Last day in Hanoi

This morning we went to the Water Puppet Theatre, the show lasted 40 minutes and was fascinating. Water puppets originated in the paddy fields, and this theatre was created in 1969. The puppeteers are very skilled, we saw tales from Vietnamese life and customs.

After coffee, watermelon juice and a snack at the Avalon restaurant we retuned home. Later n in the afternoon we ventured out into the heat to look at the nearest lotus pond. It is lotus season here, some of the ponds are in full flower and ladies are selling them all over the  city from the back of their bicycles. 

....and I have discovered that  the yellow strands I have seen drying are not saffron, but the stamens from the lotus flower which are dried and used to make a 'tea'. In fact they use the major part of the lotus plant, apparently the seeds  are like water chestnuts and I have seen the central disc being dried too......

I am almost packed, just the last minute things to put in after I have had a shower and changed this evening. I have not been able to check in online, maybe this is because the first flight is a code share  with Vietnam Airlines.

This maybe the last blog for this trip........it has been great to see the family and to visit a new country. I shall look forward to returning and hopefully seeing more of Vietnam. The people are lovely and I am know there are lots more places to explore both here in Hanoi and in other  parts of the country. The heat has prevented me from venturing to a lot of the tourist sites.

Typical street scene

Cooking at the Hanoi Cooking Centre

Up early and away by 8.20am today! Well, not that early ;) the Hanoi Cooking Centre and Cafe is located just a few km south of here, a 15 min taxi ride. I was welcomed with a cup of iced tea. At 9.0am the three of us on the course were introduced to Tracey Lister a chef from Melbourne who has been in Vietnam for a number of years. I have since learned from her cook book that she is probably responsible for turning this training ground for chefs into a going concern. 

 She took us to the Chau Long  wet  market, just up the street from the centre and told us about the meat, fish, herbs, etc. it was fascinating and I learned a lot! We bought some silk worm cocoons to try later......

      

These eggs were interesting, hen, duck, road runners and the ones in the net bag are fertilised eggs, the net is drawn round them at night in case any hatch!!!!!....... they don't want to lose any ducklings ;)

Apparently these eggs are hard boiled and added to various dishes, very much a local delicacy!

The range of produce from the water is huge, from seafood as you would expect to the frogs, snails, eels and fresh water crabs from the rice paddies. Some of the snails were enormous !

We looked at the turmeric root, and a huge variety of herbs. There was one stand which specialised in herbs for hair washing. Apparently the lady will put a mix together for any sort of allergy or hair condition, then you go home, boil it up to make a 'tea' and wash your hair.

Then it was time to return to the centre and start cooking. The first dish we prepared was caramel pork which then went into small clay pots to cook in the oven for 30 mins.  

We then went on to prepare fish spring rolls using a mixture if prawns, squid and a white fish, along with some fried shallot and a few other ingredients ( I'm not going to tell you everything ;) ), we egged and breadcrumbed them and put them to one side to fry later.

Our tutor ( sorry I can't remember her name ) then cooked the silk worm cocoons just adding a little chilli and some chopped lime leaf and maybe a dash of soy sauce. These are eaten with a beer, so beers were brought in and we sampled the fare with our chopsticks. They were good !!!

Our last dish was a banana flower salad, which contained bean sprouts, coriander, chilli, peanut, cooked pork, a couple of prawns, and dressing made using sugar, water, fish sauce etc. You can vary the fruit and/or vegetable and herbs according to taste and season. 

The last dish which we helped to prepare was a dessert made using black sesame seeds which had to be ground using a pestle and mortar. It was then mixed into boiling water and coconut cream. I think this dessert is an acquired taste, maybe because it does not look terribly appetising.

These are the dishes I prepared 

The dessert

The morning finished with us all sitting upstairs in the restaurant being served the food we had prepared with all drinks included in the fee for the course. In addition we took away our aprons and the cooking notes. 

Chef at work!!!

This experience was definitely worth the money, I have calculated that it cost about £35.

The  temperatures were very hot again today 35c again and humid! I walked to Orlo's school at 3.0pm to help collect his bicycle which had been left there on Wednesday morning, however he did not want to ride it, so it went in the back of a taxi and I brought it home that way.....much better than dripping all the way back !! The fare was about 65p!!!

