Mingalaba Myanmar

Day 186 - Tuesday 13th December 11.08pm

We're in Myanmar! After many many years I've now got a chance to visit this intriguing country and I'm feeling very excited about the next two weeks. I'm so excited I just want to write down every detail that invaded my senses today, but I've also travelled from Chiang Mai after an unexpected night of rum and two hours sleep, so I'm not sure I have the brain power or eyelid control for all that this evening - the definition of delirious right now. In a nutshell though, I had no idea what to expect, but so far it's wowed me and given me the nervously excited passion and inspiration to travel and explore around this new territory, to learn about the people and way of life and to experience as much as a I can whilst I've got the privilege to be here. But first, sleep!

 

Day 187 - Wednesday 14th December 2.46pm

Mingalaba from Myanmar!

Feeling slightly more refreshed today we have set off to the streets of Yangon, through the fruit vendors with wicker baskets lining the path, Jade jewellery and handicrafts of the bustling Bogyoke Market, Sri Kali Hindu temple flocked by a thousand pigeons, drinking a fresh coconut in the colourful narrow alleys of Chinatown and a quick lassi at the top of the Sakura tower for a panoramic view of the city. From there you could see the Shwedagon Paya, one of Buddhisms most sacred sites, standing tall, proud and golden in the sunlight.

We've found a shaded spot under the trees by Kandawgyi Lake to read and relax, enjoying the Lily pads and fountain in the warm sunshine, so I've got a moment to reflect on my first experience of Myanmar. 

 

The first things I noticed were the number of monks in public spaces, the sardine packed buses and the colourful clothing of the local people. Males of all ages wear a longyi (sarong), similar to Sri Lankan style, but surprisingly even the younger generation wear it too. Ladies wear a traditional fitted top and long skirt which remind me of Bali or the traditional dress you see in Thailand. Thanakha is a natural sun screen used by most women in Myanmar as a strange yellow cheek makeup, ground from the fragrant Thanakha wood on a wet stone slab, for preventing sun damage and acne.  Another thing I noticed is that Yangon is all cars, buses and taxis; there's no mopeds and tuk tuks around here as you would expect (although apparently the controversial Government has something to do with that). The air here is very warm without the sweaty humidity, and finally we have some warm evenings too!

 

To me Yangon has been an exciting infusion of Sri Lanka and Thailand - an intriguing mix of an Indian and Eastern influence, and I find myself smiling constantly as we take in the ambience and actors of daily Yangon life. Everyone we have encountered has been so friendly too; people will chat to you in the street for the pure reason to ask where you're from, recommend a place or wish us Merry Christmas! Oh and of course a regular random selfie. Last night we took a stroll to Sule Pagoda and grabbed some street food on the way (a brilliant samosa and some chickpea Rotti and Sri Lankan waddi style thing), when we were given apples by a chatty old man, proud to be speaking about his country. When I offered mine to the young receptionist at our hostel she seemed over the moon with excitement!

As we were planning our walking route for today we got chatting to two English and Deutsch guys who had both been in Myanmar a couple of weeks, offering some great tips for getting around. It makes such a difference when you're a naive novice in a place like this.

Reading about the history and culture of Myanmar like in Lonely Planet really helps you to understand and appreciate a place in a different way too, it makes me excited to get out there and soak it all up for myself! At the moment I'm really appreciating these books, I've just begun reading 'Unlikely Destinations' too, which is the story of how Lonely Planet was born and blossomed by the two naive travellers who set off to cross Europe Asia and Australia, ending their journey with only 27 cents. Already their story has been fascinating, amusing and an inspiration to really get stuck in and travel this crazy wonderful world that we're all part of.

 

6.22pm

Sitting in the non-stop Yangon traffic after our visit to the impressive reclining Buddha statue at Chaukhatgyi Paya and sunset at Shwedagon Paya. The latter is a huge gold Buddhist pagoda, enshrining the eight hair relics of Lord Buddha brought back to Yangon by two merchant brothers Tapussa and Bhallika over 2600 years ago when they visited Prince Siddhartha in India when he had just attained Buddhahood. For those who have no clue what I'm talking about, it was a gift from the Lord Buddha and his relics are enshrined in pagodas/stupas/dagobas across South Asia. The King of Okkalapa built the original pagoda and successive monarchs have rebuilt it until it's current height of 326 feet, decorated with 3,154 gold bells and 79,569 diamonds. Just a tad fancy then! It is pretty impressive, especially lit up at night after the sun blazed orange and the sky faded to a dusty pink across the city below us.

