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  • Vander Wonders
January 2017

Vietnam

A 13-day adventure by Vander Wonders Read more
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  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Massage parlor vs Spa in Vietnam

    January 19, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Since the long flight from Aus to KL my back has been as bad as it's ever been.

    Since a back massage is so cheap here, I have had a massage everyday the last few days. There are so many massage places here I tried a different one each time until today, Todays place will see me again tomorrow. It is called the "New day spa".

    I have found the difference between a massage parlor and a spa:

    Both look equally shady from the outside and both have the word "spa" in the title.

    A massage parlor will set you back 165,000vnd ($7.50) tip included for a 30min back, shoulders and neck massage while a Spa will set you back 200,000vnd ($9) for the same.

    A massage parlor will make you pay upfront while a spa will have you pay after the treatment.

    At a massage parlor a tip of at least 10% is expected and at a spa tip is optional.

    At a massage parlor they spend about 25 minutes on the actual massage and 5 minutes trying to sell you something more,if you know what I mean. While a spa spends 20 minutes on you problem area (like my lower back for instance) and the rest of the time on the rest of the massage.

    A massage parlor is not necessary quiet and peaceful as therapists continuously talk to each other, while in a spa they have nice soothing music and no talking.

    A massage parlors quality of the massage is not even close to how good the spa massage is.

    Conclusion: Spent the extra $1.50 and go to a spa.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Café de Paris

    January 19, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Little french corner café's will always put a smile on my face. What a gem we found here in Hanoi, after our run the obvious choice was to return to this cosy place. Everything here has some true french flair, the tiny ramekins for the butter& jam, freshly squeezed orange juice and a warm baked croissant. I even spoke a bit of french.

    After our french fix we went for a stroll and a back massage ( the tiny Vietnamese lady's firm pressure was almost toooo painful) . Our relaxing afternoon involved some browsing through the shops, and another egg coffee excursion . I tried on some travel pants and bought a painting to conclude the day in artsy way.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    The Vietnam braai

    January 19, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We wanted to give this a try... we weren't sure exactly how it works but it turned out to be a good and flavorful experiment. I wanted a side noodles with it but the lady was very clear that I can't eat it like that, its traditional to have bread with barbecue, it was a very small loaf of Vietnamese baguette. I loved my fresh pineapple juice. Once again we got confirmation that the locals eat very little meat- the portion of meat is probably enough to feed me alone (specially after not having lunch) and this dish is probably has the most meat on plate we have seen so far.

    We were still a bit hungry so we moved on to the next experiment...at a different venue.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    More flavours

    January 19, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    The ambiance with all the lanterns and low comfortable seats was amazing. It was almost like lying down and have dinner. I ordered a mushroom noodle hotpot and Roedolf ordered some spring rolls. I was happy to get a nice glass of wine. Its a Vietnamese restaurant but clearly more a tourist joint. The food was good with a definite subtle western touch. The atmosphere encourages us order a sisha apple flavor.
    A fun experience in the old quarter tonight.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Now I have seen everything

    January 19, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Just before midnight we walked back to the hotel and the streets was actually empty, I did not think this place ever goes to sleep but it actually does.

    When we arrived at our hotel, I opened the door for Isabel, but the door was locked. For a moment there we thought we are sleeping outside until the receptionist appeared out of the the dark to unlock the door to let us in.

    We never expected to see a mattress in the lobby of the hotel where the two receptionists sleep.

    Its just amazing what these people endure for a job!

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Don't judge a restaurant by its decor

    January 20, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Isabel was so impressed with the decor of this little coffee shop that we "had to" have breakfast here.

    My Cafe Latte was not bad for a lukewarm drink. Isabel's white coffee was, I don't even know how to explain it but I would not have finished it.

    Then came the sandwich, we asked for a egg and cheese sandwich which was priced at 20,000vnd in the menu, but we got a sandwich with some pate, cheese, and egg fried to taste like plastic and some garnish. To be honest I just closed my eyes and gobbled it down.

