Indochina Rewind

I'm really sorry for not posting my last travels. Real life and deadlines got in the way of blogging. In the past three months, I've traveled to Bangkok, Laos, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Singapore.  I will start uploading photos and entries. I'm starting off with my two-week trip to Indochina at the end of May to Early June:

7 JUNE 2011-Phew, what a rush the past two weeks have been!  I have indulged in the decadence of the Four Seasons Bangkok, a favorite of the wealthy Thai and expat families for Sunday brunch.

I took an 11-hour land trip from Bangkok to Pakse, Laos. The drive took three or four times to top up the petrol tank and numerous stops for potty breaks for me and two other journalists.

An enterprising child selling at the Thai-Laos Border

She sold this sour fruit.. is similar to the Philippine Kamias, with a chili sugar dipping sauce

our dinner after 11 hours together... by the Mekong River 

At the Mekong Tourism Forum, I marveled the grandeur of the Mekong River. I crossed over to the quiet fishing town of Dong Daeng Island, then headed to the Vat Phu, Khmer ruins dating even earlier than Angkor Wat.

Vat Phu, older than Angkor Wat Temples

Look an instant picture frame! 

I met fascinating people passionate about travel around the Mekong and a fellow foodie Bobby Chinn.

Look who's cooking my dinner...

Me and Bobby Chinn

Interesting scene near Pakse Market, feels like a blast from the past

Market Grilled Lunch

Chili anyone?

Baguettes---

We couldn't get the name... but it is a fruit similar to coconut..

I push my adrenaline and my physical strength to the limit by taking on the Tree Top Adventure in Paksong, Laos, where I screamed my head off in 8 ziplines, traversed Canopy walks, and abseiled a couple of towering trees.  No one mentioned there would be a 10 kilometer trek on muddy slippery terrain or it would require negotiating a steep via Ferrata, some 300 meters above ground, looking down at the waterwalls.  But hey, I survived with jello legs for the rest of the day, and sore muscles for the next three days.

That's me with my brake contraption aka a twig... before the trek and 8 ziplines-- still smiling here! 

Aaaaaa.... Zip line number 8! 

 I chilled out at Inthira Hotel , a lovely boutique hotel in Champasak with the cutest baby Mia, daughter of the hotel’s managing director, Frenchman Alex and his Australian wife Jayd.  Mia cooed and giggled as the staff taught me to make traditional Laos dishes (I will post these videos soon). I ease my weary body with a massage at Champasak Spa, ran by a French lady to help local women earn a living. 

Little Mia in the mortar and pestle

From Laos, I flew to Ho Chi Minh City. Being in rural Laos for several days, I welcomed returning to the madness of HCMC.  Staying with my aunt, everything felt familiar again, even bravely crossing the streets with the wild motorcycle drivers. I then got pampered in the Six Senses, Con Dao.

Lovely Six Senses Resort in Con Dao 

I ended my trip with a road trip to Vung Tao with my aunt and her girlfriends.

Lovely seaside town of Vung Tau

Despite all the wows… surprisingly, it was one simple morning in Laos that made a dent to this food and travel writer. I sum it up in the journal entry below....

MORNING GLORY

CHAMPASAK, LAOS- You see them in guidebooks, the classic image of monks in saffron robes walking in single file with their begging bowls. It is 6 am, an hour before leaving for Pakse. The street is empty.  But I am not alone.  Two women stand outside their homes, just across the Inthira Hotel. They have baskets of sticky rice ready for the monks. While waiting one rolled three clumps of rice into balls and placed them on the small wooden altar in front of their home.

They waited in anticipation, ready for their daily act of generosity. I was told there are temples along this road in Champasak, with about ten monks in each one. 

Then they came a line of six monks, just like the Von Trapp family. As if it were carefully choreographed, with the order of the tallest to the shortest monk (perhaps only four or five years old), they all walked gracefully in their robes.  No smiles, no conversation.  The last one skipped and hopped in a playful pace. But what struck me the most was their trust. Everyday, they faithfully believe they would be provided for with food from generous strangers.

It takes deep faith to know God (or the universe, if you wish) would provide abundantly for your needs.  But there too is a lesson to be learned from the women. They waited in anticipation of the monks each day. Every day was a chance to flex their giving muscle more.  They do have a choice. At 6am, I can think of many things I would rather be doing.  They can be sleeping or getting a headstart on their daily tasks of cooking, washing the laundry, or earning a living.  Instead, they choose to give. 

We may be busy improving our running speed, our downward facing dog, or our forehand every morning. But perhaps, the real exercise worth doing daily requires us to flex our giving and receiving muscles. 

