London - Olympics 2012 and more

Just want to post a few shots from London.

Tower Bridge with the Olympic Rings

Olympic Rings hanging at the King's  Cross St Pancras train station

Ana Ivanovic warming up in the side courts of Wimbledon.

Caroline Wozinacki warming up in Court 6 in Wimbledon.

Big guns inside Centre Court Wimbledon.

Victoria Azarenka - serving in the quarter final London Olympics 2012

Borough Market - an impression

Lack of contribution + Sony RX100

We have been notable in our lack of contribution to this world of information explosion. It's not as though mum and dad haven't been putting out junk on the internet. They just haven't put anything up in our name sake. Dad has been actively contributing to mum's photo-stream in Flickr. In the last six months since their active participation, they have garnered almost 14,000 views which is more than  50% of the total page views of this blog since inception and more importantly getting hundreds of comments on their photos. A more rewarding experience perhaps......

But Flickr is truly a mine of photographic wisdom. Hopefully it will help us put up some better pictures in their upcoming Europe trip and London Olympics (even though technically you're not meant to put up any of your photos of the Olympics on the internet!!)

Of course, we are not just gonna leave you with some mind numbingly banal comments above. Below are some of the photos they took recently and annotations on some of them.

Hong Kong - Full double rainbow seen right behind our house on 21 July 2012. After a freakish lightning-thunder storm yesterday late afternoon, the sun came out briefly. This double rainbow appeared. This was the second double rainbow they saw this year. The other one was during late June which they failed to take a photo. The last time they saw even a partial rainbow was 7 or 8 years ago.

Hong Kong Sunset as seen from Lugard Road in the Peak 10 July 2012. Hong Kong enjoyed more than a week of clear sky since the last typhoon visit. This brief period of clear weather with the wind blowing in the right direction to clear the horrible smog, from don't know where, was a wonderful setup to show why Hong Kong can be such a beautiful city.

Hong Kong Dusk - Taken in the very same evening not far from the spot where the sunset picture was taken. I bet not many places in this world you can do this. In fact none of the places that mum and dad have been to.

Hong Kong Cityscape - an artistic impression? Again taken on the same day as the photos above.

Dad was honing his skills in taking photos of cuisines and restaurants. Of course appetizing photos are no good for us, unfortunately.  But do let us know if you let them!! - taken at Linguini Fini near Central, Hong Kong.

Tiramisu + Gelato - again taken at Linguini Fini near Central, Hong Kong. It was delicious too:)

Menu of Lupa, opened by Mario Bartali in Central, Hong Kong. The restaurant has garnered mixed reviews both in terms of food and services. While it wasn't outstanding, the services and food were more than acceptable during both dinner and lunch when dad visited recently. Certainly didn't borne out the bad press we heard.

"NOSE TO TAIL" - Everyone has his/her own favorite cuisine. How about a true "nose to tail"!! This spider was carrying more than its own weight, while devouring its favorite meal in the process.

How do you like my bright and shiny eye? If you enlarge this photo, you can see mum's reflection in my eye. (Holding a piece of cheese to taunt me!)

There is one thing in common about all the photos above: they were all taken using the new Sony DSC RX100 camera. There are more samples on mum's Flickr stream if you interested. In fact one of the earlier samples was popularized by a post in dpreview.com's forum that it garnered over 1,300 views since posted.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1009&message=41943632

While we are not really writing about this new Sony RX100, suffice to say that it's like a mini Sony NEX 7 with a zoom lens that's better and more versatile than the NEX kit zoom. And if you want to bring a camera into London Olympics 2012 soccer matches, this is perhaps the most powerful camera that you could bring in while complying with all the rules!

http://www.popphoto.com/news/2012/07/london-olympic-organizers-refuse-to-let-public-know-what-cameras-and-lenses-will-be-all

Since Sony is not an official sponsor of the Olympics, it cannot advertise this as the perfect camera for the games. But this is as close as you can get to a perfect camera the events. But then given the shambles associated with the security of the games, G4S has probably too much on its plate than to check camera models......

Ramen - Kureha in Tai Hang Hong Kong ラーメン来 (Update June2012)

Update on Kureha

Summer Special Ramen with onsen egg, shredded nori, chicken broth reduction and charsiu

Still good quality and good to see they have added new flavors to the menu.  The summer special ramen adds a good twist to traditional ramen, perfect for this hot weather.  Admittedly, the bowl tasted more like japanese style, italian pasta, especially with the condiments provided - jalapeno tabasco, kraft parmesan cheese, ponzu and sesame sauce.  Thumbs up!