 

8.28pm

We've found a dodgy looking place for dinner and surprisingly enjoyed a sweet and sour chicken and beer. Let's hope our stomachs are stronger now!

Day 189 - Friday 16th December 3.56pm

We've made it to Inle!

Yesterday we had our last stroll around Yangon, discovering the most amazing samosas with a dragon fruit dessert in the pretty Mahabandoola Park, enjoying the warm sunshine and view of Sule Pagoda. We set off for our apparently 2.5 hour journey to the bus station as recommended, giving ourselves an extra half hour too just in case, actually arriving only 45 minutes later with over two hours waiting in a hot cramped room. Oh well! Enough to take in Burmese life as we drifted past then a few hours to catch up on my blogs.

We were also told our overnight bus to Inle Lake would only take 8 hours, timing us to arrive at 2am (which we thought was a bizarre schedule), but as each minute passed 2 o'clock, we thought surely it should be soon? Before we knew it, it was 5.30am when we finally pulled in. Brilliant. Luckily our hostel is amazing and offered us complementary beds to snooze until check in, complete with fluffy pillow and duvet (yet again it's freezing at night here). I would recommend this place to anyone - called Song of Travel if you're coming by this way!

We grabbed some free bikes from the hostel and took a little cycle around town, stopping now for our first proper meal in over 24 hours. Curry curry curry come at me.

6.04pm

Watching the final dust of colour fade from the sky atop the hostel rooftop; the sunset was beautiful silhouetting the western mountains and singeing the clouds fluorescent orange. The stars are slowly emerging above too, lead by Venus shining bright over the sunset horizon.

Day 190 - Saturday 17th December 1.37pm

Wow. Mountains on the horizon, dragon fruit growing at my feet, and the beautiful vast lake in between. The sky is bright blue, my papaya smoothie tastes delicious and the only sounds are birds chirping in the breeze. I think Inle Lake has just glided to the top.

This morning we fuelled ourselves with secretly seasoned potato wedges, smashed banana and egg on toast, then grabbed our bikes and headed on our path around Inle. The north of the lake is headed by marshland and paddy fields, with bamboo stilt villages somehow living on top. We passed dusty motorbikes carrying families or stacked with their farm goods, wooden shacks selling baskets of chilli and old school tractors steering the single front wheel by a long rod. Our first glimpses into true Shan life.

 

On our way we noticed an old steep staircase at the side of the road, probably leading up to a hill temple. After a very unfit climb, the view from the pagoda glimpsed the top corner of the lake and the stilt villages that line it, as well as the fields and farms stretched out to the mountains opposite. 

The lake is pretty huge so it would take us days to cycle around the whole thing, so we took the common route across to the other side on a wooden longboat. This has definitely been the highlight for me so far, even after Megan somehow fell into the muddy marsh off her stationary bike. The man kindly took carried her bike across the dodgiest bamboo bridges to a water tank dribbling into the lake beside their bamboo stilt houses. This kind of raw living in nature fascinates me, these peoples lives are literally in a simple wooden box hovering above the edge of the lake. I could see corn drying inside the house to the right and two cute snorting pigs literally pigging out on their lunch in the shack next to it. A small boy was paddling under another house, balanced on the end of the tiny old wooden canoe like it was nothing. Can you imagine going to your mates house and grabbing your paddle and casually propelling your way there from the lake under your front door? Crazy. I wanna try it!

 

The boat ride itself was just as magnificent, gliding down the water alley past the village, decorated with a colourful washing line on each balcony. Little kids love to wave shouting Mingalaba as you pass and the locals would be pottering around in their own canoes. As we left the marshland we were taken aback by the sudden beauty as the lake opened out. I don't think any words or pictures will do it justice, but it's simply pure serene beauty. The water is calm and reaches out for miles around the mountains, skimmed with playful birds and dotted with floating flora. We were sat in little wooden armchairs single file along the low canoe, bikes ahead and our driver at the back. The sun was shining and everything felt pretty good. Let's hope no one loses their balance again out here!

