BFFs in Hanoi - day 3 - a whole day on our feet

After a brief exploration on day 1, and a visit wayyy out of Hanoi City, we dedicated today to a exploring the old quarters. After breakfast, we made our way. By now, we were very familiar with the route and was pretty much on auto-pilot.

Gearing to go

We had just made the turn, when we passed this amazing food stall that we had eyeballed on several occasions. The smells that came from it is amazing, not to mention the impressive-looking giant wok the chef used to stir-fry the food. YUM. We had literally just finished our breakfast though, so we walked by looking longingly at the stall.

Street eats

Wok!

Just metres from this store, there was a store that we labelled "H&M" because it looks pretty much like an H&M store. The glass windows, the colour of it.. I cannot remember the name of this brand but it looked pretty decent. We decided to venture in.... 1 hour later... we emerged with bags of clothes! We focussed our buys on the children (who else?!) and it was a fruitful stop. I got 2 windbreakers for the children that I believe will be super handy for wet weather/cold countries.


It was nearly lunch by this time, and we thought that we can actually have our lunch by this amazing store; plus drop our bags as this was really just 2 blocks away from our hotel.. and so we did.

YUMMMMM

Attention to customer service boss who came forward to help cut up the chicken
when he saw us trying to do it on our own. Thumbs up for great service!

After our tummies were filled (it wasn't empty for long, really), we began our walk. On the way, we joked that it may be 10 hours later that we'd head back and T went "pls, that's exaggerating" (uh, no really it wasn't).


As we neared the river, we discovered that the roads were closed. They do this on the weekends to allow for free walking and play. What a lovely idea. As it was the weekend, there were plenty of crowds and it added to the buzz. Lovely!

Toy cars 'driving' on the roads

It was such a pretty setting, I asked the ladies to join in a happy jump shot. I cannot believe that they have never done it before! It rocked.

Whee!

The lovely weather makes strolling around so easy and enjoyable, and it really showed in our easy stroll, chit-chats and LOLs.

Plus, our cheesy smiles!

Our mission was to make it to the wholesale market which was all the way at the top of the map, and on the way there, we ventured through many, many rows of shops. By the end of two hours, we were loaded up with paintings, chopsticks, teapots, hair accessories, fabric, little bags, caps.... a whole mish-mash of things we bought. It was 3+ hours later that we ventured downwards... in search for rest.

Snack-time

Vietnamese bread

We had some bread and beer.. plus rest for our feet. By this time, it made little sense for us to head back to the hotel (we thought we may drop off our bags); instead, we headed to the spa for some relaxation. Ahhhh... bliss. By the time we emerged from the massage, it was dark. We were not hungry yet, so we decided to head back to the river as we had seen some set-up going on. Indeed, there was some music showcase going on and while we deliberated heading to a bar for a drink, we ended up purchasing beers from the mart and sitting by the riverside. Nothing beats immersing ourselves in local fare!

Squatting by the river

Night view

It was 7pm and we decided to walk through the night markets. We added more buys to our arms and after a stroll up and down the entire stretch, we were ready to head back. On the way back, we were not distracted by any food... and we decided to head back to the same lunch spot for dinner. We were delighted that the stall was still open!

Pho pho pho... pho good!

By the time we reached back to the hotel, it was truly 9 hours since we left it in the morning. We girls can sure walk! I was suffering from a stuffy/leaky nose and I decided to call it a night by popping some meds and go to nap. The 2 ladies made the most of our last night and headed to the hotel bar for some drinks.


It was a long, lovely, hectic-yet-relaxing day. Super love!

BFFs in Hanoi - day 2, Halong Bay

Staying in a beautiful 5-star hotel, the facilities are top notch. I set my alarm an hour ahead of the girls' wake-up hour and I was excited to use the gym facilities on this morning.

Short but swift 2.4km run

It was lovely and familiar breaking into sweat. Loving the facilities that support my lifestyle. Sadly (despite my intentions), that was the only time I  hit the gym this trip.
After the 45min workout (run + weights/conditioning work), I returned to the room and the girls were lazily awake. We were scheduled for a day tour to Halong Bay today.

