Every year, we go away for a twosome celebration for my birthday. Typically, it would be a golf game or two and a fancy dinner. There was one year, we went to Awana Genting.
This year, I opted not to include a golf game for the birthday escapade. Instead, it was a sightseeing and gastronomic trip. Where did we go? Singapore!
Taking the Aeroline bus to Singapore
It was pleasant, not needing to drive and deal with traffic for a change. We took the Aeroline bus, which was quite comfortable despite taking six hours to arrive.
The Jewel rain vortex waterfall
We had a super fun weekend exploring the Jewel at Changi and being mesmerized by the rain vortex indoor waterfall. Being a tourist at Marina Bay Sands, it was hot and superhot outdoors, trying to capture the perfect shot of the area when we ventured out from the air-con mall.
The perfect Singapore skyline shot?
But we were also super tired from the walking and being in the super humid outdoors. I guess you can’t have it all good. Humidity aside, we had some mouth-watering food discoveries. However, there was only so much we could eat as the short escapade ended too soon.
We managed to cover fast food, community food court, mall foodcourt and fancy restaurant.
I’m glad this year we did this for a change. I look forward to next year’s birthday celebration!
Nowadays, we see people staying connected with their devices all the time, regardless of location. It’s so bad being so attached and dependent on our devices 24/7. If it wasn’t for staying updated with news or social media, it is for games, music, or movies. It is as if a minute of not being connected, one will be so out of touch. Isn’t this terrible?
I confess I am just as guilty, but only at home, with my attachment to my devices. The iPad Mini is mostly for games and movies, and the old iPhone 5S or iPhone XR is for my Spotify music on loop. I leave my iPhone 14Plus for communication and occasional news updates. Separately, I have a Kobo eReader for reading my novels, sparing my eyes from the glare of the iPad.
However, when I travel, I abide by the airline rules and don’t fuss with my devices, keeping them in the bag and turning on the flight mode. After all, the airline does offer some entertainment as an alternative, especially the long hauls. And anything less than a three-hour flight, I have learned and can live without my devices for that few hours being airborne.
On my recent return journey from Hanoi, the passenger in front did not put away his iPhone as he was deeply engrossed in watching the sitcom “Friends.” I couldn’t help but admire his clever hack of using the Air Sickness Bag to feed his sitcom fixation.
The tray table had to be closed, so he used the bag to hold his phone in place to watch hands-free! So clever. But clever as it seems, you won’t catch me doing this for my trips on a flight and leaving the bag intact for its actual usage.
Hanoi is fast becoming a preferred destination. Not only my recent golf trip there was memorable, but it was there that I managed to meet up with an old friend from my college days! It was not coincidental but planned.
More than three decades have flown by since leaving Northern Arizona University. We were both pursuing the same degree, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design then. We had the same classes, the same lecturers, and all. Upon graduation, we parted ways, each following her career paths and dreams. Years flew by, and we lost touch.
Thanks to technology and social media, specifically Facebook, we reconnected and kept in touch now and then online. It was recently when my dear friend talked about her bucket list trip to Asia that mooted the meeting in-person idea.
Bangkok was the initial city to meet, but the timing clashed with Chinese New Year and the Reunion Dinner occasions for me. However, all was not lost, as I had a golf trip to Hanoi and decided to adjust the dates to coincide with her arrival. And after some changes, she swapped her hotel choice to my hotel to save commuting time because we found a window! Isn’t it wonderful?
Words cannot describe the feeling when we finally met on the second last day of both our trips. It was an emotional moment when the hotel elevator doors opened, and I saw this towering person with a familiar face inside! I had tears of joy upon the bear hug.
We had five precious hours together and couldn’t stretch it any longer because both had flights to catch home the next day. Friendship is beautiful and precious only if we put our hearts into it. These days, distance or time differences are not an issue because we can connect online, on the phone, or eventually, in person.
Let’s not wait decades-long again to catch up with old friends. We can meet in my country, your country, or any country mid-way!
Food in Hanoi was glorious! Bursting with flavors and almost similar to the tastes in Thailand, one can easily forget the waistline! Food aside, coffee is a big thing too. Our hotel was very central in its location for food and shopping.
During the day, nothing was out, but by nightfall, tiny chairs and small tables lined up along the sidewalks in front of all the buildings, ready for customers to dine in these pop-up street restaurants. It must be the French influence that has all the chairs facing the street for people-watching. Correct me if I am wrong on this.
So vibrant!
The narrow streets became more narrow when the dining furniture was all placed outside. Yet, vehicles of all sizes still come into the streets from both directions! Yikes. Even the big canopies were insufficient to deter the traffic from the area. It was quite a sight to behold.