*******************

Just when you thought we would stop writing about ramen shops in Hong Kong, we decided to write yet another one. Ramen Kureha ラーメン来 opened its door in Tai Hang a few weeks ago, mum and dad went there today.

If you think Tamashii's 魂 decor is nostalgic Japanese and the Japanese songs they play are from over 20 years ago, Kureha's decor is downright retro and the songs they play inside the shop are from even longer ago. Other than the Japanese songs, you could hear people slurping away at their bowl of ramen, waitress taking orders, works being done behind the counter; but no random chit-chatting!! (vs Hide-chan 秀)

Before delving into its ramen, there are a few interesting thing about this shop. If you try looking up ラーメン来 in Japanese search sites trying to find its Japanese original shop, you are out-of-luck. Because the English name Kureha doesn't translate to the kanji, 来, but instead is just written as the hiragana. くれは. In fact the full Japanese name is 玉名ラーメン くれは. 玉名, Tamana is a small city in Kumamoto, Kyushu. So the ramen served here are Kumamoto-style, thin straight noodles in thick pork broth. Ramen Kureha does a good job of reproducing the Kumamoto flavor, insofar as, dad actually said the noodles resembled those he had in Kumamoto before he knew the pedigree of this shop.

So how does Ramen Kureha compare with its competitions? Its signature bowl, which took its name from the ramen competition it won,  Tamashii No Ippai 魂の一杯, was super rich super thick full flavor, definitely a place to challenge your taste buds if you like such broth. But mum and dad preferred the spicy ramen, whose broth was probably as rich as what you get in Butao and richer than Ippudo. Butao broth had a bit more flavor but tough to tell unless you have A-B comparison. Even though, the broth was rich but it didn't feel too oily. The springy noodles were tasty and surprisingly straight!! The char-siu was a good balance between fat and flesh, better than Butao whose char-siu was a bit lean and dry. Their soft-boiled egg was cooked so that you get spongy egg-white and semi solid yolk with a tiny bit of thick runny yolk in the middle.

A well balance piece of char-siu in the richest bowl of broth in Hong Kong. 魂の一杯

You can decide how much spicy toppings to add.

Overall, this is a decent addition to the Ramen scene in Hong Kong and hope it will keep its standard. We say that because Hong Kong restaurants have a terrible records in keeping up standards. Mum went to Causeway Bay branch of Butao a few weeks ago, she already felt a drop in standard. Hope it was just a blip!! We are going to have an entry with updates on places that we have mentioned soon.

Note: below is the Japanese weblink for the ramen competition that Ramen Kureha won.
http://event.yahoo.co.jp/ramen2010/best10/taishou/tokyo/02.html

Danang 峴港 Đà Nẵng

Railway track along Danang coast

Danang 峴港 - a whole strip of coast being developed into a super-size resort for rich foreigners, including the most famous visitors, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Nam Hai resort. The walk up Marble Mountain wasn't easy and some of the caves were worth seeing. But the most memorable was the car journey along the Hai Van Pass, whose natural beauty rival some of the other coastlines we mentioned before, Big Sur in California and New Zealand.

Danang was not even on their itinerary as it was famous for its beaches and resorts. In their Vietnam travel plan, it just said Hue to Hoi An. The journey could be covered by a number of ways: -

Open Tour Bus - Perhaps the cheapest form of transport between cities. The word "Open" doesn't refer to the architecture of the buses, which are normal tour buses, instead it refers to the nature of the ticket allowing passengers to get on and off at stops they so desired. After they heard the experience of an Australian mother and daughter on one of these buses, they would advise against taking such buses.

Internal flights - Despite being efficient and good value, internal flights between Hue and Danang should not be chosen. When you add journeys to and from both airports and waiting time for check-in and luggages, it becomes a bad trade.

Trains - They were planning to take the train. This particular stretch of railway tracks is supposedly the prettiest stretch of the Reunification Express. It is a day train and reasonably short ride.

