We used Apex Himalaya Treks and they were great. Tell them I referred you b/c I stay in touch with them. Bikram is the owner. Lovely people.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Friday, November 27, 2015
Portland, OR, USA
Here are some of my favorite places in Portland:
FOREST PARK (fantastic trails right in the city -- beautiful!) It is connected/close to Hoyt Arboretum and Washington Park (Rose Gardens, which are at their wonderful peak in June) and extends for many miles on a ridge just above the city.
At 5,157 acres, Portland's Forest Park is the largest urban forest in the United States. With more than 80 miles of soft-surface trails, fire lanes and forest roads, Forest Park stretches for more than seven miles along the eastern slope of the Tualatin Mountains, overlooking Northwest Portland and the convergence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.
ELEPHANTS DELI
This is one of our fave places to eat. Lots and lots of options, very good food, very casual. The mac & cheese with bacon is the bomb. We love the tomato orange soup. And everything else. If you don't make it there, they have a tiny outlet at the airport (Flying Elephants).
The below is the location I always go to (I love NW Portland).
ADDRESS
115 NW 22nd Ave, Portland OR 97210
PHONE
STORE HOURS
Mon - Sat: 7:00am - 7:30pm, Bar & Grill until 8:30pm
Sun: 9:30am - 6:30pm
SALT & STRAW -- for Jack who, I know, enjoys ice cream :-)
My favorite favorite ice cream shop. The NW Portland location I always go to is just a few blocks from Elephants. Unique flavors and so delish. My fave flavors are honey balsamic strawberry with black pepper, pear with blue cheese, and almond brittle with salted ganache, but they have limited edition flavours every month (like salted caramel cupcake & spicy monkey banana walnut this month).
838 NW 23rd Ave (open 10 am - 11 pm)
NW 23rd Ave happens to be on one of my favorite streets in Portland (in NW Portland). I LOVE this area. Cute boutiques, fun shops, great restaurants -- one of my old faves is Papa Haydn @ #701 NW 23rd. Great food and famous for desserts. Leafy streets with funky houses.
MOTHER'S BISTRO - one of my favorite restaurants for fab breakfast, lunch & dinner. Right in the middle of downtown. Make a reservation. Really pretty and delicious!! Closed Mondays!
212 SW Stark St, Portland 97204
ANDINA - Very nice Peruvian fusion restaurant (one of my faves!)
I love the neighborhood too.
1314 NW Glisan St, Portland 97209
BOLLYWOOD THEATER - Delicious Indian food, but NOTHING like Indian food in Singapore. I love it. Very cute inside. Two locations. I like the one on NE Alberta St b/c it’s a fun, artsy neighborhood to walk around (lots of fun shops, restaurants)
2039 NE Alberta, Portland
VOODOO DOUGHNUTS
A fixture in Portland. One of Portland's themes is "Keep Portland Weird," and this is part of that weirdness.
The address of the original shop is 22 SW 3rd Ave (downtown). Open 24 hours/day. My favorite is the McMinnville (like a Boston Creme with maple frosting) but they are known for strange ones (maple bacon) and even weirder ones.
RUBY JEWEL - Great ice cream downtown. Known for their unique ice cream sandwiches, but I’ve just had their fab ice cream.
428 SW 12th Ave
POWELLS city of books (the largest bookstore in the US, which takes up an entire city block). It is amazing.
BURGERVILLE
These are the best burgers in Portland. Local ingredients. Great seasonal shakes. Walla Walla sweet onion rings.
MOBERI - bike-powered smoothie bar. Really good! You can pedal your own smoothie! The “Mr. Wonderful” is my favorite.
1515 NW 23rd & Quimby
FOOD TRUCKS are very popular in Portland, and they are scattered around the city:
BETSY & IYA - Small jewelry store, everything handmade by local artists. There’s a little work room attached where you can sometimes hear them banging away as they make metal jewelry. Really unique, artsy pieces. I love it! Plus, the neighborhood is great. There’s a French bakery a few doors down & a darling little coffee shop too (Dragonfly). This is near NW 23rd St so you can tag it on at the end of browsing 23rd.
