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Hong Kong & Vietnam 2018

June - July 2018
A 23-day adventure by Tastes Like Chicken Read more
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  • Tastes Like ChickenHong Kong & Vietnam 2018
    Day 1

    And so it begins.......

    June 15, 2018 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    After vaccinations for:
    Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis,Typhoid, Hep A & B (again)
    as well as chugging down some Dukoral,
    and filling a prescription for Azithromycin (in case the Dukoral doesn't cut it),
    and buying some nasty assed mosquito repellent,
    and getting our Vietnam visa's approved,
    and dropping off the 4-legged bitch with my parents (thanks Mom & Dad!),
    and dropping off the 4-legged bastard at a local coyote den,
    we are ready for the road.

    ANA Airlines YVR - HKG
    10 hr flight to Tokyo
    13 hr layover in Tokyo
    1 1/4 hr flight to Osaka
    2 hr layover in Osaka
    4 hr flight to Hong Kong
    Why fly non-stop when you can experience all this over 31 hrs????

    Next stop - Tokyo    Read more

  • Tastes Like ChickenHong Kong & Vietnam 2018
    Day 3

    Tokyo

    June 17, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Our flight from Vancouver to Tokyo was fantastic. The Dreamliner lives up to it’s name - quiet, smooth, very roomy. And it was an hour quicker than scheduled. One of the cool things on those planes is the window tinting. You can change the tint for your window, everything between clear and pitch black. The meals were fairly standard airline food, leaning more towards Japanese cuisine. Edible but nothing to rave about.Read more

  • Tastes Like ChickenHong Kong & Vietnam 2018
    Day 3

    Tokyo 2

    June 17, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    After landing at Haneda Airport and facing a 13 hour layover, we took the monorail and train into the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. Thank God we have Braeden with us as he is our navigator extraordinaire. The amount of train and subway lines here is mind boggling but he figured out where we needed to go. The Shinjuku area contains hundreds and hundreds of restaurants and bars, the majority being little hole in the wall type places that would hold no more than 10. We ate at a small place that had an ordering system that was as confusing as hell, all in Japanese. We figured it out after a whole lot of pointing and gesturing with the proprietor and it turned out to be a pretty good meal of assorted noodles. Tokyo is really, really crowded and a little intimidating due to the language barrier, but I could see coming back and spending a lot more time here.Read more

  • Tastes Like ChickenHong Kong & Vietnam 2018
    Day 3

    Hong Kong

    June 17, 2018 in Hong Kong ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We flew into Hong Kong this afternoon aboard an old, creaky 767. Same airline, but we went from the penthouse to the outhouse pretty quickly with our rides.

    Hong Kong airport is huge and the road, bridge, and tunnel projects that accompanied it’s 1998 completion are expansive.

    After arriving at our hotel,we washed the 30 hour funk off ourselves and headed out for dinner. We ended up at a dim sum place. It was good, but you can get better back home.

    A few observations:

    There are a lot of people here.
    Most seem to use transit. Besides having a comprehensive and efficient subway system, there appears to be 10 times as many buses on the roads as cars.
    It’s very humid. I have clothing sticking to body parts it has no right sticking to.
    Everyone seems to hang their laundry out off the side of their apartment with whatever jerry-rigged system they can come up with.
    It’s literally raining on the sidewalks from the thousands of window air conditioners dripping condensation from above.
    They love their animals. We walked 1 block with no less that 20 pet stores. Birds, rabbits, turtles, UFT’s (unidentifiable furry things). Now either these shops are full of future Buttercup’s, Bunny’s and Cuddle’s,or they are restaurant supply stores - it’s a fine line.
    I saw bamboo scaffolding today. Bamboo scaffolding!    Read more