    Then came the bill and all of the sudden the sandwich was 43,000vnd because of the pate we did not ask for.

    Luckily we had the right change, to just pay for what we ordered. We did that and walked out.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler
    1

    Presidential Palace

    January 20, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    This relic complex has become a place to connect and remember Vietnam President Ho Chi Minh's life and work for Vietnam.

    President Ho Chi Minh strikes me as the "Nelson Mandela" of Vietnam. People here love and respect him as the biggest Vietnam hero of all time. He was the chairman of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 1951. In September 1945 he read the Declaration of Independence , establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

    He passed in 1969 but people can still go visit his embalmed body today, luckily this part of the complex is closed on Fridays so we did not have to look at some mummified body.

    His face still appear on all the Vietnamese dong notes and they have named the largest city after him.

    Interestingly enough the presidential palace looks 1000 times nicer than the average person in Vietnam's place. Thats one thing that political leaders have in common regardless if they are communists, tyron's or whether they were democratically elected they live it up!

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Tran Quoc Pagoda

    January 20, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Tran Quoc Pagoda is one of the oldest ones in Vietnam, and the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi located near West Lake. The pagoda was built in the Ly Nam De period (541-547) near the Red River. Then, in 1615, it was moved to west lake. Tran Quoc Pagoda is secluded with many layers, sanctums, many Buddha statues from low to high, from big to small, glittering votive offerings, incense-smoke all year round.

    I am amazed with the variety of offerings people bring...the most beautiful bouquets of lillies , baby turtles😤😭 water etc

    It is beautiful and pretty clean (for Vietnam standards) around the lake. Well worth the visit.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Chops

    January 20, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    "A Burger is not a Burger is not a Burger!" Quoting Hardus Oberholzer for the third time on this trip. However we have proved it over and over again on this trip.

    First in Florida when we quoted Hardus at the food truck, then again in Sydney Aus at Benbry, and again at Fergburger in Queenstown NZ and now even in Hanoi Vietnam at the Chops restaurant !

    After some epic failures on both breakfast and lunch today we were very hungry and wanted to make sure we eat properly tonight.

    That is just what we did!

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Arrived at Signature Royal

    January 21, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    After a 4 hour drive from Hanoi we arrive at the Signature Royal for the start of our 3 day/2 night cruise of Halong bay.

    Halong Bay, in the Gulf of Tonkin, includes some 1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by a human presence.

    Just from the harbour we can see the maze of limestone structures that will enchant us for the next 3 days.

    We are excited!

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Halong Bay

    January 21, 2017, Gulf of Tonkin ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    After settling in we visited a nearby settlement and the local pearl farm. An interesting "some infomation" ( like the Vietnamese say without the r) tour on the production and grading. They mentioned a grading 1-4 when its usually A-D which made me wonder- anyway its not wrong its just different-I guess. 95% of all pearls on the market today are cultured pearls, meaning humans played a role in pearl formation. Natural, wild pearls from the ocean are very rare and have a premium price. We watched the bloke insert a small piece of mantle tissue (with tweezers) from another donor shell to serve as a catalyst for the pearl sac. The sea pearls takes around 8-10 years till its ready to be sold the Akoya variations take around 2 years and therefore are less pricy. l had the sales people all very excited with relevant grading questions on the quality. I had a lot of fun trying on pearls and banter with Roedolf because according to him I no expert on pearls. They wanted to sell me a $70 000 string of Tahitian pearls bahaha🤣. At least I look wealthy or maybe Roedolf does? Well Roedolf conveniently left his credit card in the cabin so no pearl purchases today😭. We left the shop personel in devastation.

    Too proof I am perhaps NOT entirely clueless.
    Tahitian and South Sea pearls are primarily graded according to Shape, Surface Quality and Luster. Variations in pearl body color, overtones and color saturation levels (with as many as 80 “official” variations!) mean that the value factors for Color need to be evaluated individually. Tahitian cultured pearls MUST have a minimum nacre depth of 0.8mm per side (so 0.16mm total) in order to qualify for export.