Motorbikes - For US$45, you can enjoy the breathtaking natural scenery along the well-paved road from Hue to Danang. You can stop at any spot along the way, take a deep breath and enjoy the view, then jump back on and carry on your journey. The only catch is you need to carry your luggages on your back. No matter how light you travel, it would be a tall order carrying the load for more than 3 hours. Also the motorbike will only carry one passenger. You can do the maths for more people traveling.

Private Car Tour - For US$70, they were picked up from their hotel with luggages loaded into the trunk. The car drove from Hue to Danang through the Hai Van Pass, made a few scheduled and unscheduled stops. Then they continue the journey in the same car to the hotel in Hoi An. Great, especially when you could see the outside temperature topping 40C, while you sat in total comfort of an  air-con car. No need to worry about lugging your backpacks. This has obvious advantages over taking the train. You can stop at scenic spots along the way. You don't need to carry your luggages on and off the carriages and then taking the taxis to and from the train stations. You don't need to follow a strict timetable. But if you read Tripadvisor, the de-facto online forum for Vietnamese travel, you don't see this mode of transport high on the list. Instead you see countless glowing references on traveling by motorbikes, especially Easyrider!!

So you must be thinking, what so special with the car journey from Hue to Danang that they keep raving about. It is the Hai Van Pass, pure and simple. You can read all about it in the wikipedia link attached. Suffice to say, the journey through this mountain pass was perhaps the most memorable 90 minute stretch of the whole Vietnam trip. Taking a private car is highly recommended. Check out some of the photos they took en route.

Hai Van Pass - not quite deserted but almost perfection alright

Panoramic view of Lang Co Beach from Hai Van Pass

At the end of Hai Van Pass near Danang

Hue 順化 Huế

Hue 順化  - 38C was the temperature when mum and dad were walking around the ancient Citadel. Riding on a motorbike around the city was stressful but well-worth it. Perfume river was pretty, perhaps because they evicted all the boat people from the river so as to qualify for World Heritage Site status (yet another wonderful feat by the United Nation. bravo for the poor!!)


Internal flight from Hanoi to Hue was pleasant and well organized. In fact all the internal flights they took were very good. They were planning to take the airport shuttle into the city centre but unfortunately there were no services. Perhaps it was a little late (after 9pm). Given no other options, they hopped on a Mai Linh taxi. The journey into the city centre was smooth and very flat. The taxi meter didn't jump to the tune of their heartbeats and it didn't jump suddenly at the destination either. Orchid Hotel, where they stayed in was basic but clean and pleasant. All the staff served with big smiles on their faces. Breakfast had everything that you would expect and more. The balcony of the room they stayed in even offer a glimpse of beautiful sunrise.

But once the sun was out in full strength, the heat was almost unbearable. Cycling around the city, although reasonably flat, would be crucifying. So they took the option of riding a motorbike without insurance and not knowing where they were going. They were lucky to have completed their self-guided day tour in one piece. It was so hot that they didn't even bother with lunch. Dinner in a newly opened restaurant called Golden Rice near their hotel wasn't bad. But when it came to restaurants, almost all of them were catered for foreign tourists. So no matter what you read about traditional Hue cuisines, take it with a pinch of salt. The majority of locals only splurge on eating out during major festivities or celebrations.

Parfume River (Sông Hương)

Thien Mu Pagoda.   It sits on the Parfume River (Sông Hương), designed with Buddha images, with a huge bell and a stone turtle inside of it.

Hue Citadel

Statues in the Tomb of Khải Định taken just before sunset.

More to follow.....

Sapa 沙壩

Sapa 沙壩 - lovely landscaping by the indigenous people living there. But the same people are changing their lifestyle rapidly so that charm you might read in guidebooks from a few years back is short on offer. Another 5 years, you might not find anything resembling the guidebooks.

Arriving at the railway station in Lao Cai just before 5:00am, mum and dad got on the minibus arranged by the hotel and after just under 1 hour of driving up a windy road, they arrived at Sapa. Some tribal girls from the Black Hmong tribe were already loitering in front of the hotel entrance and their number would increase throughout the day. Soon the most frequently repeated English phrase in Sapa would be imprinted in your mind,
"Buy something from me, please!!"
These girls have perfected the art of selling to foreigners in that if you said, "Later!". They would ask your name and at a later time they would come back and identify you by your name and insist that you have promised to buy something from them "later"........

