Serial Visitor to Vietnam ... Surprise Surprise

I was neutral on Vietnam during my first trip in 2008. The infrastructure was not impressive and the traffic chaotic. At that time I did not realize that I was bitten by the Vietnamese bug. It took a couple of weeks to dawn upon me that Vietnam was not bad after all. My initial angst was misplaced and the more I reflect, the more I like Vietnam.

Hence, in the morning of 13th September 2011, I found myself clearing immigration at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport, eager for another visit, my third. This time around my travel plans were much simpler, to walk the hills of Sapa and the rest of the time was ..... an open canvas.

The night train from Hanoi was to leave at 9.20pm. We assembled early and thankfully so as the train left sharp on time. We met 2 girls, Ms Low and Ms Sum who were fellow Malaysians from Johor. Comparing our tour price we found out that we 'overpaid' for our Sapa package. We paid USD$120 for a 2Day/3Nighst trip inclusive of 2 overnight train tickets and 1 night at Sapa. They paid USD$119 for 3Day/4nights. That's good negotiation on their part. We were the scary cats that booked early for ease of mind.

View of border town Lao Cai at 7am

Sapa Summit Hotel

We arrived early at the border town of Lao Cai, the hop-off to Kunming, China. Our group was greeted by the hotel's representative and our names checked against the guest list. Note that you were not supposed to "trust" anybody at these border towns unless you want to be whisked away to the wrong hotel. Unfortunately our van was short of 1 guest and we had to wait another 40 minutes for the next train. Hotel policy dictated that we need a full load before we can leave for Sapa. 

The ride to Sapa passed quickly as we were mesmerized by the beautiful valley as we crawled ever higher. We arrived at the Sapa summit Hotel at about 8.30am and given an itinerary for the next 2 days. We were quickly ushered to the morning breakfast buffet as the first walk of the day was to start in one hour at 9.30am.   

The sight that greeted us at the entrance of the hotel was an experience for me. About 30 eager Black Hmong, girls and ladies, were already gathered in front of the hotel. They were held back by an invisible line to the untrained eye. They were eyeing us just as we were eyeing them. The difference being, we were doing the tourist thingy, taking photos and gawking. The Hmongs were ready for another day's work having left their village at 6am +/-. 

Black Hmong hard working guides

Early morning face-off, guides & guests

 

The first hike was to Cat Cat Village which was supposed to be a half day. After a leisurely walk through part of town for about 20 minutes, we were at the entrance to the village. Our chief guide, Kher,  a 32 year old Hmong, quickly paid for the entrance fees to the village. We passed through the guard house without any hitch. Our personal guide was a young girl, Bow, 22 years and with her was her baby riding piggy back.

Entry into Cat Cat Village

Kher, our chief guide at 32 years only

Bow, our young mother-guide to Cat Cat

Village craft from grass to horse

The hike down the valley to Cat Cat was easy and we took in the sights, smell and sound of the village. We were to descend from 1500m to 1200m to view a confluence of 3 rivers coming together.   The Hmongs did not waste any time and displayed their prowess in making little animals out of paddy stalks. Bow made a horse. As we approached the village our guides quickly excused themselves as they were not allowed into another village. We made a token purchase of a crafted brass bangle as a souvenir. Other items sold were ladies' handbag, sling bags and coin holders, all made of woven fabric. Personally, I think we should support trades like this to give the indigenous people a chance to be economically independent. 

Beauty of a valley

The beauty of the valley slowly revealed

A plan view of Cat Cat Circuit

Descending Cat Cat Village

Neatly terraced paddy fields

Ripening plot of paddy

Walking through stalls selling native crafts and woven fabric, we passed a house making knives in the traditional way. It was hard work, tending to the oven heat and forming the red hot blades into usable parangs and knives. The ladders to the native's elevated house were also interesting. Made out of a sinle log with deep groves cut in as steps. Have seen the same ladders in Sarawak which means that these people do have some historical linkages. 

