Three big celebrations in the course of a couple of weeks, that's my usual start to the year.
I've just finished two hours of washing up, the leftovers (as well as a few cupcakes) of my birthday party, this year a mad hatters tea party. I'm delighted to say that there were some very impressive hats.
When I was living in the UK my preferred birthday celebration was a walk, then coming back from the cold to warm up with soup, bread and cheese and carrot cake. Here the climate is not suited to walking and my parties are more traditional.
As well as impressive hats, we supplied some impressive tea cocktails, in teapots, one made with earl grey and gin and a green tea mojito. I made cup cakes and scones using Mary Berry's recipe and felt as though I could be part of the great British bake off.
I'm always worried I'll feel homesick, so far away from home, at the times I am used to being with my family and old friends, particularly Christmas. Last year we went to one of the Romanesque brunches Singapore loves with free flow champagne and enormous amounts of food. It feels a bit like a race to see how much you can eat and drink in a short space of time. I'm sorry to say I drank far too much.
I think I preferred this year. We had a barbecue at our condo and were lucky enough to be joined by a very old friend from the UK, someone I've known since I was a teenager, and her boyfriend passing through Singapore on their way to Australia and some other friends. I bought enormous amounts of meat - lamb and lovely grass-fed beef and marinaded chicken. How far my days of vegetarianism are behind me.
It felt festive and as though we were marking the occasion, but so different to normal British Christmas that I didn't feel homesick as all.
A couple of days later we flew to Hanoi where we saw the new year in.
Hanoi is in the north of Vietnam and was the communist stronghold during the war. It still has the reputation of being more communist than the south. You can go and visit Uncle Ho, embalmed and displayed in a mausoleum just like Lenin. We got up early on New Year's day to queue and pay our respects, the first time I've started a new year like that. As you file through there are guards checking that you're behaving yourself. Not talking, not putting your hands in your pockets and certainly not wearing shorts or taking photos.
Hanoi is a tumble of crowded streets set around two lakes. There are lots of old buildings, left over from French colonialism and satisfying my appetite for old and crumbly. The classic Vietnamese building seems to be as tall and thin as it's possible to be on a tiny plot of land.
The old quarter, which dates back to the 11th century, was 36 streets and guilds selling 36 different products. It still seems to work the same way. One street is clearly bag selling street, another rope selling street, yet another material and scooter seat-covers street and so on.
The goods spill out from the shops onto the pavement in front. The pavement is just an extension of whatever tiny shop or cafe sits behind it. It's not really meant for walking on. This means you find yourself dodging the scooters that speed around the streets weaving in and out of cars and pedestrians. It's pavement Jim, but not as we know it.
And there are people everywhere. Always people sitting on tiny plastic stools usually doing nothing, waiting for a sale, a haggle, a coffee or a beer.
Hanoi is famous for it's beer, Bia Ha, freshly brewed daily, brought into the city each morning and then drunk throughout the day by the locals. It sits in big metal casks, is tapped out and drunk by the glass, accompanied by a saucer of boiled peanuts. It's very fresh and very good.
Halong Bay is a four hour drive from Hanoi. It's one of the places I'd been most looking forward to visiting in Asia, one of the new wonders of the world and a UNESCO heritage site. The more you see the more difficult it becomes to be impressed. I feel spoiled even writing this, but many wonders are a bit disappointing. Not so Halong Bay.
There is a photo, the classic calender photo, on the wall in every Vietnamese restaurant of Halong Bay. Six or eight of the huge standing stones, or islands, impressive and beautiful. I thought that was it. That view and maybe a few more islands on either side. In reality the islands stretch on for miles and miles throughout the bay.
We had booked quite a nice boat trip, two days and one night sailing through the bay. I'd splashed out a bit. The boat was a replica Chinese junk. We were one of about ten couples and ate all our meals together. The food was surprisingly good and we had fun chatting with the Australian's, Americans, Swedes and Swiss.
I have seriously limited the amount of photos I'm putting up, but believe me, there are a lot more.
So, that's me done for celebrating until next year. It's all dry bread and water while I try to get rid of the additional pounds I've gained. But I think it was worth it.
