Champagne wishes for 2010

Welcome to 2010.

One year on, this blog still holds true to its promise of telling stories about the journeys of life. Admittedly, weekly posts have declined sharply over the last couple of months but travel has been hectic and challenges have been aplenty.  That said, I have a very good feeling about 2010. May it bring much joy. For my part, I will certainly do my best to keep the stories and soundbites coming.

2010 started out on an excellent note in Champagne, France! We rented a house on a vineyard with 11 other friends complete with open fireplace, huge kitchen and no television. (Hooray!)  Even the teenagers quickly got into vineyard life with bbqs in 0 celsius weather, copious amounts of foie gras and wild mushroom foraging in the forest.  And of course champagne!  Lots of it… Last count, upwards of 18 bottles for the week.  Ahemmm.

The highlight?  A New Year’s meal prepared by the crew (all of us), followed by midnight chimes, whistles, silly hats and lots of kissing – and a ‘knock knock’ on the door.  There was the vigneron or champagne ‘winemaker’ (for lack of better translation) and owner of the house with bottles of (his) unlabeled champagne in hand, together with his whole extended family in tow. “Bonne Annee!” “Happy New Year!” they exclaimed in exuberant French. More kisses and hearty pats on the back.

What a scene.  French, Belgians and one lone American – in the middle of nowhere in Champagne’s vineyards ringing in the New Year.  I couldn’t help but look around with great joy at the sight before my eyes.  Who would have thought?  And to think it all happened so spontaneously.

The onion soup at 5 AM never happened.  Our brave men stayed up playing poker and drinking more champagne in great anticipation of this unique local custom. Somewhere between the pool playing and champagne bottles, the vigneron and his family forgot to heat up the soup we had smelled simmering away all afternoon to the disappointment of some.  Upon reflection, it was probably a good thing…

Everyone re-surfaced somewhere around 11 AM – taking great delight in switching a new bottle of champagne outside the vigneron’s door with a bottle of Jupiler Belgian beer – and watching and waiting from the window to see how long before he noticed the switch.  A chorus of laughter erupted from the house as we watched our favourite vigneron’s puzzled expression turn to amusing realisation that the joke was on him.  I think it will be a long time before he forgets Belgian renters. Haha.

The great thing about champagne the day after is, there are no hangovers.  I’ve always been a fan but now I realise why they drink champagne like water in this region.  Why drink beer?!

“Madame,” the vigneron said, “a glass of champagne brings good luck.”

How could I not drink to that?!  Here’s to a happy 2010.

Vietnam Journeys – Days 6 & 7.5

Hoi An

It is officially ‘the rainy season’ in Hoi An which is a shame but  fortunately the temperature is a very pleasant 25c.   rain or shine.  The occasional torrential downpour, coupled by flooded rice paddies and the river puts a new spin on sightseeing activities and has a direct impact on my wallet.

Hoi An is known for its tailors. Supposedly some 500 of them reputed for being among the best copiers in the world. Show them a picture of a dress, shirt or suit design and they will sketch it out in front of you and deliver a perfect match and fit the next day. Such was my experience when I went in to get ‘just one’ shirt copied and somehow managed to leave with seven new pieces including a new winter coat (which I really needed,  returning to the cold of course.) Two fittings followed the initial measurements and discussion and the results are quality fit for a queen. Quite literally, as it turns out we spotted photos of Queen Sofia of Spain getting some tailor-made items from the same store. Good taste! And the whole experience a very pleasant one, complete with tea and ice cold water. We will remember fondly 7 month pregnant Thao who helped us every step of the way. As for her savvy, cut throat business woman boss, she can afford to send her son to university in the US for a reason but then, the quality of her staff’s finished products would have made my grandmother proud.

With the weather forecast still dubious, I decided to sign up for a half day Vietnamese cooking class at Red Bridge Cooking School. At 7.30 AM, I headed across the bridge and through the market for a sneak preview of this animated scene on my way to class. I was glad to have the opportunity to experience the market at its busiest. It helped me get more of a feel for daily life. It was obvious it was the grandmothers’ job to go out and get fresh produce and ingredients for the day’s meals. Lots of little elderly Vietnamese woman wandered through the stalls with baskets, buying fresh fish, shrimp and bundled of coriander, morning glory, mustard leaves and fresh fruit. Five then live ducks sitting in a row engaged in innocent conversation and seemingly oblivious their hours were numbered.

