Tho Ha Village, Vietnam

“Tho” means land, and “Ha” means river. Tho Ha is on a narrow peninsula that is located in the middle of the Cau River, so the village is surrounded by water on three sides. The only way to get there is to take the local ferry to the center of the village. (Indochina Charm).  

It took us about 2 hours to get to Tho Ha Village from Hanoi, partially because our taxi driver had never been there, and had to make many stops to ask for direction. Before deciding to visit Tho Ha, I googled the village and discovered that in the 14th century it was a village well known for its production of terracotta products. However in the 1990's the village turned to making rice paper when pottery was no longer a lucrative business. However, the remnants of terracotta can be seen on the walls of the village houses.

Our journey there was adventurous full of interesting stops. Getting lost was a major part of the adventure because it meant getting to see interesting scenes. And because we ended up taking the very long route there, we ended up reaching Tho Ha via the non touristy route, which was absolutely stunning and beautiful.

Here was when we turned off the highway and came to an intersection. A pink signboard!!! So outstanding in that vast space! While our cab driver asked for directions we had a glass of fresh sugar cane juice. Sugar cane and coconut is so much sweeter in this country.

A local pointed us the way to Tho Ha, and  part of the journey was driving along this beautiful river and fields and fields of vegetable farms. 

As the journey continued we passed by large padi fields  with large flocks of geese and ducks. And here and there we even spotted horses roaming free. 

No speeding along the route 

Finally after going zig zag through different roads, we finally arrived in a village with very very narrow lanes. Here's our cab driver asking for directions again, as a local moves the rice paper racks slightly for our car to pass through.

Closer to the village we passed by several ponds and very run down houses

Finally we arrived on the main street of Tho Ha.

This is how we were supposed to arrive, via ferry. Well....because I read that you have to arrive via ferry, we took the ferry across thinking Tho Ha was on the other side. When we arrived we discovered it was a highway, and our car was on the correct side. So we had to take the ferry back again to Tho Ha. :)

Cooking Rice paper with nuts and seeds over fire. Tastes like plain crackers with seeds.

We peeked into a house, and they welcomed us to try making rice paper. I have a video of the process somewhere....but I just have no time to upload it. It's interesting....through sign language and pointing to us parts of the work space, I figured that first they start by pounding rice. Then they let the rice soak in water and ferment a little. It's then cooked, which turns it starchy. Then the machine feeds the boiling liquid onto a roller...and as the flour comes down, they "catch"it with a bamboo rack, which is then placed against walls or on top of roofs to dry.

When you walk around the village, you'll hear crackling noises, which is actually the rice paper drying, and thus separating from the bamboo rack.

The oldest arch in the village.

We went into this ancient temple. I'm not sure how old it is, I have to research it. But I think it's definitely several hundred years ago...judging from the wooden frames and the altars on the inside.

While strolling around we heard the loud snorting of pigs. It was to our amazement when we watched this tiny motorbike carrying SIX rolling fat pigs.

A grandma and her grandchild on an evening stroll. Time's stood still in this village. Fascinating. I'm so glad we discovered it.

@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2015

Hanoi- Old Quarters

The weather in Hanoi was lovely the days we were there. Most of the time it was 16C with occasional light drizzle. What we loved about Hanoi Old Quarters were the surprises that each street brought, such as old musical instruments, the abundance of fresh flowers and fruits, blacksmiths, beautiful bags and clothing for sale, worms and frogs for food, peddlers on foot and bicycles, a whole street of Christmas decorations, a cathedral, water puppet theatre, street market and the occasional "scam vendor." (We were tricked twice on the first day, and that taught us to be careful rest of the trip.)

Not sure what these are, or how they're cooked. They're alive and for eating.

Dried goods and flowers for sale. Check the weighing scale before you pay.

We walked no less than 5km a day, enjoying the cool wind, but certainly not the loud honks everywhere. Hanoi has a population of 8 million people and 5 million motorbikes!  They don't slow down at yellow lights, and neither do they stop at red lights! I had a close call there, but luckily it was my umbrella that went flying, while I only suffered a light bruise.

Water Puppet Show, a must watch if you've not done so.

Street food! We learnt to ask for the price before sitting down to eat. We learnt fast from our taxi driver the first day when he pointed to a street food vendor, then made an imaginary slit across his own throat. Still street food is cheaper than restaurants, though you may find the tiny tiny stools uncomfortable. If you have a weak stomach, be careful about the generous portions of raw vegetables served. We noticed that uneaten greens were simply placed back into the basket and served to the next customer.

Pho (pronounced pher), was our favourite. Warm delicious noodles in soup. Comes with stewed beef, beef slices or chicken slices.

Bun Cha (grilled pork with noodles)

We met rude people, we met nice people. The receptionist of the budget hotel we put up at, was extremely hospitable, and helpful. The barista at the cafe next door was humorous and never failed to put a smile on our faces. We asked for his name, and he typed his name on Google translate and told us happily, '"My name Power!!" followed by a loud, hearty laugh.  :) 

Strawberries, really sweet juicy ones....rm40 for 1 whole kg.

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Finally, let me end this short post with this story which I shared with my friends on fb.

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A blacksmith at work in Hanoi. A sight I've not seen in ages. Curious my children stood in awe, watching him hard at work. Soon he put his tools down and stared right back at us! A staring competition which preceded a game of charades because we didn't understand his language. 

