Chiang Rai Delights – Chiang Rai, Thailand

Posted on September 30, 2015 by SUNGRL

After a couple of weeks enjoying Chiang Mai we ventured further north to visit Chiang Rai – it took us just under three hours by car.  We were booked in at the River Rai Resort which is a new boutique hotel set alongside the Kok River.  On arrival we were greeted by the owner Greg and his offsider Kookai – they were both delightful and the resort setting was lovely.  We were in for a special five nights.

Our plans included golf, golf and more golf at the Santiburi Golf Course.  Each morning we would leave the Resort at 6am and be back by 10am in time for a delicious breakfast.  The quality and taste of the fruit was amazing and we also enjoyed freshly squeezed pineapple, passionfruit and watermelon juices.  The homemade pineapple jam was the icing on the toast : )

The Resort has five riverside rooms and four garden rooms.  The pool area was very inviting and the salt water pool refreshing and soothing.  The Resort opened just over a year ago and is establishing itself as a wholesome place to rest and relax.  The other bonus is that they had over 120 TV channels which included golf and rugby.  Most people don’t go on holiday in such a beautiful spot to watch TV but when you are as golf obsessed as Steve is and the final tournament of the Players Championship and Fedex Cup is on it is pure heaven!  Being from a land of rugby fanatics the Rugby World Cup viewing was also a bonus.  Generally in Asia the only sport available on TV is football and it is usually in a foreign language so Steve had been suffering a golf viewing drought for over two months!

We really enjoyed interacting with Kookai and her team – they were so lovely.  So if you’re ever visiting Chiang Rai we would highly recommend staying here – check out http://www.riverrai.com

We also enjoyed exploring the culinary delights Chiang Rai had to offer.    

    
    
  

Chivit Thamma Da Coffee House

This cafe came up as number one on Trip Advisor in Chiang Rai and it was only a twenty minute walk along the river from the River Rai – perfect.  They also have a spa on site with both the cafe and spa being  housed in these old villas.  The garden setting alongside the river was very tranquil.  They had a great range of coffees, teas, fruit juices as well as delicious smoothies.  They also have an extensive food menu. I enjoyed a dried plum and wild honey smoothie one day and sampled the berry, berry smoothie another day – heaven.  The coffee was good too.  The coffee culture has really grown in Thailand with many cafe’s doing great coffee using local coffee beans – the coffee would be right at home on Ponsonby Rd : )

Chivit Thamma Da was founded by Nattamon Holmberg in 2009. Nattamon is a cake and coffee lover and has studied bakery and coffee growing/making at the best institutes in Thailand.  She gave up a fast life in big cities to slow down and live closer to nature in her native northern Thailand. She enjoys growing, cooking and eating food and is a strong supporter of the Slow Food movement and sustainable agriculture.
   
   

Manorom Coffee

KK told me about Manorom Coffee which is just a bit further up the river.  Another amazing setting – I was quite surprised to find two such great cafes in what I would call off the beaten track locations.  Their reputations obviously precede them as both places are reasonably large and were busy when I visited.  I only intended on having a coffee the day I visited but the spinach and cheese tortillas were too tempting!

I sat outside and was joined by the largest Ants I have ever seen – they were definitely on steroids!  Luckily there were ony a couple of them who were more scared of me than I was of them : )

  
    
 

A couple of sights encountered on my daily walk alongside the river: 

 A House Boat 

 A House being pulled along by a Boat.  This house doubled as a restaurant and bar where we heard some pretty bad karaoke some nights! 

 A friendly local

 71 Celcius Restaurant
Steve has a love affair with pork ribs and he has tried a few on his travels but they generally don’t live up to expectation.  Again, whilst looking on Trip Advisor he came across 71 Celcius which specialised in Pork Ribs.  Greg ad KK had not heard of this restaurant and it was out in the suburbs so even the taxi driver had a little trouble finding it.  

It turned out to be a local semi open air restaurant with a limited menu – pork ribs, fish, nuggets with a selection of three sides – egg fried rice, salad and fries.  It was a hive of activity with many locals enjoying dinner there.  Steve ordered the large portion of ribs with two sides – NZD14!  I just had the salad and rice as I am not a fan of ribs.  Steve was in heaven – the ribs were fantastic.  My rice and salad were also lovely.  They may only have a small offering but what they do they do well.  The kitchen staff worked like clock work with one cooking the ribs on the BBQ, one in charge of the deep fryer and they other preparing salads.  The wait staff were also happy, friendly and efficient.  It was so good we went back on our last night in Chiang Rai too.  A winning formula!

  
    
   

Cabbages & Condoms

One night we came across Cabbages and Condoms which is a restaurant serving Thai food – we checked out the menu and liked what we saw.  The food was really good and we ended up ordering another main to share.

Established in part to support the activities of Population and Community Development (PDA), the Cabbages & Condoms (C&C) Restaurants offer a pleasant dining experience in several locations around Thailand. Not only do the restaurants offer excellent food, but they also promote the health and safety aspects of condom use in a fun and amusing manner. All proceeds from the restaurants are used to fund the social development programs of PDA.  Their focus is on making condoms as easy to get as cabbages and with the average number of children per family falling from seven in 1971 to two now it is obviously working : )

  
   

Chiang Rai

 Chiang Rai is the northernmost large city in Thailand. It was established as a capital city in the reign of King Mangrai, in 1262 CE.  Chiang Rai was conquered by Burma and remained under Burmese rule for several hundred years. It was not until 1786 that Chiang Rai became a Chiang Mai vassal. Siam (Thailand) annexed Chiang Mai in 1899, and Chiang Rai was proclaimed a province of Thailand in 1933.

According to the Thailand National Statistical Office, as of September 2010, Chiang Rai municipal district had a population of 199,699. With the spread of the city extending into neighboring districts, the metropolitan area is considered somewhat larger by local residents. Chiang Rai city is the capital city and business center of the Chiang Rai Province, home to 1.1 million residents.

12.5% of the population belong to hill tribes, a collective term for the minority ethnic groups in north Thailand such as the Karen, Akha, Lisu, Meo, and Hmong.

The city centre has a pretty impressive cock tower – see below.  Not sure if it is my cup of tea and from a couple of comments I heard from the locals they too think it is a bit ostentatious.  
 

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Flight of The Gibbon – Chiang Mai, Thailand

Posted on September 28, 2015 by SUNGRL

They say that variety is the spice of life so we thought maybe a little zip lining was in order after all that golf!  We got talking to a couple at the hotel who had just spent the day out in the jungle so we decided to investigate our options.  There are a number of companies doing zip lining in Chiang Mai so after a bit of local research and knowledge we decided to go with Flight of the Gibbon.

The Flight of the Gibbon has two locations in Thailand – Chiang Mai and Pattaya as well as a location in Siem Reap in Cambodia.  The one closest to Chiang Mai is based in Mae Kampong which is a little village about an hour’s drive to the east of Chiang Mai.  There are 33 stations, some of which are suspended up to 70 metres above the valley floor. They also boast the longest zipline in Asia at 800 metres.  This might sound weird but the village reminded me of a Swiss village as we wound our way up into the jungle.  The houses were a similar shape to a Swiss chalet and they were all close to the road.  Obviously the foliage is very different as well as the temperature but it bought back many happy memories of our time in Switzerland.

