216: The French Quarter of Hanoi from the 1000 places to see before you die book

Quite a change from the bustling streets full of motorbikes, pedestrians, hawkers and garish shops. the French quarter exudes charm, class, dignified facades and deserted wide tree lined streets.




Hanoi was the capital of French Indochina (1887-1954) and the buildings, nestled in a tiny quarter near the central lake, do look out of place.

The Metropole Hotel was well worth the visit- bit like going to Raffles in Singapore and the high tea was marvellous.

now..does it belong in the book of 1000 places to see before you die. Well...no. Its a bit like saying Mayfair in London is a must see before you die...which it isnt. Page rip out!"

215: Cha Ca La Vong, Hanoi Vietnam from the 1000 places to see before you die book

Could have sworn I posted this...but clearly not. So now to dredge up my memories of a trip 3 months ago with several in between that I know i was meant to write but got caught in more trips!!

Cha Ca is a Vietnamese curried fried fish dish- some would say their national dish. I was rather amused to hear that restaurant critic AA Gill put Cha Ca as one of the best ways to start breakfast...mmm...not sure about that. Id eat congi or Vegemite under scrambled eggs for breakfast any day....but buttery fried fish.......

And if fried fish wasnt enough- it turns out that Fried  Fish Restaurant serving Fried Fish is on Fried Fish street- yes Cha Ca La Vong restaurant- that serves only Cha Ca-  is on Cha Ca street!! Thats pretty much tantamount to painting yourself in green and yellow and eating a vegemite sandwich while singing "I come from the land down under" on Vegemite Street.

Wonder if there is such a thing as Vegemite Street?

Well a web search says there is a street named after vegemite-  Theodore St in Canberra- which is named after Cyril Callister, the Chief Chemist of Kraft Walker Cheese Company which still produces Vegemite. I hear you asking for help connecting the dots there. Well not even askJeeves could help on connecting Theodore with Cyril, bar one hit for Teddy Roosevelt and vegemite without any explanation.   Given Obama took a swipe at Vegemite recently proclaiming it "horrible", I can imagine that Kraft doesnt need the publicity of the views of two Presidents of USA.

Certainly Cyril did develop the spread per his boss's request to utilise one of the richest known natural vitamin B sources - brewer’s yeast- which was a discarded product at the time.   And so vegemite was launched to millions of future happy little Vegemites in 1927. While no street appears to be directly named after Australia's favourite...spread? seasoning? soup base? gravy base, it is true that the first scanned product in a supermarket was Vegemite, that some 22 million jars are sold every year and I have kissed Vegemite Rock- which exists in a little seaside suburb of Melbourne opposite where the factory was originally located.

I digress- Cha Ca (could follow anotherlate night Australian angle now and think of that little feathered dancing granny from the Amazon on Clive James Late night show at this stage) but let me stick with garoupa fish- which is what is in Cha Ca.  Boiled or fried in some oily substance, you take your noodles, add the fish then add various additions in front of you such as peanuts, pickled vegetables and various sauces. It was nice.....like any fish cooked in a heavy butter sauce would be...but would I put it in the "1000 places to see before you die" book??



Page rip out on this one Im afraid. The restaurant is no different to thousands in Vietnam..that means cheap furniture, gaudy colours and an abundance of plastic flowers.



The dish- well its a bit like putting a hole in a wall in some back street in Edinburgh, selling deep fried mars bars from it and getting it featured in the 1000 places to see before you die book.

Ill pass!

214: Halong Bay, Vietnam from the 1000 places to see before you die book

Its a dog ear rather than a rip out the page for this one- albeit it didnt start off too well- a rather dull 4 hour road journey (getting better however at doing tours so I booked a private driver who didnt speak English and thankfully therefore didnt get the pitter patter the entire way down) and them arrived to a cloudy, grey harbour which was the take-off point for Halong Bay.