Not trying to put you off from going to say the spectacular paddy terraces, but more often than not, you just don't get the full picture from some of the guidebooks where you would only see beautiful picture of landscapes and people. But it's always better to expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised by the best. Of course there were also lovely tribal people selling some beautiful hand knitted bags, they just didn't loiter around the touristy area.

A lady from the Red Dao Tribe proudly showing her handmade embroidery

And you do see impressive views of paddy terraces, the scale and the beauty of which were truly breathtaking.

View of Lao Chai from Hmong Retreat where they stayed.

Ban Pho Tribal village near Bach Ha

Tea Plantation near Bach Ha

They visited a few areas around the Lao Cai region: staying in Lao Chai district, trekking Sa Seng and Sau Chieu, trekking Cat Cat Village, Bach Ha market, Ban Pho tribal village, tea plantation bordering Yunnan province in China. Their conclusion was worth going once in your life time and before all these places become even more touristy and commercialized than they are already.

Resident cat at the Hmong Retreat scouting for prey

Dalat 大叻 Đà Lạt

 ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop short-haul regional airliner

The propeller plane touched down!  We made it.  Dalat sits 1500 metres above sea level, and its cool climate and high rainfall makes it prefect for growing vegatables and herbs.

Checking in the La Sapinette Hotel was like checking in to the Ritz (relatively speaking).

Mum and dad took a private car tour with a visit to the "countryside".  Thank goodness they missed the bus tour, and chose the private car over Easy Riders!  The cost worked out to be exactly the same.  Given the roads they drive through and the rain they encountered, grateful was an understatement.

Mum and Dad went in search of local fare, and found this little shop that sells Ban Xeo.  The fiery charcoal fire  attracted them into this shop, which spoke no english.  Mum had no idea what they made, but hey what's your downside.  She ordered 2 of something...  One of the best things they ate in Vietnam...  Hmmm..  still hungry they walked on.  They found this brightly lit, bustling restaurant, with tables seated with 10 and 16 people.  Again, a very local restaurant, no english, but the chef/owner spoke some Japanese words and not enough to translate the menu!  Apparently he worked in Osaka for 2 years.  Mum and Dad was trying to figure out what to order.  The iphone vietnam guide had a one liner, "What's the house speciality?"  The chef was very excited and showed mum "Baba"  which meant turtle.  Ahhhhhhhh.  There was turtle, eels, catfish...  not quite our cup of tea...  Lucky for us, we apparently ordered some fish cake and fried rice by luck.

TBA

Dalat Cathedral (aka Chicken Church)

Dalat view from cable car station

Definitely cater your own tour if you can help it.  Skip the Valley of Love.  See the picture below and you will understand.

Hanoi 河內 Hà Nội

Hanoi 河內 - if the traffic doesn't drive you over the wall, the constant fear of getting fleeced or led down the wrong alley would certainly get to you. Find comfort and peace before 6 am around Hoan Kiem Lake.

Our journey in the airport shuttle from Hanoi Airport to city centre. 

The plane carrying mum and dad touched down in Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi. Decision was made not to take a taxi to the city. Instead they got on the official Vietnam Airlines airport shuttle and for US$4 pax they got dropped off near the hotel they stayed in. No amount of research would prepare you for the traffic in the city centre.

Jay Walk in Hanoi (the norm)

Six on Sixteen was a small hotel with 6 rooms located near Hoan Kiem Lake. Decor was basic and the room simply had a large hardwood bed and a shower cum toilet, but its location was perfect. Mum decided to seek advice from one of the staff at the hotel regarding where to have lunch. The guy printed a black and white map and directed mum to a nearby restaurant (Cha Ga La Vong). After 15 minutes of walk in sultry heat, they arrived at their destination. Before they even crossed the street, a gentleman from the restaurant waved and tried to get them to go into the restaurant. Instinct told them to be wary of the place. They thought it couldn't be the place they were looking for. So they walk around for another 10 minutes to look   in vain. They concluded that the earlier restaurant was the place they were meant to have gone. They went into check the place out and 30 seconds later, they came back out.

They went to Quan An Ngon (apparently the first one was in Ho Chi Min) as per their earlier research.   A collection of little food stalls, surrounds the outdoor tables, serving a good selection of traditional vietnamese food.  It isn't cheap but reasonably priced. A great alternative to the road side stalls.

After lunch, they went to have a coffee at Hapro Bon Mua by Hoan Kiem Lake. Iced Vietnamese coffee was perfect for the weather and it was a perfect haven from the bustle of the city.