He wanted to tell us what he was making, so he began acting...using two hands to show a movement downwards. I replied, "Bicycle pump?" He looked at me blankly. Of course, he didn't understand English, I forgot. So I acted back like I was pumping a bicycle, but the blacksmith shook his head, side to side, indicating No.

His turn again, he pretended to grip something in his hands and pressed downwards again. Then, Nel, pointed to herself, and began creating a motion of gripping and pressing downwards, like drilling a hard ground, and shaking her body and head quiet violently in exaggeration.

To our surprise, the blacksmith began laughing uncontrollably! He laughed and laughed and laughed, then gave us a thumbs up sign signalling yes, he was making a drill. smile emoticon

I think we left part of our hearts in Hanoi. Amazing city, amazing people.

@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2015

Melaka Apa Kaba Village

Continued from last post. After our long day of cleaning up the Turtle Sanctuary and beach front in Melaka, we had a late dinner and drove an hour to Apa Kaba Homestay.

What a delightful place it is! According to the front desk, the place is more than a 100 years old, but refurbished and extended a little to accommodate guests.

The simple and lovely courtyard. Outside of the house there's a little patio for guests to lounge at. 

This was our room, facing the main hall. The windows had traditional wooden shutters, which the children found fascinating.

The front of the kampung house.

 There were bits of antiques here and there to give the house an old feeling, such as the very antique oven seen on the left, a knob to control fan speed (top middle), traditional glass windows (right) and the old typewriter (center below.)

While we were there, we rented bikes for rm10 each. The bikes were quite creaky and old fashioned, which made it fun for the kids. Surprisingly Jo, being a new rider handled her high bike well. Kids and their friends cycled around the neighbourhood exploring while we parents walked along, sometimes stopping to talk to villagers.

We stumbled upon many old houses like the one with the steep roof. An elderly lady we met lived in such a house, but in a really dilapidated condition. She told us, "Makcik dah tua. Dulu makcik ada rumah kampung yang cantik, dekat jalan sana. Skarang...semua diambil untuk bina bangunan baru. Jadi sewa saja rumah ni. Takda duit dah....nasib baik sudah tua...." 

An old Chinese village house. Banda Kaba has two sides, the Malay side and the Chinese side.

A slightly more modern Malay traditional house.

As the room we booked had an adjoining door with their friends next door, the children passed messages back and forth. :)

Overall....we found the experience lovely. However, do not expect a 5-Star hotel with comfortable beds. Beds were a little sunken, and there was dust. However, the hosts were very warm and friendly people, and we just enjoyed the experience of staying in an old kampung house, and definitely exploring the village by bike/foot.

@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2015
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MNS Boh Center Cameron Highlands (June)

We'd planned this trip for years but never got to it. Visiting MNS Boh had always been on our mind, mine especially, because it brings back really precious memories of a time I visited it as a college student with my friends. I remember trekking up the slope to the center in heavy rain, which drenched us totally, wetting all our bags and belongings. :)

Well this year, after 20++ years,  I brought my family along, together with 5 other families, good friends, and we spent 4 beautiful days there. The place is as lovely, though the shelter itself, a little run down.

To get there, you've to look for the junction to Habu Boh Tea Estate, and drive in. Thereafter there are signboards to guide the way.

You'll know you've arrived when you see a staircase . Don't miss it! (Children counted 78 steps in total, so that'll be the number of steps which you'll be lugging your belongings up! And we had to make a few trips!)

The Chalet is really a tiny room (twin size bed) with an adjoining toilet.

Walls are really thin, so thin you can hear the person next door whisper, fart or burp. :P

As for the toilet....it comes with very little running water, and you've to really let it run a while to get a bucket full. In fact when we first arrived, there wasn't any running water!! Thank God we brought a friend who knows lots about plumbing. So he did his thing and walla, we had water. He also had to go fix toilets in the dorm and in some rooms or there'd be no flushing! eeww.. I guess, that is the only downside to the centre.

Also sometimes switching on the heater caused electrical blackout! 

Dorms there can accomodate up to 30 people, and we really had a large group of children who ruled the dorm for four days and three nights! I'm sure they had plenty of riotous fun in there pretending to be pirates, mermaids and whatever.

 I've always bird-watched everytime I go to Frasers, but never in Camerons. Well I discovered lots of beautiful birds come to this area such as the Silver Eared Mesia and Streak Spider Hunter. The one in the picture, (Nilvata Grandis, I think) had caught a worm, 

 The Balcony along the chalet/rooms has got to be the best part of this whole place. We spent hours sitting there, enjoying the very cool, windy weather and scenery before us. Of course, conversations and coffee with friends made it all the more beautiful.

Because of the serenity and coolness of the place, we took walks when we liked, I mean...where else can you go to escape the maddening crowd and yet have beauty all around you.

The kids and even adults went exploring and discovered edible plants, insects, flowers and of course, tea bushes everywhere.

The children and I stopped ever so often to admire the beauty of wild flowers along paths there.

If only this lil house were mine, my children would have this whole terrain to explore everyday.

Behind the center there's a little trail that goes through the tea plantation.

 While we were there, we visited the mossy forest, and it was indeed beautiful, like my children described, a fairy realm!

To Book the place, I emailed Shazwani Noor Aziz at  mnsboh@gmail.com
In total, the place has -
8 chalets (tiny rooms actually) - total 16 pax
1 dorm 30 pax
1 kitchen and common hall/dining area. Kitchen comes with utensils and a fridge, but only the freezer is working.
BBQ zone

Pic below are rates sent by MNS

We'll definitely be going back, and as always, with the company of good friends. 

@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2015

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