Despite being an ardent foodie, I have never taken a food tour so I decided that Hanoi would be the perfect opportunity to find some hidden gems. Luna, our Airbnb guide, made the evening jaunt worthwhile. First of all, the tour cost $0 so we were already ahead, but we paid for the cost of our food and left our guide a bit of a tip at the end.
We started out sampling some delicious and piping hot pork eggrolls and pork cutlets from a street vendor.
Then we headed off to try some sticky rice,
followed by a sampling of Vietnamese papaya salad and ending the food tour with an off-the beaten path beef pho.
The latter didn’t even have a storefront sign but did have a sign hanging off a tree and was located literally inside a family’s home.
The family previously had a stall but the government forced them to shutter so they have made do and hold a pop-up in their home with limited hours, from 3-7 p.m., serving only one speciality dish that they have clearly perfected.
To get to their establishment, you have to find the sign first and then enter a narrow pathway and climb up very narrow cement stairs which wind upwards. Then you end up on the landing and make a sharp right, taking a few steps before arriving at the restaurant. As in all Asian homes, you’re required to remove your shoes before entering.
We sat down on the low level plastic stools and a few minutes later our pho arrived. The broth was perfectly clear but distilled with hours upon hours of layers of beef essence. The pieces of beef were tender and the noodles were perfectly cooked. There were some herbs in the pho but they weren’t overwhelming. As we were the last customers, I saw the staff heading with our bowls to the kitchen which was in another room, where they were hand washing all of the plates and silverware.
Every square inch was used economically and efficiently which just goes to prove that one doesn’t need a state of the art kitchen to create an amazing dish.
What I particularly enjoyed about our evening, aside from the delicious and unique food of Hanoi, was hearing some of the stories about the norms in the city. There are certain jobs and responsibilities relegated only to women. Regardless of income, the government rations how much each person is able to buy to eat. The reason why storefront businesses are very narrow, deep and tall is property taxation is based on width and not height. Several families and generations of families live within one room, sometimes sharing one bathroom amongst them all with some homes not equipped with any bathrooms.
All of that seems shocking having been raised in the U.S. but it’s just a part of life in Vietnam, and there is a great and overwhelming sense of optimism and ambition amongst the people of Hanoi. If I had to describe the rhythm of the city, it’s a bustling metropolis in the heart of a young country that is readying and positioning itself to be a contender in the world of commercialism.
I just hope that in Hanoi’s valiant efforts to modernize, that it doesn’t turn its back on its roots, history and its values. Only time will tell.
Many know Chiang Mai as Thailand’s Rose of the North. Just like its namesake, the city has many layers.
The outer layer displays its Buddhist history and influence evidenced by the nearly 300 wats sprinkled around the city integrating its faith and spirituality into its DNA.
Inherently, the city maintains a certain calmness, order and peace, helping quiet the mind, quelching inner voices, allowing doubt to subside and dissipate.
In this state of quiet and focus, one’s senses are allowed to become more acute.
The colors are more vivid and pronounced.
The sound of stillness permeates the air.
The air is filled with the smell of freshness and spice.
The complex layers of flavors meld together.
Connections are on a more intimate level.
Chiang Mai has been blessed with a lush and verdant topography and is replete with bountiful opportunities for quiet moments, reflection and solitude.
Walking through its many lush, secluded and landscaped paths is a reward in and of itself, providing stillness and serenity, interrupted only by the sound of the soft rustling of the leaves from a gentle warm breeze passing through the garden.
In the midst of the placidity, you can hear the flitting of the wings of the birds as they wander and explore the various branches and vines draping over and sheltering the rice paddies.
Harmonizing with their rhythmic beats and occasional chirps are the soothing sounds of the rippling water as the schools of koi swish and jump about in the nearby pond.
The wide expanse of open fields nestled in between lush and verdant hills give way to the Rose’s gentle giants, living their best lives, shielded from the cruelty and oppression of the outside world.
Chiang Mai is where one can escape, disconnect and find a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of life and get lost in her natural beauty, reset and recharge for the long road ahead.
After a day and a half of travel, we understandbly took a very leisurely approach to our first full day in Chiang Mai. I made breakfast at our Airbnb, we did a morning workout and then finally headed off to lunch at the well-renowned SP Chicken. I had first heard about it from Mark Wiens who I began to follow during my research of our Japan trip last August. Other foodies like myself have fallen head over heels in love with their food so we wanted to see and experience for ourselves.