This is hard work!

 

Heating blades of metal to be fashioned

 

Stair way to heaven?

Upon reaching our final destination, the roar of rushing waters could be heard from a distance. We crossed a suspension bridge to the viewpoint where most visitors stopped for photo shots. We were no different. A sense of achievement enveloped us but the hike up was just about to begin! To refuel, we ate a purple coloured ubi keledek or sweet potato sold by an obliging lady vendor. The colour of the sweet potao was just vibrant to the point of being unreal. It tasted good though.

Glimpse of the confluence of 3 rivers

 

The main bridge crossing

 

River triology, on my left, right and before me

 

Finale at Cat Cat village

 

Vendor selling sweet potatoes, skewered chicken

 

Purple yummy ubi keledek

The way up was not that bad. We resisted offers by the locals to ride back to the hotel by motorbike, at a small cost of course. The reward was a peek at this albino water buffalo! It has its own young and another adopted calf.

Meet the locals

Discovering Ubudian Cuisine Bali

One of my favourite movie, "SEVEN" dealt with 7 deadly sins namely wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony. This trip to Bali was sin number 7 - gluttony. Palatable pleasures, if I may say and the only sin here were the calories. Dining in Ubud was a breeze with many fusion restaurants with a Balinese twist.

Our Airasia KL-Bali 3+ hour flight was smooth. The pilot took time to point out to us the cone of a volcano as we neared Ngurah Rai Denpasar, the capital of Bali. The plane cruised eastwards over the calm evening Bali Strait. As twilight approached, it was difficult to gauge depth and our plane looked as if it was just skimming the surface of the sea. Not a good feeling especially when the plane banked leftwards on the final approach. The wings looked as though it was about to touch the sea. Mental scenes from AXN's 'Aircraft Investigation' crept in.

Volcanic cone before reaching Denpasar

Loo with marine fish view

Upon touchdown, rushed to the airport loo. It was one of the most calming cum relieving pee. As you do your business, live marine fishes swam in customized aquarium right before at eye-level. Ranked it an 'A' for novelty and loo-innovation.

Our hotel The Tjampuhan Spa

Complimentary shuttle to Ubud

Our stay was at Hotel Tjampuhan & Spa, Ubud's first hotel ( http://www.tjampuhan-bali.com/index.php ). A quick check-in and we were in the centre of Ubud via the hotel's complimentary shuttle service. Our first stop was IBU RAI at the Monkey Forest Road. The place was crowded and for us it was a good sign. Dinner expectation rose. Service was prompt and we were seated quickly. The glossy menu had a photo of its founder on the first page.As you order your food, her smiling pose seemed to be looking at you like Mona Lisa.

Founder on the face of menu

Dinner at Ibu

Nasi goreng Bali

Quenched our thirst with an ice cold lassi mango and a lassi coconut-lemon. Preferred the classic mango lassi. Had the ' Nasi Goreng Bali ' that came with 2 sticks of satay. The peanut sauce was served in 2 clear glasses. Made it easy to see the consistency and richness of the sauce. The rice was well fried and rich in texture. However, the satay was not served hot as it should be and the sauce a tad sweet for my liking.

Avocado chicken curry

The ' Avocado Chicken Curry ' was a fusion dish. Suitable maybe for European palates as the curry was light, Asians and me, Malaysian like it more spicy!! Came with deep fried crackers or keropok with peanuts inside, rice and garnishing. Avocado in Asian cooking was worth the try.

Lab lab pancake

Dessert was the lab lab pancake, a combo of ice-cream served together with wrapped caramelized bananas and chocolate sauce. Needless to say, any combination of this nature has got to be wonderful and it certainly was. Total bill was IDR$213,900 or about USD$25.00. Not too bad.