    Apparently Luster is the biggest value factor to look out for. Luster measures the rate of reflection (how crisp and detailed it is) on a pearl’s surface, and the amount of light reflected on the pearls. Beautiful luster makes or breaks pearls as a gemstone. Basically, the brighter, sharper and more reflective a pearl is, the more valuable it will be.

    Cultured Akoya and Freshwater pearls are graded according to Surface Quality, Luster, and perfection of Shape (roundness and symmetry). Akoya pearls are also graded on Nacre Thickness, which is a visual inspection completed by the grader rather than via x-ray analysis.

    Pearlgirl
    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Vung Vieng Fishing village

    January 21, 2017, Gulf of Tonkin ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    The afternoon excursion takes us into the primitive floating fishing village where over 100 people still live today on bare basics.

    Their houses float on large empty drums, they have no running water and electricity. They share a generator between a couple of homes for lights at night.

    These people are born here, grow up, grow old here and die here.

    On the one hand they have the most peaceful place to call their home but on the other hand it must be a hard life, or call it just survival.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Seawater pearl farm

    January 21, 2017, Gulf of Tonkin ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Isabel and I just had an argument about seawater vs freshwater pearls yesterday and here we are visiting an actual seawater pearl farm. 😜

    Seeing the process helps me understand why these pearls are so expensive.

    Basically every oyster can only produce one pearl in their lifetime as the oyster has to be killed to harvest the pearl.

    A pearl is formed if an oyster gets a grain of sand or a rock stuck in the oyster, and as the oyster does not have the ability to get rid of the foreign object it basically builds this pearl shell around the foreign object to protect it self.

    The pearl farmers use this ability of the oyster to create beautiful pearls. They open the oyster slightly, and implant a round little ball into the oyster to ensure the oyster produce a nice round pearl, then they let it grow the pearl for up to 8 to 10 years. The oyster gets cleaned and x-rayed every 3 months to ensure the existence of the growing pearl but the farmer can't see the quality of the pearl until its harvested.

    When its time to harvest the pearl, the farmer simply open the oyster and cut into the flesh of the oyster to release the pearl. Seeing this was unreal as it basically come out as a perfect pearl which needs no further work to be sold. The only thing they do with the pearls after harvesting is rate them between level 1 and 4 and drill a hole in the pearl if its going to be used in a string. If they polish the pearl it actually lose value.

    Experiencing this made me think of my mom as I know she would have loved to see this.

    Isabel was in heaven, and was looking and trying on necklaces. The sales lady was convinced she will make a sale today. The joke is she did not even bother with the cheap pearls she went straight to the best quality pearls. I am going to get more than one job it seems 😥!

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Cooking lessons

    January 21, 2017, Gulf of Tonkin ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Learned to make Vietnamese spring rolls!

    Isabel was pretty good at it, I sucked as my spring rolls kept breaking. I put it down to the fact that I was barely able to get my hands into the plastic gloves. I did not have the full range of motion with my hands hence I will try this again at home where I can do It with bare hands.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Vietnamese fine dining

    January 21, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    The food was exotic. Here and there is discreet Western flavors to complement the Vietnamese cuisine. A delicious seafood lunch and local fruits for dessert. The sea bass was a tad too wild for me but the rest for really tasty.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Sunrise and Tai Chi class

    January 22, 2017, Gulf of Tonkin ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We dragged ourselves out of bed for a sunrise and Tai Chi class on the deck.

    From the tiger to eagle pose we did it all. Not really the most intense workout I have ever had, I did not even break a sweat in the 15 minute workout.

    However we can not complain about the venue and scenery!

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Kayaking in paradise

    January 22, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Here we are kayaking in paradise, its breathtaking to be on such a small craft in such a secluded part of the world. All you hear is the splashing as your oar hits the water, in the distance you can hear a fisherman's motorboat engine dimmed by echoing barks of his dog.

    Yes kayaking is not the greatest thing for my back, but the experience of being one with nature was unreal!