Hotel breakfast

The ride to get to the Bay was loooooong. It took us 4 hours, including 1 pitstore to go one-way. ONE! WAY! It was rough. The girls and I chit-chatted the whole way... how awesome was that. Haha #talkativemuch It was nice to just chat about random things and nothing/something/anything at all... going through our past lives... we have known each other since day 1 of high school and this year marks the 24th year of our friendship. Woot. By the 3rd hour, I was getting antsy. I was seriously going to cramp up into a fit. I didn't, and we arrived. Yay! 

Tickets

One on the pier

Heading to our boat

Can you see the boat name? Ha-Tanh 18

Lunch served on-board

There's some regulation that no one was allowed to be on the external deck when near the pier (safety reasons, probably) so once we had the opportunity post lunch, the girls and I headed to the upper deck. It was cool, sunny and breezy - perfect!

We celebrate the same birthday, on the 18th so it
warranted a pic with the number. Ha!

Bay view

Walking up flights of stairs to venture a cave

Bay

Canoeing. (Not us)

Hanging at the local 'cafe' (it was a shack)

Besides the bat cave trek, we opted out from any form of activity. The canoeing or the bamboo boat ride into the bay caves. Instead, we had beer and mango at the tiny shack that monopolised the business for all stopovers.


A highlight was probably me, not embarrassing myself to death by falling over when I attempted a headstand.

TADAH!

The whole day tour was quite simple, and it was mostly relaxing. A lot of sitting around and enjoying time pass.

I went to Halong Bay.

The whole tour ended with us heading back the way we came, and the ride back to Hanoi City was painful. I managed a 1hour nap (post beer snooze) and became increasingly cranky as dinner time came and passed. It was 8.30pm when we got back to the city and at the first chance we got, we asked to alight at the Old Quarters.


We walked along the streets and chanced into their night markets (ala pasar malam) and the walking did wonders to my cramped legs. We also dove right into street snacks the moment we saw them! We were starving.

Street eats

Busy Friday evening

We did a spot of shopping, stopped at a random restaurant and had another round of beers and street snacks, squat-style seated. Considering that we started dinner past 9pm, it was midnight by the time we were done. We strolled the lovely streets back to the hotel... and you'd have thought the streets to be dead quiet. Nope! There were people strolling around the riversides esp since there was road closure (Fri-Sun), and shockingly, a group of youths playing sports. How random.

Playing some form of sepak tekraw

Strolling the roads of Hanoi past midnight

By this time, I had developed a mild sore throat and was all ready to hit the sack. And that's exactly what I did. Snooze.


Read about day 1 here.

BFFs in Hanoi - setting off

We planned the trip months ago and to have the day roll around brought immense joy to me! The girls and I were high school friends (24 years and counting!) and our last trip was to BKK 2+ years ago. On this morning, we met just as the sun was rising and checked in. We had a leisurely, simple breakfast of coffee and toast then walked around browsing cosmetics, alcohol and the usuals, as one does when we have time. With no kids in tow. WOOT!

Pre-depature

The flight was nice - best way to fly, Singapore Airlines! I caught a movie, an in-flight meal and a 15-minute short snooze... and it's welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam! We have never been to Vietnam before, and it was an existing trip for us to explore new territories together.


Upon arrival, we caught our transfer to hotel and got to the hotel 1 hour pre-checkin time. We dropped our baggage at the concierge and went in search of food. We found this quaint little street with food stalls and settled on one.

Being led up to the seating area

Our al fresco balcony seating

We had our first taste of local pho which was so awesome! The air was smoggy (not sure if it was from the pollution or the cold) but temperature was just right. Match that with our hot, soupy noodle soup - yummmm. We saw a supermarket and went in to get some stuff - beers, snacks, water... then we headed back to the hotel.

Mandatory tourist shot

The hotel was a 5-star hotel that really met our standards. It was clean, spacious and kept us very comfortable our entire stay. While we lazed on our beds, the BFFs started to research on what we could do that afternoon. We read some blogs and decided on some of their recommendations. Credit for most of our first afternoon in Hanoi goes to this writer.


