A last little look at the pretty fishing town of Fiscardo now between we head on with our Kefalonian jaunt.
I try to go for an Insta worthy pose – feel like rather a tool TBH! Not sure how people have the patience (or the lack of embarrassment) to get their significant others to take what appears to be 100s of posed pics . . .
I would much rather focus on one of my favourite things – painted walls and rusting shutter hinges!!
Horror of horrors – someone offers to take a photo of us both together – hence the rather pained expressions on both our faces (and the appearance of the ‘frilled lizard’ neck flesh)
A last saunter (or languid melt in my case) through the main harbour as we head onwards to our next destination.
There’s an architectural oddity in Hanoi that doesn’t seem to fit in with the local style – St. Joseph’s Cathedral (Vietnamese: Nhà thờ Lớn Hà Nội, Nhà thờ Chính tòa Thánh Giuse)
It’s a late 19th-century Gothic Revival that serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hanoi to nearly 4 million Catholics in the country.
If you look closely you can see a tiny man up a ladder cleaning!
Below are just some of the incredible stalls on every street. Lots of the streets are themed according to what they are selling.
Below are some of the DIY shops – the Vietnamese equivalent of ScrewFix!
The city has grown organically – but upwards not outwards. That’s due to the cost of land -when the cities started growing, the laws were that you’d only get charged on the length of the front facade of the dwelling.
As a result you’ll see lots of thin, narrow but very high buildings, usually at least three stories tall.
These are called tube houses. Because of high population density you find them in cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.
At the front of them you’ll find the whole of life being lived on the streets. Cooking, selling, arguing and chatting.
Whether it’s traditional food being cooked on teeny, tiny little stoves, to live crabs in buckets.
Heaps of fresh greens await a multitude of home cooks, while flower sellers hawk their wares on their rickety old bikes.
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And to finish it off, another of the fantastical, rainbow coloured lanterns.
Plus some cute little cooking moulds and tiny good luck charms.
Bac Ha is one of the most colorful ethnic markets of all Northwest Vietnam.
It is a fusion of the many different hill tribes that inhabit the Bac Ha mountain district and here you can easily distinguish them by their different colourful traditional clothing.
I was in seventh heaven surrounded by the colourful typical traditional costumes of local tribes including the Tay, the Dzay, the Red Dzao and the Black H’mong.
The market is set out in distinct areas, one for handicrafts, art and fabric, others for fresh vegetables, others for meat and fish.
Let’s take a wander to the visceral end of the market first shall we . . .
A stall holder singes the hairs off a leg of pork, she’s wielding that blow torch like a seasoned pro!
Whether it crawls, gallops, squirms or swims, it is probably to be found in this section of the market.
You don’t want to mess with this tiny but fierce lady!
As a lifelong vegetarian, I am always appalled, yet also strangely intrigued, by the bloodier aspects of other culture’s cuisine.
In the UK people have a very sanitised approach to the meat on their plate, they rarely see it butchered or make the connection between the live animal and the tasty end product.
Here however it is unavoidable, grisly and rather stomach turning!
Established in 1889, Dong Xuan Market is Hanoi’s largest indoor market and is crammed to the rafters with a bewildering array of goods from fresh produce, plastic hair accessories and makeup to electronics and household appliances.
Let’s explore just a small section of it below – the fabric floor!
Being the daughter of an immensely talented, fully qualified tailor did not, alas, imbue me with any noticeable sewing talents, but I do share my mum’s love of a good fabric!
And they don’t come any better than here . . . in this maze of tiny shops and endless expanses of coloured cloth – it’s tiring work, just check out the man below if you don’t believe me!
Every colour of the rainbow is here and every type of fabric, from tulle and satin to lace and cotton.
Whether it’s patterned or plain, embroidered, weaved or stitched, you’ll find something to oooh and ahhh over (if you’re a fabric nerd like me!)
It can be hard to find space to walk between the narrowly packed in stalls, so shop owners just crawl and climb over their vast stock.