Panoramic view of Hoan Kiem Lake

Smoke & Ride - another way to relax in the streets of Hanoi

They set out to find local food in the Old Quarter for dinner. Dad literally couldn't stomach them seeing how the dishes were prepared and consumed. Piles of steamed crabs were laid at street level and eaten right there. Beef was being sliced on a chopping board lying on the pavement under the dimmest light imaginable. No internet research could prepare your mind.

They ended up eating at Little Hanoi, which was purportedly recommended by Lonely Planet (even thought there seemed to be a Little Hanoi at every street corners.) Inside the restaurant, they saw the pair of young Australian ladies who they met earlier in the airport shuttle. Hanoi was small indeed. The fried eggplant and the spring rolls were not bad, but the steam rice weren't cooked through.

The following morning after a simple breakfast at the hotel, they went out to see some of the tourist sites in Hanoi. Lunch was at the Rooftop in Pacific Place. Lunch sets were fantastic and great value. And you got the skyline view of Hanoi for free!! Highly recommended. Perhaps the only thing that they would wholeheartedly recommend in Hanoi.

Built almost 1000 years ago, One Pillar Pagoda is considered one of 2 Vietnam's most iconic temples. 

After visiting the One Pillar Pagoda, they finally conjured up the courage to take a taxi back to Hoan Kiem Lake. They tried their best to avoid all the cabs loitering around the area soliciting tourists for business (piranhas and great white sharks sprang to mind). As soon as they saw a Mai Linh cab stopped and dropped some passengers off, they jumped on the cab. Only to be told that they need to get off the taxi before the taxi meter could be reset. After a little bit of shopping, they went back to the hotel and got ready for their overnight train journey to Sapa.

The Hanoi train station was packed. Platforms were basic and unlike what you expect in the west, they were not raised platforms and the paths to the designated platform was uneven and dimly lit.

An old lady selling provisions to passengers getting on the overnight trains.

Platforms were not raised, so the first step up the train carriage seemed particularly steep at the Hanoi Railway Station.

==> Sapa

Vietnam (Việt Nam) 2 week holiday - Quick peek

Mum and dad just got back from a 2 week vacation in Vietnam. They looked drained arriving at home after midnight yesterday. Lets have a quick peek at their journey.

Hanoi -> Sapa -> Hanoi -> Hue -> Danang -> Hoi An -> Dalat -> HCMC (Ho Chi Min City)

Hanoi skyline from the Rooftop balcony on top of Pacific Place (next to Movenpick Hotel

Hanoi 河內 - if the traffic doesn't drive you over the wall, the constant fear of getting fleeced or led down the wrong alley would certainly get to you. Find comfort and peace before 6 am around Hoan Kiem Lake.

Sapa 沙壩 - lovely landscaping by the indigenous people living there. But the same people are changing their lifestyle rapidly so that charm you might read in guidebooks from a few years back is short on offer. Another 5 years, you might not find anything resembling the guidebooks.

Hue 順化  - 38C was the temperature when mum and dad were walking around the ancient Citadel. Riding on a moped around the city was stressful but well-worth it. Perfume river was pretty, perhaps because they evicted all the boat people from the river so as to qualify for World Heritage Site status (yet another wonderful feat by the United Nation. bravo for the poor!!)

Danang 峴港 - a whole strip of coast being developed into a super-size resort for rich foreigners, including the most famous visitors, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Nam Hai resort. The walk up Marble Mountain wasn't easy and some of the caves were worth seeing. But the most memorable was the car journey along the Hai Van Pass, whose natural beauty rival some of the other coastlines we mentioned before, Big Sur in California and New Zealand.

Hoi An 會安 - another World Heritage Site. If you consider hundreds of tailor shops sprung up in the last few years are World Heritage, then you've hit the jackpot. A huge disappointment, don't go unless you want to get yourself cheap bespoke clothes made in dubious style.

Dalat 大叻 - most friendly people, lovely weather (3-4 seasons in one day). Great produce. Could do with some better restaurants given the quality of fruits and vegetables.

HCMC 胡志明市  - Independence day holiday meant that the streets were relatively quiet other than the celebration spots. Taxi scams were still everywhere. 5 minute ride for 1.5m VND (USD75)!!

More to follow!!