The boat looked rather magnificent though so it started to look up

Upon arrival we were greeted with a cold drink which was fab as it was damm hot and given lunch while our luggage was taken to the room.

The windows were a delight- windows overlooking the water so you could lie in aircon comfort and watch the passing scenery.

And the big deck to lounge on

We then putted off to our first destination

That afternoon I went on an hour long kayaking trip around the limestone islands

and then proceeded to work my way through 15 wines at wine tasting on the deck while the sun set

After a night of squid fishing the next morning saw a trip to the floating village nearby

and a trip to a limestone cave. "Tastfully" lit (beloww) is Happy Buddha Rock

and then a long hard work climb to the top of the mountain to take in the view of Halong Bay

The summation- definate worthwhile inclusion in the 1000 places to see before you die book

213: Sapa, Vietnam from the "1000 places to see before you die" book

Id always dreamed of a long first class train journey in some exotic location. Gin and tonics in swanky gear in a bar chatting to interesting people as we meandered through the countryside, waking up on 1000 thread cotton sheets in aircon splendour and lazily watching the landscape unfurl through the window, a few stops on the way where cold towels greeted us as we alighted for a few hours at some fabulous location, the smell of varnished and polished teak wood with dim Parisian lamps on tables, flowers scenting the airconditioned hallways. At least...thats what a train journey meant to me.

And so it was in two minds that I decided to venture to the north-west corner of Vietnam on the border with China to visit the town of Sapa...and joy oh joy the only way of getting there was by train.  The research on the trains was short and sweet- theres a normal train- hard and soft seat (here's the hard seat)

which clearly didnt fit into my Orient Express fantasy....or go on the train run by the resort that I was staying at the Victoria Sapa Resort and Spa. And so it was a call to my concierge service Quintessentially to get the whole thing sorted.

What a pleasure- cold towel on arrival, icy cold room beckoning me after the muggy heat of Hanoi, a fabulous cabin, a brilliant dining room open all night for the 8 hour journey with fresh flowers and western background music, fabulous cocktails and great food. Only thing was, I was unswankily clothed after a plane flight and 6 hours traipsing around the Old City of Hanoi and too tired to talk to fellow passengers.

In the dining car having a pre dinner cocktail

my lovely cabin

8 hours later after a steaming pot of coffee, eggs and bacon and some fab conversation with fellow guests we embarked at Sapa where I promptly jumped on a motorbike and went up and down a few hills checking out some waterfalls.

But the highlight of Sapa is its weekend Saturday market. The surrounding hill tribes come in from far away to sell their wares and catch up with their girlfriends- all dressed in their traditional garb.

The next day we ventured to the Flower Mong people's market in the nearby town of Bac Ha.

A definate entry into the 1000 places to see before you die book

211: Rex Bar and Ben Thamh Market, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam from the 1000 places to see before you die book

The Rex Hotel is one of the great old guards in Saigon. A retreat for all the hacks in the days of the War and a rambling 5 star hotel now that still retains its charm. Greatly helped of course by the fact that 5 star luxury in this city only costs $145 a night. I think the reason why it is here is because it is one of only a handful of outdoor bars in Ho Chi Minh...mind you..I dont think that being a mere 5 storeys high protects drinkers from either the noise or pollution issues- especially when next door they are building something that is looking rather large and had hundreds of workers on it seemingly 24/7.

The Rex Bar: Quite gaudy with itsgold crown and two elephants





at nighttime the bird cages all light up as does the crown!



one of the views from the bar

Anyhow....thats it- a bar. turns out there is a newer more spectacular one in a new shopping complex around the corner on level 33 which I think will take this one out of its spot in the book.

So...to the market. Well here it is...

It had about 100 stores selling either clothes, shoes, souvenirs or food. As always in these places the food ones are the most interesting..the verdict?

 

Its a tear off for both. Ive seen far more exotic markets (this was a tourist market) and have been to bars with far better views



snake and scorpion rice wine. Very good for men apparently