There were 19 other nationalities, all tourists as well, in our class.  Many were Australian-so friendly and easy to talk to. Nothing like tipping back a couple of ‘ba ba ba’s’ (local beer), with easy going Aussies,  while having a laugh about one’s rice paper-making skills. As the master chef said in his dry humour after demonstrating five dishes including, nem, seafood salad, aubergine in a clay pot, hoi-an pancakes and fruit and vegetable carvings, “if you have a
bad lunch, it’s your fault!”

The morning was a success and I’m really glad I took the time to do the class. I enjoyed the boat ride down the river to the school after our market shopping for the morning and explanation of the different ingredients. The fact we had a demo and then our own stations to cook everything ourselves made the course all the more interesting.  We practically rolled out of class five hours later, with the promise of one day becoming expert ‘nem’ makers, with just a little more
practice.

The Water Puppet Theatre

When in Hanoi, save time for the Thang Long water puppet theatre.  It may sound somewhat strange, but it’s well worth the visit.

Water puppet theatre in Vietnam is traditionally derived from the Red River Delta in the north. It dates as far back as the 11th century when rice paddy farmers used water puppetry as a form of entertainment.

Lacquered puppets are maneuvered through water on long poles by puppeteers hidden behind a screen camouflaged as part of the set. The puppets are gracefully brought to life in a series of short folk tales depicting harvest, festivals, fishing and mythical spirits. Traditional Vietnamese folk music and songs accompany each skit, resulting in a fascinating cultural respite from the motorbike madness outdoors.

Check out the video! (I confess to not paying the extra photography charge. shhh.)

Vietnam Journeys – days 4 & 5

Day 4 – Hue

We survived the 12 hour overnight train journey from Hanoi to Hue having seen only 3 cockroaches in the end. My music and a couple text exchanges  with friends keeping my spirits up along the way and reminding me the real world was still out there. The experience reinforced my dislike for overnight trains and reminded me I would NEVER take a train in India (ironically another train crash in Pakistan the same night-12 dead.) My active imagination playing up as we trundled through the jungle in the dark of night. We were glad to finally reach Hue the next morning at 8 am and even more glad our hotel rooms were ready so we could have a shower! Though we all felt we were ‘rocking’ (like when you get off a boat) for the next 24 hours.

There seems to be no clear response to the question, ‘what is the best season to visit Vietnam?’ The reason being the country has two monsoon seasons, and well, what was hot in the north a couple days  is now wet in the middle of the country!

We saw Hue in the rain-remnants of Typhoon Mirinae but were lucky to not get caught in any major downpours. We started the day with a walk to the famous market across the Perfume River bridge. Covered in rain slickers, we meandered through fruit and vegetable stalls, watched a whole pig being cut up in chunks, analyzed the different kinds of mangos we saw and marveled at the amount of rice and spices for sale. On our way back across the bridge we saw a woman cutting up pieces of chicken on the filthy street as she prepared her midday meal. Mmmmmmm. Nevertheless, the market was a fascinating  place as it is in every country and well worth the visit.

Afternoon trip to visit one of the seven king’s tombs in the region. This was the fourth king, he was very short in height and despite 150 wives was unable to have any children having suffered from mumps as a child. His sorrows aside, his ‘resting place’ was absolutely beautiful among the fir trees, frangipani, moated brick walls full of water lilies. A refreshing change from the big city of Hanoi. A pagoda stop closed the day as we learned this particular
pagoda had 7 layers-each representing a decade of the queen mother’s life.

We ended the day with fabulous massages- a mix of Thai, aromatherapy and some serious hand pummeling. 1 hour each for 9.50 USD or 6.00 EUR! Heaven!

