Destinations

Immediately upon arriving Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — a quick 50-minute flight from Singapore — the distinction from the recent visits to Cambodia and Vietnam is very apparent.  While both Phnom Penh and Saigon are quite modern, there’s virtually no comparison to KL and the surrounding area seen en route from the airport (a good hour, depending on traffic).

The grand welcome at the new Four Seasons Hotel was unexpected!  To say our visit felt appreciated is quite the understatement.  I have written before about the value in creating “brand” relationships.  In this case, the connection between our stay in Vietnam (Hoi An) and now in Kuala Lumpur was indeed a continuation.  A subsequent post will include this trip’s “trifecta” with a layover in Hong Kong.

The area surrounding the hotel is home to numerous high rises, of which the new hotel (open less than a year) fits right in.  The structure combines both hotel followed by residences above and is attached (conveniently) to a large department store.

Readers who follow this blog know that the hubby and I consider ourselves foodies — not just passionate about experiencing cuisines, but likewise connecting with the creators; i.e., the chefs and restaurateurs.  We have such a connection, made two years ago on a visit to the Maldives at the exquisite Four Seasons Kuda Huraa resort.  Executive Chef Junious Dickerson made a fateful comment at departure when we happened to share a short ride from the resort to the mainland:  “Come to Kuala Lumpur!  I am transferring there when the new hotel opens …”

After that trip, we communicated a bit when he would comment on a blog post.  I think it’s safe to say it might have been unexpected for us to actually show up.  Nevertheless, it was a grand reunion with him and we shared some precious time during our brief few days there.  After all, he oversees a kitchen staff of 100 so he’s a busy guy.  And the food offerings were vast and elaborate to say the least.  We happened to be visiting during Ramadan, widely observed by Muslims (Malaysia is roughly 60% Muslim), so nearly ever restaurant was affected.  Since there’s strict fasting between dawn and sunset, a large and elaborate buffet was offered every night during our stay with countless dishes prepared.  Imagine your typical Sunday brunch available at many high-end hotels, and then having to do that every evening.  It is quite the effort to pull off.

As happens in the days concluding weeks’ long travel, there is a winding down period where the travel back home is now in sight.  That, coupled with a bit of travel fatigue and less of a desire for sightseeing, led to some very low-key days.  We did go to the famous Petronas Towers, not just your ordinary tall structure, but unique for the two matching towers connected by a floor-to-ceiling, glass-enclosed bridge … about 560 feet above the ground (connecting floors 41 and 42).  I got about about three steps onto the bridge and had an epic failure to proceed.  In fact, I commandeered a guide and then an elevator operator to take me straight down immediately.  I say “commandeered” because my first request was met with “Oh, you need to go to the 82nd floor and then go down with the next tour group” to which I respectfully declined.

Curiously, I was fine on the visit to Dubai’s Burj Khalifa which observation deck is 125 floors up. Or for that matter, lunch in Taipei on the 84th floor.  It was the damn bridge that did me in, feeling there was no support underneath.

Our couple of days were spent with a visit to their Orchid Garden (not great considering the constant humidity) and, of course, plentiful shopping malls.  If one wanted to see then newly-released Avengers End Game, it was showing on four out of seven screens in one location alone.  Kind of like home.

Our last stop of this trip is a long layover in Hong Kong.  I’ll cover that plus my SE Asia “winners and losers” in the next post.

Visiting the ancient temples of Angkor Wat, Angkor Tom and other sites in the northern part of Cambodia is the main reason travelers come to Siem Reap, just a 45-minute flight from Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (see previous post).   For an area with fewer than 1 million residents, the current number of area hotels (500 and counting) is surprising.   The local Cambodians rely heavily on tourism as far and away their biggest industry.  If not in hospitality, the Cambodians in the north have a difficult time making a living as it is estimated that 50% of the economy is tourism.  Poverty and primitive living conditions are sadly visible in the surrounding areas; we saw this first hand on our drive from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh.  More about that in a bit.

1. SIEM REAP

Above top is the magnificent lotus flower:  it is closed at night so the display upper right required manually opening each flower.  We opted for the best way to get anywhere — via tuk tuk — about $2 for any distance.  Bottom right, delicious Mango Mille Fueille plus two excellent dishes — rice with pineapple and a refreshing salad with pomelo, which I loved.

We followed the advice of many to capture Angkor Wat at sunrise, a particularly magical hour.  A 4:45 a.m. pick-up obviously meant waking up in Siem Reap at the crack of dawn.  Credit to the beautiful Park Hyatt for suggesting the early departure, then afterward we rest a bit, clean up and have a leisurely breakfast mid-morning.  It really made the timing of the entire plan much more palatable!