2403 NW Thurman St, Portland (this is the Alphabet District... so all streets off 23rd are in alphabetical order. Salt & Straw is on Lovejoy & 23rd. Moberi is on 23rd & Quimby. Thurman is a few blocks north)
LITTLE SHOP OF DRAWERS
Tiny little jewellery shop in cute Multnomah Village which carries the jewellery by designer Ayala Bar.
7875 SW Capital Hwy, Portland 97219
Open 12:00 - 4:00
SATURDAY MARKET
The largest continuously running outdoor market in the US. On the waterfront on the west side (near Voodoo Doughnuts). This place is FUNKY. Kind of the epitome of Portland. There are definitely some weirdos there. Street musicians. Fun food stalls (on the waterfront). The market is split by a major road, so he needs to cross over to where the food is. Really cool, artsy stuff for sale. My kids love going too. Better on a nice day, but he may enjoy it no matter the weather.
Found this article of top 10 things to do: (a few of the above are listed, but ignore the strip clubs!)
FURTHER AFIELD...
MULTNOMAH FALLS (iconic place, on the Columbia River Gorge about an hour east of Portland, some nice hiking nearby)
CANNON BEACH - my favorite beach town along the north coast (about 1 hr 15 min west of Portland). We love the homemade clam chowder at the Driftwood Inn on the main street. Not fancy, but so good. View point at Ecola State Park looking down the coast. The tide pools at Haystack Rock are great. It’s a huge monolith.
SILVER FALLS STATE PARK (maybe an hour south of Portland?)
Beautiful hiking trails, 10 waterfalls. Gorgeous!
Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Jonna Robison:
The King’s English
1511 South 1500 East, Salt Lake City
http://www.kingsenglish.com
Honestly, I don’t spend much time hanging out in SLC, just errands really. I haven’t even explored museums there yet! I spend most of my free time in the outdoors, exploring hiking trails, the mountains, etc. I do want to go to the art museum at the University of Utah.
Cheryl Bikman:
The King’s English
1511 South 1500 East, Salt Lake City
http://www.kingsenglish.com
Honestly, I don’t spend much time hanging out in SLC, just errands really. I haven’t even explored museums there yet! I spend most of my free time in the outdoors, exploring hiking trails, the mountains, etc. I do want to go to the art museum at the University of Utah.
We usually go out to eat in Park City. We love Cafe Terigo on Main St.
My FAVORITE place in Utah is Sundance, so if you feel up to driving an hour, David, go there for lunch or dinner. It’s Robert Redford’s creation. Wonderful food and atmosphere. I like the Foundry Grill there. http://www.sundanceresort.
Zoom is another good restaurant in Park City (also owned by Robert Redford) housed in the old train station at the bottom of Main St. The High West Distillery is also very good, just off Main St. There are lots of art galleries up and down Main St. It’s a pretty town and home of the largest ski resort in the US.
Cheryl Bikman:
We don’t eat in SLC that often but here are a few places I really like.
Restaurants
Red Iguana
Le Madeleines
Ruby Snap cookie store http://www.rubysnap.com
Pie Pizzeria
If you are interested in seeing the tabernacle choir sing, they do a live broadcast every Sunday morning. I went for the first time when we had exchange students staying with us this past summer. It was really neat to watch them perform live and see how they broadcast it. You don’t need tickets. http://www.
Welfare square offers tours and is interesting to see https://www.lds.org/locations/
A friend sent me this a few days ago. There may be something you be interested listed in it.
https://www.newscastic.com/
Excited you will be visiting salt lake next week. You will want to see temple square, tabernacle and church visitors center.
Across from temple square is a new mall called "City Creek". Wonderful shopping and dining options.
Among some of our favorites are Brio (Italian), Cheesecake Factory (American) and Look for "Bocata" an artisan sandwich place in the food court for unique sandwiches.