I've just finished two hours of washing up, the leftovers (as well as a few cupcakes) of my birthday party, this year a mad hatters tea party. I'm delighted to say that there were some very impressive hats.
When I was living in the UK my preferred birthday celebration was a walk, then coming back from the cold to warm up with soup, bread and cheese and carrot cake. Here the climate is not suited to walking and my parties are more traditional.
As well as impressive hats, we supplied some impressive tea cocktails, in teapots, one made with earl grey and gin and a green tea mojito. I made cup cakes and scones using Mary Berry's recipe and felt as though I could be part of the great British bake off.
I'm always worried I'll feel homesick, so far away from home, at the times I am used to being with my family and old friends, particularly Christmas. Last year we went to one of the Romanesque brunches Singapore loves with free flow champagne and enormous amounts of food. It feels a bit like a race to see how much you can eat and drink in a short space of time. I'm sorry to say I drank far too much.
I think I preferred this year. We had a barbecue at our condo and were lucky enough to be joined by a very old friend from the UK, someone I've known since I was a teenager, and her boyfriend passing through Singapore on their way to Australia and some other friends. I bought enormous amounts of meat - lamb and lovely grass-fed beef and marinaded chicken. How far my days of vegetarianism are behind me.
It felt festive and as though we were marking the occasion, but so different to normal British Christmas that I didn't feel homesick as all.
A couple of days later we flew to Hanoi where we saw the new year in.
Hanoi is in the north of Vietnam and was the communist stronghold during the war. It still has the reputation of being more communist than the south. You can go and visit Uncle Ho, embalmed and displayed in a mausoleum just like Lenin. We got up early on New Year's day to queue and pay our respects, the first time I've started a new year like that. As you file through there are guards checking that you're behaving yourself. Not talking, not putting your hands in your pockets and certainly not wearing shorts or taking photos.
Hanoi is a tumble of crowded streets set around two lakes. There are lots of old buildings, left over from French colonialism and satisfying my appetite for old and crumbly. The classic Vietnamese building seems to be as tall and thin as it's possible to be on a tiny plot of land.
The old quarter, which dates back to the 11th century, was 36 streets and guilds selling 36 different products. It still seems to work the same way. One street is clearly bag selling street, another rope selling street, yet another material and scooter seat-covers street and so on.
The goods spill out from the shops onto the pavement in front. The pavement is just an extension of whatever tiny shop or cafe sits behind it. It's not really meant for walking on. This means you find yourself dodging the scooters that speed around the streets weaving in and out of cars and pedestrians. It's pavement Jim, but not as we know it.
And there are people everywhere. Always people sitting on tiny plastic stools usually doing nothing, waiting for a sale, a haggle, a coffee or a beer.
Hanoi is famous for it's beer, Bia Ha, freshly brewed daily, brought into the city each morning and then drunk throughout the day by the locals. It sits in big metal casks, is tapped out and drunk by the glass, accompanied by a saucer of boiled peanuts. It's very fresh and very good.
Halong Bay is a four hour drive from Hanoi. It's one of the places I'd been most looking forward to visiting in Asia, one of the new wonders of the world and a UNESCO heritage site. The more you see the more difficult it becomes to be impressed. I feel spoiled even writing this, but many wonders are a bit disappointing. Not so Halong Bay.
There is a photo, the classic calender photo, on the wall in every Vietnamese restaurant of Halong Bay. Six or eight of the huge standing stones, or islands, impressive and beautiful. I thought that was it. That view and maybe a few more islands on either side. In reality the islands stretch on for miles and miles throughout the bay.
We had booked quite a nice boat trip, two days and one night sailing through the bay. I'd splashed out a bit. The boat was a replica Chinese junk. We were one of about ten couples and ate all our meals together. The food was surprisingly good and we had fun chatting with the Australian's, Americans, Swedes and Swiss.
I have seriously limited the amount of photos I'm putting up, but believe me, there are a lot more.
So, that's me done for celebrating until next year. It's all dry bread and water while I try to get rid of the additional pounds I've gained. But I think it was worth it.
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| Halong Bay |
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| The lake the old quarter overlooks |
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| Uncle Ho's mausoleum |
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