Angkor Wat is just 30 minutes from the town, including a brief stop to acquire tickets — $37 each.  By the way, US dollars are the acceptable currency in Cambodia; obviously not having to convert money always makes travel much easier.  Advance reading prior to this trip suggested carrying a decent amount of small bills — $1’s and $5’s — some great advice we happily followed.

One would think it would be much cooler at the early hour.  Hah — wishful thinking.  At least 90 degrees and very humid at our 5:30 am arrival.  There was a significant gathering of tourists, even though it’s “low season” — soon to be desolate with the impending rains.  The following pictures paint a much better story than my words.  Enjoy.

2. PHNOM PENH

For us, this was a one-and-done temple visit.  Others go all in and see many, but we were happy with the experience and chose to bum around the town a bit, rest up and arrange for a car and driver for the 5-hour journey south to Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh.  At a cost of $200 US, the opportunity of going door to door in air conditioning, sans airport, and seeing the countryside en route was an easy decision. Nonetheless, some sights were truly heart-wrenching as there is significant poverty visible.  Then the developed area of Phnom Penh came into view.  Much like Saigon, it is a (mostly) modern metropolis with high-rise buildings developed around the Mekong River.

We were told that few American tourists visit Phnom Penh; rather, it is mainly business clientele and largely from other Asian countries.  The Chinese are investing heavily in real estate, building new housing, hotels and casinos.  I would suggest the infrastructure could use a lot of work — mainly trash pick up.  But there’s great wifi everywhere, lots of shopping opportunities and some excellent restaurants.  And we were spoiled rotten at the gorgeous new Rosewood Hotel with exceptional treatment!  If you’re not familiar with the brand, look for it.  They have nearly as many properties opening in the next few years as they have open now; i.e, ambitious expansion.

We had a fabulous dinner at Palais la Poste, which building was formerly the Indochina Bank.  From upper left, a lovely French red; scallops with squid-ink risotto; escargot; profiteroles; grilled salmon.  The French influence is very evident in much of the cuisine in Cambodia (as well as Vietnam).

Our visit to the notorious “Killing Fields” and Prison Museum recalling the unspeakable atrocities at the hands of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge was very difficult.  Our wonderful young guide, Nicky, shared with us that her grandparents were killed but the subject cannot be broached with her parents.  It is still just too hard.  She chooses to look instead to the promise of Cambodia’s future.  Wise thinking.  Next up .. our final stop for this trip:  Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

 

When sharing our itinerary for the recent trip to Southeast Asia, disclosing a visit to the gorgeous Vietnam beach area of Hoi An universally received lots of “ooohs” and “aaahs.”  Including a few days of doing nothing has become a regular part of the trip planning; this respite provides a much-needed opportunity to relax and recharge.  Otherwise, the travel is fast and aggressive in order to see as much as possible in any given destination.

This beach area is accessed by flying into Da Nang International Airport.  Da Nang is another familiar name to many Americans as it was the site of a major air base during the Vietnam War.  This particular location is in the center of the country — it thus provides excellent access to most other cities in Vietnam.

The ancient town of Hoi An is a Unesco World Heritage Site, straddling the Thu Bon River.  Our biggest activity there was getting manicures.  Choosing where to go was the big question as the number of available shops closely rivals the number of bars and souvenir stores.  Our two manicures cost a grand total of $14, and that was fine for us.  Compared to Hanoi and Saigon, the takeaway from the town of Hoi An was the height of touristy.  Personnel for stores, clubs and restaurants try every which way to lure customers in for whatever is being offered.  And there were outdoor carts as well.  Maybe the area traffic swelled for the weekend we were there, but the combination of crowds, being pitched and likely the weather (hot and humid; what else?) made the town visit just fair.  Fortunately, the resort itself was a haven for relaxing.

 

And that was exactly how the few days were spent by the gorgeous pool at the Four Seasons Resort.   The company acquired this existing property in 2016, and they cater to guests from Korea, Japan and the U.S. by number in that order.  The resort does an excellent job of providing both for families traveling with children and those of us without.  The main pool is for guests 14 and older, providing a very relaxing space.  One could opt for cooking classes, water sports and/or venturing into the aforementioned town if desired.   The setting is so beautiful that we mostly just did nothing — precisely what we had in mind.

As has the been the case with other resorts, we again had the pleasure of engaging the Executive Sous Chef, Alessandro Fontenesi, a character hailing from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region.  He took great pride in giving us a tour of the burgeoning produce garden.  There was pure envy on my part for the available space and neat rows of plants.  While the garden is not able to supply all of the resort’s requirements, everything the garden does produce is used.  Crops are rotated and seasonally planted and the results both look and taste great.  We alternatively wanted the chef to continue providing wonderful tastes and for him to stop tempting us with such delicious food.  What a dilemma!