Other nearby favorites to downtown/temple square area:
Naked Fish: Japanese, excellent, fresh sushi
Settebello: Italian napoletana style DOC pizza. I love to order the "Bianca"
Alamexo: upscale Mexican: best guacamole
Sawadee:
Best Thai in salt lake, famous for quality curries
Other attractions:
Park city, church history museum, and This is the Place Pioneer Park.
Please call me with any questions or if you need anything while you are here in town! Would love to help.
Jane Moore
801.834.0484
Across from temple square is a new mall called "City Creek". Wonderful shopping and dining options.
Among some of our favorites are Brio (Italian), Cheesecake Factory (American) and Look for "Bocata" an artisan sandwich place in the food court for unique sandwiches.
Other nearby favorites to downtown/temple square area:
Naked Fish: Japanese, excellent, fresh sushi
Settebello: Italian napoletana style DOC pizza. I love to order the "Bianca"
Alamexo: upscale Mexican: best guacamole
Sawadee:
Best Thai in salt lake, famous for quality curries
Other attractions:
Park city, church history museum, and This is the Place Pioneer Park.
Please call me with any questions or if you need anything while you are here in town! Would love to help.
Jane Moore
801.834.0484
From Tenney Jensen:
I haven't spent a ton of time in SLC but when I'm there I love eating at the Copper Onion. I think it's on 300 South.
NEW YORK CITY
From Becca Mattoni:
With girls, Alice’s teacup is pretty fun (I believe there are 2 locations, one on the Upper East side and the other one on the Upper West side). Pizza in Brooklyn is fun too - walk over the brooklyn bridge to Brooklyn Heights waterfront and go to Grimaldi’s or the other pizza place next door, or even shake shack. You can take the water taxi back to manhattan or you can walk back over the bridge.
The Tenement Museum is a fascinating place - it’s not a traditional museum but a bunch of apartments that you can visit in a guided tour where you hear about the families who lived there. Also the neighborhood is awesome and it’s very close to the donut plant which makes incredible doughnuts.
Thanksgiving Eve most people like to go see the balloons being blown up for the parade the next day. That all takes place near the natural history museum. Also, watching the parade is fun although if you want a good seat usually you have to get up early say at 6 am to stake out a place.
The Rockettes' show is pretty cool too. There have been some 2 for 1 deals usually for the first and last performances of the day.
You have to see the holiday windows on 5th Avenue from about 59th all the way down to around 39th street at Lord and taylor (I think that’s the store!). Stop by on I believe 47th to see all the jewels sparkling on Diamond Row between 5&6th ave…
You can ice skate at Rockefeller Center (I would advise getting there right when it opens!) or at Bryan Park which is behind the NYPL (also an awesome destination). Bryant park is usually less crowded but again, the morning is a great time to go. There are also holiday markets up now which are super fun to look through.
The High Line in Chelsea is a unique city park. There are cool eats along it around meal times.
Hope you have a great time!!
From Heidi Bioski:
Hi! Becca has done a great job below. I'd just add that you have to try a Levain Bakery cookie ( it's near Alice's Teacup in the UWS).
I think the views at the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center are better/ more enjoyable than going up the Empire State Building. Kids usually like the Museum of Natural History with its dinosaur and other exhibits which is near Emack & Bolio Ice Cream ( get serious chocolate addiction) and the Shake Shack for burgers and fries.
If you want to try some fine dining Nougatine is the more casual version of Jean Georges with the same chef and you could take the kids there for breakfast or lunch and get a nice view of Central Park with lower prices.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Tourrettes, Nice, France
Nice France - creperie/restaurant near the flower market good with kids
Pop O Thym
20 cours Salera
Nice
04 9327 22 20
FAYENCE / SEILLANS / TOURRETTES
La Gloire de mon Pere
1 place Thouron
Tel 0494 6018 65
beautiful setting around the village fountain
Le 8 is apparently excellent but it was closed
They have a chocolate cold soup for dessert
Les Macarons de Louis was excellent
We loved la Plage de St Cassien
Fayens does a FETE du Pain that was so cool
RUCH FAMILY HOME Summer 2015
There is a booklet in our house, with all the information’s you may need during your stay.
