On our way to Angkor Wat, Cambodia- February 26, 2011 to February 28, 2011

After our brief stay, the next morning we headed back to Saigon airport for our 1 hour flight to Siem Reap(the city closest to Angkor Wat). In the airport we requested to seat in the front to avoid the long visa line in Cambodia (thank god we did). Our adventure that day began after all three of us got thru security- my mother then got pulled aside for what- Her insulin and needles. It turns out in Asia they don't like you carrying this medication on the flight with you. Instead they want you to check it in- if asked what to do if your bags get lost or sent to wrong place they answer back IMPOSSIBLE. Imagine airlines that never loses bags- that would be a perfect day. Any way we ended up spending half-hour explaining this to the chief security guard (while he was being a jackass). He even refused to give us his name so after a lot of negotiations a scared crew (the 6mm full sealed needles and 2 insulin pen may jump out at them) agreed to take our stuff on board the flight and give it to the gate agent in Cambodia.  All we said is THANK GOD we left Vietnam.

NOTE: In North America they teach you to carry all your medicine with you, in this part of Asia they suggest only what you need on the flight- like I said before planes never lose bags and are never delayed. Our fear in Asia is finding a safe source to buy the insulin and needles since my mother needs them to live.

After landing in Cambodia we were excited that would get into the line right away (from their government website we had filled out our visa forms), too late they changed the forms- so most of our flight crowded 4 tables to rewrite these forms. I smartly waited in line while my dad completed our forms therefore minimizing our time. In fact we ended up being one of the first 10 people from our flight out and see our guide, Kim San. We would end up spending the next few days with him, while he ensured we saw all the sites with limited people.

During our time there we stayed at the beautiful La Residence d'Angkor owned by the Orient Express. A nice hotel away from the loud city noises of Siem Reap. The food in Cambodia overall was nice but nothing special. We ended having 2 lunches, 2 dinners and 2 breakfasts during our stay. Cambodian food is similar to Thai without the heat.

Our first dinner was at our hotel:

We started with a small tasting- a tried ball that was just okay.

My starter was a soup, papaya salad and mango salad. The salads were nice and soup interesting. Beautifully presented. The only problem is I like a bit more heat when eating food similar to Thai.

My main course was a chicken curry and rice- hidden under the leaf. It was beautifully presented again but not as spicy as I love but wonderful.

As they took so long I enjoyed my dessert in my room so didn't get a chance to take a picture. It was fried bananas and coconut ice cream and a perfect way to end a hot day.

The rest of our meals consisted of two lunches both wonderful and an okay buffet dinner while watching the traditional show. Sadly, the show and food was a bit too commercial for my taste.

By the end of our 2nd morning there we had seen all the sights and managed to convince bangkok airways to find an extra seat. The had 2 seats free on that flight but thru my dad's wonderful negotiation skills we got an additional one and were able to reach Bangkok earlier. Originally we were supposed to land in Bangkok at 7pm but now would reach by 3:30pm.

Day 2 in Saigon- February 25, 2011

The next day in Saigon was to see the city. This day included some sites including the train station, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Reunification Palace (something that was initially not included but we insisted as we are only in Vietnam once in a lifetime). In the palace you could see visualize the famous pictures of the Vietnam war and see how the Americans and their Vietnamese supports escape. To finish we ended up in the War Crime Museum- a museum that emphasizes how the US was wrong. I am a strong believer that war takes two sides to tango (My impression of the Vietnamese I met they could not acknowledge this point and being Canadian- who were not involved in the war- was as bad as being American in their minds). Our tour ended after 2 hours of sightseeing, while our guide  shrug his shoulders and explained he showed us everything therefore could not take us an additional 15 minutes to shop near our hotel when we had paid for 4 hours. Sadly, for him his attitude reduced his tip and ended with him getting the horrible Canadian cold (we accidentally brought with us).

After shopping at  a few interesting Vietnamese stores that I know my Friend Serena would love to shop at, we ended up with Italian at our hotel. Everything was perfectly prepared- a wonderful pizza, soup and pho for my dad. We then proceeded to relax that afternoon, while I enjoyed the wonderful Intercontinental Spa. I ended up spending $81 for 3 hour treatment- body scrub, massage and facial.

That evening we were supposed to go Quan Na Nog however Xu Lounge was calling. So we cancelled and went again to Xu to try more of their extensive menu.

First we stopped off at our Intercontinental Lounge that became our haven during our stay in Saigon. At any time we could grab a soft drink, water or juice. In the evening we could enjoy some traditional and pan-Asia snacks and drinks.

Xu Lounge: I started off Cinnamon cocktail that was wonderful.