As it was a very warm, humid sunny day, we opted to skip the 37 minute walk and ordered a Grab. It cost 80 baht and the driver’s car had the A/C going full blast. Plus our driver was super chatty and mentioned a bit about some of the history and recent conflict in the area. For that history lesson, I gave him a 70 baht tip.
When we arrived, we ordered a whole chicken to share, a plate of stir fried Chinese kale and a spicy lemongrass shrimp soup. The chicken was tender and moist and the other dishes we ordered were equally delicious. The greens was simply seasoned but the soup packed a bit of heat. We were surprised how quickly our orders came out and how rapidly we polished off the food.
After lunch, we headed to Wat Phra Singh which was around the corner. Though it was unmanned, there was a box at the entrance which said it cost 20 baht to enter.
Not having any change, we gave 50 baht. It was our first glimpse at just how opulent the Buddhist shrines are in Chiang Mai. All the gold glistened in the sun. There were several structures and statues within the complex. Not having a guide to explain everything we opted to move on after walking around for about 20 minutes.
We considered walking 13 minutes to the next wat, Chedi Luang, but my husband was getting sunburnt and the hot sun combined with the humidity was starting to drain our energy. We took a tuk tuk for 100 baht and were dropped off right by the front. This Wat had a ticket window and it was double the cost of the prior Wat with many more people visiting. Unlike the last Wat, there was a stand with people providing free sarongs for the women and men who weren’t properly dressed. We headed to the first structure and walked into the temple which had many large gold Buddhas at the back. The decor inside was quite beautiful and ornate. Perhaps it was the heat and humidity or the setup being very similar to a church but my husband was overcome with emotion and expressed his feelings of gratitude for how his life had evolved. We sat down to take a moment and also because the fans were best felt if we were beneath the air flow.
After a few minutes, we headed out to see what else the complex had to offer. Behind the first structure was a large pyramid of sorts, reminiscent of Chichen Itza in the Mayan region but not as massive. Apparently at one point, it was a much larger structure but due to an earthquake what stands now is only half of the original structure. It was still pretty majestic and definitely has a great deal of presence.
Curious about the city’s history, we walked to the Three Kings monument 5 minutes away and went to the City’s Cultural Arts museum to get a better understanding of how the city was founded, why its location was considered to be auspicious and got a bit of background on all those who helped shape the city into what it is today.
Experiencing enough sightseeing, history and culture, we ventured to one of the main things Thailand is known for: massage. I had read about Lila Thai as a business which helped provide a trade and a job for previously incarcerated women so that made it my first choice for massage. We each got an hour and a half oil massage coincidentally during the afternoon’s downpour which we could hear from the massage room on the third floor. My masseuse pummeled my calves which made walking a challenge afterwards.
Luckily, my husband wanted to head back to our Airbnb for a bit so we ordered a Grab and relaxed for about an hour before heading out for our final stop of the day: the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar. We headed straight through to Mho-O-Cha seafood restaurant based on its 4 star ratings on TripAdvisor. It reminded me of the delicious and super cheap seafood place, D’Talipapa, we visited in Boracay. Sadly, it did not compare to the quality and flavor as the Filipino version but it was decent and our total bill was 1300 baht.
We were also optimally seated by a bit of color.
After dinner, we strolled around the stalls and saw silk robes, scarves and ties as well as some interesting art and craftwork. We decided to stop at a fish spa as it had piqued our curiosity in Boracay but we didn’t partake. It cost 100 baht for 20 minutes so we each decided it was a good enough deal to try it. I literally screamed and laughed for the first few minutes because it felt weird and a bit ticklish. Eventually, we got used to it and began chatting it up with others who were equally curious or had tried it previously. An older Irish gentleman came over with his adopted Thai son. We discussed how 23andMe proved that my husband was in fact not Sicilian but was 39% British/Irish. The gentleman said that of course that was true as his coloring was similar to his biological son who apparently was sitting on a bench to my left enjoying his own fish spa experience.
To cap off the evening and the day, Troy ordered a mango sticky rice dessert which he had seen on our way in. I think the big grin on his face shows just how much he was looking forward to the decadent indulgence. And that was how we ended Day One.
Grace Gambin
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