Having said farewell to Felix and Tom, I spent my last full day in Ho Chi Minh City on my own, finding companionship with all sorts of creatures at the zoo (as you do). There were lots of elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers and monkeys to keep me entertained, although some of the Vietnamese visitors seemed to take more interest in me than the animals!
I then walked to the Jade Emperor Pagoda, where there were numerous gargoyle-like figures casting disapproving looks at me, so I hastily moved on to Ben Thanh market for a lunch of chao tom (grilled sugar cane rolled in shrimp paste) and banh xeo (a gigantic crepe stuffed with prawns, meat, beansprouts and vegetables, then eaten rolled in lettuce leaves).
I had some time to kill in the afternoon so decided to give some of the bargain beauty treatments a try - with mixed success. I passed on a haircut after seeing a woman having her locks tugged aggressively in an attempt to de-tangle them, and instead chose an eyebrow wax and a pedicure. The pedicure was great, but as for the eyebrows, let's just say that I'm thankful that I won't be back home for a good two weeks yet - rather than wax under the eyebrow, they wax above it here, to rather bizarre effect...
Fortunately I was able to drown my sorrows as a family friend who works in Ho Chi Minh City invited me for drinks in the evening. We eventually ended up at a Vietnamese gay bar, which was the first time during my trip that I've felt completely at ease in a masculine environment - no staring, no attempts to make me buy something or take a motorbike trip, just lots of good fun (and plenty of bad dancing!).
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Sunday, 9 December 2012
Hello Ho Chi Minh City
There will be pictures when I can upload them!
I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in the early evening, and in an attempt to fight the impending jet lag, I dived into the nearest coffee shop I could find to fend off the desire to fall asleep for a few more hours. It worked. Vietnamese coffee is unbelievably strong. I asked the waitress to recommend me a blend, and was presented with a metal filtering device in which coffee dripped through into a bed of gloriously gloopy, sticky condensed milk. I later found out that this particular blend, called 'weasel coffee', is considered a gourmet specialty in Vietnam: coffee beans are fed to weasels and then harvested from their droppings. Delicious...
My hostel is located down a small alleyway just off the bustling main road of Pham Ngu Lao, the backpacker district. I stepped out early the next morning to find the street bustling with sellers of banh mi (like French baguettes, only filled with a meat pate far, far different from the sort you'd find in France...), fruit and vegetables, and all manner of meat and fish - including rat. It was all a bit much for me at 7am, so I took refuge in a cute little cake shop, where I opted for animals in chocolate cake form instead.
Ready to face the sea (no exaggeration) of motorbikes that perpetually runs through the streets - and often, if the drivers are feeling particularly impatient, the pavement too - I headed towards Ben Thanh market, where the choice of bags, shoes, clothing, trinkets and jewellery is overwhelming even for a professional shopper like me. In the end I gave up and consoled myself with a succession of exotic fruit juices from the food area, before heading to the Fine Arts museum.
Housed in a pretty building, the exhibits spanned many eras, and what I found particularly interesting was the Vietnamese angle on movements that I've previously only encountered in a western context. Battles from the Vietnam War were depicted in a Cubist style, or reverence for Communist leaders took on an abstract form. While there weren't the masterpieces of the grand European museums, it was nonetheless fascinating to see the Vietnamese take on these different styles.
My next stop was the Reunification Palace, which is a slightly bizarre mix of a tourist attraction and a still-functioning building for important meetings. The grand rooms are all closed off for tourists to peek in, yet some are still used for political occasions, when the palace is closed. These include grand banquets, and we were shown the kitchen where the food for these events is produced. The scale of the machinery is colossal, including a food mixer so large that I would probably be able to feed an army with just one batch of cupcakes...
Speaking of which, it was time for some refreshment - I found a quiet little cafe called Pacey Cupcakes and sipped ginger iced tea and a yogurt and raspberry cupcake. A hopelessly western indulgence, but nevertheless a haven from the chaos of the streets outside. I later restored the eat-west food balance in the form of spring rolls and noodles, a steaming bowl of beef pho, and rice paper prawn rolls with a ridiculously sweet, sticky caramel sauce for dipping.
Stepping back out into the sweltering sunshine, it felt a little strange to see Christmas decorations being put up and hear Christmas songs played in every shop. Not that I'm missing the cold weather of Britain. I'm more than happy to deal with fake icicles and polystyrene snow sculptures for a while longer yet.
I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in the early evening, and in an attempt to fight the impending jet lag, I dived into the nearest coffee shop I could find to fend off the desire to fall asleep for a few more hours. It worked. Vietnamese coffee is unbelievably strong. I asked the waitress to recommend me a blend, and was presented with a metal filtering device in which coffee dripped through into a bed of gloriously gloopy, sticky condensed milk. I later found out that this particular blend, called 'weasel coffee', is considered a gourmet specialty in Vietnam: coffee beans are fed to weasels and then harvested from their droppings. Delicious...
