Hanoi Marina Restaurant is located at 12 Tran Vu-Ba Dinh, Hanoi, just a stone’s throw from Ho Tay or the West Lakes


Dessert table at the 99,000 dong-buffet at Hanoi Marina Restaurant

Boat vendor at the Surprising Cave visit, Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

At 8 degree Hanoi weather, I couldn’t resist trying a scoop of French-Vietnamese ice cream at a small restaurant across the street from Hoan Kiem Lake. Cost: 11,000 dong/$0.68

Brunch at the posh-looking Hapro Bon Nua Restaurant located infront of the street just across Hoan Kiem Lake. At first, the well appointed lighting and interiors may seem intimidating for the budget conscious, but the prices turned out to be affordable. Not the cheapest, but quite alright. Dish: Grilled Pork Ribs. Cost: 75,000 dong/$4.70. Although tasty, the consistency of the meat was rubbery. Ang tigas! I got tired slicing through my meat! Haha. As I’ve mentioned at an earlier blog, I have noticed that the Vietnamese are quite clueless what to do with their pork dishes.

Hapro Bon Nua interiors.

Name the fruit! These horrendous, bettle-looking fruits taste like a sweeter version of singkamas/turnip. Really delicious! I finished the whole supo on my way back to Hoan Kiem Lake. Who can name this fruit? They are peeled then popped in the mouth. Cost: 35,000 dong/kilo or $2.15

Another fruit stand in Hanoi.

Street food: an ambulant vendor cooks and prepares these egg sandwiches right on the sidewalk. Nainggit ako and got one myself. Hanoi. Cost: 10,000 dong/$0.60

Looks delectable, di ba?

On my last night in Hanoi, I spotted this cozy looking restaurant-café, Maxx Café. Dish: Vietnamese Chicken with special sauce. Cost: 55,000 dong/$3.40


Interiors of Maxx Cafe, Hanoi, Vietnam.



Patatim-like pork dish that I shared with my Malaysian friend Irene at a Chinese carinderia in Chiangmai, Thailand. Cost: 45 baht/$1.40

A carinderia at a Lampang bus stop on my way to Sukhothai. Unfortunately for me, most of them were spicy so I ended with just an egg dish and rice. Damage: 45 baht/$1.40


A carinderia in Lampang, North Thailand.

Pastillas everywhere, Lampang, North Thailand.

A rice meal cooked up by the server (cook/waiter) just for me. It was a fried rice mixed with vegetables, chicken and egg. They only had noodles so I asked if they have any rice meals. He came up with this. Delicious, actually! New Sukhothai Bus Station. Cost: B50/$1.60; coke in can B15/$0.45


Brunch at Tops Restaurant, Airport Plaza Mall, Chiangmai, North Thailand. Cost: 60 baht/$1.90

Stir fried chicken with garlic and pepper, Four Sons Village Guesthouse, Soi Rambuttri, Banglamphu area, Bangkok. Cost: 60 baht($1.90/PhP80). Couldn't leave Bangkok without having one - again!



This is the Eye in the Sky!

Putrajaya - Thoughts on a Visit

KLIA Express

Getting There

Unlike most travelers who prefer everything set and arranged for them by someone else (a travel agent, a tour guide), I prefer preparing for a trip myself. In fact, the most memorable trips for me are the ones that I anxiously organized myself; the ones where I handpicked the dates, the itinerary; slaved over infos on hotels, or city districts as to where I’m spending the night, etc.

I am a wanderlust, guilelessly enamored by “the process” of getting there, more than being there itself.


Such was the case with this new city called Putrajaya. Hmmm… sounds like Puduraya (KL’s main bus terminal). What makes Putrajaya unique is the fact that it is a “planned city” – now Malaysia ’s administrative capital, which means that this specially-constructed city houses most of the government offices: finance, immigration, justice, trade and industry, education, etc. This was set up to decongest Kuala Lumpur .

Trains 101

From Bukit Bintang in KL, I took the KLIA Express, the express train (top speed: 176 km/hour) that goes straight to the international airport (unlike the more commercial trains, this has only 4-5 stops), much like Shanghai’s Maglev Train (the first commercial high-speed magnetic-levitation line in the world, that runs 430 km/hour from Pudong to Puxi); much like the Virgin Intercity trains from London to Scotland; the TGV of France and the AVE of Spain. ( Japan ’s Bullet Train runs 260 km/hour.)

(Side note: I learned upon my return that taking the local aircon buses is almost as easy and absolutely cheaper. But distance has to be considered: the international airport is some 75 kms away from KL’s city center.)

Upon arrival in Putrajaya, the station beckons like a detached and standoffish welcoming party: huge, modern, and almost deserted. It was almost eerie. Taking the escalator to the groundlevel, there waited a well-planned bus service that can take you where you wanna go around the area.