Sacrificial golden calf

Men at work

Walked back to our hotel which was about 15 minutes away. There were preparations for cremation of a Balinese royalty. Died in May but cremation only in August. One of the burnt offering was a golden calf with intricate ornaments and rioted with bright colours.

Side view

Right side of chariot

Left side of chariot

View of our restaurant for the morning breakfast

Breezy feel to the dining area & view was superb

Out typical breakfast at Tjampuhan

Stuffed and ready for the day

Our morning started with a hearty hotel breakfast. Not a wide spread at the buffet but was sufficient to power us for the day. They had the usual 'egg-station' where you could order your eggs scrambled, omeletted, hard or soft boiled. Other offerings were local fried rice, noodles, sausages & croissants, congee, juice and coffee.

Ubud Market

Lots of 'orang putih'

carved souvenirs

Decor

Paintings

    UBUD  MARKET

Pendants

More paintings

Out rim of market

Did the touristy museum circuit and bought vanilla pods which was cheap at the Ubud market. Need those for baking. Souvenirs were aplenty in the market but it was not our cup of tea. We were adopting the " No Souvenirs " policy on our travels these days. Too much clutter!

Ibu Oka

The hog

Lunch was at Ibu Oka Warung, an institution famed for its babi guling or roasted pig. Named in most Top 10 Places To Eat In Ubud by the Guardian UK, Ibu was one of our mandatory stop. The pigs were roasted elsewhere and when they were carried in, it commanded everyone's attention. Patrons and tourists alike whipped out their cameras and shutters clicked away freely. Yours truly included.

Standard serving

Raised dining area

Came in basket and waxed paper

Ordered a standard meal ( USD $3.50 / IDR$30,000 ) and served atop a piece of nicely cut waxed paper enveloped by a rattan basket. There were slivers of the famed roasted pork, salted deep fried fats  ( heart surgeon's best friend ), pork skin, spicy vegetables and Ibu's secret sauce. It was salty for me and the rave reviews from other travellers must have pushed up my expectation too high. Conclusion - Tried something different that did not cost an arm and a leg.

Roasting coffee

Coffee belt

Up close

Our  baristas

Range of coffee flavours

Kopi Luwak - Civet Coffee

The afternoon was spent exploring Ubud on a rented motorbike. We went Tegallalang Village to see the terraced paddy fields which was nice but not as spectacular as those in Sapa, Vietnam. On the way back, we stopped by a coffee farm for a break. Kopi  luwak or civet coffee was sold here. A in-house barista followed us around the farm playing his first role as tour guide. After the round trip, he was the sales person trying to sell us this exotic yet gross blend.

Surrounding garden

What we ordered, kind of dry

Pavilion cum dining

Bebek sign

Alternative dining area

The manicured gardens

We also dined at Bebek Bengil or The Dirty Duck Diner, a place famed for its crispy duck. Listed as one of the must try in Bali, the place was strategically located in Ubud. Saw Anthony Bourdain ate it whilst in Bali on one of his travel shows. The verdict? ... The style that we ordered was nothing exceptional, a bit dry in fact. The restaurant's signature dish needed 24 hours to prepare and we gave that a miss. The gardens surrounding this restaurant was awesome. A haven for shutterbugs.

Puteri Minang nasi padang

Had lunch alone on the last day as my wife had a severe bout of diarrohea. Had a simple nasi padang at Puteri Minang. Usually considered as cheap eats or budget savers, the range of dishes available was huge. My choice was fried egg, tempe, brinjal with chilli and some broiled vegetable. It was time to cut down on meat and repent.

Dinner at Ayu's Kitchen

Dinner was also a solitary affair at Ayu's Kitchen. The yellow rice ( could be safron ) at rhp$25,000    ( myr$8.00 ) came with a tiny morsel of fried chicken, tempe, tauhu, crackers, peanuts and cooked jackfruit. Drink was avocado juice priced at rph$20,000.

Overall, the taste buds were tantalized with something new. Good change of setting :))