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?

L’INDOCHINE: RECUERDOS DE MI CASA (MEMORIES OF HOME)

I finally got the chance to drop by L’Indochine yesterday after reading about it in the papers last month and yes, I went home with a huge smile on my face.

(Photos from The Inspiration Seekers) 

Friends who have been following me on instagram @buddhabanana pretty much know that I’ve been busy fixing my pad after repainting the whole unit white, turning it into a perfect canvas for just about anything pretty from my newly hand painted antique rattan table in red to horses sourced all over from Ubud in Bali to the antique stores along Hollywood road in Hong Kong, W17 in La Fuerza to the streets of Bangkal in Makati.

Growing up in a house filled with well curated home accessories like the ivory blow pipe from Indonesia to wooden carvings and Buddha heads from Thailand, antique wooden oar from Tawi-Tawi to framed textiles by the Yakans of Basilan and Zamboanga and wooden Maranaw bauls from Marawi and even coral tombstones from the island of Sta. Cruz in Zamboanga – these exotic one-of-a- kind pieces my parents hand carried during their trips took a toll on me and damnit, I’m addicted!

(L’INDOCHINE’S Leona Laviña-Panutat (left) and Charlene Panutat-Carlos) 

“The opening of L’Indochine just brought heaven closer to Earth. It’s the perfect Doña store!” I candidly shared (hahaha) with L’Indochine’s Leona Laviña – Panutat. Everything in the store were expertly sourced from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar mixed with unique ethnic items from Thailand, the items in the store are sourced directly from local artisans and craftsmen — the hill tribes of Chiang Mai, artisans in the Mekong delta, weavers in Hanoi, craft villages in Vietnam. I drool!

I should really stop myself from spending too much unless I’m willing to crawl home naked and hungry – NOT! Hold on, I still have a Martha Stewart – Lilly Pulitzer themed party to go to tomorrow.