 

Back on land we passed multiple monks on motorcycles, zooming by in their saffron robes, and rumbling trucks packed with boxes and bundles, with two Burmese boys bobbing away on the roof. Asian health and safety at its finest.

We've stopped for a break at Bamboo Hut just off the main track, which is set in a pretty garden with the dragon fruit plantation and papaya trees lining the cafe. They even give you a cute little bamboo mug of Shan tea to make the whole experience extra delicious.

4.19pm

I could see myself staying here for a while - it really is stunning. I love being amongst authentic local life too, it gives you a completely different understanding to your days and an interesting perspective of life. (Alright Miss Hippie). Would even like to maybe try out the Forest Monastry retreat one day up on the mountain, who knows what will happen. But for now I'm going to make the most of my hostel rooftop, Shan tea and sugar crackers, then a hot shower before wrapping up in my duvet. Time for a nap!

Day 191 - Sunday 18th December 9.10pm

We've got a 5am start for our sunrise boat trip tomorrow so I'm already tucked up in bed, full of the most delicious Myanmar beef curry and beer. Today we had the laziest day slouching on bamboo chairs on the rooftop, enjoying the sun and our books, as last night we had a 'wild night' for Myanmar - beers and cocktails accompanying our hostel Family Dinner night, chatting to fellow backpackers from Germany, Chicago and Canada until the early hours of the morning. The food was an absolute delight - Shan green tea leaf salad (my new favourite), fried corn with egg, beef and potato curry and stir fry vegetables. I'm starting to love Burmese food!

Sawasdeeka: Bangkok and Beyond

Day 180 - Wednesday 7th December 12.30pm

Sadly it's my last day with Mum and Stu, but today my new little nephew has been born!

 

It wasn't until they piled their cases into the taxi that I had the sudden realisation that I've got to say goodbye yet again, for another seven months. It doesn't really get any easier.

 

I've really enjoyed my time in Bangkok, the first day we spent exploring the local streets, cooling off in the pool and spent the evening at Khao San road for great food and far too much market shopping.

 

On Monday we got the local taxi boat for a trip along the river, past the magnificent Wat Arun to the Grand Palace, where the masses had come to mourn and celebrate the Kings birthday. Wat Po gleamed as beautiful as ever, holding the 46m long sihasaiyas Lord Buddha as he reaches Nirvana. I think this is one of my favourite temples I have ever visited. As part of the temple they have the Thai Traditional Medical and Massage School, where I treated myself and Mum to a well deserved foot massage. That evening we had a slightly disappointing visit to Patpong night market, I had high expectations after everything you hear about the famous rowdy road, although you need to be in the mood and maybe give it a few more hours into the night.

 

 

 

 

Yesterday was nice and relaxing at the rooftop pool in the hazy sunshine, before exploring the ancient junk boat temple at Wat Yannawa and a lovely evening celebrating in style at the Sirocco sky bar (that one from the Hangover) with my favourites and a rather pricey Hangovertini.

 

 

 

 

Now the backpacking begins, away from luxury and into the world of cold trickling showers, broken fans and snoring room mates. Why travel half way round the world to feel comfortably at home?!

 

Day 181 - Thursday 8th December 10.17am

Swinging away in my hammock with a view of mountains, rivers and laid back hill country life. Welcome to Pai.

 

It's been a long, bumpy and windy journey here, seventeen hours after leaving the luxuries of our Bangkok hotel. It started with our first Thai overnight bus experience (the trains were all fully booked for the long weekend of course), which turned out to be surprisingly comfortable. We had top deck front row cinematic seats too, full panoramic view with extra leg room and a cosy blanket. Even got some sugar-pumped snacks to accompany us on the 9 hour drive to Chiang Mai. After dozing on and off we arrived to the central bus station at 5am, being told the Pai ticket office doesn't open for another hour. I spotted the safe haven of a 7/11 for an early morning Milo, then the heavenly Golden Arches appeared above the rooftops and lured me in for a very enjoyable sausage and egg McMuffin... Oops.