My hostel is located down a small alleyway just off the bustling main road of Pham Ngu Lao, the backpacker district. I stepped out early the next morning to find the street bustling with sellers of banh mi (like French baguettes, only filled with a meat pate far, far different from the sort you'd find in France...), fruit and vegetables, and all manner of meat and fish - including rat. It was all a bit much for me at 7am, so I took refuge in a cute little cake shop, where I opted for animals in chocolate cake form instead.
Ready to face the sea (no exaggeration) of motorbikes that perpetually runs through the streets - and often, if the drivers are feeling particularly impatient, the pavement too - I headed towards Ben Thanh market, where the choice of bags, shoes, clothing, trinkets and jewellery is overwhelming even for a professional shopper like me. In the end I gave up and consoled myself with a succession of exotic fruit juices from the food area, before heading to the Fine Arts museum.
Housed in a pretty building, the exhibits spanned many eras, and what I found particularly interesting was the Vietnamese angle on movements that I've previously only encountered in a western context. Battles from the Vietnam War were depicted in a Cubist style, or reverence for Communist leaders took on an abstract form. While there weren't the masterpieces of the grand European museums, it was nonetheless fascinating to see the Vietnamese take on these different styles.
My next stop was the Reunification Palace, which is a slightly bizarre mix of a tourist attraction and a still-functioning building for important meetings. The grand rooms are all closed off for tourists to peek in, yet some are still used for political occasions, when the palace is closed. These include grand banquets, and we were shown the kitchen where the food for these events is produced. The scale of the machinery is colossal, including a food mixer so large that I would probably be able to feed an army with just one batch of cupcakes...
Speaking of which, it was time for some refreshment - I found a quiet little cafe called Pacey Cupcakes and sipped ginger iced tea and a yogurt and raspberry cupcake. A hopelessly western indulgence, but nevertheless a haven from the chaos of the streets outside. I later restored the eat-west food balance in the form of spring rolls and noodles, a steaming bowl of beef pho, and rice paper prawn rolls with a ridiculously sweet, sticky caramel sauce for dipping.
Stepping back out into the sweltering sunshine, it felt a little strange to see Christmas decorations being put up and hear Christmas songs played in every shop. Not that I'm missing the cold weather of Britain. I'm more than happy to deal with fake icicles and polystyrene snow sculptures for a while longer yet.
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
brilliant berlin
My boyfriend and I recently spent a few days in Berlin to celebrate Weihnachten and Silvester. The Christmas atmosphere was wonderful, with dazzling lights adorning the streets and monuments.
We arrived in the afternoon, and took in some sights before going to the Pergamon Museum, which is a treasure trove of fascinating relics:
On our way back we stopped at Fassbender & Rausch, an amazing chocolate shop with famous sights such as the Reichstag, Brandenburger Tor, die Gedächtniskirche and even a volcano made out of chocolate - serious restraint had to kick in...
We had dinner at Gendarmerie, which has a wall with a huge painting across it - and the food was equally colourful and spectacular!
Our fabulous hotel, the Hilton am Gendarmenmarkt
Berliner Dom
Christmas decorations at Checkpoint Charlie
We arrived in the afternoon, and took in some sights before going to the Pergamon Museum, which is a treasure trove of fascinating relics:
On our way back we stopped at Fassbender & Rausch, an amazing chocolate shop with famous sights such as the Reichstag, Brandenburger Tor, die Gedächtniskirche and even a volcano made out of chocolate - serious restraint had to kick in...
We had dinner at Gendarmerie, which has a wall with a huge painting across it - and the food was equally colourful and spectacular!
Guten Appetit!
Friday, 16 December 2011
gourmet grotto
Today my lovely friend Anna and I went to Well Walk Tea Rooms for tea and cake and a jolly good catch-up with each other's news. Inside they have a Santa's Grotto full of gorgeous Christmas decorations and the decor and crockery is almost as delicious as the homemade cakes they serve...
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Sunday, 11 December 2011
a passage to india
Despite the evident homage to India in Chanel's pre-autumn/winter 2012-13 collection - rich metallic shades, jewel-studded saris, embroidered fabrics - I couldn't help but think that the beautifully-clothed models wouldn't go amiss as angels decorating a Christmas tree (alongside a resplendent feast for optimum festive indulgence, of course).
Decorations from Monsoon, Accessorize, Paperchase, Vinegar Hill and Harrods.
Sunday, 26 December 2010
it's a wonderful life
Despite eating and drinking being the main thrust of my Christmas, I still need things to do to fill in the idle time between meals. And whilst I probably ought to get cracking (ho ho ho!) with my reading list, watching cheesy Christmas films is so much more appealing. Yesterday my sister introduced me to 'It's A Wonderful Life', which is absolutely fantastic. Needless to say, we were crying within minutes. One of my favourite scenes is at the high school dance:
Don't you just wish there were still dances nowadays? All we got was a Leaver's Ball with an awkward DJ playing embarrassing tunes. Bring back the good old hops and bops, that's what I say!