 

There were nine of us in our group and we had three Sky Rangers with us – Santi, Piak and Miss Lee.  Miss Lee was the Chinese translator for the six Chinese in our group although they could all speak pretty good English.  We have done zip lining before in Hawaii and in Queenstown but they were only three and six zip lines respectively so it was nice to spend three hours swinging through the rainforest like a Gibbon : )  It was also very cool in the rainforest – they say it is about ten degrees cooler than Chiang Mai city.  We also got to see four Gibbons – the male Gibbon was very curious swinging his way over to have a good look at us from atop the tree.  At the next station the female (lighter colour) was hanging out on the platform – they can bite but these ones have been tamed and are very used to human interaction.

Besides the zip lines they had swinging rope bridges and a couple of abseiling stations.  They also had a superman station where you were attached to the line from the middle of your back.  You could run off and fly – it was great fun.  At the other end of this one you had to grab hold of a rope wall and climb up to the next station.

At the end of the adventure we were driven back to HQ where we went to a local restaurant for lunch – the food was delicious.  We then took a short walk to a waterfall before it was time to head back to the city.   

    
    
    
   

The Story

In 2007, a group of friends were enjoying one of their frequent rainforest walks in the mountains surrounding Chiang Mai when they came across a pair of Gibbons locked in a cage near a roadside. They had been abandoned to die a horrible death from starvation and dehydration. Shocked and outraged, the nature lovers immediately rescued this rare, endangered species, slowly nursing the pair back to health while they came up with a plan to create positive ecological change in our world…

Flight of the Gibbon was born and is now the leading global eco-adventure tour operator with their phenomenal rainforest zip-lines that are the longest, highest and fastest in the world. Now the number one tourist attraction in Thailand, Flight of the Gibbon invests 10% of their profits in primate re-habilitation, re-forestation projects and ecological education programs.

And what about the abandoned Gibbons? After their rescue, Tong Lorde (Golden Straw) and Tong Dee (Good Gold) were rehabilitated at a site that resembled their natural habitat. Having spent all of their lives in a cage, they needed to be taught how to look after themselves in the wild. Now they live alongside the zip-lines of Flight of the Gibbon with their baby sons, born free in the wild, where you can hear their calls, experience their natural environment and maybe even catch a glimpse of them swinging through the rainforest, just like you will with Flight of the Gibbon.

Apparently the Flight of the Gibbon zip line construction was overseen by expert engineers from NZ.  All the harness and safety equipment they use is manufactured in France and is of the highest quality.

Thailand Reforestation

It’s important to involve the local community in conservation efforts; so back in 2008 we worked with local villagers to start planting some trees in a deforested and over-used area near our ziplines. We also planted in a section of forest where primates were in competition with villagers for food sources. We started small and planted 2000 trees in the first year. We’ve picked up our pace since and have now helped plant more than 30,000 trees in those forests. We’ll be planting another 5,000 this year too!

Thailand introduced a ban on illegal logging back in 1989. Sadly, it’s been very much ignored and Thailand now has only 10-11% of its primary forests left! Flight of the Gibbon works hard to plant trees and to re-establish the biodiversity of the area we work in.

About the Gibbons

There are four Gibbons living in the forest near the village.  The two older gibbons, a female called Thong Lott and a male called Thong Dee, were reintroduced into the forests here in 2007. They’ve since had two children, a boy in 2011 and a girl in 2013.  Gibbons are from the Ape family rather than the Monkey family – they do not have tails like Monkey’s do.

Our gibbons are white-handed gibbons. It won’t surprise you to learn that this is because they have white hairs on their hands. The white-handed gibbon is a threatened species. What that means is that they are still found in the wild, unlike some species which only exist in protected captive environments, but their population is so small that they are under the real threat of extinction.
There are only around 80,000 white-handed gibbons left in the world! Which might sound like a lot but if you think about the fact that there are 67 million people in Thailand alone… it’s not as many as it sounds.

Gibbons are losing their homes and the species is in gradual decline. They are hunted for their meat and to be enslaved to be sold as pets in other locations. They also have a low birth rate. They’re a bit like human beings in that respect. Most mating pairs will only have one child every few years. This presents certain challenges when it comes to re-populating the species in areas where they are reintroduced.

The Bigger Picture

The loss of Thailand’s forests is creating a huge loss of habitat for many species in Thailand. The country has only got 10-11% of its primary forest remaining and sadly, despite it being illegal, logging continues without much in the way of interruption.

Traditionally, hill-tribes and farmers burn their fields in Northern Thailand during the winter through to early-summer and this helps prepare those fields for new crops. Sadly, they are also burning down forests at the same time to increase their lands.
Gibbon Hunting

If you’re at all squeamish, you might want to skip this next paragraph or two. The way gibbons are caught in the wild is particularly inhumane. The mother is shot dead and this brings baby gibbons to ground to try and find out what has happened to their parent. They are then captured and forced into tiny, cramped and completely inadequate cages.

It’s estimated that nearly half the gibbons caught like this will die as they are transported to market to be sold. Yet more gibbons will perish at the markets due to the conditions and their misery at their deceased parent. If they survive, they can look forward to a horrible life as a pet.

Most people, who keep gibbons, don’t know how to keep them properly. They feed them a diet that isn’t in keeping with their natural habitat. When the gibbon finally reaches maturity, at the age of 6, it can become aggressive. This leads to owners have the gibbons destroyed out of fear for their own safety.

The Good News – The Gibbons at Flight of the Gibbon in Chiang Mai

The first pair of gibbons, reintroduced to the forests around Mae Kampong, has thrived. We hope to be able to make more of a difference soon. We are looking to find more mating pairs of gibbons to reintroduce to the jungle.

This is not an easy process. Gibbons need a lot of careful rehabilitation if they are to survive the change from captivity to living in the wild. They can only be reintroduced if they exhibit certain signs during the rehabilitation process.

The process requires an enclosure which gives the gibbon some exposure to their new environment while also protecting them from it. If the gibbon moves round that enclosure well, spends most of its time at the top of the enclosure, shows a strong bond with their chosen mate (copulating, grooming, playing etc.) and doesn’t show any behavioural signs of distress – only then can it move into the wild.

It is vital to the gibbons’ well-being that they are released as a fully bonded mating pair. This is so that they can be completely independent of human beings. Strangely, it is also important that the gibbons show no signs of dependence on the humans that care for them during the rehabilitation process. That can be dangerous for both the people and the gibbons. Gibbons, as they mature, can become aggressive towards those people. It’s also important that the gibbons don’t see people as friends, so that they can keep as far away from poachers as possible in the wild.

Finally, we have to find just the right area for gibbons to be released. It has to have enough food supply so that the gibbons can forage and find enough to eat. It also has to be at some distance from the habitats of any other gibbons. That’s because they are a territorial species. They sing in the mornings when they awake. That’s to ward off other gibbons from their homes.

If we introduce gibbons too close to another group of gibbons – they may attack each other. That could be fatal for one or both groups of gibbons.

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Chiang Mai Fun – Chiang Mai, Thailand

Posted on September 26, 2015 by SUNGRL

After our week out at Mae Jo Golf Club & Resort we then moved into the Ping Nakara in Chiang Mai city.  It was nice to be close to the city happenings again.  We have stayed at the Ping Nakara before and it is one of my favourite boutique hotels with only 19 rooms.

During the reign of King Rama V, in the opening years of the 20th century, the area where the hotel stands was at the center of Northern Thailand’s thriving teak logging business.  There were many beautiful colonial style buildings along this stretch of the river, among them the house of Luang Yonnakarn Phichitra and the British consulate, and these elegant forebears provided the inspiration for the Ping Nakara.