We have various plans for the weekend, including Orlo planting some seeds and the water puppet theatre on Sunday morning. My flight leaves about midnight on Sunday, so, essentially I have a whole weekend here.

I am not sure when I will complete this blog, but I will try to put something about the water puppet theatre on it before I close down......

Return to Hanoi

So.... On Tuesday we hired a car to take us up to the pass at the head of the valley. Any mountaineers amongst you may be interested to know that this is one of the start points for the ascent of Fansipan, the highest mountain in Vietnam, well over 3,000m. I was not feeling at my best having started a course of antibiotics as I have some sort of chest, respiratory tract infection....so I stayed in the car while Orlo and Amanda walked to a waterfall , apparently it was a very nice walk, through some bamboo forest. There were no views here as we were in the cloud! We then drove down the road a short way and Amanda and Orlo walked up to look at the Silver waterfall which was spectacular.

And I had a wander around to look at the view and the local plants.

Think these may be a type of orchid.....comments welcome! They look a bit bedraggled as it had been quite wet

 We then returned to Sapa town/village, where we had a look at the museum displays relating to the locality and the different tribes and their way of life, it was very interesting .

We returned to the Village Noshery to freshen up and finish packing and wait for the minibus. It arrived late at about 5.20, having picked up some other people before coming for us. The drive back down through the mountains to Lao Cai took about an hour, the driver was going very carefully. Then we were into the heat and mayhem at Lao Cai station. A greeter met us of the bus and herded us to a cafe while he took our ticket vouchers and went to get our tickets. The station was not open until 30 mins before the train was due to leave. Eventually it was time to go across the big station forecourt, trying to keep up with our 'guide' who had grabbed my bag. There were about 9 of us in his group and a lot of people to negotiate!!!! I kept up with him, making him wait at critical points like the ticket collector, so that Amanda and Orlo were not left behind. Eventually we made it to coach 6, berths, 17,18,19 & 20 and settled ourselves in for the night. I think the coach we were in was newer stock than the one we occupied on the journey north as the ride was much smoother. GrannyLiz climbed onto the "up" bed and was soon comfortable, but I didn't sleep too well and I suspect Amanda was kept awake by my coughing! We arrived into Hanoi 30 mins early at 4.30am and soon got a taxi as one firm is allowed to park inside the station, we were home just before 5.0am......and Orlo then began to play with his Playdough ! ;)... And I put the first load of washing in the machine !

Orlo has been enrolled into Summer School at his kindergarten, so at 8.30 he and I set off with him on his bicycle, arriving in good time for the 9.0am start. I had planned a little treat for my feet, so walked to the Santal Spa for a really good pedicure. I think it is the best I have ever had, full exfoliation to the knees, massage, great attention paid to cuticles, then the usual, clipping, filing and polish. Afterwards I walked to the French bakery to buy some bread, had a look in a few dress shops and walked home. It was stinking hot!!!!!......about 35 feels like 41C! I spent the rest of the afternoon in the cool apartment, and fell asleep in the chair for about 30 mins....

Orlo was tired out when he got home as he had not had a nap as he has  gone up a class to the Lions. Lions are "big boys and don't go to the sleeping room".......and I had forgotten to tell the teachers that he had been up since 4.15am ;-(

View of Hanoi station from the back of the taxi at 4.30am!

A Black Hmong couple going home for lunch

Today, Thursday, I have had an easy day, did a few household chores and took a walk to the local shopping street near to Orlo's school where I had a very successful time buying things Vietnamese! Some of you will find out what I bought when your birthday or Christmas comes around  ;)! 

Tomorrow I am booked in at the Hanoi Cooking Centre for a half day market shopping, cooking and eating session of which more in the next chapter of this blog.........

Trek to Hmong Mountain Retreat

Yesterday we set off from Sapa, with the same guide, La My, to walk along local paths, through bamboo forest, passing rice paddies on the way. It was mostly a downhill walk , with just a few uphill sections. The paths were muddy and steep in places, buffalo trail and local tracks in the main. We saw water buffalo, lots of ducks, ducklings, geese, hens and cockerels, some of the foul were being farmed, on a small scale though!