A Bridge Too Far

What struck me about Putrajaya is the amazing Seri Wawasan Bridge that signals your arrival at the central area. Putrajaya is cradled by a river. It has 7 major bridges to cross, Seri Wawasan Bridge being the most beautiful. Now here is a hearsay that I am prone to believe. My taxi driver “educated” me that not a few years back, Billionaire Bill Gates wanted to share his “loot” in Asia , thus he just had to pick a country to invest in. Despite great reps on language-accessibility and the business/educational acumen of Pinoys, Gates was wary of the alarming rep the Philippines has on “corruption”. (I don’t quite understand why it has become a Filipino politician’s inherent perception that they are entitled to enrich themselves through these million-dollar infrastructure projects.) And If I were a billionaire throwing my money elsewhere, I would make sure that THAT money won’t end in the slimy hands and grimy pockets of a “few good men”. Thus he set his sight elsewhere, investing millions behind 2 new “planned” cities: Putrajaya and Cyberjaya.

Putrajaya is about 80% finished; Cyberjaya, which becomes the center of the cyber commerce, is still in its toddler’s stage, with just 30% completed. Had Gates invested in the Philippines, his hard-earned millions would have ended in overpriced street lamps, mediocre construction materials and middling highways. Hello, Cebu Convention Center ! Hello, Macapagal Highway ! (The world’s most expensive highway.) Sad case, but oh so true!

Footnotes

Being a very new city , there are but a few literatures available about Putrajaya. In fact, most travel guides that I’ve read only has Putra and Cyber as footnotes. It was a visit I HAD to do. There’s no shopping to be had (at least not in central Putrajaya), although the Alamanda Mall stands in the suburban vicinity. There are empty condo units all over the surrounding vicinity – much like London ’s council houses or a much-improved BLISS settlement area! It’s a go-see and walk-about experience – and the whole expanse is amazing! The main street is laid with bricks, and everything is wide, tall, spacious, clean; geometrically planned. Along the main avenue, you can sit by the bench and watch the river… or from the distant block, the King’s resting palace looming large with gracious copulas.

To think that Putrajaya wasn’t even in my original itinerary!

P.S.

Spent a lot texting friends while there. It’s just that there are a lot of “dead-time” when you are traveling alone – while you’re waiting for your bus or train, or having a meal by your lonesome. The cellphone becomes a steady and comforting companion. And not quite cheap too. LOL. I Have since learned to "control" myself.

During my last Halong Bay visit, I met a very smart Malaysian lady (an accountant) who travels a lot – and reads a lot too. I asked her about the Bill Gates connection. Though she wouldn’t deny Gates’ money on the construction of the 2 new cities, she does not believe that Putra is the billionaire’s brainchild at all.

Putrajaya's Train station.

Seri Wawasan Bridge

Squirting fountains right along Putrajaya Boulevard

The very pink Putra Mosque.

Putrajaya Development Authority.

Unoccupied high rise residences.

Putrajaya at night.

Images of London - Part 1

London's Black Cabs, fashionable, reliable but relatively pricey.

The Big Ben at a distance. What is London without it?

Took a shot of this footbridge just outside the National Theater and the British Film Institute at the Bank. Nearest tube: embankment

The Tube. The last time I visited London, I don't remember these glass platforms that would open before you can get on the train. Now, some stations have them. Bangkok too.

A tube station by the London Bridge. Imagine Anne Boleyn getting beheaded in this area 1,000 days after her marriage to King Henry VIII... Hmmm.

The escalators leading to or coming from the trains. Make sure you stand on the right if you don't want to be run over by irate commuters. The left side is for people rushing to get to their next destination.

People milling around, just across the theatre showing Kander and Ebb's "Chicago." Also nearby are specialty shops, "Dress Circle" (a theater store) and "Show Biz Face" (a makeup store for show biz people).

A street corner near Leicester Square.

If you are a fruit junkie, London will be heaven for you. Red and yellow plums, grapes. Kiwi and Sharon fruit (40 pence a piece), nectarines, pineapples, Cavendish bananas... but hardly any mangoes! On Portobello road every Saturday, a pound (money) will get you a plastic bag full of plums, but a piece costs 30 to 40 pence during weekdays elsewhere.

Evening at Notting Hill. This tree will always haunt me, an image of London just before spring.

The London sidewalks. Clean, gloomy... and wet.

Tourists taking a break right outside convenience stores run mostly by Pakistanis or Indians.

Two indelible images of London: The public phone (which will be phased out soon, thanks to the emergence of cell phones) and the public bus.

The public bus - those red double-decker vehicles. Reliable and comfy, but you have to know the designated number and designated area where these buses will stopover to pickup passengers. You can, however, get off anytime you want. And if you're lost, don't hesitate to ask. The English are not a very friendly people BUT they are a very polite lot--and that's just the way I like it. Straightforward and upfront.

Outside the theatre showing Chicago and just a few meters from "Dress Circle" theatre shop.

The busy Leicester Square area. A hodgepodge of races. Name it, they have it.

Gastronomic delights from London's many convenience stores and small food kiosks.

London just before dawn. As seen from a "romanticized" view of London, beautiful and lonely-looking.

A tunnel leading to the BFI's IMAX theatre. With a coat-clad beggar and passers-by.