While the hotel captures the appearance and feeling of old colonial buildings in Chiang Mai and the North, it is far from being a simple reproduction.  To preserve the essence of the past but blend it seamlessly with the demands of contemporary life required many original designs and creative re-imaginings.  Three storey buildings in this style were all but unknown, yet by combining seven structures of differing heights and styles the whole feels natural.  The fretwork patterns, beds, door knobs, window fixtures and furniture throughout are all of new design but inspired by and in keeping with historical antecedents.  

As mentioned above teak logging was the main industry and source of revenue in the North of Thailand, and much of it was administered from this locality.  Where this hotel now stands, mahouts (elephant handlers) and their elephants used to bide time in simple wooden buildings while their bosses attended to business in the adjacent Forestry Office, the first such office in Thailand.  For the elephants and their handlers this would often be the last moment of respite before an arduous month or more in the forest.

It is only fitting, then, that construction of the hotel began in the year of the elephant (2007) and that this magnificent creature is an important theme throughout the hotel.  The 16 bas-reliefs around the terrace present the complete story of the elephant and its close relationship with man, beginning with preparations for a journey into the jungle and ending with pulling teak logs out of the river.  Outside of shows, this working cooperation between man and elephant can no longer be seen today.

The attention to detail around the hotel mentioned above is evident and the staff are very friendly and courteous.  The daily breakfasts are delicious and they top your mini bar up daily with local snacks and treats.  There are many little alcoves for relaxing in including a library.  They even gave us our own little momento when we left – two little ceramic elephants.  Just around the corner from the hotel are some great little cafes where I enjoyed some very good coffee.  It is also only about a ten minute walk to the Night Bazaar.  We highly reccomend this hotel if you are visting Chiang Mai. 

     

        

Day out at the Dam

On the Sunday our Swiss and Thai friends (Daniel, Marc, Icy and Boom) that live in Chiang Mai invited us out for the day.  Regula and Dani from Switzerland were also in town so a day out on a house boat on the Mae Ngat Dam had been planned.  Steve wasn’t too keen but I certainly was so at 9.45am Noki (Daniel’s VW Combi) and the team pulled up outside the hotel to pick me up.  It took about an hour and a half to get to the Dam but it is always nice enjoying the scenery in Thailand from the back of Noki.

We then jumped onto a long tail boat and were taken out to a houseboat.  These houseboats are stationery and have restaurants, accommodation and water sport options.  We picked our spot and settled in for the day.  A nice long lunch of many Thai dishes was served along with drinks.  After lunch most of us got into our togs and went for a swim – Marc & Boom took the chance to have an afternoon nap – something about too much beer the night before!  The water was reasonably warm – not like the dams or lakes in NZ or Switzerland.  The water is very murky but from what I read it is quite ‘clean’.  Regula and I decided it was best we didn’t know what could be lurking beneath the surface!  I only did the research below on the Dam after our visit – a good move!

We spent about an hour in the water before it was time to pack up and head back to the carpark on the long tail.  We came back to Chiang Mai via a different route so Dani could see some rice fields which are beautiful and green at this time of the year.  It was a very enjoyable and relaxing day – a great way to spend a lazy Sunday.

Situated in the Sri Lanna National Park, The Mae Ngat Dam and Reservoir is one of Chiang Mai’s best kept secrets. This enormous stretch of fresh water was formed when a Dam was built across the Mae Ngat river and flooded the valley. The Mae Ngat Reservoir sits between the Mae Ngat and Mae Taeng forests creating an idyllic spot to relax, swim or to fish. The reservoir has Giant Catfish, Jungle Fish and Indian Carp. The reservoir has many tributaries and bays along its length and the surrounding forests are a haven for wildlife.

There are a number of Dams in Thailand that are used to generate electricity and provide water and irrigation to the farmers.  The water level in these Dams is currently very low and given that the rainy season is nearly over this is causing major concerns throughout the country. 

    
    
    
    
    
   

BBQ Time

On Monday night we went to Daniel and Icy’s place to cook a BBQ for everyone.  This has become a bit of a tradition on our visits to Chiang Mai.  Steve’s BBQing skills are world famous here – no pressure!  A trip to the supermarket yielded the popular pork loin and some NZ steak along with various accompaniments.  It was then all hands on deck – Daniel was getting the BBQ up to temperature using a bit of Swiss / Thai ingenuity – this is no fancy gas BBQ but a half gallon drum fuelled by charcoal and the good old household fan.  I was on potatoes, Regula was on salad and of course Steve was marinating the meat.  In amongst all this hive of activity the champagne was poured and a couple of birthday toasts made – Icy had turned 40 earlier in the month and Regula’s birthday was on the Friday just gone.  Any excuse for champagne really!

As with all Kiwi BBQ’s the chip and Kiwi dip was also in attendance – Daniel fell in love with Kiwi dip when he came to NZ so when we visit we try and bring a couple of cans of reduced cream and packets of onion soup with us – they are not easily obtainable here.

It was then time.  The red wine was poured and dinner was served – pork, steak, garlic and rosemary potatoes, chargrilled corn on the cob and zucchini, asparagus and salad.  Everything was delicious and it was so nice to be eating our standard fare after a lot of Asian food.  Very excited about getting back to our BBQ at home now : )

It was a fantastic night with lots of laughs and interesting discussions.  The boys are all coming to NZ next February and we can’t wait to see them again and show them some of our Kiwi hospitality. 

  

    
    
 

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is the largest and most culturally significant city in Northern Thailand. It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province and was a former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna (1296–1768), which became a tributary state of the Kingdom of Chiang Mai from 1774 to 1939. It is 700 km (435 mi) north of Bangkok and is situated amongst the highest mountains in the country. The city sits astride the Ping River, a major tributary of the Chao Phraya River.

Chiang Mai means “new city” and was so named because it became the new capital of the Lan Na kingdom when it was founded in 1296, succeeding Chiang Rai, the former capital founded in 1262.
Chiang Mai has positioned itself to become a Creative City and is considering applying for Creative City status with UNESCO.  Chiang Mai was one of two tourist destinations in Thailand on TripAdvisor’s 2014 list of “25 Best Destinations in the World”, where it stands at number 24.

Chiang Mai’s historic importance is derived from its close proximity to the Ping River and major trading routes.

While officially the city (thesaban nakhon) of Chiang Mai only covers most parts of the Mueang Chiang Mai district with a population of 160,000, the city’s sprawl extends into several neighboring districts. The Chiang Mai Metropolitan Area has a population of nearly one million people, more than half the total of the Chiang Mai Province. 

 

Childs Dream

Our friends, Daniel and Marc, mentioned above founded Child’s Dream.  

Overview

Child’s Dream was established in 2003 as a charitable organisation dedicated to unconditional help for underprivileged children in the Mekong Sub-Region. This region is at the core of many humanitarian crises and children are suffering the most. Our well over 300 projects focus on extremely remote and neglected areas in this region.

Our offices in Chiang Mai (Thailand), Siem Reap (Cambodia) and Yangon (Myanmar) serve as bases for our humanitarian and community development activities. Our 40 staff members are dedicated to working in the most efficient and effective way to achieve our mission.

Our mission is to empower marginalised communities to shape their own futures. We achieve this by working with communities to improve health care and education for children and provide socioeconomic opportunities for families. We are working towards the second and fourth UN Millennium Development Goal which are universal primary education and reduction of child mortality respectively.
Please check out http://www.childsdream.org for more information

  

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Mae Jo Golf Club & Resort – Chiang Mai, Thailand

Posted on September 21, 2015 by SUNGRL

After leaving our home away from home in Vietnam we flew from Da Nang to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.  We had one night there staying at the Tune Hotel out at the airport as our flight to the north of Thailand departed at 6.55am the next morning.  Both flghts on Air Asia were comfortable and uneventful so that was chalked up as a good result : )

We arrived into Chiang Mai at 8.40am on Saturday and were greeted by the driver from Mae Jo Golf Club & Resort – our home for the next week.  We have been here before to play golf and the course is really nice and extremely picturesque with a lot of fruit trees.