  • Tastes Like ChickenHong Kong & Vietnam 2018
    Day 4

    Hong Kong 2

    June 18, 2018 in Hong Kong ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Today started off with a late breakfast at a nearby bakery and cafe. We are starting to figure out how most Hong Kong restaurants seem to work. Go in, get a table, take no more than 30 seconds to decide what you want to eat as you better be ready to order when the waitress comes by, don't ask questions, food comes right away, eat, pay, leave. No dawdling, no dicking around, get in, get out, no harm. It's all about the turnaround time and getting as many butts in a seat as possible throughout the day. We had pineapple buns (with a big chunk of butter in the middle), Hong Kong style french toast (slathered in butter), iced and hot coffee. All excellent. We liked it so much we are going back tomorrow in spite of the surly staff. Maybe we like the abuse a little bit too.
    After breakfast we hopped on the subway to get to Victoria Peak, an 1,800 foot mountain with a mountain top lookout on Hong Kong Island . The Hong Kong subway system is apparently the most efficient subway system in the world. It moves 5.2 million people per day and has a 99.9% on-time rate. The trains we were on were 600 feet long and packed. Crazy volume, crazy size, and crazy efficient.
    After a tram ride to the top of the peak we enjoyed the views, and the breeze. We headed back down the mountain on a city bus, on a narrow road full of sharp turns and switch backs. If we met another bus making it's way up there was probably no more than 6 inches of space between the two vehicles. Once at the bottom we strolled around for a while, ducking into shops every few minutes to enjoy the air conditioning. I mentioned in yesterday's post about the bamboo scaffolding and I noticed a lot more today. One of the pictures below shows a tall building (I counted 40 stories) with green netting. Inside that netting from bottom to top, is bamboo scaffolding. All warped, crooked, and held together with some type of nylon tie. No thanks.
    We made our way down to the waterfront to catch the ferry back to Kowloon. Once on the Kowloon side we stopped and had dinner at a place specializing in noodles. We got a table, checked out the menu as quickly as possible and ordered our food. The waitress walked away before we could order drinks and re-appeared about 20 seconds later with a computer printout of our bill. Our meals were really good but we went without drinks as we were too chicken to order them and have her change our bill. We went up the street to McDonald's after we ate to get something to drink. I'm going to have nightmares about Hong Kong waitresses.    Read more

  • Tastes Like ChickenHong Kong & Vietnam 2018
    Day 5

    Hong Kong 3

    June 19, 2018 in Hong Kong ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We started today with another great breakfast with our favorite grumpy, impatient waitresses. After breakfast we decided to take a high speed ferry to Macau, the so-called Monte Carlo of the Orient. Not to gamble, as we don’t, but to wander aimlessly, sweat profusely, and eventually turn on each other over said aimless wandering. We learned that when it is in the 30’s, and the humidity is hovering around 90%, you don’t just head out for a stroll to nowhere in particular. We also learned that besides casinos, Macau seems to be some sort of banking center (hmmm......), has a hell of a lot of stores selling fresh jerky and egg tarts, and way too many stores selling durian in various forms. Walking past those stores is an affront to your olfactory senses.

    The ferries zip along at 80 km/h in calm or rough water. In fact I think the rougher the water, the faster they go. The seats have seatbelts and are highly recommended. It was kind of like flying through heavy turbulence. Walking around is not an option. After leaving Macau, all hot, sweaty and pissed off with each other, we arrived back in Hong Kong all hot, sweaty, pissed off, and hungry. So we did the unforgivable and ate at the first place we saw - McDonalds. I hope the food Gods will forgive us for that one. And that's all I've got to say about that. Tomorrow we jet off to Hanoi.    Read more

  • Tastes Like ChickenHong Kong & Vietnam 2018
    Day 6

    Hanoi

    June 20, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    After a nothing special breakfast this morning (different restaurant, friendly waitstaff - maybe that was the problem) we headed to Hong Kong airport for our 2 hour flight to Hanoi. A pseudo Vietnamese meal was served, a little odd considering the short flight, and it turned out to be not too bad.
    Hanoi airport was dead quiet. We were in customs for about 45 minutes waiting for our Vietnamese Visa approval and no other flights came through in that time. The terminal is new, spotless, and empty. The bored customs officers outnumbered the passengers.
    After finally getting our visa’s we met our pre-arranged driver and began the 30 km drive into Hanoi. Then all hell broke loose. The very dark, ominous looking sky opened and rained like we have never witnessed. Living where we do we have seen some awful, heavy rain, but this was a whole new level. Monsoon type rain. Instant flooding type rain. Or as our driver put it “many water”. I’ve posted a picture below to show the view through the windshield.
    Which brings us to driving in Vietnam. Absolute insanity. We've seen some terrible, questionable driving over the years, both at home and while visiting various countries (I’m looking at you, Crete taxi driver) but nothing comes close to what we witnessed over the 30 km drive. Firstly, most of the scooter drivers took shelter under overpasses during the storm but several continued on, travelling over 50 km/h in several inches of standing water, weaving in and out of traffic. Lanes in the road are merely suggestions. Driving on the correct side of the road is again, merely a suggestion. Jumping the green light in order to turn left is the norm. Not just for 1 or 2, but several. Scooters driving on the shoulder and sidewalk is acceptable. Constant use of the horn is encouraged. And yet, it seems to work. Organized chaos I guess. Terrifying to an outsider but the norm for the Vietnamese. At any rate, we made it to our hotel safely and with wtf looks on our faces.
    Dinner tonight was at a non- Vietnamese restaurant. Food was decent but the highlight for Braeden was the fact that 18 is the drinking age in Vietnam. He doesn’t even like beer but had one because he could. Looking forward to the 38 degree Hanoi weather tomorrow.    Read more