* All about the villages were we live. You can visit the different villages, Fayence is the main village, and Seillans is also very nice. You can go to" the lake of Saint Cassien", better to go in the morning, easier to park. There is a food market "marché Provençal" in Fayence, every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings.
Another place is also good, open every morning and Friday Saturday whole day: "marché Paysan"
* 30 mins from our place, the famous place on the beach . Old town "Le Suquet" is very nice and of course "La Croisette" to walk along the beach. http://www.cannes-
* Take a boat from Cannes and spend a great day on the island. http://www.cannes-destination.
* 1.30 h from our place, you can go for a whole day, nice village like "Moustier Sainte Marie", and" the lake of Sainte Croix". http://www.lesgorgesduverdon.
You can also go to Nice, Monaco for a day trip.
I'm sure you will enjoy your stay in the south of France.
This is my Address:
Pierre and Frédérique Ruch
442 A CHEMIN DES TERRASSONNES
83440 TOURRETTES
France
Of course when you have make your mide witch day you want to come as proposed if you want to come earlier 2 or 3 days let me know a little in advance so that I can organise everything.
One of my best friend will give you the key, the bip for the gate and will explain you everything. He is well trained don’t worry.
As well if you come by air and you need a car you can as well use ours (7 seats) Opel Zafira. Good German car 6 year old but in perfect shape.
I will attend the ASIA Purchasing College in China. Have you plan to be there ?
I you have any question just ask, will try to answer.
Take care
Pierre
Friday, June 26, 2015
Seattle WA USA
From Becky
To Do in Seattle: Pike Place Market is a must. Stay at the fish market until someone buys a fish and watch them throw the fish from one end of the stall to the other! There's the first Starbucks ever there and an ABC (already been chewed) gum wall. You can walk down to the waterfront from here. Get Ivars Fish & Chips (the local favorite) and here you can browse the shops on the piers. There's a Ferris wheel here, an aquarium and you can catch a ferry to visit other islands from there.
The Ballard Locks - this is a great place to visit on a sunny Seattle day. You can watch the boats travel from
salt water (Puget Sound) to freshwater (lakes of Lake Washington and Lake Union). There's also a fish ladder
there that Sockeye salmon travel through during the month of July to go spawn. It is free. Beautiful gardens there to
enjoy. Have lunch at a greasy, local fish & chips place nearby: Totem Fish & Chips (It's actually called Red Mill Totem
House now) and they sell hamburgers too. Red Mill took it over to save Totem from going out of business. They still serve their famous fish & chips and clam chowder though!
The Space Needle. Go to the restaurant at the top for dinner on a clear night.
Mariners baseball game. The Mariners play at an awesome stadium - Safeco Field.
The Fremont Troll under the bridge. Located under the Aurora Bridge. As seen in the movie "10 Things I Hate About You."
Downtown Seattle - shop at the first Nordstrom store ever, shops at Pacific Place Mall, lunch at the Cheesecake Factory or lunch in the Nordstrom Cafe (a local favorite)
Gas Works Park - amazing views of Lake Union (where Sleepless in Seattle was filmed) and the Seattle skyline from here
Greenlake - a small lake in the Wallingford area of Seattle. It has a walking, jogging path around the entire lake
(around 3 miles). It's a great place to exercise and then enjoy lunch at a local restaurant beside the lake.
University District - the area near the Univ. of Washington. You can rent canoes or rowboats and paddle around
on beautiful Lake Washington. Website is: washington.edu/ima/wac/canoe-boat-rentals/
There is a great outdoor mall here, called University Village, with all the best shops: Lulu Lemon, Anthropologie, etc. Go to Trophy Cupcakes at that mall for beautiful cupcakes!