On Saturday afternoon we went back into Chiang Mai city to have a look around and reaquaint ourselves with some old haunts.  Steve had tweaked his back packing his suitcase so I suggested a massage – most people would think that was a marvellous idea but Steve is very loyal and is very remiss to have a massage with anyone except his beloved Kiri back in NZ!  Anyway I convinced him it was a good idea so there we were at Miracle Spa.  There were a few grunts and groans from Steve’s corner and a lot of sorry’s and giggling from his masseuse.  The verdict afterwards “Did I enjoy it – probably not.  Was it good for me – probably.”  His back is still a bit tender but he has managed seven rounds of golf with the Caddy teeing the ball up for him and retrieving it from the hole at the end.  I kept a close eye on him to make sure he didn’t take advantage : )

We had these two great Caddy’s for our first round on Sunday – Kat and Ya.  They were great fun so we had them for all seven rounds.  Kat is 26 and speaks very good English.  She also plays golf in the Caddy team so has a good knowledge of the course and is very good at reading putts.  Ya is 43 and has only been caddying for 9 months – she told me she used to sell stuff in the markets but decided she was getting too fat so needed a more physical job.  She said she has lost some weight and is feeling much healthier so that is great.  She actually speaks good English but is a little shy – after a week with us she certainly came out of her shell.  She was little misguided though thinking that Steve was the Boss!  I had to set her straight on that front.

We had lots of laughs with them.  It is funny hearing Kat’s perspective on the older foreign men who either live or visit here.  She told us that they sometimes wink at the Caddy’s but if it happens to her she just turns away.  However, if the man was young and handsome it would be a different story.  Steve has had a hard time convincing her that he is young and handsome so she should be winking at him.  Oh dear!

I really admired Kat’s spirit and attitude to life.  She is single, lives alone and is fiercely independent.  She looks after herself very well and is always looking at ways to better herself.  She studies languages in her spare time, namely English, Japanese and Korean so she can better communicate with her golfing clients.    She would love to be a tour guide but the course and other requirements are a bit expensive at the moment.  She makes golf club covers in the low season and sells them to the golf club – I was the lucky recipient of Caddy Kat – a gift that she was a million percent sure she wanted me to have.  She takes her golf clubs on her motorbike to the driving range which is about 30 minutes from where she lives to practice.  We’re hoping to meet up with her later in the week at the range so Steve can give her some tips.

  

 As I mentioned above there are a large number of fruit trees on the golf course.  At the moment the pomelo’s are in season.  The Caddy’s aren’t allowed to take the fruit but if the guests would like some then that is fine.  Kat has convinvced us that we need pomelo and mango everyday so we are collecting and then giving to her!  They did cut open a pomelo the other day and it was delicious – a little sour but so juicy.

  
The hotel complex is very comfortable with a lovely big pool that we have had pretty much to ourselves for the last week.  Although my weather app has been telling me it is 31 degrees it feels a lot cooler.  It was about 35 degrees in Vietnam and the air was warm.  It is the rainy season here so there is a lot more cloud cover so feels cooler.  There has been a bit of rain at night but generally dry during our golf rounds.  On Friday it was raining when we started but then cleared for a few holes before coming down quite heavily about the 11th.  We then got stuck behind some social club players so cut through and missed out a couple of holes to avoid getting too soaked.

  
  
  
Ya bought me a sticky rice stick one day without knowing that I absolutely love them.  I was so happy – I told her I would give her some money so she could buy me one each day but she insisted on buying them for me – they cost between 10 or 12 baht each or NZD0.50 cents.  This is a very interesting and tasty Thai food dish. Sticky rice which is a very famous Thai preparation is mixed with sugar and coconut milk. This mixture is filled into bamboo sticks, the sticks are then baked for many hours. The name given to this Thai sweet dish is ‘Khao Lham’. To eat the sticky rice that is cooked in the bamboo, you will need to split open the bamboo vertically.  Soaked black beans are sometimes added to the rice, you can then see the cooked beans in the rice when the bamboo is split.


   
The Course

Ranging over 500 rais (1,600 square metres), the 18-Hole par 72 course was thoroughly designed to blend in beautifully with its natural terrains and spectacular surroundings.  The course was designed by a well-known architect, Mr. Seni Thirawat and established in 2004.  The course layout, was designed based on maximum safety and risk-reward approach shots and provides challenging but fair play to both amateurs and professional golfers. Each hole has a unique design and requires a different game plan to shoot for a par.

Several elevated tee boxes, which are spread throughout the course, reserve panoramic views of the course and surroundings, and at the same time, provide more challenging plays. The course features rolling fairways and large challenging greens which are considered some of the most challenging greens in the northern part of the kingdom of Thailand – I will definitely vouch for that!

Along side the fairways, you come across many local fruit-bearing trees, such as Longan, Lychee, Pomello and Tangerine, which provide not only unique scenery but also a unique tasting experience.

  
  
  
  

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Montgomerie Links – Thanks for the Memories – Danang, Vietnam

Posted on September 15, 2015 by SUNGRL

We have just spent two wonderful months at the Montgomerie Links Golf Club and Villas.  We visited this area in 2011 and played golf at Montgomerie Links at which time they were building the villas.  We discussed coming back here and staying for a period of time to enjoy the golf courses and surrounding area.  Apart from the golf the other major attraction in this area is the food as you will have seen from my previous blog.

The first week we were here our friends from Nelson, Rod, Janine, Hunter and Zoe joined us which was lots of fun – we re discovered and they discovered the area together.  We then had three weeks on our own to hone our golf skills before Paul and Laura joined us.  We spent an action packed 12 days with them which was so much fun and a very special family time.

We then had another three weeks on our own where we continued to enjoy the golf course and the team at Montgomerie Links.  All the staff here are so friendly and there was no shortage of a xin chào or a good morning along with a friendly wave as we walked around the resort.  We were spoilt with gifts in our last week – a nice bracelet from Nga in the restaurant as well as a marble plate from the Food & Beverage Team.

We organised to have our two favourite caddies, Hoa and Tinh join us for our last round on Wednesday and they also presented us with a bracelet each.  I then received a nice bag and Steve a golf shirt from the management team.

The Villa

 

The Sun Rises

 

The Lovely Staff

 Van and Hang our Villa Reception superstars.  These two made sure we had everything we needed and made sure everything in the Villa was spot on.  A special mention to Van who stayed until 9pm the night we arrived trying to track our lost luggage down.  Van & Hang also personally delivered us to the airport the day we left so they could wave goodbye. 

  The Golf Reception Team – these girls were at work every morning at 5.15am setting up ready to greet and check the golfers in as they came to tee off.  They organised all our tee times and were always ready with a friendly wave or hello when we saw them.  Steve, who has never done a ‘selfie’ in his life was quite excited to be taking a selfie with these girls.


