The Tempted Palate's blog: HCM

Vietnam (Day 4)

It was our last breakfast at Liberty 4. Over the past few days, we had a record number of eggs… ranging from omelette to sunny side up… I love!

Omelette with cheese

Sunny side up

We decided to check out Ben Thanh market for last minute shopping.

The market was really huge! As I was very focused, I bought my Deuter bag in no time. It was only about 22dollars for a 45 + 10 L bag. YAY!

We were really taken aback by the sales tactics of the shop owners. LC, BZ and I got a fair share of that! They actually find means to corner you into their shops and tried to sell their products. It is as though you are not able to leave without buying anything. So the most important lesson we learnt was to stay clear of their stores, especially not entering their premises if we want to check out the products.

I also got a winter jacket for over 50 dollars over at Saigon Square. Guess it was really whether I wanted to bargain further. But the shop owner was pretty adamant about the price.

We really bought quite a no. of items, so much so that we’ve to repack our luggage. LC even bought my favorite custard apples.

So glad to be home with all the purchases… and to be away from pollution and endless horning!

Posted at 11:56 PM in HCM, Travel, Vietnam | Permalink | Comments (0)

Vietnam (Day 2) - Mekong Tour by Sinh Cafe

We were off to an early start. After breakfast we rushed over to Sinh Café for the Mekong Tour.

Ben Tre Boat Trip Map

The bus ride to Mekong area was about 2 hours. The tour consisted of the following:

The first stop was the Rice Paper production. The rice would go through the treadmill and mixed with coconut.

Treading mill

Drying of rice paper

Lil girl as part of the process

Lunch was a simple fare. We also get the chance to see the major Fried Elephant Ear Fish. The fish was used as an ingredient with the rice paper. It was an interesting mix of flavors.

Fried Elephant Ear Fish

The tour guide also brought us to an area to sample pure honey. Besides the refreshing honey drinks, we also so to see the bees hive.

The Hive

Countless bees

There was also the horse cart ride that was the highlight of the tour. Our horse or pony was a female one and the rider had to spend quite a bit of energy to prod the horse along.

Pony

We were also shown a flavor of the fruits and Vietnamese traditional singing.

Fruit array

The river cruise was quite commercialized in a way. In a way, the whole Mekong Tour is designed to feed off tourists. It was really tranquil to sail through the river.

Cruising the river

Mini boat

When we got to the main river, we had to go onto the main boat. I was really holding on to the transition platform with my dear life. Ha…

The last stop was the coconut candy.

Raw Materials

Rich coconut extract

Coconut concentrate... Wow...

Sweet Packers

After which, it was the hot stone treat at The Spa. The service was impressive that it was a one stop shop. They even arranged for transport from the hotel to the Spa. It was very impressive - both the deco and the service. This place is highly recommended but it may be a little pricey.