Great local place to eat lunch or dinner near there is:
Northlake Tavern and Pizza House
660 NE Northlake Way, Seattle, WA 98105
Restaurants:
Dicks (this is a fast food chain of drive ins located only in Seattle; it's loved by all locals. Get the dicks "special" or "deluxe" if u can handle a double patty burger. They both come with their special tartar sauce on it. The shakes and fries are a must as well. Complete greasy goodness!
Palisade - great seafood, amazing views of Puget Sound from Magnolia Bluff
Maggie Bluffs - also amazing view of Puget Sound, located on the Magnolia Bluff; fish and chips, burgers, etc.
Rays Boathouse - High end, located in Ballard area, also with beautiful sea views.
6049 Seaview Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107
Enjoy!
Becky
Monday, June 15, 2015
Mumbai, India
Jessie Wagner info:
MUMBAI
Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
Apollo Bunder
Mumbai - 400 001
Maharashtra, India
Mumbai - 400 001
Maharashtra, India
Telephone: +91 22 6665 3366
Friday
Elephanta Island - bring snacks, boats leave starting at 9am from Gateway to India, one hour boat ride to island
Walk around Taj Mahal palace hotel and Gateway to India
high tea at hotel
walked to veg market
Colaba shopping street for souvenirs and henna
dinner at hotel
Chowpatty beach - for sunset?
Saturday
Ghandi museum - Mani Bahvan Ghandi Museum 19 Laburnam Rd | Gamdevi, Mumbai (Bombay) 400 007, India open 9:30am-6pm
hired blue tour taxi from outside hotel on street
Ghandi museum
laundry dhobi ghaut
Victoria train station
dabbawallas
Banganga village - highlight
lunch at Brittania (parsi food with travellers atmosphere)
shopping
Good Earth (home decor, cool tablecloths, behind taj hotel)
The Bombay Store (nice souvenirs, gateway of india area)
Colaba street shopping
chill at hotel pool
Sending you my itinerary and my blog. I'm sure you've got plenty of info to fit in just one day, but I wanted to tell you that I really liked the Ghandi museum (Dave and I both read the recent biography on him right before/during the trip), the Victoria train station (for architecture) and the Banganga village (just to walk around and see everyday life)
and spotting the dabawallas (more everyday life, especially after that cute movie)
Happy for you to go!
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Mumbai India
Copying a couple of other good friends in Bombay, Anita Harsora and Ravi Nene because they know the city inside out. Guys, Sarah & Mateo are very good friends from Singapore. Please help in any way possible with tips on what to do in Bombay. Anita, I have an old email address for Ravi. Can you forward this to his current email address?
Definitely get a car and driver, even for short distances or use Uber.
Rickshaws (tuk tuks) do not ply in South Bombay.
As far as tourist attractions go, Bombay is not a spectacular place for tourists. The appeal is more subtle.
Things to do:
1. Eat. Probably the top thing to do in Bombay. http://www.
The list is actually pretty good. Don't try and go to the south Bombay places (vada pav). Try these instead (except the last one)
Besides the places on the lists you could go to Trishna for sea food. Don't miss Table for California style cuisine. Brittania Café for Parsi food. The list goes on, but you have plenty for your time there.
Just exercise caution and don't eat at a place if you think it might be unhygienic. Never eat uncooked food or salads (you know this)
2. Shop - Bombay is full of shopping. Check out this amazing store called Bungalow 8 1st, 2nd & 3rd floors, Grants Building, 17 Arthur Bunder Road, Colaba (Near Radio Club), Mumbai, Maharashtra 400005, India
There is terrific designer boutique in the same building.
Look into a FabIndia for Indian clothes, fabric, home stuff
Wander around Chor Bazaar - Thieves market (bargain hard)
3. See - Walk around Kala Ghoda and Fort. Colonial part of the city. Pop into the museum. Jehangir Art gallery. Walk along Marine Drive and check out the Art Deco buildings. Banganga is an interesting area. Old tank and temple complex. Take a walk to the Sufi shrine out in the bay, Haji Ali.