10:20am. Written 6.02.20. Copyright2011. Maida Pineda

Scenes from Saigon

Four years ago, I had this great big plan to backpack alone through Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.  But life had other plans for me taking me to Singapore, Hong Kong and many other places in between.  So this year, when a budget airline went on sale with an irresistible price from Manila to Saigon, I grabbed the opportunity to fulfill this dream.  I am not impulsive in purchasing clothes, jewelry or tech gadgets. But this was definitely an impulse buy.  I’m happy to report that I never experienced buyer’s remorse at all for this purchase.  So armed with a 11-kilo suitcase, I began my journey.  

Lovely Vietnamese Ladies

Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon as most still prefer to call it was my first stop.  An aunt working in HCMC for the past 7 years kindly hosted me in her home in District 3,  right at the heart of the city.  The day began with a bowl of Pho Bo for breakfast with my aunt.  I had eaten this steaming bowl of beef noodles garnished with basil, fresh bean sprouts, and chili for lunch or dinner, but never for breakfast.

Despite only a few hours of sleep, I was armed and ready to battle the streets of Saigon on my own.  But first, I had to exchange my US dollars into Vietnamese Dong.

An instant millionaire!

While the US dollars are readily accepted in most shops, it is still best to carry the local currency for better bargaining power. My US $100 instantly made me millionaire. (Well 2,079,000.00 VND to be exact!)   The thrill of being a millionaire in this currency was short-lived. I immediately became confused with the many zeros and the many different colored bills.  I didn’t even receive a single coin during my stay there.

I headed straight to Ben Thanh Market, one of the oldest surviving structures of Saigon. It is a must stop for tourists buying souvenirs, local handicrafts, áo dài, and local cuisine.  The piles of spices, fruits, and plethora of coffee thrilled this foodie. Any lady can’t have enough bags, clothes or jewelry. This market offered heaps of these, too.  Lacquer decorative items are in abundance, dating back to a long tradition since 3rd or 4th BC in Vietnam.  But mustering my self-control, I resisted buying anything knowing I would have to carry my purchases with me to the next two cities.

Vietnam's extensive selection of coffee beans

Pho and cheap eats in the market

Fruits

  Goi Cuon

I lost my way, but found solace in seeing my first book “Do’s and Don’ts in the Philippines” sold in this bookstore.

I continued my tour of Saigon on foot. I walked marveling at the street food sold around the city. Vietnamese office workers clustered together in tiny plastic stools, eating Pho and other local dishes right on the sidewalk.  I was baffled why the stools were pint sized.  But my thoughts were quickly swept away by the multitude of motorcycles zooming away.

The King of the road

Ho Chi Minh Musuem-lovely architecture

Street side small stools in abundance

For lunch, I was in the company of a plethora of tourists at Nha Hang Ngon, where the menu boasts of many pages of Vietamese food.  My choice was Nem Nuong Cuon Banh Trang, (Grilled Minced Pork Meatballs served with Rice Vermicelli, Rice Papers, and Vegetables). For all the walking, dodging mad motorcycles, and finding my way around the city, I deserved a caffeinated treat, cà phê sữa đá (iced coffee).  There’s nothing like bold Vietnamese coffee, sweet milk and lots of ice to wake up your senses.

Nem Nuong Cuon Banh Trang

Revitalized, I continued my walking tour admiring Notre Dame Cathedral, The Post Office, and a tour of the Reunification Palace.

The Post office 

Inside the Post office

Reunification Palace

Inside the Palace, gorgeous lacquer paintings 

But doing this all by foot, under Saigon’s hot sunny skies wore me out. Ready to call it a day, I was ready to climb into a cyclo to get me back to my aunt's place. But the persistent cyclo driver had other plans.  He convinced me to see the Emperor of Jade Pagoda. I hesitantly let him show me his town.  I feared for my safety he recklessly pedaled amidst a sea of motorcycles.  “If you can’t beat them, join them, I thought.” But I didn’t realize being in the midst of the mad road warriors was worse.

Most unflattering photo in a Cyclo

Motorcycle Madness

Emperor of Jade Pagoda

Shocking Pink Catholic Church, a discovery on our long walk

 

masks: a fashion statement or an essential accessory?

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda

the 7-story, 40m-high tower

Luckily, I met a fellow solo traveler, Rainier, backpacking from Switzerland.  Together, we continued my walking tour, making our way to two more Pagodas in Saigon.

In the evening, my aunt asked if was keen to try a local restaurant serving only one dish. “Yes!” She brought me to Cha Ca La Vong , a traditional Hanoi dish, a fitting prelude to my next destination, Hanoi. The turmeric catfish dish is cooked in a skillet in front of you, adding the dill and scallion.  In a  bowl, assemble the fish, mint leaves, noodles, fish sauce and peanuts and eat!

This simple and satisfying fish dish successfully managed to whet my appetite for delicious adventures for the next day. 

Join me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/themaidastouch

All text and photos by Maida Pineda. Copyright2011.No portion of this blog may be reproduced without permission of the author.