The Food & Beverage Team (Nga, Suong, No and Thuy) were always a pleasure to deal with and we enjoyed a chat every morning over breakfast.  Once they sussed out our little idiosyncrasies re our breakfast requests I am sure we were the easiest breakfast guests ever : )

The Pool



Birdies Restaurant

Fresh Juices

Breakfast

Dinner

 

The Flowers

 


The Golf Course and Caddies

 


The Gifts

 

Thanks Team Monty!  We will be back for sure and we can’t wait to see you all again.  In the meantime, keep up the fantastic job that you all do every day : )

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Hoi An Restaurants – SungrlAdvisor – Hoi An, Vietnam

Posted on September 5, 2015 by SUNGRL

 Miss Ly

22 Nguyen Hue Street, Hoi An

Miss Ly’s Mother has lived at this historic Hoi An location since 1949.  They were one of the first family restaurants in old Hoi An.  They established the restaurant in 1993 when there was only one hotel in Hoi An with all of eight rooms.  In 2012 they expanded and opened Ly 2 in a separate family house next door to the original Miss Ly.  Much has changed since those early days but Miss Ly’s Mother still lives in the house and Miss Ly still does most of the cooking.

Miss Ly uses only the finest quality ingredients, bought fresh every day.  She believes that the best ingredients are essential for good health and they are the foundation for her fine Vietnamese cuisine.  Miss Ly’s sister is a produce dealer and supplies the restaurant with beautiful vegetables and fruits, and they also buy directly from local farmers.

Due to Hoi An’s history as a major port city, their local cuisine is a mixture of many cultures over many cultures over many centuries and several dishes are unique to this area and unlike other Vietnamese food.

We had a few great meals at Miss Ly and the food lived up to her fresh and flavorful reputation .  It is very popular so you need to either get there early or make a booking.  The staff are very friendly and efficient.  I favored the vegetarian fresh spring rolls and the chicken and papaya salad.

  
    

The Cargo Club

107 – 109 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An

The Cargo Club is owned by Miss Vy who also owns Mermaid, the first restaurant in Hoi An selling food to tourists and the infamous Morning Glory which housed her cooking school before Vy’s Market Place Restaurant started up (see previous blog).

The Cargo Club has an extensive menu with a Vietnamese section and a large European section which is nice as sometimes you just feel like something from a bit closer to home.  They also have a bakery on the ground floor where you can buy bread, cakes and desserts.  The food and service are of a high standard and we have never been disappointed here.  The fresh spring rolls are delicious as is the Beef, Noodle and Herb Salad dish – I always get them to swap the beef for chicken and it is never a problem.   On another visit to The Cargo Club I had the Falafels as a starter – delicious. I followed those up with the Chicken, Noodle & Herb Salad which I just can’t go past.They also do a fabulous scallop entree but this is dependent on them being able to get fresh scallops.  They have a bit of a kick to them but Steve just can’t get enough of them.

  

Morning Glory

106 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An

As mentioned above and in my previous blog, Morning Glory is the brainchild of Ms Vy who also owns Mermaid and Cargo.  Morning Glory’s menu is a showcase of Ms Vy’s traditional and favorite Vietnamese dishes.  The menu also has a selection of home remedies like “Firm up your Insides” which is a hot drink made from fresh orange juice, honey and salt – I really like the flavor so usually enjoy a cup every time I go there.

The crunchy tofu and fresh spring rolls are a couple of my favorite entrees followed by the chicken marinated in lime leaves.  Steve’s absolute favorite is the crunchy pork belly with red rice – he can’t go past it when we dine at Morning Glory.

    

Hai Scout Cafe

99 Tran Phu, Hoi An

Hai Scout Cafe is located in the old Scout hall of Hoi An.  It has a lovely outdoor setting area with a BBQ area at one end so you can see your meat being cooked..  They have an extensive menu with a number of BBQ options.  They also do pizzas but they are not quite up to Good Morning Vietnam standards (see below).  They do great Hoi An Chicken Rice and barbecued chicken with a rice noodle salad..  I have also tried the traditional Beef Pho or Soup – the flavors of the soup were lovely but the beef was very chewy so I didn’t eat much of that and have decided that despite the fact that the Pho is very good for you it is not for me.   I did indulge in their ginger tea which was delicious and packed with lots of fresh ginger.

  

Serene Garden

70 Le Loi

Serene Garden is tucked down an alley way on Lei Loi Street and the restaurant is set in an open courtyard – it doesn’t look flash but the food is actually very good.  Steve and Paul fell in love with their scallops and onion entree and would go there for afternoon tea.  Unfortunately we went there for dinner the other night and the scallops were not good at all – we tried to talk to the wait staff about them but it was lost in translation.  The rest of our meals were up to the usual standard though.

My favorite dish is the green papaya salad with chicken served on shrimp crackers – it is so tasty!  I usually have the Serene Garden Special Fried Rice as a main which is also very tasty with pineapple, veges and shrimp in it.  They also do good fish and chips and a good stir fried chicken with cashew nuts.  The mains aren’t huge but you definitely leave there feeling satisfied.

  

Triet

69 Tran Hung Dao

Triet is one of those quiet achievers – they have a nice menu with a great cocktail and shakes menu and the service is always friendly and efficient.  I had a Coco Shake made with coconut and cacao and it didn’t disappoint.  I also tried their fresh spring rolls which are very good although I am not sure about the mushroom they put in each one – it didn’t appeal to me visually.

  

Baby Mustard Restaurant

Hai Ba Trung, Hoi An

When I was looking at restaurants in Hoi An on Trip Advisor, Baby Mustard came up as number four.  The only issue is that it is out of town so a bit more logistically challenging.  We went there one night for dinner after being in town watching the rugby at the Sports Bar.  The setting is lovely – it is an open air bamboo restaurant and you overlook their garden.  The food was really good and all the ingredients were very fresh – you could see the women in the kitchen preparing everything from scratch.

Green Chilli Restaurant

122 Nguyen Thai Hoc

Green Chilli is Hoi An’s answer to Tex Mex.  They serve Mexican food with a Vietnamese twist.  The Chef is a real character and can often be seen at the front of the restaurant having a laugh with the patrons.  We really enjoyed the Chicken Quesadilla and Chicken Burritos.  They also do great friend spring rolls.

  

Good Morning Vietnam

102 Nguyen Thai Hoc

Strangely enough this is an Italian restaurant and boy do they do it well.  They have an extensive Pizza and Pasta menu as well as a number of other delicious main courses.  The Chef is Italian and is also a very friendly character who likes to chat with the patrons.  They do a chicken, beef, sausage and vegetable skewer dish which Steve loves – he goes there for his meat fix.  I go there for my pizza fix – the Vegeteriano Pizza is delicious!  They also do great salads with lovely Italian dressings.  Another big plus for this restaurant is the great wine list at reasonable prices. 

  

 

 

Hoi An Roastery – Espresso & Coffee House

135 Tran Phu, Hoi An

I must say since our last visit to Hoi An in 2011 the number of cafe’s serving good coffee has increased dramatically.  Hoi An Roastery only opened earlier this year but they do a great coffee – as good as any you would get in a cafe in Auckland.  They have a fairly extensive drinks menu and the staff are very friendly and accommodating.  Unfortunately they don’t do a soy, decaf latte but I have managed to struggle on with a standard latte : )

I have also tried the Ca Phe Sua (Da) which is the traditional Vietnamese Coffee with Condensed milk – see below under Highlands for more information.  Hoi An Roastery serve it the traditional drip filter cup and you pour it over the ice yourself.


  

Highlands Coffee

83 Tran Hung Dao

I first discovered Highlands Coffee in Ho Chi Min City back in 2011 – not only did they do great coffee but they also did great cafe food which is a nice change from Vietnamese food every now and then.