Our first dish with Sweet and Sour Soup- Very different from what we are used to in Toronto and another dish was okay. Thankfully my cocktail softened the blow.

Our first appetizer was wonderful beef skewers on sugar cane stick. These sticks were amazing and other than getting over a cold I would have had more than my one stick.

The next dish was a fried springroll- nice and once again I love their sauces.

A trip would not be complete without fried shrimp with coconut sauce- At home this dish would have been in my tummy in 5 minutes, it was just that good.

Our final main course was a spicy lamb with cauliflower on top of a spicy eggplant puree- A very spicy dish that was surprisingly good.

Our side dish was spicy rice- I actually would prefer it a bit less spicy but wonderful for those in love with spice.

Once again a wonderful meal in Xu- our last meal in Saigon. This was a real city and a nice excursion though I admit I really enjoyed the later portion of the trip. In fact I  would rate most countries I have visited except Dubai ahead of Vietnam- the people there have an attitude towards their tourists. The plan is to grab your money and then the smiling stops- sad really since I know some wonderful Vietnamese here in Canada.

Feb 24th- our day on the mekong river

A trip to vietnam would not be complete without a day trip on the mekong river. Our boat's journey took 1 hour through the countryside. We were lucky to have our own private Luxurious boat( Cai Bai princess)- including two sun loungers.  It also included fresh local fruit including the ice apple (a sour fruit not to my taste).

Our first visit to the floating village was nice and interesting to see local scenery. But the next 2 hours of the same rice fields was a bit boring.

After our journey on the boat we finished close by to our lunch restaurant, Le Longanier. On the outside a charming country house however inside it was boiling hot with limited breeze.

To start we had a soup with corn- kind of bland and not cooling considering the restaurant felt like it was 50 degrees inside.

The next course was some delicious springrolls. These were different from any ones I have eaten in Toronto but the best part of the whole meal.

The next course was mekong river fish. The fish was served like peking duck- with vietnamese pancakes. It was an interesting dish to try but I don't think I would order it again. To be honest I am bit scared to eat river fish due to the chemicals.

The next dish was an okay stir fry- beef. I would rate this dish as ordinary.

To finish we had a light dessert- fruit and yogurt. It was a nice way to finish.

Overall, this lunch was just okay. It was one of our worst meals during the trip and if in a large city I would probably skip this one. However, it was a way to relax before our long drive back to the city.

On way back we stopped at the Chinese Temple- it was nice temple but similar to ones seen in China. Finally, back to our hotel to relax before my dinner at Xu Lounge (this was a restaurant I was looking forward to).

Dinner at Xu:

My cocktail to start- yummy and similar to a fruity caipirinha. A wonderful Caipirinha however not that unique.

Fried taro patties with a wonderful tamarind sauce. Very different from anything I have ever eaten but wonderful. I admit I may have loved the sauce just a bit more.

Soft Shell Crab- beautifully prepared with a cabbage and cauliflower puree. I loved this dish and wish I could find something similar here.

Finally a spicy beef from Australia- if any dish was just okay this was it. It was beautifully prepared and tasty but paled in comparison to the other dishes. However, I would still order this at home.

A wonderful meal- we sadly did not eat more due to our Intercontinental lounge full of yummy snacks and drinks.

To finish the night we walked around downtown Saigon at Night and even picked up some beautiful scarves from Khai Silk.

Saigon Opera House

On our way back to hotel by cab we had a different adventure then we expected. It started with us being safe and getting a cab from the Sheraton back to our hotel. The cab driver then tried to drop us off a the corner of our hotel to cheat us of more money. As he told my dad he had no change, he locked my mother and myself in the back of the cab. Then by screaming loudly we forced him to take us to the Intercontinental driveway where the bellboys noticed us trapped in the back and came to our rescue. Finally, he gave my dad change and drove off screaming into the distance. All we can say is how lucky we were all he wanted to do was cheat us a couple of dollars and nothing worse.

February 23 to 26th- Intercontinental Saigon deluxe suite

iFrom hanoi to saigon we relaxed in our business class seats. For internal flights in vietnam the upgrade is not too expensive. We were lucky to get their international business seats but found the overall experience to be one of my worst business class trips. Strangely there was no soap in the bathroom. The best part was after deplaning via stairs/bus they provided our cabin with its own bus to the terminal.

During our drive thru the city to our hotel we noticed how vibrant the city of ho chi minh is compared to hanoi.

The moment they realized we were in a suite they whisked us away from the general lobby into our club lounge. Our suite was located next door to the lounge with a wonderful corner view. This room gave us space to spread out and was different from the traditional sofitel (this building was complete two years ago and had a contemporary Feel about it).

