Short Stay in Yangon

Myanmar is definitely one of the Asian destinations that travellers really wanted to go. Since it’s opening to the world, many travellers have great statements about the country, good or bad, it’s still the place to be. Apparently every traveller needs a visa to enter the country even for me who’s coming from the same Southeast Asian nation. But that did not deprive us from going there.

It was a short trip from a busy work so we only went to Yangon in Myanmar. Apparently afraid of getting templed out too being the country as the land of golden pagodas. But then hopefully i could go Mandalay or Bagan soon when I got the chance again.

Anyhow we started our city walks from the hotel to the downtown Yangon where the City Hall is located just across the Sule Pagoda

On that area also we can see the Independence Monument, the Hall Of Justice Building and some old buildings in Burmese architecture. Most of the time we head to one place through a taxi where we can pay either in kyat their local currency or US dollars. It’s good that we had a great weather during our stay. That means the main tourist attraction in Yangon which is Shwedagon Pagoda is lighted in its golden glory. It’s definitely a sight to behold.

Undoubtedly the biggest golden stupa i’ve seen, way bigger than Bangkok’s temples, Shwedagon Pagoda complex is huge that one can be mesmerized and how people pay respect to the shrine. The ticket to the Shwedagon Pagoda that day can still be used as ticket for night photo opportunities so better keep those tickets.

For Burmese food, we really appreciated our lunch and dinner at Feel Myanmar restaurant. It’s quite costly but the experience was really great.

Aside from Feel Myanmar, we also experienced to eat Shan Noodles on the streets and their version of Chicken Biryani Rice. The Yangon trip was one of the most memorable even if it was a short stay.

Another Food Trip in Hanoi

Vietnam as always is more of a food trip and this time see the northern part of the country. I have been to Ho Chi Minh City some few years ago but it was a short stay as we were primarily enroute to Siem Reap. But it was an introduction to Vietnamese cuisine as we were able to experience famous food like pho, banh mi, spring rolls and the like.

On this trip we went to Hanoi as base for our Ha Long Bay trip so we stayed in a hotel just around the city’s Old Quarter. In our stay we noticed the Facebook website’s blocked the whole time but apparently can only be accessed through iPhone.

We visited Ha Long Bay, one of the 7 new wonders of nature. It was fun that the weather also cooperated.

Well most of the time in Hanoi, we always found ourselves eating either along the streets or in a restaurant as suggested by travel books. Yes it’s on the streets of Vietnam that we can find the best Vietnamese food. Undoubtedly one of the best and at least i tried the authentic.

Since it was occupied by France before, the streets of Hanoi are also filled with cafes and Vietnamese coffee is good. Vietnam has one of the best cafe culture in the world so we joined the locals and had iced coffee along the street. I will surely go back to Vietnam, it’s one of the best food destinations we had in this planet.

Archipelago Tour in Stockholm

In our stay in Stockholm, our colleagues hosted  a dinner for us. It’s a different dinner as we boarded a steam boat for an archipelago tour. Stockholm is composed of islands and islets and ferries are available as a means of transport. So from our office in Kista, we went to Stockholm metro locally known as Stockholm tunnelbana straight to Kungsträdgården station to board Storskär boat for the tour. It was a 2-3 hour tour to the islets of Stockholm so dinner was also served. s/s Storskär is the Archipelago’s fastest steamboat which aside from the tour, it also serves passengers to and from Stockholm suburbs including Vaxholm.

The classic steamboat menu served includes ship herring inlaid with cheese and crispbread for the first course. It was my first time to taste herring and its almost the same taste as mackerel. It’s food that they did not serve the fermented one

For the second course, steamboat steak served traditionally with fried onions and potatoes. This meal was very heavy as lots of potatoes were spread under the steak.

Vanilla ice cream with fresh seasonal berries. Of course dinner is not complete without Swedish beer and schnapps. Swedes always wants to have a good time so are we.

It was so far one of the best experiences in Stockholm to explore the city. Food is undoubtedly good and with a great company, you cannot really ask for more.

Stockholm: The Capital of Scandinavia

Stockholm: The Capital of Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a region in northern Europe that comprises of Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden. Stockholm is the biggest city in Sweden and undoubtedly the most cosmopolitan among the capital cities in the region. From Linkoping in the Ostergotland region we traveled by train via SJ trains which also connects to Stockholm Arlanda airport and to down south to Copenhagen in Denmark. It was a two-hour trip and we arrived at Stockholm Central station where you can connect to Stockholm metro. Other alternative route is 3 hour bus ride from Linkoping via www.swebusexpress.com

From train station we went right away to the Stochholm royal garden, locally known as Djurgården.  You can see how beautiful the city is from the island. It was good that the sun was shining brightly, perfect for spring weather so every Swedes that time are out doing some outdoor activities. Famous attractions in Djurgården area include the Vasa Museum, Nordic Museum and the open museum Skansen. We visited the Vasa Museum as it’s the most famous. These tourist spots are interconnected by a tram as well.

Vasa Museum is where the famous Vasa warship stands. Relics and artifacts about the Vasa ship are stored in the museum. Brief history on the Vasa ship, it sank after sailing within 2kms on her maiden voyage. It’s actually a small museum that generally occupied by the Vasa ship. We skipped Skansen and Nordic Museum as were rushing to meet colleagues in Gamla Stan area. Stockholm Old Town or popularly known as Gamla Stan is an area in the city. Stockholm is composed of thousands of islets interconnected with bridges. It was lovely design for a city that’s why Stockholm is one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world.

Gamla Stan is also where the Swedish Royal Palace is located. Also in the are are other government, arts buildings, theaters and other architectural landmarks in Scandinavia. Stockholm trip will not be complete without the archipelago tour. It’s a tour by a steamboat with dinner and drinks. It was a great experience looking at the city from the sea. One of the best views, the archipelago tour also includes a visit to several islands near the capital.  Not to mention food was one of the best dinners I’ve got in Sweden. The package includes tour and food which includes herring with cheese, crisp bread, steamboat steak, with fried onions and potatoes and choice of beer or schnapps

It was only a 3-day stay in Stockholm including work day so no time to really explore the numerous museums and attractions in the city. Stockholm is also the H&M hub where every block has a branch. Hope to explore more of Stockholm. Definitely a lovely city and the capital of Scandinavia.

Pampanga Food Trip

Aside from the annual Hot Air Balloon festival being held in Clark, Pampanga is also a destination for food tripping. The province of Pampanga is located 1.5 hours drive north of Manila. The province is also where the Clark International Airport is located where it offers more international flights now mainly for Cebu Pacific and Air Asia. So travellers and food enthusiasts can always visit Pampanga at least for a day trip.

Aling Lucing’s restaurant in Angeles City is a must-visit because of the sizzling sisig. Sizzling sisig, is a Filipino dish made from parts of pig’s head and liver, chopped, minced, marinated and seasoned with chilli peppers and calamansi and it all originated in this restaurant.

A few minutes drive down south to San Fernando, we reached a place for dessert. We went to visit what was recommended by some Filipino food bloggers which is Halo Halo ni Corazon. Thanks to Google map for finding the location of the restaurant. Apparently, the halo halo is way cheaper and better than other more famous Pampanga Halo Halo brands. This is not too sweet with banana, beans, pastillas sweets and corn as ingredients.

On the way back to Manila, we checked out food stores for Kapampangan sweets including Mochi which is a sticky rice cake with monggo beans paste as filling. It comes with coconut milk sauce to taste it better. Now i’m craving again while i write this post. There are still lots of food to try in Pampanga. Will check it out again next time.