Finally.. a Clear Dip...

I am so pleased with the state of my swimming pool these days. It's crystal clear! Typically, it's murky and dirty. Well, there's a maintenance guy who comes in to clean the pool twice a week but so far, he has not been doing a good job. When I insist that the pool is not clean, he will just smile and nod before walking around. Duh!

This week, the pool has been amazingly clean. I am not sure what he's doing but I just hope he will continue to keep it this way. It's refreshing to see a clean pool of water when I look out of the window. Couldn't resist taking a picture today. These moments don't last. :)

How to Detest Lychees in 3 weeks

I have been overwhelmed with lychees for the past 3 weeks. Lychees were in season in Hanoi a month ago. Due to the huge supply within Vietnam, the price of lychees went down to VND 5,000 per kg (which means around SGD 0.40). Since it's nice and cheap, lychees became THE perfect gift for most locals. Initially, I was quite a fan of this sweet fruit. However, the following sequence of events turned my love into fear...


Day 1:
I asked M to buy 1 kg of dragon fruit for me. M forgot and asked the driver to buy 1 kg of lychees instead. Well, fine.. I had fun munching...

Day 5:
Finally finished the 1 kg! Happily planning to buy mangoes when M came back with 4 kg of lychees. "What! Are you mad???" I screamed in shock. He calmly explained that the driver had bought this as a gift to his director, who then gave it to him. So he brought them home. I immediately persuaded my maid to take 2 kg. So I was left with 2 kgs to finish...

Day 8:
I was getting quite sick of lychees. The sweetness was beginning to disturb me. But throwing away was a waste.. Oh well...

Day 10:
Finally, I was lychee-free! Was in a good mood since we were going to Danang. At the airport, I noticed a huge styrofoam box being checked in by M's colleague, D. She proudly shared with me that she had ordered one huge box of lychees as gifts for other participants. I nodded politely and told myself that I would never touch them.

After lunch, the lychees were presented as desserts and the participants loved them! I didn't want to eat them at all but D was seated right next to me and kept cajoling me. So I took a few and insisted that I was full. As we left to go back to the hotel, I noticed M carry a bag of.. LYCHEES! I frantically told him to give them away... but he said D saved the bagful specially for me. Arrrgh!

Day 11:
Spent my breaks chomping down on the lychees. Was so tempted to throw them away but as D said, the lychees were really good and not as sweet. So I continued to eat..

Day 12:
The lychees were eliminated! Happy came back to Hanoi. Once again, lychee-free.

Day 16:
M's colleague came to visit us on a Sunday night, saying that he brought some gifts for us from his province. M went out and guess what? 3 kgs of lychees! He was really sweet to bring them all the way back for us.. and for the other colleagues too. But.. they are back to haunt me!

Day 17:
The start of the elimination process... I tried to eat them in different ways... but I could feel myself gaining weight as a result of the calorie intake. For information, 1 lychee contains 6 calories and 1 g of sugar.

Day 18-21:
Kept feeding M with lychees until he almost hid under the blanket. I feel a lump forming in my throat whenever I open the fridge and see the unfinished lychees. There's still a large packet of lychees in there.. but I have given up. I will just pretend that they are non-existent.

This is the detailed process of my lychee hate camp. And it worked.

I am thankful that the lychee season is finally over.

Ren Japanese Restaurant

Last Sat, M and I went for our weekly food hunt around Hanoi. As I am crazy about Japanese food, M suggested that we try a new place that he found in town, Ren.

The decor of the restaurant was really pretty and zen. We took a table near the window where a mini waterfall was running down. For a moment, I felt like I was in Japan.

The entrance

The open kitchen concept!

We took a while to decide on our orders. I took a Ren special set while M had a Unagi Tamago don set. My set arrived first and it looked really appetizing. There was tempura, grilled fish, sashimi and some light appetizers. However, I was a little disappointed by the sashimi as it didn't taste very fresh. That reminded me of the advice which my Japanese friends gave me "Never eat sashimi during summer in Hanoi as it might not be fresh". They were right... :(

My rice bowl and tempura

Interesting starters

The sashimi

M's Unagi Tamago don looked equally good too in terms of presentation. But I couldn't help but notice the don was filled with 80% eggs and 20% unagi. Guess this is what you get when you order the lunch value set.

M's unagi tamago don

Overall, I thought the quality of the food was not as good as Masuda or Sushi Tokyo. The ambience was great, no doubt, but if I were to come here again, I would try the noodles or katsudon. Definitely not the sashimi.

Ren Japanese Restaurant
8A Hang Chao, Hanoi
Tel: 04-7338550

A Short Getaway to Central Vietnam - Hai Van Pass

The morning of our second day in Danang was free and easy. M and I took this opportunity to take a quick stroll by the beach before indulging ourselves in the buffet breakfast. At 11am, we gathered for lunch on board a ship, after which we proceeded to the highlight of the day "Hai Van Pass".