After our afternoon of flying, we ended our evening sharing a wonderful club sandwich- without bacon.

Back at the Sofitel Hanoi- Feb 22-23

After another long 3 hour drive- 4 with our driver, he is so slow, we finally reached Hanoi. We were back again to my favourite place to stay the Sofitel Hanoi(sadly only for 1 more night). The family would rank this hotel as part of our personal top 10 best hotels we have stayed including notable ones like the Burj, Lake Palace, Londolozi, Chateau Lake Louise, Banff Springs Hotel.

This time we were upgraded to the old part and given a balcony. I almost felt like Evita on it. However, the room was tiny and tired compared to the new modern room we had before. The best parts of the room were the history, near the better lobby and awesome bathtub.

The cyclo tour that afternoon involved each of us having our own pedicabs around hanoi's old district. There is no such thing as manners on the road, you just have to go slowly but surely in the destination you want and people will avoid you- even as pedestrians(scary). Most of the tour left my mother and myself itching to buy some of the street food. It finally ended at the Water Puppet Show. The only word I can use was interesting- imagine Pacific Mall on Crack this was worse. I did enjoy the part where the carp became a golden dragon.

For dinner we tried a fodorite recommendation: La Badiane. Looks can be deceiving with the faded walls and crumbling ceiling this is one of Hanoi's top restaurants.

The moment I saw a Tasting Menu, I knew I had to have it. The of the family ordered a la carte.

I decided to try this Cocktail- TI Punch- a cinnamon lime rum punch that was suprisingly delicious.

My Appetizers consisted of Hot Pumpkin soup, Beet and goat cheese Spring Rolls and raw salmon with sesame cracker on top. I loved the Spring Rolls and want to try making them. The Salmon portion was okay but the soup was quite nice.

My Mother had this crab concoction- Her verdict was the dish was okay.

My Father had a Chorizo ravioli with a foam on top- He wasn't too in love with the dish due to the foam(something he is not in love with)

My father's main made up for the foam. It was australian beef with pea puree.

My Mother main was a crab and asparagus risotto. We were both in love with her dish, not bland at all. I would say the best dish of the night.

My dish was lamb chop coated with coffee. The coffee made the dish but otherwise just okay.

Mine came with a cheese course- eggplant and goat cheese crumble- an unique idea but it was alright not great.

My Mother for dessert had the raspberry puffs- which was presented beautifully but were nothing special. The best part was the sugar basket.

My father had the creme brulee tasting- traditional, coffee and green tea. He liked his dish and said they were executed perfectly.

My dessert was the tasting- one raspberry puff, a mint chocolate brulee and marinated strawberries with cream on top. I loved the brulee and strawberries and like my mother had a similar opinion about the raspberry dish.

Overall a wonderful meal. The service was quick as we had requested. The only thing to consider in this part of Asia is that water is never free even in the nicest restaurants.

Our Hotel and Old wing:

Our final tour of city: We were supposed to visit ho chi minh's mausoleum, however we only saw it from the outside. Our guide instead of leaving early to avoid the line like the other guides took us at the peak time (1 hour wait) and since it was just a mausoleum we decided to not wait in line.We then modified our visit to include a temple and walk around the old district of Hanoi.

Our Walking tour of Hanoi during the rain:

 This man was blow torching the pork- interesting technique.


Our final meal in Hanoi: Green Tangerine. Then we are off to the airport to Ho Chi Minh City (AKA Saigon). This restaurant looks like a dive on the outside and inside has a beautiful courtyard.

For the first course my father had the raw beef tropical salad- which was to die for and beautifully presented in the coconut piece.

My Mother and myself had the prawn fritters and spring rolls. The prawn fritters were very ordinary but the springs rolls were delicious and different from previous ones.

My Father's main course was the saffron fish- something he enjoyed even though he is not fond of fish. The only issue with the dish is the dried basket of noodles- that were inedible(sadly).

Our main course was the stir fried beef and tamarid fish with rice. We loved the tamarid fish- sweet and different from the Indian tamarid. The beef was a dissapointment and very touristy. It reminded me of something I got at Manchu Wok.

Our dessert was flambed bananas and coconut ice cream. Overall- wonderful finish to the meal.

I liked this restaurant but felt La Badiane was better value for money and better food choice. The major problem with this restaurant was it was touristy and the food reflected that. However being the start of our trip did not want to take any chances with my health.

Now we are off the Ho Chi Minh City via Vietnam airlines. This airline is strange that business class passengers do not have a separate boarding call, actually everyone runs and pushes to get onto the flight. The bathrooms also lacked soap and coming off the flight all the people knew not to use the bathrooms on board.