Our progress was slow with Orlo but we reached the lunch venue by about 1.30. After a meal of spring rolls, rice, vegetables and a meat stew, we set off again. It was probably about another 3 km to the next village of Ta Van and the meeting point with the mini bus to take us to the ' hotel' I think we walked about 9 km in all.  Quite a long way for a ' just 4 yr old'  the weather was dry and muggy to start with but the rain came about  half an hour before lunch, so on went the waterproofs. My cape is ideal for this situstion, although with the warmth and 100% humidity we were wet inside and out!! I am getting quite used to that situation !!

We arrived at Hmong Mountain Retreat about 4.0 pm and were shown tothe two  bedroom   Hmong house we had booked

It is the building on the r h side of the photo. The 'hotel ' is made up of several small bungalows and the house plus a central traditional building which house the sitting and dining  areas, the showers and toilets.  The house was built stilts and had very uneven floorboards and high door threshers to negotiate. The buildings are in paddy fields and there are some interesting pathways to negotiate too !! ;)

In the evening we were served with a three course vegetarian meal, most of which I enjoyed. I wasn't very keen on the cassava dessert though. Breakfast this morning consisted of two fried eggs, half a baguette and a slice of cake and local plum jam.

There was no other food available outside meal times, although it was possible to order a cup of tea. 

The beds were comfortable and supplied with mosquito nets, I saw fireflies in my room and outside when I went to bed.. We went to bed early and got up quite early too! 

Back to Sapa this morning where we are staying at the Village Noshery again. We tried to get a home stay but it fell through.  Today we walked down to Cat Cat village again, but with me as the guide this time ;). We also saw the cultural dance show which was slightly different to the one I saw on Saturday. We got motorbike taxis back up to the village. 

View from the Hmong house 

Snack lunch in Cat Cat, sweet potato and bean cakes and sticky rice served in a bamboo cane with sesame seed dip. 

Although there were a few drops of rain this morning, the day has stayed dry despite the threatening black clouds. 

The agenda for tomorrow has yet to be planned ! The only fixed point being departure from here at 5.0 pm for the hour drive to Lao Cai and the train at 7.30 pm. We are due to arrive back in Hanoi at 5.0am on Wednesday. 

To Sa Pa!

Well! What an amazing 18 hrs I've had!! We were picked  at 7.30 and taken to the station for the 8.35pm train to Lao Cai, which the northern border town with China.

We had booked out the four berth compartment. The journey began by going through the city on the single track railway and crossing the Red River, great night views of the city with lots of lights but not good for photography through a dirty train window. We settled down to sleep, Orlo changed his mind about sleeping on the "up" bed so up went GrannyLiz instead! Good job I had had plenty of practice 3 yrs ago ;). Sleeping was not easy even with earplugs , the train rattled and rolled for 9 hrs until we arrived at Lao Cai at 05.30 hrs. 

It was quite a scrummage  getting out of the station , but the 'meeter and greeter' was there with our name sign and showed us to a minibus, where we waited ........ Until the next train arrived at 

about 6.30. Moral: there is nothing gained by taking the earlier departure from Hanoi. It was pouring with rain when we arrived but faired up. 

So, eventually we set off driving up the hairpin bends for 1 hr, unfortunately they got the better of Orlo just before we arrived!!!

We were made very welcome at the Village Noshery, having breakfast before we went to the room to freshen up. Then it was out to explore the town a little bit which apparently has developed almost beyond recognition since Amanda was here in 2001. It is very much a trekking village and there are lots of local Hmong tribeswomen  trying to sell their wares, mainly embroidered bags, silver bracelets  and other handwork. Further up the street the women have got the traditional skirts , hats, purses etc all laid out.  

Skirt on display at the Village Noshery

We had some lunch in Baguette and Chocolat  which is a restaurant and rooms run by the Samaritan's Purse charity. Young men and women from disadvantaged families are trained on cooking, and service there and many go on to work in upmarket establishments.  

At 1.30pm I set off on a trek to Cat Cat village with a delightful young Red Hmong woman guide, her name was Ly May. I forgot to take the phone so there are no photos yet, I will download some later ........ Orlo was too tired so Amanda and he ducked out. 

