INDOCHINE AND BOWL OF PHO

After a few days back at work from Panglao, I decided to take 6 days off, maximizing my last few days at work before moving to my new office.

Beautiful Halong bay at dusk, before heading back to Hanoi

Vietnamese countryside - Ninh Binh, Hoi An and Hoan Kiem lake at three in the afternoon

 

Rewind: my sister Anika and I decided to take the last flight out to Hanoi and spent the last few days of summer, despite the humidity, biking along the Vietnamese countryside in Ninh Binh and Hoi An, and braved the weekend market, covering Hang Dao, Hang Ngang, Hang Duong and Hang Giay, with my face pressed into some stranger’s not-so-fresh armpit, in search for that perfect silk fabric, paintings and traditional water puppets for our living room. Yes, anything for treasure – dare me! Hahaha!

 

Afternoons were spent along the shady path surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake, a cup of cold sorbet at Fanny's, an artsy French-owned ice cream parlour serving upmarket ice-cream and sunsets at Le Metropole.

Charming and dreamy, there was no excuse for us to dress like usual tourists in cargo shorts and awful souvenir tees. Instead, we both opted for linen long sleeved shirts, seersucker shorts, guayaberas, cotton dresses, my trusty Panama hat, Nantucket red trousers and a pair of vintage huaraches.


Lunch at Green Tangerine and yes, that's my sister, Anika

 

We’re definitely flying back soon!

Fast forward: Here I am, getting my ass busy again before I fly out to Hong Kong for the weekend. Now, what to pack?