Another three hours later, with stomachs churning on the 762 curves up the mountains, we arrived to the sleepy town of Pai. The air is crisp and refreshing (aka I wish it was a bit warmer) and the scenery is a really beautiful backdrop behind the cosy row of cafes and hippy shops. I'm excited to have a wonder around, but right now I'm enjoying my mug of tea and my eyes are drifting off for a snooze...

Day 184 - Sunday 11th December 1.56pm

The sun is shining, the rivers are glistening and the mountains are beautiful. Our time in Pai has been an absolute delight, I can see why so many end up staying here forever.

On our first day we had a dreamy nap  up in our treehouse at Up2U Guesthouse; mattresses and mozzy nets on a bamboo shelf above a dorm room. The whole hostel is wooden and open, truly connecting you with nature! Although surprisingly in four days I've only seen a handful of flies and spiders anywhere, after preparing for a nightly bug attack. I've actually quite enjoyed it.

 

Later on we set out to explore 'Walking Street' - the one stretch of road bordered by cute little stores and cafes. They have a daily night bazaar of street food and handmade Pai goods, which kept us occupied for hours, stopping at a small local restaurant for our £1 mussaman curry (which we even shared for extra value).

 

The next morning I woke up early and nestled myself out on the river veranda, snuggled with my blanket in the hammock for the most enchanting sunrise. As the light grew, the eerie mist over the mountains began to lift, making way for a really beautiful show, clouds burnt orange and sun blazing as it crept over the hilltop. Freezing cold but wearing the biggest grin, I was pretty happy I got up so early.

 

 

 

That morning we cycled and climbed up to Wat Phra That Mae Yen, the temple on the hill, and perched under the huge White Buddha statue for the awesome views over Pai and beyond. Time to nap in the sunshine by the river and cool off with a refreshing paddle. We took a motorbike up to Pai Canyon to join the small pack of tourists snapping the sunset, over the bizarre ridges of giant rock wall and tall teak trees.

In the evening we cycled back to the night market for endless quantities of every street food imaginable and more, our diet is going gooooood... The day time is sizzling hot under the sun, but the night time gets incredibly nippy, so I resorted to buying a hand woven cotton shawl as an essential to keep me cosy. I bet this is gonna come in handy!

Yesterday gave us a misty mountain morning, hiding the sunrise and warmth. We shivered our way to our early morning cooking class, learning about the ingredients at the local market then getting to work creating our own Thai dishes. I chose pad thai gai, penang curry including the paste from scratch, papaya salad with crab and a spicy tom yum prawn soup; the latter two I had always wanted to try.

 

They were all surprisingly simple and quick to make, tasting bloody brilliant if I do say so myself! Feeling very full and happy with our creations, we took another break by the river joined this time by a cow, who liked to stare moo very loudly and choose the grass too close to where I was sitting. Can't say I felt fully relaxed there but at least it was a vegetarian. We ended the day with more street food, shopping and beers with live music, new pals and good vibes.

There's a lot more to explore in Pai, temples and waterfalls and hot springs, and some sort of happy herbal grass people seem to smoke...  We have just brushed the surface on our sweeping visit. It's a lot easier to explore around by motorbike, but we're still not buying into it (yes we are just too scared), instead we've been perfectly happy wandering around, reading and enjoying the view. They say you find love in Pai; time to open your heart and your mind and appreciate the nature, life and people around you. Yup, it's a truly hippy vibe! It's definitely a place I would return to, maybe on that 'One Day' trip when I actually have unlimited time to travel and live. One day.

 

Day 185 - Monday 12th December 8.18am

We are about to venture 44km into the jungle to fly through trees, whizz down a 1000m zipline rollercoaster and generally scare the poo out of ourselves. My eyes are heavy this morning but I'm sure that'll change when I'm about to throw myself off a cliff. Adrenaline is pumping!

Our long windy journey back to Chiang Mai yesterday was decorated with the beautiful mountain landscape and sunset. The scenery very much reminds me of our motorbike trip across the Vietnamese jungle, a stone's throw from the Laos border.