After three terrific and restful days (a total of nine in wonderful Vietnam),  we bid our adieu to the great staff with the promise of a return visit.  Next up, two stops in Cambodia.

Is it Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City?  Good question.  Much like when we were in India and Bombay was used more often than Mumbai, Saigon is used a lot.  It goes without saying it is easier to say and write.  The name change occurred in 1976 after the Reunification of the country.   Saigon was stop #2 in Vietnam after Hanoi during three weeks in Southeast Asia.

Our hotel for this stop is The Reverie.  The hubby astutely observed that “a lot of marble died in order to build this place.”  There is no way to amply describe it.  One could surmise that the term “over the top” was coined here, but somehow it is all in good taste.  Our digs on the 26th floor are referred to as “Residences.”  The stacking washer/dryer (with detergent!) in the “powder room” is a good hint.  I am doing my best to refrain from that task to keep the vacation vibe going.

The complex housing the hotel was seven years in the making from the ground up (36 floors), debuting in 2015.  We were fortunate to have stellar views of the Saigon River although the air quality made the word “view” relative.  Others have written about the contrasts between the more historic Hanoi vs. the modern Saigon, and I totally agree.  Saigon is a very cosmopolitan city.  We were told the business opportunities are greater in the south and it shows — upward mobility flows from Hanoi to Saigon to the U.S.

We booked the “do not miss” activities, which included a day-long tour of the Mekong Delta area, roughly two hours south of Saigon.  The Mekong River flows through six countries, beginning in China and ending in Vietnam — some 2,400 miles.  Our guide this day was a wonderful and knowledgeable man by the name of Thao.  He works daily as a guide until the off-season — May though October — when it’s just too hot and rainy.  During this time he sells life insurance.  Quite the contrasting careers!  As his large family’s youngest son, he is tasked with supporting his elderly parents, even though many of his siblings are in a better position to do so.  He shared with us his parents still live the village life, meaning no phone, computer, TV and have never been on an airplane.  Fascinating.

The first stop upon arriving in the area was a local market.  Thao assured us we were away from the general tourists and he was absolutely correct.  One of the best takeaways is not only do the locals welcome their photos taken, there’s no outstretched hand after doing so.  Meaning none of the “take my photo and then give me money” experienced in other countries.  Their hospitality is genuine and so appreciated.  Given the fastest path around the area is via scooter, we found ourselves on the back of bikes driven by two complete strangers, but vetted by the tour company.  As the saying goes, “when in …”  They were great and we felt perfectly safe.

Back in Saigon, we accepted the grand experience of High Tea at our hotel.  It was straight out of the movie Crazy Rich Asians.  Young girls dressed to the hilt, full hair and make-up, who order lots of food but eat none of it.  All the while, they are taking ENDLESS photos — mostly selfies.  It is really something to watch.   We ate, by the way, and enjoyed the experience.  The dining room is manned by a very tall Frenchman and the executive chef (a very talented Italian) who oversees a lot of moving parts including several restaurants within the hotel complex.  The Long @Times Square— so named because it spans the length of the building — had terrific pizza but no A/C.  It was not quite a deal-breaker, but close.  The thing I asked most on this particular trip, instead of “how much is that in dollars?” was “is there air conditioning?”  One just can’t get enough of it …

Anan was the site for an excellent dinner.  While just two years old, it is one of the top restaurants in Saigon.  Finding it was no easy feat as it’s located in the “wet market” — so called because it has historically been an area to shop for fresh seafood and the sidewalks are constantly being hosed down.  We prevailed after a few stops for directions finding a very small street.

The series of dishes were inventive and delicious and we managed to convey our order to the young servers, young ladies who looked about 12 years old.  Not only do they all look so young, they are some of the tiniest people ever — they must be shopping in the kid’s section.  One feels positively gigantic by comparison.

Before heading off to a bit of R&R at the beach, we toured the city for half a day and enjoyed a fireworks display from our room noting this long holiday “weekend” of five days around May 1.  Next up, Hoi An.

 

 

Hanoi (or Ha Noi), the capital city of Vietnam, was the first of our three stops in nine days following Taipei where this this spring journey began.  Hanoi’s landmark hotel is the Sofitel Legend Metropole, established in 1901.  The original building retains the era’s characteristics while the newer Opera Wing (where we stayed) has more modern rooms and architecture.  The hotel is walking distance to the Old Quarter of the city.  It is very safe to walk in Hanoi but one has to be mindful of the ubiquitous motorbikes!  Our first and lasting impression of this country is the how very friendly the people are.