Day 5 – Hue and Hoi An

This morning started with a visit to the Hue citadel constructed in 1904. Home of Vietnam’s largest flagpole, constructed on three ’layers’: heaven, the people and earth. Entering the main gate we walked to the ‘Forbidden Purple City’. Once a huge, elaborate maze of buildings and gardens much resembling the Forbidden City in Beijing, a lot of it has been destroyed be typhoons and war, with the Viet Cong most recently using it as a basecamp for guerilla attacks on American
camps nearby. Only 30% of the Forbidden City has been restored so far with the rest in progress. It was great they let us wander across the tattered grounds and through scaffolding to imagine what it was once like and see all their work to restore it. We watched several Vietnamese painstakingly sanding columns and re-varnishing intricate wooden shutters. There is no question this will be a tourist gem with the beauty and draw of the Forbidden City in Beijing one day. We were
glad to see it now ‘before’. Maybe one day we will see the ‘after’!

A four hour bus ride later through beautiful mountains, and past flooded rice fields, we visit an impressive marble temple high on “Marble Mountain” near Danang. (I couldn’t resist a marble jade bangle-my negotiation skills in top form) apparently if ‘I am tired, I must rub the bangle against my forehead and I will be tired no more’. Hey, why not…

4 pm

Arrival in typhoon drenched Hoi-An. The typhoon since gone but a lot of flooding in its wake. So much so, getting to our hotel was a challenge as our ‘bus’ minivan could not go across the bridge to the ’island’ we were staying on. This meant we were picked up and taken across the bridge individually by male hotel staff on none other than the famous motorbikes we have been so in awe of in this country! Yes, we have pictures to prove it, and it was FUN for the 3 minute ride as
we honked and beeped down the road and across the bridge dodging pedestrians! For once, it was fun to be on the OTHER side! As for our baggage? It arrived by rickshaw! Only in Vietnam!

Our hotel is nice! We even have a pool if it would stop raining. We have spent the evening drinking ‘ba ‘ba ba’ or 333 local beer with our travel comrades, managing to manoeuver  across locations between torrential downpours. We also checked the internet to read about this typhoon since we received a lot of questions from concerned parents on the other side of the world. Indeed, 40 people killed in this province just yesterday and another 12 missing. The rice paddies are completely flooded and the rivers and lakes  our brimming over. But as they say in Jamaica, ‘no problem man’. We are well, we are on high ground and in addition to hearing the wind whistle through our windows, and the outside gutter overflowing, we are getting quite used to power outages on this trip between Bali and Vietnam.

Advice item #10 from the guidebook: ‘Bring a flashlight’. Hmmm, yes. Fact: On this trip? my little flashlight has been more useful on this trip than sunblock!

Vietnam Journeys – Days 2 & 3

8 AM departure from Hanoi to Halong Bay (and 3 hr mini bus ride)

Our overnight stay in a junkboat in Halong Bay was surprisingly delightful. I was looking forward to the Halong Bay part but had low expectations about sleeping on the boat and was pleasantly surprised to see we had a very nice stateroom with clean duvet and silk pillows and toilet that worked! There was a shower to boot!

We had three outstanding fresh seafood meals prepared by our Vietnamese chef. Explored a famous cave and went sea kayaking. The limestone islands jutting out of the water were reminiscent of those we had seen in Krabi, Thailand with the locals likening them to every animal under the sun- lots of big and small islands likened to chickens, turtles, monkeys.

Mass tourism creeps into Halong Bay, Vietnam

 

Established by UNESCO as a world heritage sight in 1994, Halong Bay is indeed a natural wonder but there is no  doubt commercial tourism is taking over. Go now. We even saw a jetski and the hotels are sprouting like mushrooms.

Following a 3 hour return bus ride to Hanoi, we had a couple hours to take in more of this bustling metropolis. We decided to head over to the notorious “Maison Centrale”, ‘Hanoi Hilton‘ or today as it is known, Hoa Lo Prison – the huge prison constructed by the French that would notoriously house Senator John McCain after he was captured by Vietnamese forces when his plane went down in the war. It was interesting to see some of the pics they had of him, including his flight suit, helmut and parachute. It is very unclear if he was tortured like he said he was, or well-treated as the Vietnamese portray the American prisoners as being able to celebrate Christmas, plant trees and raise chickens for decent food. It was an interesting visit though and I am quite certain the truth lies somewhere in between the lines. I’m glad we made the visit.