Highlands Coffee is a Vietnamese coffee shop chain and producer and distributor of coffee products, established in Hanoi by Vietnamese American David Thai in 1996.  The founding of the Highlands Coffee company marked the first time an Overseas Vietnamese was able to register a private company within Vietnam.  They have over 80 coffee shops across Vietnam.  David Thai lived in Seattle and witnessed the Starbucks coffee chain grow from a small company to a multinational corporation – this was his inspiration.

Coffee production has been a major source of income for Vietnam since the early 20th century.  It was first introduced by the French in 1857 and developed through the plantation system becoming a major economic force.  In 2009, Vietnamese coffee exports were reported at 1.13 million tonnes with coffee being second only to rice in the value of agro-products exported from Vietnam.  The 2013 / 2014 year produced a bumper crop which led to an over supply problem and a drop in revenue which saw many export firms fold.

Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the world after Brazil.  The quality of the beans, however, has typically limited their marketability.  Robusta coffee accounts for 97% of Vietnam’s total output – these beans are considered inferior to the Brazilian Arabica beans due to their bitterness.  Vietnam is looking to increase it’s production of Arabica beans.

The Highlands Coffee shop in Hoi An does great coffee but they don’t have the food side of things as such – they do the famous Banh Mi and a range of cakes.  My standard order when visiting Highlands is a Latte and a chicken Banh Mi and at NZD5.85 for both it is a great deal.  The staff are very sweet and one of the young lads likes to try and converse with me.  He delivers my love heart decorated coffee with a wide smile.

They also do the traditional Vietnamese Iced Coffee or Ca phe da.  At it’s simplest, Ca phe da is made with coarsely ground Vietnamese grown dark roasted coffee individually brewed with a small metal French drip filter into a cup containing about a quarter to half as much sweetened condensed milk, stirred and poured over ice.  The coarse grind allows the use of the metal drip filter.  I must say the Ca phe da’s are very delicious and very moorish!

 

The Little Menu Restaurant

12 Le Loi

The Little Menu Restaurant was another Trip Advisor find and it is up there with the likes of Morning Glory and Cargo in terms of food quality.  And as there name says the menu is small but I think they offer a good range of traditional dishes with their own twist.  They do a crispy duck spring roll and a pork meatball, rice noodles and herb salad dish.  The pork meatballs are so flavourful.

Their white rose which is a type of shrimp dumpling made from translucent white dough bunched up to look like a rose is very delicate in looks and flavour.  They also do a tasting platter which includes white rose, fried spring rolls and crispy wontons – a great way to enjoy a selection of their entrees.


  

CocoBox

94 Le Loi St

CocoBox is a rustic cafe, juice bar and farm shop.  They do a range of healthy smoothies, cold pressed juices and wholesome food.  They also stock the best products made in Vietnam from organic Robusta coffee to homemade jams and honey as well as organic teas.  This is my sort of place and I especially enjoyed their milkshake of the week which consisted of Vietnamese coffee, avocado, cinnamon, milk and honey.  To accompany this I had some home made granola, organic yoghurt, fresh strawberries and banana.  On another visit I tried the ham and cheese on rye bread – delicious.  The only downside to CocoBox is that it is quite small and with it’s ever expanding popularity it is not always easy to get a seat on which to savour their treats which I beleive deserve a lot of savouring.  On the plus side they do takeaways : )

  
  

9 Grains Bakery

441 Hai Ba Trung

I spotted this place as we drove into Hoi An on a regular basis and thought I must pay them a visit as the place looked very modern and inviting.  It is about 1.5km from the centre of the Ancient Town which in the scheme of things in not far.  As it turned out, Pandanus Spa, which became my go to spot for all things luxurious was just around the corner so a visit to the Spa was always preceeded with a visit to 9 Grains.  I enjoyed a latte or two as well as the traditional Ca phe da.  I also enjoyed their homemade muesli, yoghurt and honey.  Laura especially enoyed their banana bread so I got some to enjoy beside the pool – not bad : )

 

 

Hoi An Sports Bar

61 Phan Chau

The Hoi An Sports Bar is the place to be for all things sport.  We were able to watch our beloved All Blacks play three matches here on the big screen.  This place became Steve’s, and Paul when he was here, home away from home.   Many afternoon has been spent here playing pool and chatting with the owner, Gordon and his staff.  During quiet times the staff enjoy a game of pool too so Steve was always a willing participant.  They have the coldest beer in town – they keep it in the freezer and in 35 degree temperatures this goes down a treat.  They do great bar food with their Nachos, Tacos and twice cooked French Fries topping the list.  They also do the best chocolate milkshake in town – half chocolate icecrean, half chocolate milk.  Very decadent and loaded with calories so saved for an extra special treat only!

  
 

   

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Happy Independence Day Vietnam – Vietnam

Posted on September 2, 2015 by SUNGRL

Today the 2nd of September is National Day in Vietnam.  It is a national holiday in Vietnam commemorating the Vietnam Declaration of Independence from France on September 2, 1945.

The Japanese occupied Vietnam during World War II but allowed the French to remain and exert some influence. At the war’s end in August 1945, a power vacuum was created in Vietnam. Capitalizing on this, the Việt Minh launched the “August Revolution” across the country to seize government offices. Emperor Bảo Đại abdicated on August 25, 1945, ending the Nguyễn Dynasty. On September 2, 1945, at Ba Đình Square, Ho Chi Minh, leader of the communist Viet Minh organization, declared Vietnam’s independence under the new name of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN) in a speech that invoked the United States Declaration of Independence and the French Revolution’s Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
 Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. With an estimated 90.5 million inhabitants as of 2014, it is the world’s 13th-most-populous country, and the eighth-most-populous Asian country. The name Vietnam translates as “Southern Viet” (synonymous with the much older term Nam Viet); it was first officially adopted in 1802 by Emperor Gia Long, and was adopted again in 1945 with the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh.  It’s capital city has been Hanoi since the reunification of North and South Vietnam in 1976.

Vietnam was part of Imperial China for over a millennium, from 111 BC to AD 939. The Vietnamese became independent in 939, following the Vietnamese victory in the Battle of Bạch Đằng River. Successive Vietnamese royal dynasties flourished as the nation expanded geographically and politically into Southeast Asia, until the Indochina Peninsula was colonized by the French in the mid-19th century. Following a Japanese occupation in the 1940s, the Vietnamese fought French rule in the First Indochina War, eventually expelling the French in 1954. Thereafter, Vietnam was divided politically into two rival states, North and South Vietnam. Conflict between the two sides intensified, with heavy intervention from the United States, in what is known as the Vietnam War. The war ended with a North Vietnamese victory in 1975.

Vietnam was then unified under a communist government but remained impoverished and politically isolated. In 1986, the government initiated a series of economic and political reforms which began Vietnam’s path towards integration into the world economy.  By 2000, it had established diplomatic relations with all nations. Since 2000, Vietnam’s economic growth rate has been among the highest in the world, and, in 2011, it had the highest Global Growth Generators Index among 11 major economies.  It’s successful economic reforms resulted in its joining the World Trade Organization in 2007.

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam, along with China, Cuba, and Laos, is one of the world’s four remaining single-party socialist states officially espousing communism. Its current state constitution, 2013 Constitution, asserts the central role of the Communist Party of Vietnam in all organs of government, politics and society.

Deep poverty, defined as the percentage of the population living on less than USD1 per day, has declined significantly in Vietnam, and the relative poverty rate is now less than that of China, India, and the Philippines.  This decline in the poverty rate can be attributed to equitable economic policies aimed at improving living standards and preventing the rise of inequality.