  • Tastes Like ChickenHong Kong & Vietnam 2018
    Day 7

    Hanoi 2

    June 21, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Our first full day in Hanoi started out with breakfast on the 8th (top) floor of our hotel with a nice view overlooking the local neighbourhood. We are staying in a little boutique hotel in the old quarter of Hanoi. A large room for the 4 of us, ridiculously friendly staff, and breakfast included, all for about $70 per night. Fresh fruit juice, fruit (fresh passion fruit- yum), yogurt, coffee, then your choice of entree - pancakes/omelettes/pho/rice or noodle dishes. With table service to boot, it really can’t be beat.

    We headed out exploring after breakfast and it was already stifling hot at 10:00 am. We walked for 1/2 an hour or so to a local lake/park area and were pretty much done after that. It’s amazing how quickly your ass starts dragging in this heat. So we did something that, like eating at McDonalds, goes against what we normally would do. We bought tickets for a hop on/hop off bus tour. Really good decision on our part. Braeden had some sights he wanted to see, the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, the Hanoi Hilton (where John McCain was imprisoned) and a couple other museums. The bus took us to all of them. One of the best parts about the museums was that for the next to nothing entry fee you could enjoy the air conditioning. Even if nothing about the museum was of interest, there was the a/c to enjoy.

    Dinner tonight was at a little place I had read about, Cumulus. The proprietor is a former street kid who wanted a better life for himself and worked his butt off to save enough money to rent a space to open his own place. His restaurant is tucked away in a hard to find space on the 2nd floor of a small building. We had a general idea of where it was but were stumped as to exactly where to go. Along came a young boy of maybe 8, carrying a little baby girl. He lead us down an alley and up a flight of stairs to a sparse restaurant. This was the place, excellent home style Vietnamese cuisine at a dirt cheap price. William, the owner, was justifiably proud of his food and himself.

    A few things about Hanoi:
    - Hanoi is unlike any place else we have been. There is the constant traffic noise of scooters buzzing by, and horns blaring, and the different smells as you walk along. There are food vendors and tiny restaurants everywhere. A lot of the cooking seems to be done out front at the entrance or on the sidewalk.
    - Sidewalks are a combination of scooter parking, restaurant seating, restaurant kitchen and storefront. There is never a clear path to walk, a lot of the time you have to walk on the road to get through.
    - Crossing the street is an adventure. There are very few controlled crossings and those are ignored by drivers. Nobody stops to allow you to cross. You just have to put your big boy pants on and start walking across. It’s intimidating to step out into traffic with an onslaught of vehicles coming at you but it’s how it’s done. Cars will honk at you, scooters will zip around you, but it all seems to work.
    - The people will go out of their way to help you, but they will also go out of their way to try and sell you something.
    - Hanoi tap water is not safe to drink, apparently the water is great but the pipes carrying the water are old and full of lead and other lovely things. Bottled water though is everywhere and cheap - 65 cents for a 1.5L bottle.

    Some explanation on the pictures below:

    Street scene near our hotel.

    A jackfruit tree near the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. We thought it may have been immature durian but someone told us jackfruit. For perspective, each one is slightly larger than a basketball. Apparently jackfruit can grow as large as 55kg.

    Near the the jackfruit tree. At the time of the picture the heat index was 42 C (it topped out at 47 today) and this group was wearing long pants and jackets including the girl on the left who was wearing a thick furry/fuzzy thing. WTF?!!!

    This pagoda is called the one pillar pagoda and is regarded as one of Vietnam’s most iconic Buddhist temples. Natascha was posing for a picture on one of the steps when a lady yelled “Miss Sexy, no!” at her to tell her to get off the step. No picture posing on the steps I guess Miss Sexy.

    On board the bus. There was no seating left downstairs so we had to go up top. They supply you with these hand woven hats for some sun shade. The boys are going to hate that I posted this picture.

    Keegan and I enjoying the a/c at Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton).