Where is a Marriott when u need it?! I am closing day 3 onboard an overnight train from Hanoi to Hue. Thank god I have my sarong for a ’sheet’. We are sharing a four person bunk room that looks like a prison cell with two of our really nice new travel mates, Spring from San Jose and Mack from the UK. We passed a couple hours playing rummy and go fish which helped. Having since accepted the toilet is a hole in the ground but so far clean, with paper! And getting rid of only one cockroach so far, I have found peace with my iPhone and Coldplay. Will I sleep? I doubt it. But the door is locked and I have my sarong and Chris Martin, and my husband as guardian. All will be well. There is still much to see in this friendly country.

Vietnam Journeys – Day 1

Arrival in Hanoi, Vietnam, 12.30 pm

All that inconvenience and the expensive! (60 Eur each!) visa paid off as a gruff customs officer stamped our passports with a bang and a fleeting smile. Having carefully followed ‘Lonely Planet’ guidebook advice to ensure we got the right taxi, our adventure really began with our introduction to the Vietnamese motorway. Complete with a mad craze of motorbikes carrying everything from cartons of eggs, live chickens, fresh produce, baguettes, bamboo, 20 kilo sacks of rice. You name it, they carry it, often with the whole family piled on. This is a country where motorbikes are king and the eco-friendly, peaceful image of a country full of people riding bicycles is but a dream of the past. We quickly deposited our (now) small, 15 kilo bags (having left the rest at the office in Singapore) at our modest but clean hotel and took to the streets of Hanoi.

With only an afternoon, we followed the Lonely Planet instructions and started at Hanoi’s famous Temple of the Rising Sun on the lake (exact name escapes me at the moment as I write, will look it up!) Alas, we did not see the mythical 250 kilo golden turtle but we saw one in lacquer. We then picked up some tickets for the 9.15 pm water puppet show and headed into the maze of the Old Quarter.

Formerly occupied by French Colonists, the Old Quarter today is a mindboggling array of shops selling everything from shoes, silk, refrigerators to Vietnam travel tours. Heeding my boss’ advice (having recently visited Vietnam herself), we took a deep breath and crossed the streets with confidence, silently praying the swarm of motorbikes, rickshaws and minivans would maneuver skillfully around us. Horn honking is aplenty and pedestrian crossings a rare occurrence and even then, the motorbike seems to have priority! I wonder who buys all of these things. Mobile phone covers by the hundreds, belts, hair clips, t-shirts in poorly written English, sunglasses…. People from outside the city squatting on a corner bbqing skewers of… chicken? Selling bowls of jelly, tofu and fresh poultry. Lots of tiny ‘keylime’ like limes. The amazing dichotomy of filthy streets, electricity poles overloaded with hundreds of wires, laundry hanging over the streets of what must have once been beautiful old French colonial buildings, now blackened by age, war and pollution. And then the bounty of fresh flowers. Roses, lilies, pretty tropical red ones I remember from the Virgin Islands. Elderly and young women carting a newspaper bundled bouquet home on top of their wares.

The famous folkloric Vietnamese Water Puppet show where the 3.00 USD ‘premium seats’ gave us a middle, second row view of this traditional puppetry artform on water. It was beautiful and well worth the time and tickets.

Day 2 on our way to Halong Bay on a 3 hour bus journey. Having seen many in the villages we pass washing their motorbikes, I can’t help but look forward to getting out in the fresh air. The glimpses of countryside I have seen so far promise the beauty many tell about their travels to Vietnam. A flock of white ducks walking hurriedly single, file along the road as if they are late for a very important date start my morning with a smile. They are living life, quite fully I’d say.

Travels in China

I have been to many places in the world, yet China amazes me. From the sheer grandeur of its buildings, intricate motorways on the outskirts of the ‘Beijing region’, to the Great Wall which stretches 6,200 miles. When you are on it, you have the impression you can keep walking forever and are tempted to do so because you think there will be something more interesting up over the next hill. Such was our experience as we discovered the delights and mystery of the Wall beyond the throngs of crowds. We were thrilled to have the Wall to ourselves, the fog/smog heavy and a lone raven (a superstitious sign in western or eastern culture?) watching us with disinterest from a tree.

I am staying in a very local neighbourhood north of Beijing. The locals are seemingly getting used to the three of us as they smile in recognition and stare less. The strawberry blonde hair, fair white skin and freckles are a rather rare sight in these parts!