I had a great afternoon, the walking was all downhill, rather a lot of steps at times, but we kept stopping to look at the view, the textiles, the water and milling system, the indigo dye being prepared, and eventually the river and waterfalls..

We sat in the shade and had a drink then watched a dance show by girls from the different tribes. While we were having our drink Ly May showed me the embroidery she was doing, all Hmong women carry their embroidery with them when they are out and about and they sit and stitch whenever the opportunity arises.  She explained the significance of the different designs, of which more in another blog !

We walked a relatively short way up from the village and then got a motorcycle taxi!!! One for me and one for her ! I wish I had a video of ride back up the lane from almost the valley bottom, quite an adventure!!!!

So now I am back, the others are fast asleep so I am enjoying a mug of Earl Grey tea and writing this ! It is still very warm  and very humid here and  I am dripping!!!

Until next time ......

Grannycare days!!

Two days have passed without any major problems, we have been really busy. Activities have included going to play at a friend's house, the swimming pool, having a friend here to play, meeting a friend in the Botanic Gardens where there are lots of trees and shade and safe places to play away from traffic. We have played hide and seek, with the Playmobil. Mai took Orlo to the MyGym for a play session yesterday's morning, giving me an hour and half of peace, and now she has taken him to play at a friend's house in the paddling pool. I have become expert at texting the list of names which have been left for me, to arrange play dates ;)

On Sunday Amanda borrowed a bike for me, but I have not had time to try it out yet.....it is many years since I rode a bike ( the last time was in Switzerland, probably 10yrs ago) ! .......could be a small problem......like not enough muscle !!!!! I also think that it would be very heavy with Orlo on the back......so next time (!! ;) ) I think an electric bike or a scooter might be better ! Need to have some scooter driving lessons tho'!

I have just been to the corner shop for a few supplies including some tonic water ..... Wonder why I need that ;) !  Actually I have consumed very little alcohol since I have been here, there isn't much time to sit and relax with a drink.......!! One of the local women is laying something out to dry on the pavement, we are not sure what it is.....possibly saffron.....

On Friday night we are going on the overnight train to Lao Cai, then to Sapa, returning on the night train on Tuesday night. The Sapa area is mountainous and supposed to be cooler than here, with tea plantations and rice paddies. Not sure I will be able to blog from there, but should have plenty of material afterwards. Various ethnic tribes live there and we should see them at the local markets and in the villages. We are staying one night in Sapa then going to the Hmong Mountain Retreat for the next night, then possibly back to Sapa for the last night.

Plans for the morrow include the swimming pool again, not sure what else yet. Amanda is due home late this evening.........

I was not able to get on FB yesterday, wonder if it was blocked.........

Until next time......

The Pottery Village - Bat Trang

Yesterday was a day with the children, swimming pool visiting friends etc. 

Today we were up early to go to the pottery village which is across the river and south east of Hanoi. It was stinking hot when we set off at 8.15 but out at the village it was much cooler. We had booked a driver which turned out very useful later on.....

We parked outside Bat Trang Conservation and went into the shop which had some lovely stuff but at silly prices!;)

We wandered down the street and found a pottery where they let children play. It was great! A lump of clay thrown onto a wheel and away we went. I last made a pot over 30 years ago, but I remembered quite a bit. The staff were great, not at all pushy and they helped Orlo to make two pots. Then he made a funny little figure which he said was a giraffe. I made a turtle. We left the pots to be fired and walked further on down the streets. Quite a number of the shops were closed, but enough were open. We explored down some of the lanes and in one we came across a lovely courtyard with a 'cafe'.....a wood and thatch structure......where we had coffee and a little bit of cake.

They had a really good set up for children to play with clay and Amanda is thinking that it would be a very good activity for Orlo's next birthday, I can just imagine about 10 little boys having a wonderful time getting mucky and wet ;))

We found a very nice shop for a couple of souvenirs, and pressies.

Amanda and Andrew had blue and white Vietnamese pottery for wedding presents and we were able to find a cookie jar to go with it. I expect they may go back there for more one day ;) other purchases included a large bowl to make a goldfish pond and some rectangular planters to grow herbs and for Orlo to sow some flower seeds.

We kept going back and forth to the car to fill the boot !