Anyway, this is just a snippet. Hopefully it helps.
Sanjay
JESSIE BLOG
BETHANY
Mumbai is such a fascinating city full of energy and possibility...it does not have a whole lot of eye candy...it's really just one huge pot of people crammed in around crumbling colonial buildings. but i hope you fall in love with it all the same...
if you want to get an overview of downtown, there is a fun open air bus ride that you catch right by the Taj that will take you past the icons...Victoria Terminus, Bombay University, High Court, etc.
just strolling around the Gateway of India--right outside the hotel, you'll get a good taste of Indian chaos and color and festiviites!
the Prince of Wales Museum is also super close and interesting
go watch the cricket on Oval Maiden
wander through the markets and bizarres
I loved Gandhi's home in Mumbai--Mani Bhavan
a favorite local place to hang out at night is Chowpatty Beach by Marine Drive if you want to catch some local flavor (and have your ears cleaned:)
if you want a fascinating early morning stroll--head to the Sasson docks to see thousands of fishermen and women at work fueling hungry Mumbai...one of the coolest cultural experiences we had in Mumbai
Colaba is the the touristy area right behind the Taj swarming with shops and relentless salesman...it wasn't my favorite place to hang out.
but there is a movie theater super close to the Taj, The Regal, where you can catch a great Bollywood film....a real treat!
there are also lots of tours through the slums which are brutal but eye-opening
and if you want to buy some fun Indian wear, visit the colorful Fab India...you're LOVE it!
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
MALACCA MALAYSIA
MALACCA MALAYSIA
Highlight is the bike tour to see all the sites, Portuguese ruins, Chinatown temples, etc.
Shopping on Jonker Street.
The Daily Fix has a lovely wall of Peranakan plates.
We loved Nancy's Kitchen for Nonya food and Coconut milkshakes, all listed here:
http://www.gomelaka.my/top-food-in-melaka/
Foot reflexology next door to Nancy's.
SEW suggested:
Baba Nonya House & Museum
Villa Sentosa, Living Malay Museum
We did NOT see, but I would like to:
Norah Wasden - Floating Sultan Mosque by the water.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Cebu Philippines
We loved the Shangri La Mactan
Veronica Cimafranca helped us and upgraded us
Driver for temple outing etc. Wendel Diano Tel 905 386 9243
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Hoi An and Danang VIETNAM
Highlight of our trip was the Farm to Fishing tour with Jack Tran Hoi An Eco Tour.
The kids loved fishing, going on the boats, riding a water buffalo, biking through countryside etc.
It takes 5-6 hours and lunch on the boat is included.
Anantara Hoi An is in a perfect location to walk everywhere in the city.
They have free bikes for use.
We did lantern making through the hotel.
First three nights we went to a beach location in Lang Co.
Angsana was PERFECT for families!
Restaurants we loved:
Two Kid friendly (both western and eastern)
Before and Now
51 Le Loi
Tel 05103 910599
www.before-andnow.net
Cargo Club
Two best-flavors restaurants we adults loved:
Mango Mango
Nu Eatery (NYC restaurant chef originally from Vietnam and returned)
We had a LOT of clothes sewn at YALY. We picked Yaly b/c it had a lot of choices for fabrics.
It's important to pick a location that is near a hotel b/c we were there every day for fittings and changes and adding more orders.
SIGHTSEEING:
We went to My Son and thought it was fabulous, like a mini Angkor Wat.
We were debating NOT to go b/c of distance but we are glad we did.
We signed up for a photography tour with a French guy but had to cancel b/c of rain.