It was about a 15-min stroll towards the old quarters, but it felt super nice and comfy in the cool temperature. We found our way with our trusty map that we took from our hotel, and the bestie had scribbled some places to go to and off we went. First stop, ice-cream with the motorbikes.

Scoops

Open garage space behind us

It was tasty, but slightly sugary for me. I liked the feel though, as I swear 70% of traffic on the roads were motorbikes. The locals could ride right up to the space and park to eat. Very quaint. With our cones in hand, we headed down the streets of Hanoi, heading towards the old quarters.

Streets of Hanoi

Park - wedding shoot sighted

Park - open, badminton area!

I said it before and I'll say it again, the cool weather really made the walk so enjoyable! We did not feel gross or sweaty, and had no issues just strolling along taking in sights. Truly a best time to travel during spring-type-temperature; though I think Hanoi is generally cool due to their geographic location. We were heading towards our next destination: rabbit-hole.

creepy.

OK, it wasn't that creepy. The shophouses along the streets were pretty much all quite old and rustic, and everything is truly tiny. The buildings were low-rise, there were only a handful of tall buildings, the walkways were squeezy...



Coffee spot.

It seemed quite natural that we ventured down a tiny corridor to locate our egg coffee. Vietnamese coffee is known to be pretty thick and this discovery was something additionally so because it was a mix of egg white and rich coffee, pretty much like a liquid tiramisu. Slightly sweet for my liking, but still a tasty local delicacy worth trying.

Us, trying our best to fit in with the short furniture

Egg Coffee

After coffee, we continued down the streets in search of our next relaxation spot - the spa.

Typical roadside view - graffiti-filled walls and tiny, tiny chairs

This spa was recommended and it was truly a great experience. The girls spent their hour being kneaded, and I used the hour to descale my skin. I emerged with less dead skin on my fingers and toes - it was truly a worthwhile hour spent.


After this pampering, we walked across the road to have dinner. It was a quaint, roadside store that served beer and local fare of fried wings, spring rolls and it was truly an enjoyable night.

Bemused by tiny furniture - I struggled with where to put my legs.

Dinner

We ended the night by walking back to the hotel, having a night-cap at the hotel bar/club. It was super windy and cold, we needed the alcohol to keep warm! Did I mention already that the weather was truly lovely?


We retired that night tired from the long day, but fulfilled in our tummies and hearts. Lovely day 1!

GNR - 25 Feb 2017 #notinthislifetime

Many months ago, when the big news that Guns and Roses were coming to Singapore, the husband and his boys were all super excited. They snapped up tickets within moments and the date was locked down for the crew to attend it.


Come 2 days before the actual concert, I realised that I would have an evening all to myself. I randomly tried to arrange for a meet-up with some gfs and realised that - gasp - they were going to the same concert! I deliberated for half a day, and 24 hours before the concert, I clicked to purchase ticket. Just one, for myself.


That Saturday was a leisurely one, with the kids being taken out for play with the Godpa. The husband and I had a healthy, protein-filled meal while he then sorted out some air miles while I picked up my ticket. Just one, for myself.


That afternoon, we spent quietly on our own, taking a nap and preparing for the concert. Truth be told, I'm not a huge rock fan, but I cannot deny that the lure of (1) good friends and the husband (2) live music (3) a rockin' good time held plenty of appeal.

This iconic logo!

The night was not perfect. We were stuck in traffic heading in (made better with a carton of beer and jokes aplenty), stuck in queues to the portable loo (euw), more long queues to get F&B (super ugh lowlight of the night), but the parts where we got to enjoy the live singing and music, the snippets of mad moments I saw my girlfriends before losing them for the night, the laughs, hugs and kisses I shared with the husband... it was a lovely night to remember.

Crazies with my lovelies

The climax during November Rain. So good!

Fortunately, we managed to secure transport and got out of the mayhem post-concert relatively quickly. I suffered from beer-vomit from the awfully long ride from Changi to Sembawang (throw in some poor-smells. ugh.) but otherwise, managed to clean up upon arrival at home.


I'm so pleased I have this sweet memory with the husband to add on to our library of life events.
Sometimes, unplanned things turn out rocking great and this was such a case. Super love!