We went back to collect Orlo's pots , Orlo's all survived the firing, but my turtle didn't; then there was the option to paint the biscuit pots or have them glazed. He painted them as glazing would have involved leaving them to be fired again. This all cost 300,000 VND which converts to just over £9, worth every penny !

The village was very quiet today, maybe the tourist companies don't do tours there on Sundays. 

Once back home we examined the spoils of the day and then Orlo's  friend Max turned up to play. I spent the retst of the afternoon on Andrew's computer trying to restore Amandaz's iPhone and no one wants to hear about that !! ;)

Amanda is off to Bangkok tomorrow leaving at 7.0am and due back very late on Wednesday night.......so I may not have much time to blog for the next few days ......

Throwing a pot.....

Coffee and cake time ;)

Painting almost finished!

Home  with the spoils ;)

Granny and Orlo Day

I am now starting my 'granny duties' in earnest and school broke up yesterday. Today we went on an expedition to a French bakery for a mid morning juice and snack, then home for play, lunch etc. Mai came at 3.0pm and Amanda arrived home unexpectedly early from work. Orlo had a play date at his friend Ian's, they have a small pool in the garden, ideal for kids as they are not out of their depth. We travelled on Mai's bike and now I have pics to prove it ;)

There are various fairly fluid plans for the weekend...... ;)

No comments please ;))

First Vietnamese food

Last night we went a short way along the lake to a small restaurant where I had my first experience of a Vietnamese food menu.

Everything came more or less at the same time even though part of the order was from the appetisers and the rest as from the meat and veg lists. We had spring rolls, some steamed with vegetables and noodles inside and some fried with meat and veg inside, both were accompanied by fish sauce to dip. The other dishes were sticky rice, steam morning glory ( a bit like spinach), stuffed eggplant with a dipping sauce and shrimps (prawns) cooked in butter and garlic. It was all delicious. Orlo had spring roll and pho ga which is the traditional noodle soup with chicken. The Vietnamese eat a lot of pho ba ( beef noodle soup). I had a G&T  and water to drink. Orlo had watermelon juice and Amanda had  lime juice. There are a huge variety of fruit juices on the menus here, they are very welcome refreshment in the heat.

I am not very adept with chopsticks, but I managed to eat the meal without resorting to a spoon ;)

Looking  forward to trying some other dishes.......and the street side stalls.

First city walkabout

A beautiful sunny day today with humidity at about 30%. Amanada and I took Orlo to school by taxi then continued to the city centre. We enjoyed coffee and juice in the Avalon Lounge which has wonderful views over Hoan Kiem lake. Amanda then went off to work and I began my walk around the Old Quarter. I had downloaded a route from Google, but it turned out to be less than clear, so I wandered! Good job I had myIPhone to pinpoint my location at times ;). This city is throng with scooters, bike, motorbikes, taxis and a few cars. You just have to weave through then to cross the roads and narrow streets!! I found the streets which sell jewellery, haberdashery, bamboo scaffolding poles, and many other streets besides! I missed the market and the 'silk' street ( however there will be other opportunities ;) ).

All the goods are transported by scooter or bike or in baskets on a yoke, amazing looking fruit, eggs, bread, boxes of paper, you name, I saw it today! There are lots of cycle rickshaws plying for hire but I stuck to Shank's Pony for a whole two hours. By that time to I was back at the Avalon, so stopped for some watermelon juice and a cake to fortify myself. By this time it was getting quite hot, however I left there and went over to the lake to cross the red 'Sunrise Bridge' to visit the Den Ngoc Son ( Temple of the Jade Mound).  Note: I saw some beautiful jade jewellery in the jewellery street!

Leaving there I walked south by the lake side to the French Quarter , passing a statue of Ly Thai To on the way. I knew I had arrived when I saw a very swish looking shopping mall housing Loius Vuitton, Cartier and Chanel!!!!! I walked passed!!! In this area the streets are wide boulevards.....after a walk around one block I decided I had had enough of the heat, the noisy scooter hooters and the traffic, so I hailed a taxi and returned to the apartment. The taxi fare was about £3.60 for a fifteen minute journey.