Looked amazing!
https://www.facebook.com/Hoianphototour
Someone on SEW recommended a foodie tour.
http://tasteofhoian.com
RESTAURANT recommendations I got from SEW but didn't try:
Hoi An Hai San (seafood platter is excellent)
Mai Fish
Morning Glory - inexpensive and delicious
Cargo Club
Streets (charity restaurant)
My Ly Cafeteria (artsy)
Seedlings (training young people restaurant)
A SEW woman / writer:
http://www.expatliving.sg/travel/asia/Hoi-An-Vietnam-How-to-shop-what-to-eat-and-where-to-stay-in-the-stunning-heritage-town-57049.ece
Spencer
- Central Vietnam is fantastic. Amongst the Vietnamese, there is perpetual debate regarding which city is best--Saigon or Hanoi, though before long both Northerners and Southerners will openly admit that the conversation is pointless because everyone knows that the middle is best :)
- Hue is actually the one major desintation in Vietnam we decided to pass on, as we were running out of time. From what we've heard and read, the citadel area is pretty cool, but there isn't a ton on offer beyond that and Hoi An's got a better vibe.
- We LOVED Hoi An: The old city has a great feeling--the old city has a nice, consistent feel with lots of restored trading warehouses that east Asian traders used hundreds of years ago. They've got a special lantern celebration every full moon, which we unfortunately missed out on but if you look up pictures of Hoi An you'll almost certainly see shots of that event.
- Hoi An also specializes in tailor-made everything. jeans, shirts, jackets, shoes, bags--everything can be made to order. The shirts can be of somewhat dubious quality, but I had a bunch of stuff made out there (including a bunch of pants, a leather briefcase, etc) and I've been quite happy with it all. I had a bunch of places do different stuff for me so I could get a read on who the winners are; I'd be happy to point you in their direction if it interests you
- We stayed at Hoi An Beach Resort and I think it would be great for families. close of the beach, a couple pools, good atmosphere, nice restaurants in-house.
- Both Hoi An and Da Nang have pretty solid beaches. Since Hoi An is a slow 25 minute drive south of Da Nang, they're pretty similar beach-wise, though I'd say Da Nang honestly doesn't have much to offer beyond it's beaches whereas Hoi An does.
- We also went to the Green Bamboo cooking school in Hoi An; it was fantastic. The lady there does a fantastic job explaining things and we made some great food. You can learn to make all kinds of dishes; some very simple and some somewhat more difficult
- Also in Central Vietnam and worth a trip is Phong Nha-Ke Bang. It's a bit of a hike--no way to fly in, though you can get about an hour's drive away (city called Dong Hoi) (private drivers are relatively easy to secure) if you take the train from Hue (for a lot of routes, Vietnam actually has some pretty good train accommodations). PNKB has some beautiful nature, and is most famous for its caves. It's got 2 of the world's top 3 biggest ,and some of the world's most spectacular as well. The monster ones are really tough to get to and wouldn't be family friendly (the biggest cave in the world, for example, is in PNKB, but it wasn't discovered until 5 years ago because it's so difficult to get to). Some of the spectacular caves, though, are quite easy to get to (paved walkways and boat rides). The big caveat I'd give you on PNKB is that it totally lacks family-friendly accommodations--it's got 4 person hotel rooms, but is on the whole pretty bare boned. There are some cool houses you could rent about 30 min out of town, including this one a friend me met stayed in, or you could take a swing at Dong Hoi, which again is 45-60 min drive away. I think if you just hit the highlights, you could see PNKB reasonably well in a day, but when adding travel times out from Hue, it would be best to budget a couple days.
As for the tailors, a few things to take into account:
- Based on the conversations I had with shopkeepers over my time there, it became clear that just because you order clothes from a particular shop doesn't mean that you'll have your clothes made at a single, particular place. Most of the businesses are family-run, with the English-savvy family member running the shop and then other family members running the backend where the clothes are made. If your order doesn't fit their family parameters--either you need it done at a volume or speed they can't handle, or it's a style they're not familiar with, they've got affiliates they'll hand things off to. Therefore, if you do an order of a variety of different clothing types, especially at high speed, you'll likely notice subtle differences among what you get back :). It's actually kind of cool to watch how the system works--they get your order then immediately hop on the phone issuing orders. Scooters roll up and take sheets and fabric samples, heading in different directions. If it's a tight enough timeline, you'll see the same thing when they return with the finished products. In my experience, the best way to make sure you get what you want it to bring clothes you've had tailored that you really like and have those duplicated in a different color or material, and with an adjustment or two ("I want it just like this but a little looser in the torso", "I want you to move the pockets up and make them smaller", etc). It avoids a lot of confusion because it prevents them from doing things wrong if any of the communication the footsoldiers get is at all ambiguous. The shopkeepers are all very satisfaction focused because they want your referrals--if anything is wrong, don't hesitate to let them know and they'll bend over backwards to make you happy.