 

We are staying at Spicy Thai hostel for a couple of nights, which feels like a big family home with comfy seats and a friendly communal atmosphere.  After we'd checked in and found our feet we explored the bustling markets Chiang Mai has to offer. The Sunday Market was a tad too chaotic and full of the same factory junk you see everywhere, so we stretched our legs for the long walk to the regular Night Bazaar, which is what I remember from my previous trip to this city. We were enraptured by the beautifully creative skill of the local artists, creating such realistic pieces with simple tools and mediums such as charcoal, line drawings and paint dotting. So enraptured that we couldn't help but support the local artists, in particular a sweet elder gentlemen who had sadly lost an arm but painted the most incredible elephants. He had one impressive masterpiece of an elephant family, in such fine detail using dotting and a rainbow of colours, which I vowed to buy if I'm ever rich one day! My favourite was the detail of an elephants eye, with every deep wrinkle and shadow dotted in with effortless perfection. The man said the painting was for happiness, so the kind soul said he would gift it to me for any price I could afford. Extremely tempted but restricted by my backpack and budget I had to reluctantly decline. I hope I'll be back one day.

 

 

Tạm Biệt Việt Nam

Day 167 - Thursday 24th November 3.21pm

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

Celebrating for the first time today with a turkey cranberry and stuffing sandwich (with a dunking pot of gravy of course) and pumpkin pie. I am definitely thankful for food! Family, friends and food, thank you for that. Never did gravy taste so good.

 

This week we stocked up at the supermarket and recreated the Ayurvedic curries from our cooking lesson. I've got to say, pretty damn good. They're gonna be on my regular list when I settle down again I think! We also treated ourselves to my favourite dish of Mango Curry at the Hanoi Social Club and that did not disappoint either.

 

But obviously the best food to indulge on is the local cuisine, so we were thrilled when Hoai and Linh (colleagues from my Friday school) offered to take us out for some Phô Cuon and Vietnamese coffee. This soon became our favourite dish and we had a great evening with them learning about everything Vietnamese and making them giggle at random snippets of our mundane lives back in England.

Day 174 - Thursday 1st December 7.24pm

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... Whilst everyone sends snaps of their freezing car thermometers back home I'm sitting cosy in a cafe in Hanoi writing Christmas cards over my turkey stuffing cranberry and gravy sandwich (yes that is the second one since Thanksgiving but it's just too good) and a massive slab of the most delicious chocolate cake I've had in the world, with Christmas songs floating along in the background. It's December 1st already!

This also means that tomorrow is sadly our last day living in Hanoi. We've had a busy week cramming in all those "yeah let's do that one day"'s and trying all the street delights we come across (obviously the majority of our Hanoi Bucket List revolves around food).

One of our favourite street treats was when we randomly stumbled across Bánh Cuon, peering curiously into the cooking pot when a French Vietnamese guy offered to help and translate. Best decision ever - little steamed rice pods stuffed with pork and mushroom and all sorts, with a chilli dipping sauce. Another lady was also frying something that had intrigued us for weeks, which turned out to be banana fritters and some weird battered potato things, needless to say the banana ones went down a treat. 

 

Our other local favourite was a stall down the road with Bánh Xeo & Nem Lui; the first is rice pancakes fried with prawns beansprouts etc, wrapped up in rice paper with herbs and dipped into a light chilli sauce, the latter is minced meat barbecued on a lemongrass stick. We've invited Hoai and Linh out again for more Phô Cuốn (and other dishes I couldn't name) and packed in as many home cooked stir fries as we can.

 

For the rest of our final few days we've walked down to the lake for a coconut cone when the sunset looked good, continued counteracting the food with jogging to yoga and the occasional pilates and even attended a slightly odd but relaxing meditation session. Who knew squeezing out the gooey aloe leaf flesh could make such a great foot treatment too?

 

I've tried to visit Phuc Tue as much as I can too to spend time with my old students before I say goodbye once more. It's been fantastic to see them all again all grown up and I hope this won't be the last time too, especially for the beautiful Anh and my lovely teacher Nhien.

 

One thing I wanted to tick off the list living here was playing badminton in the Botanical Gardens (a must do in Hanoi!) and walk to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum at night time, to see the building lit up in its full glory. I'd driven past so many times and thought it looked beautiful at night, but it only took us three months to actually pay a visit.