    Tomorrow we head off on our Halong Bay overnight cruise.    Read more

  • Tastes Like ChickenHong Kong & Vietnam 2018
    Day 8

    Halong Bay

    June 22, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Friday noon until Saturday noon was spent cruising around Halong Bay aboard the junk boat Dragon Legend. Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage sight located about 180 km’s east of Hanoi and consists of about 2000 towering limestone islands. First, however, we had to get there and that meant another eye opening experience on the roads.
    We were picked up from our hotel bright and early Friday morning by a nice 8 passenger luxury van with reclining leather seats and kick ass a/c. We were looking forward to a calm, peaceful drive through the Vietnamese countryside - ha, the joke was on us.
    Rural driving in Vietnam is no different than city driving, except at a higher rate of speed. Honking is still a constant and is done when wanting to pass, after passing, waiting to be passed, or seemingly just for the hell of it. Highway driving is similar to city driving in that 3 or 4 lanes are often created out of 2. Passing is done with oncoming traffic within 50 metres or so (the closer the better apparently) but vehicles in both directions just slide over to make space for the passing vehicle. Nobody seems to panic, except for the Canadians in the back of the van. Shoulder passing is common, with vehicles somehow squeezing between a shoulder riding scooter and the vehicle being passed.
    There are a number of vendors who set up shop on the side of the highway, not off the highway, but on the shoulder. Vehicles will stop on the highway to make a purchase, while being serenaded by car horns. Most vendors were selling fruit and drinks but I did see a couple of tire shops for truckers. With a small inventory of large tires and all the tools needed to repair/replace tires it was a portable tire shop, all on the shoulder of the highway.
    One other note. It’s currently rice harvesting season so rice is out drying everywhere in the rural areas. Front yards, driveways, the side of the road, even encroaching onto the road. Yet everyone seems to respect the rice and give it a wide enough berth so as not to disturb it.
    Our drive to Halong Bay was hair raising, crazy, and chaotic and all we could do was trust that our driver knew what he was doing.
    After safely arriving at the Bay we boarded a tender to take us out to our boat. The Dragon Legend is a 44 passenger boat, and is considered to be a luxury vessel. We chose this boat because apparently the lesser priced cruises can be a little iffy (unsettling, dubious, downright scary - pick your adjective). According to online reviews, critters in your cabin and questionable food are not uncommon. And, this boat visits a quieter part of the bay as at any one time there could be 500 of these boats plying the waters.
    I wouldn’t call our boat luxury but it was clean, the food was good and tasty, and the staff were fantastic, in particular our cruise director Harry Potter (so named because no one can pronounce his Vietnamese name, and he does magic tricks). There was some discussion of a mutiny when we found out there was no wifi on board, as we were cruising out of cell range. Nothing like complaining about first world problems in a developing country.
    As we cruised out into the bay we enjoyed a nice Vietnamese lunch, arriving at our first stop of the day a couple hours later. Our boat dropped anchor and we had the option of kayaking or taking a tour aboard one of the tenders. The 4 of us choose kayaking with the boys heading out together and Nat and I sharing another boat. Spouses should not kayak together, ever, particularly when neither has kayaked in decades. We had as much rhythm paddling together as Al Gore dancing a rumba. Apparently left/right/left/right does not mean the same thing to us. No matter, we persevered and had a blast.
    Dinner followed by a show put on by the crew was next up. I had a hell of a hard time staying awake (likely because, ahem, I was doing all the paddling in the kayak. I have a boo boo on my thumb that proves it) so I retired to our cabin early and passed out. Damn humidity claims another victim.
    The next morning our boat anchored near an island with a large cave we could explore. We were tendered to the island and then led up a trail of stairs to the cave. There were only about 30 steps but we were all exhausted upon reaching the top. It was 8:30 in the morning but heat and humidity wins again. The cave was cool to see and walking through to the other side led us to some viewpoints for pictures.
    After returning to the boat we enjoyed a mid-morning brunch and prepared to disembark as we motored back to port.
    After tendering off we were picked up by our ride and had a relatively uneventful drive back to Hanoi, unless you count the herd of water buffalo crossing the highway to graze on the grassy median. Just another day in Vietnam.
    After overdosing on Vietnamese cuisine during our cruise we decided on some surprisingly good Indian food for dinner. After dinner, on our way back to the hotel, we stopped in at a coffee shop to watch some World Cup and enjoy some iced Vietnamese coffee, which are a must try for any coffee lover. At a little over a dollar a piece this could turn into an affordable addiction.    Read more

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