- Make sure you try all of the clothes on when they're ready and give them a really good look through. If any details are off and you need to get them altered in Hoi An it's free. If you get alterations in Singapore, they may cost more than you paid for the item itself :)
- The three shops we bought from in Hoi An were:
- Bebe (everyone knows the address) -- These guys are the most "premium" in town; you'll pay $30+ for a shirt. They had a pretty good selection of fabrics, though truth be told they actually made more mistakes than the discount shop I went to
- Fai Foo (54 Tran Hung Dao Street) -- These guys were more "discount" than Bebe, charging $18 flat for a shirt. There was even a greater price difference on things like chinos, jeans, skirts, and dresses. I felt they did a really good job for us. If you tell them the super tall Spencer from Singapore who came in with the Chinese family around New Years, they'll probably remember
- No Ny (20 Tran Phu Steet) - These guys did great leather work for us, and are more than a shop front--they clearly knew their stuff.
Channing information about CAVES
Sarah,
Always wonderful to have the chance to have a proper visit with you too! I've just finished browsing the adventures book and have so many new ideas! Thank you!
The Mulu Caves looks amazing! We've added that to our (long) weekend trip bucket list. This is the cave we're going to try and trek during our time in Vietnam this Christmas: http://www.nytimes.
We've done Komodo and LOVED it! The dragons were amazing, but so was the scuba--best we've ever seen in terms of the color and vibrancy of the reefs. They also have the super huge mantas and sometimes even orcas! The other thing we loved about Komodo is that when we were there (2 years ago) there weren't any chain stores or hotels yet--not even Indonesia ones.
The Belize trip we did was magical. Here's the overview my mom wrote up:
- arrive in Belize City and go straight inland to the heart of the beautiful jungle for a couple of days
- we'll stay in rustic cabanas in Ron Castagnera's ecolodge on the Macal River in the Tapir Nature Reserve with canoes, tubing and hammocks at hand plus an in-house cook
- with permission from the Belize Department of Archeology, we have secured a local guide to take us into some ancient Mayan ceremonial caves--the adventure involves trekking across rivers and swimming into the caves. Trip advisor here: http://www.tripadvisor.
com/Attraction_Review-g291969- d300696-Reviews-Actun_ Tunichil_Muknal-Cayo.html - then we'll shift gears and head to the shores of beautiful Ambergris Caye to stay in a beachfront house with pool, tennis courts, kayaks...
- the one thing planned while at the Caye is a boat ride to Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark/Stingray Alley for the best snorkeling--Belize boasts the longest reef in the Western Hemisphere--second in size only to the Great Barrier Reef
- options: howler monkey sanctuary, drumming with Garifunga people, Caribbean music hangouts, cavetubing, water sports, trying local lobster, etc.
Belize is easy to travel to as the lingua franca is English, but it's still feels enough off the beaten path that you don't feel touristed the entire time, not as resort driven as the rest of the Caribbean. In addition to the caves, we really enjoyed Ambergris Caye--no cars were allowed on the island, so you'd walk/bike or take a boat to the restaurants along the beach each night.
Another year my family went to Tulum, about 1.5 hour drive outside of Cancun. We really enjoyed this trip as well. Tulum has the only Mayan ruins on the beach and amazing cenotes that you can dive/swim in plus fun beach/snorkeling/jungle/arts scene.
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