Don't you just wish there were still dances nowadays? All we got was a Leaver's Ball with an awkward DJ playing embarrassing tunes. Bring back the good old hops and bops, that's what I say!
Saturday, 25 December 2010
happy christmas!
A true British Christmas ought to be all about FOOD. It should be a day of joyous excess and carefree over-indulgence in the form of turkey, mince pies, stuffing, parsnips, pigs in blankets...oh, and Brussels sprouts, I suppose.
In the spirit of things, the beautiful London restaurant Sketch is offering gorgeous Alice in Wonderland-themed hampers to fulfil our every gluttinous desire. Nom nom nom.
In the spirit of things, the beautiful London restaurant Sketch is offering gorgeous Alice in Wonderland-themed hampers to fulfil our every gluttinous desire. Nom nom nom.
Merry Christmas everyone! DO eat far too many mince pies and spoil your dinner, DO load up your plate to mountainous levels, DO swamp your food in gravy and bread sauce, and DO collapse on the sofa afterwards eating cheese and drinking port whilst battling through a food coma. Eat, drink, and be merry my friends!
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
window shopping
When I was in London a couple of weeks ago I got a few snaps of some really pretty Christmas window displays which I intended to post when I got back…only Vogue beat me to it. Bah humbug.
I suppose every girl's gotta love a bitta Barbie and Ken at Christmas. Classy, Selfridges.
Anyway, here are a few pictures of my own. I am in love with the Russian-style dolls in the Chanel windows (I wonder what they do with them once Christmas is over and they’ve got no use for them? Hint hint).
There’s a shop near Sloane Street tube called Basia Zarzycka that always has gorgeous window displays. Unfortunately you have to stand in the middle of a zebra crossing to take photos, and thereby annoy numerous cab drivers expecting you to cross, so please excuse the poor quality photographs.
Top and middle: Christmas 2010
Bottom: Summer 2010
I was also particularly taken by Harrods’ impressive efforts at pumping out festive music to lure shoppers inside from the streets, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to return to take any pictures as I had just come back from the Varsity match and wasn’t sure if my blue-hued face would be particularly popular with the staff. I suppose I should count my blessings that Vogue saved me from potential embarrassment after all.
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
too. much. sugar.
Today I spent a lovely day shopping with my beautiful friend Anna, and afterwards we made the rather adventurous (and, in hindsight, probably mistaken) decision to attempt to build a gingerbread house. I was buzzing with inspiration from an absolutely incredible party spread, courtesy of Bakerella, whose cake pops are quite possibly the cutest edible thing on the planet:
Bakerella’s post on a Christmas Party she attended reminded me of some sort of fairytale Willy Wonka-style confectionery dreamworld. Heaven.
However, our venture wasn’t quite so successful. First of all, we ate too much of the dough, so had to make an extra batch. WHAT a shame. Secondly, we baked the gingerbread in massive slabs without thinking of the house’s dimensions, so we ended up having to cut the pieces to size.
Unfortunately, neither of us are particularly mathematically-minded, so our geometrical endeavours weren’t quite as precise as we’d have hoped. Despite plentiful remedial work in the form of copious amounts of icing in an effort to cement the walls together, the house came tumbling down before our very eyes.
By this point, Anna’s kitchen looked like a bomb had hit it, we were surrounded by scraps of gingerbread, covered in gluey icing, and left at a loss regarding where to go next. Having bought bags upon bags of sweets to decorate the house, we resolved to cover the gingerbread remnants in icing and cover them in the sweets. Perhaps not the prettiest of houses, and definitely not the sturdiest place to live, but certainly awfully scrummy.
Yes, Anna is holding a knife and a ruler here. We were getting rather desperate by this point.
Unfortunately, neither of us are particularly mathematically-minded, so our geometrical endeavours weren’t quite as precise as we’d have hoped. Despite plentiful remedial work in the form of copious amounts of icing in an effort to cement the walls together, the house came tumbling down before our very eyes.
So near…
…and yet so far.
By this point, Anna’s kitchen looked like a bomb had hit it, we were surrounded by scraps of gingerbread, covered in gluey icing, and left at a loss regarding where to go next. Having bought bags upon bags of sweets to decorate the house, we resolved to cover the gingerbread remnants in icing and cover them in the sweets. Perhaps not the prettiest of houses, and definitely not the sturdiest place to live, but certainly awfully scrummy.
Unfortunately I’m now buzzing on a sugar high and my hands are shaking as I type. Nevertheless, it was jolly well worth it…although some savoury cheese wouldn’t go amiss right now.
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