From the ship, we saw the famous suspension bridge in Danang

Hai Van Pass is a famous tourist attraction in Danang because it is located on top of a mountain and from there, you can see the magnificent sea view below. In the old days, the merchants will go through this pass during their trading routes. As the scenery was beautiful, they named it "Hai Van Pass" or 海云关 which means the gate of sea and clouds.

The drive up the mountain was around 40 minutes and along the way, we could already catch scenic sights of Central Vietnam. When we finally reached the top, I took a while to enjoy the sea, mountain and clouds. And of course, I wouldn't miss the opportunity to take a couple of pictures.

The sight along the way to Hai Van Pass

We are on the top!

Another beautiful view...

The pass of Sea and Clouds

After Hai Van Pass, we went to another famous beach nearby to take a rest and walk around. M and I decided to have a chat with our friends over a cup of coffee and some local sweets. It was really too hot for me to step out to the beach. (Yes, I am pampered.) By 4pm, we headed back to our resort as there was a dinner function that night. I didn't join in the event as it was a corporate function. But I had fun watching the Wimbledon matches in our hotel room. :)

The next morning, we checked out of our hotel and made our way to Danang International Airport to catch our 12.30pm flight back to Hanoi. On board the plane, I took the last chance to take a few pictures for keepsake.

Goodbye, Danang!

While Vietnam does not have the stunning sights that took my breath while I was touring around China, it presented various unique, subtle yet tasteful angles which were interesting for me. I was definitely glad to be in Danang and Hoi An. I guess I will be back but not soon. Perhaps in 5 to 10 years' time, when the infrastructure has improved. And my destination would be Nha Trang, where it's acclaimed to have the best beaches in Vietnam. Till then!

A Short Getaway to Central Vietnam - Hoi An

Last week, I took a short trip to Central Vietnam to M, who was there on a business trip. We stayed in Danang for 3 days and 2 nights, and made a short trip to Hoi An. I was pretty excited as this was the first time I was going to Danang, known for the beauty of its beaches.

We took a short flight to Danang (1 hour) via Vietnam Airlines and arrived at Danang International Airport close to noon. After checking into our hotel, we headed to a nearby restaurant for lunch. There, we met M's colleagues and guests from HCM City. Lunch was a sumptuous meal with seafood and lots of local dishes. After lunch, we headed back to the hotel for a short rest before making a trip down to Hoi An, a famous old town.

Our hotel room

The view from our balcony

Look at the beach!

Our resort just next to the beach!

The swimming pool facing the entrance.. Cooling!

Hoi An used to be a busy port for trade between the Champa people and Chinese, Japanese and Dutch before the bigger Danang port became popular. It is now declared a UNESCO Heritage Site and known for its cheap tailor shops as well as unique handicrafts stalls.

We were given a short tour by an English-speaking guide around Hoi An, who brought us to the famous Japanese bridge, a large Hokkien temple and a local house. According to the guide, Hoi An used to be inhabited by a large number of Japanese. The bridge is famous because it linked the Japanese settlement area with the French, Chinese and Vietnamese settlement area.

Our journey began after crossing the famous bridge

A view from the bridge

The other end of the bridge

The Chinese temple

A corner of the temple

Swirling incense

The mini Great Wall of China in the temple

The temple worships 妈祖 so this explains the boat

A monument to commemorate a Polish architect
He foresaw that land in Hoi An will become increasingly expensive.. and it is true!

Then, we were given an hour to roam around and enjoy the scenery around Hoi An before dinner commenced. M, Ch and I took the chance to explore some of the smaller, interesting shops around. We also went through their market which was still vibrant close to evening. I enjoyed the tour very very much. Unlike Hanoi, Hoi An was much more peaceful and quiet. Walking along the street was safe with few motorbikes and it was not very crowded.

The bustling street scenes and an interesting looking carriage...

Top left: A Blue Dragon restaurant! A non-profit organisation in Hanoi
Top right: The local market bustling in the evening
Bottom left: Yes, this is a boat..
Bottom right: It's a form of transport in Hoi An.

We also went through their market which was still vibrant close to evening. I enjoyed the tour very very much. Unlike Hanoi, Hoi An was much more peaceful and quiet. Walking along the street was safe with few motorbikes and it was not very crowded.

After the tour, we went for dinner on board a ship. Dinner was good and overwhelming (as usual). It ended early at around 8.30pm before we headed back to our hotel to rest and zzzzzzzz. I was quite tired by then and had an early night, unlike some of M's colleagues who went for sauna, massages and drinks! Am I getting old or what? :p