    I will pop a couple of voltarens back at the boat and get another massage tomorrow when we are back in Hanoi. I am not missing this opportunity for a little bit of pain.

    Isabel have been wanting to kayak since we missed the opportunity to kayak in the Abel Tasman in NZ, ironicly we found out that she was not any good at rowing today. We kept on going in zig zags, when I rowed alone we went straight but when she rowed or we rowed together for some reason the kayak would go left and then right and left again and so on. Loads of fun to figure it out.

    This is one of those experiences that photos or words would never do justice, it was almost a spiritual experience, that will best be remembered in you heart.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Beach time

    January 22, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We kayaked to this idyllic little beach, where we hanged out for the morning. We watched the clouds disappear and the sun making a bold appearance to show off the bays extravagance. It was so peaceful and relaxing compared to the city's craziness.
    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    A postcard day

    January 22, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We are incredibly fortunate. It is a wonderful sunny day in Halong bay. C'est très picturesque. I don't call this luck, we are blessed beyond belief to be at this World Heritage site in its full glory

    We started the day with Thai Chi on the deck, then after breakfast we got on the day boat for the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation. We cruised into a more remote area of Com Dang.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Lunch with a view

    January 22, 2017, Gulf of Tonkin ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Presentation wins!! We started off with a potato soup, which was very tasty. Then we had a pineapple turnip and coriander salad for the table, garnished with a flower cut out of a red pepper- I loved this it was so refreshing. Today I mentioned that I don't eat fish (due to my fussiness). Me and Cathy got a beef stir fry which was really good, the pork and chicken for the table was all a bit weird. We all shared everything the girls just dodged the sea bass. It's quite strange how they bring things piecemeal, the stir fried veggies arrived last which would have actually complemented the rice and "meat dishes". I am happy to do it Vietnamese style it is just a strange way of serving food especially its brought for the table.

    I stick to my opinion the vegetarian options win.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    The sun sets on our time in Halong bay

    January 22, 2017, Gulf of Tonkin ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    As the sun sets on the last full day in Halong bay and the second last day in Vietnam I reflect on the awesome time we've had here.

    Vietnam is really such a rich cultural experience. Interesting food, some out of this world tasty and some to weird and wonderful for my liking. The people here seem to have a constant fight for survival due to poverty and lack of education. The natural beauty here is off the charts but I am afraid a lot has been lost due to pollution and over population. Natural treasures will disappear due to the lack of education around conservation and putting back into nature.

    Personally I have grown in the past few days both as traveler and person.
    I will forever have a different view on whats essential for my happiness, as this place has really challenged my views of what I really need.
    I have pushed my own boundaries when it comes to food and the space that I am comfortable in.
    Traveling Vietnam is not for the faint hearted, and most people won't even consider to attempt it unless they have a well planned itinerary before arriving. We had the main tours booked before we arrived but figured out most things while we were here. Not only did this give me the guts to wing it in any country, I almost want to say we made a mistake to organize so much before we arrived. In Cambodia we are going to start with nothing, we only booked flights in and out and the first couple of nights accommodation, we obviously have an idea of what we want to see but we will only start arranging it when we hit the ground.

    I learnt so much about Isabel in Vietnam, it almost feels like we are dating again. She really surprised me when it comes to food, i didn't realize she was this fussy. I knew she likes luxury but not the extent of it. I also did not know she loves seawater pearls.

    I have to be honest I did not know much about Vietnam before we arrived, other than the war. It is the Vietnam war that probably got it on the wishlist for me. Even if we did not spend anytime at war museums or locations. This place is so much more than just the war.
    I am so thankful for the time spent in Vietnam and truly glad that this lovely country made it onto our wish list.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersVietnamTraveler

    Breathtaking sunset

    January 22, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ -6 °C

    A breathtaking hour with my bestie!! It was magical to watch the sunset over Halong Bay tonight. The colors and reflections of the sun constantly changed over the limestone walls that surrounded us. Words don't come easy but my heart is pouring with joy and thankfulness.

    How great is Thou Art !

    {Issy}    Read more

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