The official national language of Vietnam is Vietnamese which is spoken by the majority of the population. In its early history, Vietnamese writing used Chinese characters. In the 13th century, the Vietnamese developed their own set of characters.  The romanized Vietnamese alphabet used for spoken Vietnamese, was developed in the 17th century by the Jesuit Alexandre de Rhodes and several other Catholic missionaries.  The French language, a legacy of colonial rule, is spoken by many educated Vietnamese as a second language, especially among the older generation and those educated in the former South Vietnam, where it was a principal language in administration, education and commerce.

Vietnam has an extensive state-controlled network of schools, colleges and universities, and a growing number of privately run and partially privatised institutions. General education in Vietnam is divided into five categories: kindergarten, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and universities. A large number of public schools have been constructed across the country to raise the national literacy rate, which stood at 90.3% in 2008.

The Lonely Planet describes Vetnam as “Astonishingly exotic and utterly compelling, Vietnam is a country of breathtaking natural beauty with an incredible heritage that quickly becomes addictive.”

It is a culinary superpower – Vietnamese food is that good. Incredibly subtle in its flavours and outstanding in its diversity, Vietnamese cooking is a fascinating draw for travellers – the dozens of cooking schools in Hoi An are testament to this. Geography plays a crucial role, with Chinese flavours influencing the soups of northern Vietnam, spices sparking up southern cuisine and myriad herbs and complex techniques typifying the central region, rightly renowned as Vietnam’s epicurean epicentre.

Vietnamese people are energetic, direct, sharp in commerce and resilient by nature.  Poor in parts but never squalid, Vietnam is developing at an astonishing pace and inevitably there are some issues to consider (including some minor scams). However, on the whole this is an extremely safe (apart from the traffic!) and wonderfully rewarding country to explore.

On our three visits to Vietnam we would whole heartedly agree with the above sentiments.  The food is amazing and the people are very friendly.  They appear to work incredibly hard with most earning between USD150 and USD250 per month regardless of what job they do – the Communist model.  Unfortunately there is a high level of corruption at Government level with those in office being incredibly wealthy.  The people seem to accept this which we find unusual due to living in one of the least corrupt countries in the world.  They are very family orientated and usually live in multi generational settings with the grandmothers providing daycare for the grandchildren while the mothers work.  Pro creation is very important to the family unit as these youngsters are going to provide the physical and financial care later in life.

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Hội An Ancient Town – Hội An, Vietnam

Posted on August 27, 2015 by SUNGRL

Due to a scheduling change at the Spa (it’s a tough life I know), Laura & I were at a loose end for an hour so we decided to take a cyclo tour of Hội An Ancient Town.  We thought it would be nice to be pedalled around taking in the sights, however, there was a catch.  The cyclo riders take you round to the ticket office where you have to purchase a ticket to go to some of the attractions in the Ancient Town – so much for just sitting back and taking in the sights!  Seriously, I had been wanting to learn a bit more about the various landmarks I had been walking past daily so this was the perfect opportunity.

Hội An, also known as Fai-Fo or Faifoo, is a city in Vietnam, located on the coast of the South China Sea in the South Central Coast region, in the Quảng Nam Province.  With approximately 120,000 inhabitants, Hội An is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Hội An Ancient Town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site.

The city possessed the largest harbour in Southeast Asia in the 1st century and was known as Lâm Ấp Phố (Champa City). Between the seventh and 10th centuries, the Cham (people of Champa) controlled the strategic spice trade and with this came tremendous wealth. The former harbour town of the Cham at the estuary of the Thu Bồn River was an important Vietnamese trading centre in the 16th and 17th centuries, where Chinese from various provinces as well as Japanese, Dutch and Indians settled. During this period of the China trade, the town was called Hai Pho (Seaside Town) in Vietnamese. Originally, Hai Pho was a divided town with the Japanese settlement across the “Japanese Bridge” (16th-17th century).  

   
First stop was the Tran Family Chapel which is one of the oldest and most historical houses in this city, dating back to the beginning of the 19th century. It was built by Tran Tu Nhac – a highly-respected mandarin under Gia Long Reign, before he was sent to China as the King’s envoys. Originally, it serves as a worshipping place for the family’s ancestors, as well as a reminder about the family’s tradition to the following generations. 

Sitting amidst a 1500m2-garden of ornamental plants, flowers, fruit trees and century-old plants, with a gate and high surrounding walls is a combination of Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese architecture, which has remained almost the same as two centuries ago. Made of precious wood and pan-tiles-covered roof, the house has become well-known for its Asian style of architecture: one main part for worshipping, and one supplemental part which houses the leader of family and his guests. The house and the garden were built in harmony following strictly the rules of Feng Shui. The drawing room of the chapel has separate entries for men and women: the left is for men and the right is only for women, according to old belief. There is another door in the center of the room, used for festivals such as Tet, which is said to be the door for souls of the ancestors to enter the house. 

Every year, the Tran Family Chapel is still the gathering place for all members of the family to meet and express their thankfulness to their ancestors.       We then visited the Fujian Assembly Hall which is the greatest and most famous of the Assembly Halls in Hội An.  As the Chinese immigrants reached the central part of Vietnam known as Hoi An today, they decided to create the opportunities for themselves and the next generations to socialize and protect the Chinese traditions by building many Assembly Halls.

Building Assembly Halls as a place to socialize for themselves and the next generations is a tradition of Chinese people when they migrated or did business in another country. Therefore, a lot of Assembly Halls of this type can be found in Vietnam today. In Hội An Town, which has a long history of international trade, there are 5 Assembly Halls constructed by the Chinese, all are located on Tran Phu Street, facing Thu Bon River. Nowadays, even though not all of the halls stay the same, the five remaining ones (Fujian, Chaozhou, Hainan, Cantonese, and Chinese) become famous attractions of Hoi An.    

Generally, they all follow a formula that has been used by other Chinese assembly halls in other cities: a grand gate, a nice garden with ornamental plants, a main hall and a large altar room. As decoration is a fundamental part of an assembly hall, it is carried out meticulously at all of the halls with statues, lacquered boards, murals, etc. However, because each Chinese community has its own beliefs, different assembly halls worship different gods and goddesses. 

   
We also stopped off at the gallery where they embroider pictures using silk – these are amazing and the detail created by the stitching creates the impression that you are looking at a photograph.  

Our last stop was the Japanese Bridge.  The bridge (Chùa cầu) is a unique covered structure built by the Japanese, the only known covered bridge with a Buddhist temple attached to one side.  In the early seventeenth century, the Japanese, who lived in Hội An Town, built this bridge over the stream to do business with the local people in the residential area.  The two entrances to the bridge are guarded by a pair of monkey gods at one end and a pair of dog gods at the other end.

In later centuries, the Chinese and Vietnamese continued to restore the bridge and built a small temple dedicated to the God Bac De Tran Vo, Emperor of the North.  This religious architectural complex has a unique pain-tiled shaped roof, which is related to the misfortune and happiness of people in the locality.  The local people often call it Chua Cau (bridge and temple).  The structure is also a symbol of the cultural exchange between the Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese people in Hội An.  Over the past four hundred years, Chua Cau has become famous for having supernatural power and is still a sanctuary for worship by local people, a status respected by tourists.

It is certainly a very popular attraction and probably the most photographed in Hội An.  It is nearly impossible to get a photo of the bridge unimpeded by people so I have included a couple of photos from the internet.  The other night, however, I got a couple of photos of two Brides and Grooms who were using the bridge as a backdrop.  It is quite often lit up at night with different colours. 