So many choices! Another place I had to be literally dragged out of . .. but never fear, there’s LOTS more markets still to come 🙂
Finally after more than a decade I am finally back in the country that started it all – Vietnam!
Way back in 2008 I went on my first ever Asian adventure to Cambodia and South Vietnam and I have always wanted to come back and explore the north of the country.
And finally here I am! Husband in tow we have landed in Hanoi, the bustling Northern city that will act as our base for exploring this beautiful country.
Sri Mariamman Temple dates back to 1827 and is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore.
Beneath the imposing gopura are huge wooden doors. Their massive size is quite deliberate, designed to remind the worshippers of their insignificance in comparison to the divine.
Devotees believe that ringing the bells on the doors will bring good luck.
It’s located in Chinatown and is dedicated to the goddess Mariamman, known for her power to cure illnesses and diseases.
Two nearby streets got their names because of this temple: Temple Street (for obvious reasons) and Pagoda Street, because of the shape of the temple’s gopura.
Now a national monument, much of the present structure is believed to have been built in 1862-1863 by Indian craftsmen.
Highly ornate and colourful ceiling paints abound in the temple. Each one is an eye-catching delight.
One of my favourite things to do in a new city is just to mooch around and soak up the sights.
In Singapore’s Little India district you are besieged by sights, sounds, smells and colours.
From gorgeous floral garlands for use in temples, weddings and special occasions to piles of fresh, mouth watering produce.
My favourite exotic fruit – the rambutan – is to be found piled high with its prickly little exterior hiding a small, white fruit.
As well as fruit and flowers you can rifle through endless lovely handicrafts from embroidered umbrellas to wooden carvings – fancy a tiger dear . . .?
Even now my mouth waters at the endless selection of fruit juices on offer here.
From honey lemon to sugarcane juice, papaya to lychee, there’s a colourful option for everyone!
Finally before we head off I spot a bucket full of stunning lotus blossoms.
These sculptural blossoms can often be found gracing temples as offerings to deities.
The Lotus flower is regarded in many different cultures, especially in eastern religions, as a symbol of purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration and rebirth.
Its characteristics are a perfect analogy for the human condition – even when its roots are in the dirtiest waters, the Lotus produces the most beautiful flower.
If like me you’re reduced to a snap happy frenzy at the sight of some colourful wall art then you’ll be in seventh heaven in Singapore.
We stumbled across these spectacular examples in Little India and naturally I had to spend a while taking some snaps!
These joy filled images are Kathaka by Didier Mathieu aka Jaba – the name is a reference to a type of Indian dance.
You can find them at 68 Serangoon Road, at the junction with Upper Dickson Road
And just across the road is a mural by Eunice Lim called Book-a-Meeting for Artwalk Little India 2018 which is an extension of the 30-year old Siyamala bookstore it is connected to.
I enjoy the cheeky cow seemingly taking a look at the sombre hubby!!!
I’m so far behind with my travel blog that I’m only just starting on the first trip of 2019!!
As it was a ‘big’ birthday year I got to chose where we headed for our long haul adventure – and it just had to be back to Vietnam. The place that set off my love affair with Asia way back in 2008.
We also decided to stop over in Singapore for a few days too. So let’s dive headfirst into these amazing places.
We stayed in the lovely Summer View hotel that was ideally placed to explore this hectic city.
There’s lots of fascinating districts in Singapore including Arab street and the colourful Little India district which is where I dragged the hubby first!
From multi-coloured shutter and incredible street art, to buildings so candy coloured that you want to nibble them, this area is amazing to just wander round and soak up the sights.
The incredible House of Tan Teng Niah is one such incredible rainbow hued sight.
The house was built in 1900 and belonged to Tan Teng Niah, a Chinese merchant who made sweets and sold them in stores along nearby Serangoon Road.
Gorgeous isn’t it! You can find this little gem by taking the MRT to Little India Station, taking exit E and following the snap happy tourists 🙂
Every wall and building is a colour clashing dream – even the toilet below is a pastel coloured delight!