We have no hot water but I’ll take the western ‘throne’ toilet any day over hot water! Chinese women must have thighs of steel with this squatting business! It is amazing how one becomes creative at heating water with the electric tea kettle and filling a basin which you can then use to dump over your head! Hey it works! And it’s not just us but apparently the whole building. ‘It will be fixed in October.’ hmmm. Isn’t that when the government allows the heating to be turned on? What a coincidence!

Day two was Tiananman Square and the Forbidden City. First adventure for all to brave the local bus followed by the subway. Thankfully a kind man seemed to recognise our puzzled expressions as we stared at the subway map trying to decipher the English translation of the stop where we stood which was completely different from that of the Fodor’s guide we held in our hands. Success. Approximately 1 1/2 hours later, but we were officially subway savvy and independent.

To be continued…

Butterfly Rain

It was not a typical Thursday. My friends and I closed down our laptops with a bang, headed to the nearest exit at 3.oo PM. Grateful to escape an afternoon that promised to be filled with tedious, yawn inducing meetings, we sensed freedom and adventure. We were going to Dusseldorf, Germany (centre of the universe) to see Coldplay in concert at the Esprit Arena!!!!  

We could not have planned our trip more perfectly. 2 1/2 hours later we pulled up in front of our little hotel rated #1 by Tripadvisor (the Max Garni hotel) and were greeted by its delightful owner Christian. He immediately guessed why the four of us were “visiting” Dusseldorf on a Thursday and handed over four free tram passes, a couple maps and keys for each of us (“in case we got separated to open the door at any hour.”) Three blocks to the tram, a 20 minute ride through the burbs, we spilled out onto the platform one hour before showtime, marveling at German organisation and how this would never happen in Belgium. A ‘couple’ caipirinhas later we staked out our territory on the ”floor level”. ‘Chriiiiiiiiiis!!!’ (Chris Martin) we yelled, adrenaline pumping with excitement as we strained for a glimpse of our favourite lead singer.

The concert was simply AWESOME.  Difficult to find other words to describe it. It was my second time in a year seeing this fab four from England take the stage with their alternative  music and touch of edge. Their ‘Viva la Vida’ tour is regarded as one of the best concerts of 2009, and it is no wonder why they have sold out stadiums for almost one year straight.  Coldplay is among a dying breed of big star studded rock bands that appreciate the power of their fans and put their heart and soul into their live performances. 

Happy memories!

We played ‘balloon volleyball’ on the floor, sang an acoustic tribute with the guys to Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ when they suddenly appeared at the back of a stadium to be closer to fans who seemingly had the worst seats in the house. (Talk about lucky people!) We did the mobile phone wave (well, attempted to do so) and hushed to a near silence (all 40,000 of us) as thousands of coloured paper butterflies fluttered down in the night breeze to the haunting lyrics of  ’Lovers in Japan’ and ‘Death of all his friends’. 

Check out the band’s photoblog of the big night in Dusseldorf here! http://www.coldplay.com/newsdetail.php?id=482

 ”By the way, on the way home, Chris was saying that it was one of his favourite Coldplay shows ever. Good work Dusseldorf!” said Anchorman on coldplay.com.

Viva la vida! Viva Coldplay!

‘The streets of San Francisco’

The best way to see any city is surely by foot. We pounded the pavements of this California gem for two days checking off the ‘must sees’. The Mission district, Hayes Valley, Pacific Heights, Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower, Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, Nob Hill, Alamo Square with its Victorian house ‘postcard row’ overlooking the city and amusing ‘dog play area’. After that we hit the ‘unique’ 60’s hippie vibe of Haight-Ashbury, Golden Gate Park (preparation underway for the annual Aids walk) and the alternative lifestyle of the Castro where fruity cocktails and leopard skin briefs are aplenty.

Haight-Ashbury: a 'unique' side of San Francisco with 'colourful' characters and a 'flower-powered' history.

Walking through these neighbourhoods enabled us to San Francisco’s real colour. Tourists (lots of French and Dutch!), sadly many homeless people – some admittedly with a great panhandling sense of humour with cardboard signs such as: ‘why lie? I need a beer,’ or ‘I bet you $1.00 you look!’ 