The ushers of the pop-up eateries were rather aggressive, fighting for customers to patronize their places. The trick not to succumb to their pushiness is to avoid eye contact and walk as fast as possible on the crowded street. Don’t even peek at the menu shoved in front of your face.
The few streets near our hotel had all sorts of offerings. Besides food at a proper restaurant, by the sidewalk, or from the street stall vendors, drinks or dessert in a café, tourists were spoilt for choice for shopping, massages, pubs, and even pharmacies. The only thing stopping one is the lack of money from going all out at everything!
Food, salt coffee and coconut ice cream that I triedFried chicken wing and chicken feet(!) with beer
For us, we tried some here and there. We ate, drank beer, and sat on short chairs. We also shopped, had ice cream, and drank coffee but skipped the pubs and foot massages. All these were achieved in just the two streets near the hotel after golf, unlike in Bangkok recently, where we walked so much and everywhere to do the same things.
Street performance on the first night, plus the places of interest we visited
Hanoi was fun. We also managed to take in some sights, visiting the One Pillar Pagoda, Tran Quoc Pagoda, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and the Vietnam Military History Museum.
Would I return? Most definitely, but plans have to factor in which time of the year for the nice cooling weather. Then, only the experience of Hanoi for its flavors, sights, sounds, and golf would be the best!
It was my first time being in Hanoi, Vietnam, for golf–all these years mostly in Thailand–and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The three rounds of golf had been so enjoyable as the weather was perfect for being outdoors and the company fun. With such lovely cooling weather, I did not feel tired after each game, and for once, foot massages were unnecessary for this golfing trip.
The golfing experience was most pleasant, and I hardly broke out a sweat even though it was buggy on track for the first two games. I even had to don my long-forgotten Skins innerwear because it was 18 degrees Celsius for the morning first game! Brr, but nice. It was only the third game that the buggies went on course.
Our first game was at Long Bien Golf Course – a lovely course, but the bunkers were killers. You know my distress when it comes to bunkers, so I shall not elaborate further on the few bunker horrors that occurred.
Conveyor belt to send the golf bags down to the buggies below!
The second game at Thanh Lanh Valley Golf & Resort was equally enjoyable. Although we teed off only at 9.30 am, it was not hot. The final course was at the South Course of Legend Valley Country Club. I felt this was the most scenic and breathtaking course among the three golf courses, with limestone hills surrounding the golf course.
Red tee at Thanh Lanh
It was so new that the course was not even available on the Garmin watches of several friends. Thankfully, my golf app, Hole 19, showed the course details on my Apple Watch, albeit without indexes. It didn’t matter at that point because I had distances to have better course management than the others.
Legend Valley
Our bus had to battle the traffic packed with big and small vehicles to get to the golf courses daily. Words are hard to describe the volume of motorbikes on the road. You have to be there to experience it.
Haphazard traffic!
Of all the three courses, each one had its appeal. I thought the Legend Valley was the best experience, even though there was a lot of water in play. And the bunkers were strategic on the fairways and greenside to trap you. The fairways were so firm that every tee-off shot landed and rolled for extra distance. I loved it!
The downside of the golf clubs was their lack of souvenirs, like ball markers, golf balls, and towels, available for purchase. On the other hand, with nothing to purchase for memory, this is a perfect excuse to return to play the courses again! Golfing in Hanoi, what an experience.
A month after our trip to Bangkok, Thailand, hubby and I flew off for a golfing trip on Sunday. We arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, three hours later than scheduled after having our flight retimed three times. Uh-oh, not a good start.
It is my first time in Hanoi, and I find immediate similarities and differences with Bangkok. The plus point is the weather during this time of the year, cooling and not humid, is thoroughly an enjoyable factor, unlike Bangkok, which was hot and humid.
However, the sheer volume of motorbikes in Hanoi feels more here than in Bangkok. And it is astounding to see the drivers navigating the congested roads with such skill and patience. Whenever the honks blare, it’s more like ‘Excuse me, coming through’ than ‘Get out of my way!’
The trick to crossing the roads when faced with oncoming traffic is to move slowly and don’t stop or run. You will survive.
Our golfing fun began on the second day after a simple dinner and two thirst-quenching beers at an eatery across the road from our hotel at the Old Quarters.
Going away for a holiday is always fun. But, coming back to routine becomes a problem. I stopped playing golf the week before Chinese New Year, and being away in Bangkok stretched the layoff to two weeks.
Last Tuesday, I played my first game and discovered how off I was. I could not tee off and lost all my muscle memory. My long game was short, and the short game and putting were off. It was terrible.
Despite all the misfortune, I had fun because the outing quickly became a laugh fest instead. To resolve my problems, I adopted the ‘Hit and Pray’ strategy. Just hit the ball and pray for it to land somewhere safe (read fairway, not the rough, ravine, water, or sand bunker). Hahahaha.