    

   Hội An is full of quaint looking buildings that represent the architecture and cultural influences of the time.  Most of them are restaurants or shops with the locals living above or behind them and it is easy to miss the beauty of them if you don’t take the time.  Hội An comes alive at night and the colourful lanterns and trpoical plants really add to the ambience and beauty of the town.  It is hard to capture the essence on a camera but here are a few of my favourite shots.  

    

    
  

    
    
    
   

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Thuan Tinh Island Cooking School – Hoi An, Vietnam

Posted on August 25, 2015 by SUNGRL

On Thursday Laura and I went into Hoi An to join a group going out to Thuan Tinh Island’s Cooking School.  There were six of us in our group and our Chef and Tour Leader Hon handed us all a shopping basket as we arrived.  It was then a short walk to the market where Hon explained various foods to us and purchased the ingredients we would need for the cooking class.  No matter how many times I have been in the market all the weird and wonderful produce still amazes me.  The meat section is especially interesting given they don’t have refrigeration as such – that is why it is imperative they sell all their product as quickly as possible.  All the stalls are attended by woman wielding large knives – some I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of!

We also visited the wet market where the fish is sold.  The prawns, shrimp and crabs are all still alive so Hon was picking the shrimps out of a bucket of water and they were flapping around much to Laura’s horror.  A couple escaped onto the ground so there was a bit of squealing! 

 All our purchases were then off loaded to be transported to the island by motorbike – a much quicker way to get there as we discovered on our trip back to Hoi An after the cooking class.  We walked down to the river to board our boat for the 45 minute ride to Thuan Tinh Island.  All the fishing is done at night so there were a number of fishing boats parked up.  The big fishing nets were also out of the water. 

    
    
   
We passed by Coconut Island where they grow these water coconut trees that produce the leaves they use to thatch the roof of a house or as a cover on a fishing boat.  We had to switch to a row boat for the last five minutes of our journey and we had to row!  Thuan Tinh Island is recognized by Hoi An as an official ecological zone. 

    
 First stop on Thuan Tinh Island was the local farmer’s house to make rice milk for our Banh Xeo.  

 We then made our way back to our classroom for the morning which is effectively a bamboo building with no sides overlooking the water.  The last cooking class I did was inside so it was nice to have the airflow and it is definitely a cooler scenario once all the little cookers are fired up. 

    
   
The first dish of the day was Goi Cuon – Fresh Rice Paper Salad Rolls with Pork and Shrimp with a Tangy Peanut Hoisin Dipping Sauce.  Hon showed us how to make the dipping sauce first which is yummy.  He then showed us how to make the rolls – I have been making these at home for a while but Hon’s methodology is certainly more clinical with much better results.  It was then our turn and I must say I am sold on his methodology – just like a bought one! 

    
 Next up was the Banh Xeo – Crispy Vietnamese Crepes filled with pork and shrimp, bean sprouts and green onion. Served with lettuce leaves, fresh herbs and nuoc (dipping sauce).  I have made these before and have eaten my fair share of these around town so they are definitely a favourite of mine.  The trick is to have patience and let the pancake get crispy.  Hon showed us how to flip the pancake which was fun – I did OK but Laura had a few issues and Hon had to do some remedial work on her pancake.  Our theory though, was that they would still taste delicious and they did. 

    
 One of my favourite main dishes in the local restaurants is the Bun Bo Nam Bo – Herb salad with rice vermicelli and sauté beef, topped with roasted peanuts and hot soy sauce vinaigrette.  I normally ask them to replace the beef with chicken as I find the beef a little bland (far too spoilt at home with eye fillet steak).  Hon showed us how to make the soy sauce vinaigrette which tasted OK – I am more a fan of using a fish sauce based dipping sauce on my noodle salads – a bit more tang.  This dish gave us the chance to showcase our creative skills as it was all about the presentation.  Check it out : ) 

 The last dish of the day was the Pho Bo Hanoi – Beef rice noodle soup infused with beef bones, cinnamon, ginger and star anise.  Pho or soup is a staple dish of the Vietnamese people.  Prior to doing the spring rolls we had prepared the beef stock which needed to boil for about an hour and a half. Hon showed us how to ‘cook’ the noodles by putting them in a strainer and holding them in a pot of boiling water for about ten seconds. We also cooked some thinly sliced beef in the same way.  We then assembled our Pho and ate it – we were pretty full by this stage so didn’t do the dish justice.  I have had this dish once before and although I am a cinnamon fan it isn’t a favourite of mine. 

   
We had been plied with homemade passionfruit juice throughout the morning which was very tasty and refreshing – a bit more of a sugar hit than I’m used to but hey we were working hard cooking up a storm.

Hon escorted us back into Hoi An in a taxi which only took about ten minutes – it had taken us about 45 minutes by boat to get to the island but this gives the Chef’s assistants time to prepare all the ingredients that we had purchased at the markets.  This preparation includes chopping off the heads of the shrimp and prawns so they are no longer high tailing it around the place!  Laura was so releived : )

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Danang Golf Club – Danang, Vietnam

Posted on August 24, 2015 by SUNGRL

On Tuesday the 18th August we went next door to play golf at the Da Nang Golf Club.  It is situated on the fledgling central coast of Vietnam amid 150 hectares of dunescape similar to what the world’s first golf courses were carved from.  It’s chief feature is a 7,160-yard, 18-hole, links-style layout that was designed in the true spirit of the game — blown-out bunkers, firm and fast fairways that bleed gently into wild seaside vegetation, rugged waste areas, swales and hollows — by Australian golf legend and former world No. 1 Greg Norman. 

When Greg Norman checked in on the progress of the Dunes Course, in March 2010, he said: “The fact is, you’d be doing a very poor job to make a boring course out of a site like this.” Certainly Mother Nature had a gigantic hand in the formation of a layout that evokes an experience often found in seaside courses in the British Isles and southeastern Australia. 

When it comes to professional golf achievements, few players in the history of the game are in the same category as Greg Norman. During his prime, he won 86 international titles, including two British Opens. In 1987, The Shark (as he came to be known) took his profound knowledge of the game and made the official jump into the design industry. He formed Greg Norman Golf Course Design (GNGCD) and the rest is history.  Over the past quarter century, GNGCD has created more than 70 courses on six continents and established a reputation for imaginative designs that acknowledge golf’s traditional origins and the landscapes on which it has been played.

Da Nang Golf Club’s Dunes Course is the first true links style course in Southeast Asia. Its tapestry of Old World features is reminiscent of the traditional links courses of the UK, while its indigenous surroundings call to mind the acclaimed courses of Australia’s Sandbelt region. 

The Dunes Course certainly has a different feel to it’s neighbour – Montgomerie Links, which in my mind is a more classical, pretty course.  We started on the tenth hole which is a little daunting as you look down the fairway and are greeted with sand dunes jutting out on both sides of the fairway.  After you are reunited with your tee shot you realise there is actually more room than you think.  The hole reminded me of the first hole at Doonbeg Golf Club on Ireland’s West Coast – although that hole had an elevated tee block and the Atlantic Ocean down the left hand side.

The fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth holes are on the ocean side of the road which are reached by an under road tunnel.  The par three sixteenth is the course’s signature hole – you hit towards the ocean and a back drop of the Cham Islands.

We all enjoyed the course and the Caddies were all very interactive and lots of fun.  They were all in there early twenties and single (very unusual in Vietnam).  Of course they all loved Paul but we had to let them down gently when we told them he was spoken for ; )  

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
 

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