Stopping in a bank in Grant Street in the heart of Chinatown, we felt as if we were in another country. Mandarin was the de facto language as we watched little, elderly Chinese ladies cash cheques, stuffing hundreds of dollar bills into their purses. Stomachs rumbling, we had a $5.99 all you can eat dim sum and BBQ buffet complete with beverage and almond cookie for dessert. The pastry chefs chattering away in animated mandarin making steamed rolls and dumplings as a group of local men traded tales at the back of the restaurant as they probably did every day. A Mexican, an old acquaintance of the Chinese owner thanking him for another great meal.

When we weren’t trying to be sold dodgy illegal substances in the Haight-Ashbury district, and looked past the grubby exteriours of meth-addicted street teens, you couldn’t help but be touched by their community culture of helping unknown strangers like themselves. I am reminded of the young girl with a sign saying she needed food, only to watch as a group of boisterous street teens opened up a backpack and handed her a large, new packet of graham crackers which she accepted gratefully with a smile.

We finally rested our aching feet and muscles in a hot jacuzzi before heading ‘upmarket’ to a fantastic neighbourhood Italian on Russian Hill for grilled calamari, Marsala infused veal and homemade gnocchi. A far cry from the sights and sounds we had experienced during our foot tour of San Francisco but pleased with the rich cultural fabric of all we had seen.

For the full San Francisco experience, wear comfortable shoes!

My tribute to MJ

It’s only appropriate as a child growing up in the ’80s to spend a couple minutes paying tribute to the King of Pop.  Acknowledging Michael Jackson as the ”greatest entertainer that ever lived,” (Berry Gordy, Jr. Motown Records at his memorial service today) is probably not far off the mark. Yes, Michael Jackson entertained us – in all senses of the word – with his music, gift for dance, quirky and mysterious ways, down to his last day and farewell – gold casket and all.

I am emotionally drained. It’s been almost a week and a half since Michael Jackson left us for Neverland. The flood of media coverage, fan tributes and special magazine editions are seemingly endless. Having just spent the last two hours watching his memorial service, I feel almost as tired as if I had been there with family, friends and 11,000 of Michael’s fans in the Staples Center in Los Angeles.  My eyes are swollen and a pile of kleenex sits on the coffee table having traded text messages with a friend during the service making fun of ourselves at how fast we succumbed to the emotion of the moment. I thought it was great when Brooke Shields reminisced about teasing Michael about the question we always wondered, “What’s up with the (white sequin) glove?!” 

I may not own all of his albums but I own ‘Thriller’ – in cassette form – and am proud to be one of those millions of fans that contributed to its success as best selling album ever.  Upon reflection, every Michael Jackson song I have ever had the honour to listen to has brought me joy. As a little girl growing up in the Virgin Islands, I remember dancing barefoot and carefree to ‘Beat it’, a family favourite and running joke with my Dad and sister. ‘Billie Jean’ was always a music staple at school dances and who still does not like ‘We are the world”? ‘Man in the mirror’ gives us pause to think how we can all strive to be better people… 

Imagine ‘Don’t stop ’til you get enough’ – and a whoop of cheers, moonwalk dancing wannabe’s and 800 colleagues paying our own spontaneous tribute to the King of Pop at our summer company bbq last Saturday, 27 June one night after his untimely death. With it, the song brought a smile and a memory for every person in that room.

The joy of MJ’s music is what I will always remember and be thankful for. Admittedly, my Thriller cassette is a little worse for wear so I’m going to join the millions of fans around the world and download a new version, along with the rest of his foot tapping, moonwalking, energetic repertoire. May Paris, Prince Michael and ‘Blanket’ live happily ever after with their father’s music rights and top his listing in the Guinness Book of World Records for ‘most charities supported by a pop star’.

Thriller – number one record ever sold

750 million records sold

13 #1 singles; plus 4 more with the Jackson 5

13 Grammys

Hall of Fame twice (as Michael Jackson, with the Jackson 5)

He discovered the moonwalk driving through Harlem and stopped to watch street dancers and asked them to teach him

“Greatest entertainer in the world”? Michael Jackson has my vote.  

Thank you MJ.