I hope I won’t take too long to get my golf mojo back, for I have lined up several games for next week. Otherwise, the ‘Hit and Pray’ strategy will have to continue.
We spent five days in Bangkok during the first week of Chinese New Year. It was fun, tiring, eye-opening, and gastronomic. We walked more than ever to discover new places of interest, ate all kinds of food, and drank more coffee and macha tea than ever.
Hubby and I enjoyed ourselves and did not mind golf was not on the agenda despite being in Bangkok, a golf destination, for five days. The girls compromised and waited for us while we did a secondary golf-related activity on the fourth day – shopping at Thaniya Plaza, the golf shopping haven.
I bought the most expensive ball marker ever in my life! For the price I paid, I can buy a dozen new soft-range golf balls instead! For the unfamiliar, we’re talking Srixon Soft Feel 13 (2023), Wilson Duo Soft (2023), Titleist Trufeel (2022), and TaylorMade Distance +Soft (2020). Yikes, I can faint now thinking about it! It was too cute to resist, and I’m a sucker for cuteness.
The most expensive ball marker!
Hotel breakfast spreads are something I look forward to when breakfast is included with the stay, whether in Bangkok or elsewhere. On this trip, we stayed at ibis Styles Bangkok Sukhumvit 4, and their spread was not too bad. But, me being me, I ate the same things every day! I just loved the boiled rice offering.
My four breakfasts – same same but different
As for being in the city during Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dragon decorations took prominence, although not as elaborate as what I have seen in Malaysia. The dragon displays are indoors, outdoors, hanging, or placed on the ground. The biggest surprise was on the curbside of the road leading to the Grand Palace area. I thought the last one was very clever.
You can tell Bangkok was very enjoyable for us. We hope for the next trip, we can discover new and different attractions! We may stay in a different area to experience the neighborhood and surroundings. But certain places are still a must-do/go, like shopping for golf things at Thaniya and Chatuchak for great bargains. We will be back!
We made three short drinks and snack stops before visiting the Grand Palace on the third day in Bangkok. The first stop was for a macha green tea, followed by coffee and a pastry, and lastly, an ice cream. Fueled, we were ready for the adventure ahead.
Morning indulgence after breakfast
It was such a hot day! And oh-so crowded. You can tell that these visitors are tourists from all over the world. Just about every other person who walked past us was wearing elephant-print pants. A sure sign of a tourist!
The Grand Palace
The buildings and temples within the Palace grounds were magnificent. The Grand Palace itself was a grand piece of architecture. Unfortunately, some attractions were closed for renovations, but we didn’t mind. We just soaked in the overall grandeur of the place.
When we left the palace grounds, my legs were ready to fall off! Do we have to walk any more? We had to because there were hardly any taxis available nearby. Thank goodness for mobile data that helped us a lot during this trip. Using her mobile phone, M1 figured out which bus to take to leave the area. But the bus Number 2 we hopped on was going in the wrong direction! Hahaha. We didn’t know.
The shortest bus ride in Bangkok on bus Number 2
Nevertheless, what an experience to be on a bus with wooden flooring! How often would you get to be on one in a big city? And the conductor was kind enough to allow us to stay until the next stop without collecting any bus fare. Finally, we managed to hail a cab and headed to Siam Paragon for dinner.
Again, like the day before, it was late when we got back to the hotel. Thank goodness, the next day, the itinerary is a much more relaxed one. Phew.
My Fitness rings on my AppleWatch Series 5 have been off the charts with so much walking we have done. Perhaps it’s a good thing to burn all those calories consumed. My legs hurt to high heaven, but the food discovery continued. After the rest from the Chatuchak outing, we took a cab to Jodd Fairs Night Market.
Colorful food choices at the Jodd Fairs Night Market. Highly recommended to visit.Dinner was on the table liner. Spicy squid, pineapple fried rice, and ribs. The pork-neck bone soup was killer spicy with the mountain of green chili that I removed!
We seem to have discovered more places to eat during this trip. Even on our past golfing trips, food was not a priority. Jodd Fairs felt like a more organized Chatuchak. The food vendors were clustered, with all types of mouth-watering food, and the sights and smells were so tempting! It’s nice to find new things to try.
Some exotic edibles – insects, crocodile meat, snails, prawns, and squid.
The walkways between the stalls were more spacious than in Chatuchak, and we could browse slowly without blocking human traffic. However, nothing caught our eyes, for we had bought what we wanted already from Chatuchak. It was another tired-to-the-bone night when we returned to the hotel. As a result of such a schedule, I did not have the energy to write anything to upload and share.
I knocked out a little past midnight. The next day, it’s another full itinerary to visit the temples.
Angieneering 
Remarks