 

My love of tea has grown too, I really enjoy a dainty little cup of iced Vietnamese tea and my favourite finds so far have been kumquat tea with watermelon and peach tea with passion fruit. Surprisingly Megan and I have also jumped on the beer bandwagon, making the most of the freshly brewed barrels of Bia Hoi that are cheap as chips (well cheaper than water in fact). Last week we enjoyed an evening making friends over beers, boogying and burritos, the latter was highly recommended to any passer by so I think I deserve a tip.

 

This morning I had my last yoga class and health-filled smoothie, and my instructor Thuy very kindly gave me a mini session of simple techniques to continue on my travels and to strengthen my dodgy back, my favourite being a head stand using just two chairs and a wall, head hanging in limbo. Let's see how that one goes!

We have had some free time to plan our next steps into Asia too, over egg coffees and avocado smoothies. After spending some time with my Mum and Stu in Bangkok next week, we'll be choo-chooing to the North to explore Chiang Mai and Pai, before jetting to Myanmar for Christmas. It's going to be pretty strange without the frosty mornings and mince pies, but I am excited to celebrate my time abroad in a new way! Then the plan is head to South Thailand to see in the New Year, spend a few weeks island hopping then casually fly to the Philippines to top it all off... I've worked hard for this I promise!

Day 177 - Sunday 4th December 12.14pm

After six long months of Asian life, I'm  reunited with my beautiful Mum and Stu under the Bangkok blue skies for a few days. After a manic flight and long delays they got to our rooftop hotel and it felt great to have a big mummy hug again. I'm very lucky to have such supportive family and friends around me joining me on my life overseas!

 

Packing and early airport buses have provided us with minimal sleep this week so it's now time to sweat, swim and sunbathe with my favourites.

Friday was our last day in Hanoi, packing up our flat, squishing everything into our rucksacks and not quite sure how to feel about everything. We had one last Bùn cha, my favourite Vietnamese dish (vermicelli rice noodles with mini burgers and bacon in a delicious broth), said another round of goodbyes at Phuc tue and my last lesson with my lovely fun students at Educap. To celebrate we found the little rooftop gem of Trill Cafe for a mojito and surprise dinner watching sunset over the city, getting something completely different to what we ordered!

 

 

 

 

Saturday presented us with a 5am start, unable to keep my eyes open, and the long journey to Bangkok begins. Twelve weeks in Vietnam complete, it has been an absolute pleasure, now it's time to settle into Thai life again. Sawasdeekaaaa.

 

Balancing a Life of Yoga and Desserts

Day 157 - Monday 14th November 11.42am

The sun's out! It's not quite 33* bliss again, but a million miles away from the woolly jumper weather last week, which made me want to eat non stop and find a big blanket!

Last week we discovered Zenith, a local yoga centre not too far from our flat, so I decided to treat myself with my birthday money to a membership for our final weeks. I have just had my third Hatha yoga class and am really, really enjoying it - I've wanted to practice regularly for far too long, but not had the option or opportunity since I left university. The teacher and entire class is very relaxed and non-judgemental, going through each pose slowly and carefully to ensure everyone benefits to their fullest potential. I've done classes before where you can barely keep up with the instructor bending into impossible positions and having no idea how to get there, so it was perfect to begin with full support. We use more equipment like chairs, belts and blankets too, as well as scary looking ropes on the wall to hang off (this is my favourite part!).

 

The community at Zenith is very chilled and friendly, which has helped me to feel at home here. Their cafe has tonnes of healthy food and smoothies that I can't help but give in to, I think I need a healthy physical and mental detox anyway to balance all the stress and desserts! (Talking of desserts - our last great finds were a whole tray of rocky road at Chops and a bread pudding with bacon... So yum). They hold lots of cool events regularly at Zenith too, so we took advantage of their Ayurvedic cooking class and bike ride by the river. 