We randomly picked a restaurant in the Old Quarter for dinner and it was just delicious.  Besides the terrific food, it was just $18 total for three courses and a bit of ice cream.  Welcome to Vietnam …

I had arranged in advance for a daylong tour to Ha Long Bay, a World Heritage Site, roughly 2 hours from Hanoi via a fairly new highway.  Many people do overnight trips to the area for a short getaway.  Once there, the endless stream of boats in the bay is evidence of the area’s popularity and status as a must-see destination.  Our guide Tien led us to our small charter with a staff of three for lunch and a few hours’ tour on the bay.  It turned out to be a perfect amount of time (for us).  Prior to the cruise, we were given a brief tour of a pearl farm and shown how the pearls are grown.  Not surprisingly, there was a big showroom right there!  Anyone who tours in this area of the world is accustomed to having a tutorial of some sort and then an “opportunity” to make purchases — whether it’s pearls, jade or even tea.  I passed this time but they had some very beautiful items and were quite willing to negotiate, with calculator in hand.

After a long day, we opted for a restaurant near the hotel with pretty good Italian food.  It rained a decent amount in the evening, providing some cooler temps for our city tour the next day.  By “cooler” I mean lower 90’s … No point in going into the heat and humidity; it’s a known fact but one goes with the flow as best as one can.  That’s the deal; otherwise it means missing many parts of the world where the weather is less than optimal when we travel in April/May. For that matter, it would mean forgoing much of Asia where there’s little variance at all in the course of a year.  It’s either hot or wet or both.

Our young (just 21) guide Nam met us the next morning for a half-day tour of Hanoi highlights:  Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo Prison (commonly referred by Americans as the infamous “Hanoi Hilton”), the “notorious black market” area — with store after store of bike and car parts, electronics and other items — and finally some of the famous street food for lunch.  The first thought was obviously the food isn’t being handled in a sanitary way — raw meat and poultry with no gloves as an example.  Nam told us that it is typical for locals to shop twice daily; thus the ingredients are cooked and consumed so quickly that refrigeration is not an issue.  In fact, we had the chance to go down one street where there were (still but not for long) live chickens, but I passed on that one.

Living conditions around these small streets are another reminder of how good so many of us have it at home.  The last stop was the famous Railroad Street, where folks live just feet from the tracks.  Trains go by six times a day.  It is pretty amazing.

Our big dinner was at the well-known Press Club, located across the street from The Metropole.  That was more of a splurge with fancy service and stemware, with obviously a steeper price.  The place was empty save for a couple of Brits and a large tour group.  Our fellow travelers provided some good tips and things we must see at our next stop.  Whether or not we follow suggestions, the input is always welcome — it’s interesting to hear how others traverse a given area.

 

Next up:  stop #2 in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon.

Taipei is a great example of advanced culture and modern civilization in Asia.  Was that so apparent in a two-day visit?  Yes, it was.  It is nearly as clean as Singapore — debris-free streets and no graffiti.  The airport is modern, the roads are very good and, if one needs a convenience store, there is a 7-Eleven on nearly every corner.  That is not an exaggeration as there are 5,000 stores in the country and possibly more as that number was achieved in 2014.  That’s a lot of convenience for a country of 23 million.  In 2018, they launched an unmanned X-store.  Some fun and fascinating facts about what’s popular in other countries.

Our excellent guide Felix showed us many of the city’s sites in half a day — including Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall with a ceremonial changing of the guard.  He is a towering figure in the country’s history, and considered selfless as he dedicated his life to fighting communism.  There are photos of him meeting pretty much every dignitary of the era — from LBJ to Churchill, George Marshall, Eisenhower and on.  There is a huge figure of him that looks very much like the Lincoln Memorial, which similarity is likely no coincidence.

Included in our tour was Longshan Temple, the Martyrs’ Shrine and the Grand Hotel which now looks very touristy but hosted many celebrities in years past.  Our last stop was Taipei 101, formerly the world’s tallest building at 101 floors.  We had lunch on the 85th floor which included both the view and delicious local cuisine.  There is a massive shopping mall attached to the building with all the usual suspects (brands), modern food court and entrance to the MRT (subway) but we opted for a cab.

A big treat was attending a home game of the Fubon Guardians baseball team.  The cheerleaders were quite the sight — they are called the Angels.  Get it?  Guardian Angels?   A little wordsmithing by the Taiwanese.  The stadium seats 10,000 (mostly empty), but the fans there were ardent followers who cheered along every half inning with the cheerleaders who dance during the Guardians’ entire at bat.  Apparently the home team doesn’t consider this a distraction!

I booked us on an early flight to Hanoi in order to not kill an entire day traveling.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.  Off we went around 5 a.m. for the relatively short but nonetheless international flight departing at 7:20.  Next stop:  the beginning of nine days in Vietnam.