Since my return I have been checking out the currency exchange rate, it feels high as you spend tens of 1,000s on a cup of coffee or a bun, but 10,000 dhong is 30p!

I was very glad to get back to the apartment and put the aircon on today!

This evening we are going out to eat at e of the street cafes with a dessert afterwards in a French bakery ;)

Exploring!

I wish I had a photo of my excursion yesterday afternoon, on the back of Mai's motor bike !;) Mai is Orlo's after school babysitter/nanny. She collected me then we went to school to pick up Orlo, then on, with Andrew, to a party to say farewell to two Japanese school friends. It was meant to be a pool party, but it had rained for much of the day so they had decided to have an indoor party instead. It was held in the reception area of a swish looking apartment complex, which, apparently, is 90% occupied by Japanese families. As usual at kids parties the noise was tremendous, magnified by the high ceiling and marble floor!! Eventually they all went outside to play in the playground. ;) Orlo and I came back with Mai on the scooter, Orlo standing in front of her......this is the standard mode of transport for kids! He was wearing a helmet ;).....so was I. All the bikes, scooters a motorbikes travel very slowly, as do the few cars around here, so it feels quite safe. Think I should learn to drive one ;))

Andrew left for Mongolia last night, so now I am exploring on my own, with the aid of the maps on my Iphone. It is a great facility because you can always see just where you are. This morning I have walked around the 'block' by the main road Au Co. I found the supermarket in the Fraser Suite and also some nice looking clothes shops and a French cafe which sells sacristan like I have when I visit Provence. I think I might take Orlo on an expedition there next week ;). I stopped for a coffee in a nice little cafe on the lakeside and received a 20% discount.....no idea why!!!!

The temperature is quite pleasant today, 29C but with a warmish breeze, I am walking slowly, trying to get into the local tempo.......we had breakfast on the balcony this morning and I think I will sit out there to have my lunch. Living by the lake side is very pleasant ! There are fishermen all along the side and at certain times of the day people are canoeing and swimming.

Arrived!

We landed on time at 6.30am to temp of 28C , by the time I got out of the airport the temp had risen and it felt a bit like a sauna, the sauna heated up during the day to a peak of 37C.

Andy and Orlo were there to meet me but they had a long wait as my bag was almost the last off the carousel, and the extra bag had been left behind in Paris, so there were forms to fill in etc! We are expecting it to be delivered to the apartment any time now......

The drive in to the city took about 45mins, lots of scooters and cyclists on the road, but the cars appear to drive very carefully and like to use their horns a lot!  Andrew and Amanda's apartment is on the fifth floor overlooking Tay Ho lake, so it has  a very open  feel to it. The day passed in a bit of a jet lag haze, but I kept going until 8.0pm, with just an hour nap in the afternoon ......not bad considering I had only had about 3 hrs sleep on the plane.

Last night we had a fantastic sunset, then watched an electric storm in the dark.

I feel human again now after a good nights sleep. We woke to thunder and rain, it is very overcast and looks as though it will rain much of the day. We got a taxi to take Orlo to school and Amanda continued on to her office. Andrew has shown me the coffee shop, the mini food market, the place to get the best bread and the vet shop to buy the cat food, so that's all the basics covered. We walked home, it's just over half a mile which is fine in today's temperature.......I just have to remember the route through the narrow streets and lanes......I am on my own from tomorrow as Andrew leaves for Mongolia tonight. I will explore more on my own tomorrow......with help of Google maps ;)

On my way!

Left home yesterday and stayed overnight at the airport . It's a beautiful morning here and quite cool, better make the most of it as the forecasted temperatures in Hanoi are high.....  36C and 70-80% humidity !  Friends please note that this luggage is not all for me, in fact my own bag was under the weight limit, but I could not fit a child's bike seat in, so had to pack an extra bag.......;)

One week to Take Off!

I am just preparing this blog, for my babysitting trip to Hanoi. Having never been to Vietnam before, I thought I would record my experiences and impressions. I think much of my time will be spent in Hanoi, but I know Amanda is planning to arrange at least one trip away, possibly to Sa Pa in the northern highlands. Watch out for more in a few days time, as the packing progresses! So far a child's bike seat and books have arrived ......and I have ordered an extra very lightweight bag ;)