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Golfing in Hanoi

15 Mar

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.

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Hello Hanoi!

13 Mar

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.

Welcome to Hanoi!

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Hit and Pray

23 Feb

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.

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Bangkok, We Will Be Back!

20 Feb

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!

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Chinese New Year in Bangkok, Part 4

16 Feb

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.

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Chinese New Year in Bangkok, Part 3

16 Feb

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.

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Chinese New Year in Bangkok, Part 2

15 Feb

We all slept well–after all, it was a long and exhausting day–and were ready for the second day’s adventure! After breakfast in the hotel, we took the BTS to Chatuchak, the famed weekend market. Chatuchak is the place to go for discovering and buying things to your heart’s content.

Exciting place
Look at the plump chicken on display! We had noodles for lunch and pork belly on-the-go

Everyone was on a mission to buy things on their lists. The offerings there, in terms of choices and colors, were so much; too much until it confuses you! Hahaha. Be sure to stick to your intentions – otherwise, you’ll end up with too much or too little.

Happy with my pouch purchases!

So, I managed to buy my things, plus some others. I couldn’t resist, and it was a good bargain! Nevertheless, we had a fun but tiring day in the hot conditions – walking, seeing, haggling the price, eating, and absorbing all the colors and smells of the weekend market.

When the will to continue walking and shopping dropped to zero, it was time to return to our hotel to rest. By nightfall and somewhat rested, we were ready for the next adventure.

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Chinese New Year in Bangkok

15 Feb

On the first day of the Chinese New Year, we flew to Bangkok, a first for us to be abroad during this festive time. Waking up in the wee hours of the morning was not ideal, especially after returning home late from the Reunion Dinner. But it was unavoidable because we had to be at KLIA early. There were news reports that the airport could not cope with the volume of travelers, so it was better to be early.

Beautiful dragon display at KLIA

Luckily, it turned out well, and our departure was on time. Yay, the holiday has begun!

It has been some years since our last trip to Bangkok, and it was nice to be back. Although it was muggy, humid, and hot, it did not matter. We were ready with USB-powered fans to keep us cool. There was so much to do, see, and eat!

Always amazed with the electrical cables in Bangkok!

Soon after we checked in, we did not waste time and got going. We walked to check off the list covering coffee, gelato (an impromptu stop), and kakigori stops. The flavors were good, for lack of a better word, and fueled us to keep moving.

Discoveries this trip

We continued our walking discovery of the vibrant city, and before we knew it, we were at The Commons for dinner. Another check off the list. Dinner was safe comfort food, but we did try a Peruvian ceviche, which was excellent with the varied flavors in a mouthful. It had been a long day by then. Time to get back to the hotel!

Comfort food and tried a new dish

Sleep beckoned the minute we entered the room. After the hot shower, it was time to hit the sack to recuperate from the day’s adventure. I clocked in more than 20 thousand steps! Yes, I was dead tired. What a start to the holiday.

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Reunion Dinner 2024

9 Feb

Today is the eve of the Lunar New Year, and the Chinese community will gather with their loved ones for the ever-important Reunion Dinner. This year, we are not traveling North to hubby’s hometown. So, no long six hours or more drive to endure along the Plus Highway. Phew.

Instead, we are staying in town to celebrate the occasion with my brother’s family and Mom with a home-cooked sumptuous spread. Sometimes, families eat at a restaurant if they don’t want to cook up a storm. We tried this before but did not like the time restriction imposed.

As restaurants find this a lucrative business opportunity, Reunion Dinners with set menus are often allotted a two-hour session. Typically, there are two slots – an early session at 5.30 pm or a later session at 7.30 pm. And diners have to rush through the meal in a noisy atmosphere. You can’t eat at a leisurely pace with the clock ticking!

So eating at home is best. The family will gather this evening for our Reunion Dinner 2024. Here’s a toast to usher in the Year of the Dragon to bring peace and bless us with prosperity, good health, and much happiness.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

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Day Trip to Teluk Intan

2 Feb

Two weeks ago, we did a day trip to Teluk Intan to see the Leaning Tower of the town. We were not disappointed. We took the new West Coast Expressway instead of the usual Plus Highway, and the drive was pleasant enough.

I must admit it was our first time visiting the tourist attraction site. Although not as towering as the famed Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy in terms of height (25 meters versus 57 meters), the structure was beautiful and just as intriguing. We enjoyed being tourists despite the heat of the mid-afternoon sun.

An obvious tilt
The difference in height on two sides of the tower
The Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan

Lunch soon after at the local coffee shop was an eye-opener! The prices were so cheap compared to prices in the city for the same orders. Well, being a small town, I guess the affordability showed. After the satisfying lunch, we decided to head home as there was nothing else to see or do.

We saw a Tapir road sign along the drive instead of the typical version with a cow that we see on the highway warning of animals crossing in the area. The funny thing was each time there was a Tapir signpost, they looked different. Consistently inconsistent in terms of the image of the Tapir. Why?

Tapir crossing sign post

It was interesting because we were on the trunk roads, cutting across plantation land. What if we did encounter a Tapir crossing? Wow, unimaginable. Then again, it would have been scary because the animal is rather huge and can be dangerous for us in the vehicle. Thank goodness, nothing of that sort, merely Tapir road signs mostly and not the animal.

Day trips are fun to discover the country. We should do it more often, and I look forward to planning the next outing.

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