 

I found the cooking lesson really interesting, it's not related to Vietnamese cuisine but Ayurveda is the holistic yogic healing system originated thousands of years ago in India. Depending on your predominant Dosha, you can learn to balance your mind, body and spirit for optimal health. This system is still used widely in the Eastern world, which I witnessed a lot in Sri Lanka. Dosha's are three energies derived from the five elements (air, space, water, fire and earth) describing physical, emotional and mental characteristics, of which each person is unique. We learnt about what foods are good for certain people and how to incorporate that into your everyday cooking. So for instance if your predominant Dosha is Vata (air and space = cold and dry), you should base your diet on more warm, nourishing foods like sweet potatoes, hot soup and cinnamon. There's so much detail I could talk about, but if you're interested there's tonnes to read online about it! Try http://goop.com/ayurveda-how-to-eat-for-your-dosha/

 

Our teacher was a Canadian guy originally from India, so he had grown up with the Ayurvedic philosophy guiding his medicine, diet and balancing his overall health. We used the most simple natural ingredients like ginger, garlic, turmeric and coriander to form the base of surprisingly flavour-filled dishes and healthy pure cooking, nothing fancy or ridiculous. One dish he showed us was literally onion, peppers and freshly ground peanut powder which he made by roasting and crushing the peanuts earlier that day. Fry those three simple ingredients together, slowly, and you get the most delicious invigorating taste and crunchy texture. He gave us lots of little Ayurvedic lifestyle tips too to keep our health in balance, such as eat the heavier foods in your meal first (like our dhaal lentil curry) as they take longer to digest and avoid water for an hour before and after eating. Definitely learnt a lot and can't wait to try it all out!

 

The bike ride was the following morning - it's amazing what beauty lies five steps outside the city... Apparently endless crops and farmland, anyone who's been to Hanoi will probably think where the hell was that hiding? There's a huge area by the river where all other evidence of the chaotic city is hidden and you can enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. The ride ended with a fantastic three course meal altogether back at Zenith; chunky vegetable soup, baked rice and chocolate brownie. Feeling good!

 

We spent yesterday how a Sunday should be spent. Productive but relaxed, ticking off chores and washing and shopping before enjoying Netflix and a home cooked dinner with coconut ice cream.

Day 158 - Tues 15th November 9.52pm

Today I refound my love of phô when we ventured into the Old Quarter before work. Fresh light herby goodness! Accompanied by two Californian guys giving light on the recent election of Trump and how the world is going to pan out for us all very soon. Trip to Canada anyone?

Day 159 - Wednesday 16th November 3.55pm

A morning of jogging, yoga and pilates, chickpea curry and cacao shake, laying in the park in the sunshine, organising our Myanmar visa and a good old frozen Kit Kat Chunky.

 

Day 160 - Thursday 17th November 2.22pm

Now it's back to 33* bliss, this weather seems more confused than an English summer!

Sitting on a bench by the lake, enjoying my pork and pate Bánh Mi in the sunshine, all I need now is a coconut ice cream to top it all off. Today has been beautifully and actively tranquil; after my tropical fruit breakfast I actually enjoyed a jog to my Hatha yoga class, rejuvenated after by a fresh coconut with aloe and mint (yes Aloe - seriously try it!) before my aromatherapy massage at a local centre that trains partially sighted and disadvantaged youths as masseuses. Since my new daily yoga sessions I ached in every corner of my body! What a great morning eh? Now time to prepare for a headache with two hours of my noisy non-stop class of 12 year olds. I knew the peacefulness couldn't last too long!

Day 164 - Monday 21st November 2.05pm

Morning Yoga and Pilates done, green smoothie devoured, time to enjoy the last day of sunshine before the Hanoian frost comes! Which means laying with my book on the one patch of grass that seems acceptable in this city.

We've had a pretty packed weekend, trying out the Hanoian cinema experience on Friday to see Fantastic Beasts (loved it) complete with an Lotteria burger before class after class after class that evening. On Saturday we went for a burrito brunch after yoga then to a special market at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, generously making far too many beautiful handmade purchases from the Northern minority tribes, then an evening of great food at the Hanoi Social Club.

 

Sunday was spent meandering through the Hanoi Green Market, where we stocked up on dirt cheap Vietnamese local veg and mysterious fruits that looked minging but tasted divine. Then something that should not be legal on a Sunday - covering a rowdy kindergarten class for two hours with absolutely no preparation. Dinner could only be one thing - a street food takeaway delight in front of the TV.