Well – we’re home! The two weeks flew by and I can’t believe we managed to fit in what we did…and that it’s all over! I’m sure many of you are wondering if Amy and I are still talking and if we’d ever travel together again. We are definitely still talking – although it was touch and go after my temper tantrum when trying to check into the Sheraton (my bad)! We are also thinking of making a trip away together an annual thing!
Overall it was an amazing trip but the one thing we didn’t actually do while we were in Vietnam was try some Pho – we’ve both eaten it in Australia before so it wasn’t something we’ve never done – whoops!
Now I’m not making excuses, but by the end of the trip we were totally shattered; Amy was sick and we were both over being pushed, yelled and tooted at so all we could really muster energy for was the walk to a near-by super market to buy some wine and cheese! It was a lovely Chilean drop (2008 Cabernet Sauvignon) from a winery called Carmen.
By this point in the trip we were gasping for a glass of wine - so a couple of bottles may have been consumed whilst packing – because up till this point we’d really only drunk beer! There were a few reasons for this… mainly it was the price difference between beer and wine. A can of beer cost around $1 whereas a glass of wine was $15 and when you only spent $5 on dinner it seemed VERY extravagant!
So… I thought you might all like a little wrap up of what I thought the highlights of the trip were!
Favourite | Choice | Reason |
City | Hoi An | It was a beautiful city with great food, friendly people and a really laid back vibe. |
Sight | Angkor Temples and Halong Bay |
These two sights were totally different and impossible to choose a favourite out of – they really take your breath away and remind you of how insignificant you really are!
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Beer | La Roux |
The local beer for Hoi An, I just liked it better than the others… it was really crisp and refreshing!
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Fun eating | Khmer BBQ | This was probably the cheapest dinner we ate whilst away (we had a couple of beers each and heaps of food and spent about $10). It was the street food BBQ in Siem Reap and besides from being totally fun it was SUPER yummy! |
Taste eating | Vietnam home experience |
Part of our trip to the Chu Chi tunnels included a traditional lunch in a Vietnamese home – it tasted phenomenal and was so fresh and delicious! |
Spring rolls | Le Pub – Saigon |
So…Amy and I undertook a little research whilst we were away – where could we find the best spring rolls? Le Pub in Saigon won hands down… crispy duck and mushroom parcels of crispy goodness! |
Experience | Swimming in Halong Bay |
How’s the serenity??? That’s all I have to say really!
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If I could do it all again there are only a few things I’d change:
· I wouldn’t have lost my credit card (I left it in an ATM in Hoi An)
· I wouldn’t have had that third glass of Dalat wine (the local wine in Vietnam)
· I would have stayed longer in Siem Reap and Halong Bay, reducing the time I spent in Saigon and Hanoi.
I hope you enjoyed reading about the trip – I know I sure loved it!
I’ll warn you now that the next few months will see a few “holiday” related recipes and cooking experiences! There may even be a dinner part in there somewhere for a few friends!
Thanks for following!
SQ