A Bustling Outdoor Wet Market in the Ancient Town of Hoi An @ Vietnam

The day had barely just break when I started my morning jog at Hoi An. The temperature was cooling and as I navigated through the empty roads, lanes and alleys; a hive of activity appeared and I slowed down my pace for a better look!

Turned out to be a bustling wet market! You know what I thought of at that moment of time? This would be suitable for my mom and elder sister, who always wake up very early and enjoy going through local wet markets when they are overseas.

It's honestly quite a surprising sight since this area was much in the centre of the ancient town, next to the river, and it contrasted with the streets I had been jogging on, that were pretty much devoid of much human activity 

Unlike Singapore, where raw meat had to be stored in fridges, it was an open-for-all concept here. Quite appalling to have the stuff chicken feet, with intact nails, pointing to the sky. 

Fresh chickens were also available! 

Seeing these baskets of prawns made me salivate; bet they would be delicious when boiled /  steamed! Lazy individuals would be happy to note that de-shelled raw prawns were also for sale. 

As you can see from the above photograph, touristy trinkets and local souvenir stalls were also open; to capture the curious tourists who visited this outdoor wet market that appeared to be for the locals. 

Enticement of the fresh fruits! As some of you are aware, I am a fruit lover but I am always afraid of being scammed when I am overseas; given my poor grasp of the local language. It would be slightly more helpful if the prices were clearly displayed...

Another thing I noticed from this outdoor wet market would be the amount of stuff that were displayed so close to the floor. Aside from the fact that the hawkers would have to crank their head up whenever there is a customer, I am more concerned with another issue.

Pollution; Motorcycles continued to weave along the road flanked with fresh produce, and it's not hard to see the exhaust pipes blowing out polluted air onto those raw vegetables, meats, fruits, flowers, and the hardworking hawkers! 

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Location

Literally outside Cho Hoi An

Along Đường Bạch Đằng. 

Click here for my 8 Days' Itinerary to Danang (The City of Bridges) & Hoi An (The City of Lanterns) in Vietnam

FeFe Roastery - Overlooking Ba Mu Temple @ Hoi An [Vietnam]

I mentioned previously that I offered to pay for drinks and snacks for Alex at a cafe that overlooked the iconic gates of Ba Mu temple and this was it; FeFe Roastery that commanded an almost perfect 4.90 on Google Map! 

Aside from alfresco and ground floor seating, my recommendation is to go up to the second level if you prefer a quieter environment to enjoy the relaxing vibe of the UNESCO city. Only problem; no air-conditioning.

Second level also gave you a better view of Ba Mu temple! 

Our orders, or you can say the bribery for Alex! We didn't want to order too much as lunch was a done deal two hours earlier and each of us also had a bahn mi just about 30 minutes ago. 

Avocado Smoothie - this was one thick smoothie that tasted marvelously sweet without being too sweet! God knows how many avocados were "juiced"! Only thing is that avocado doesn't quite quench the thirst and cool us down. 

Coffee with Condensed Milk - I needed the caffeine fix after lunch and what's better than the traditional Vietnamese drip coffee!? I was startled by the thick layer of condensed milk though as I usually go for siew dai (less sweet) in Singapore.

Since it was such a hot day, iced coffee would be very much welcome. Unlike Singapore, where iced coffee has a different pricing; hot or iced in FeFe Roastery had the same price! 

No doubt a strong dosage that perked up a relaxed soul that was supposed to be on holiday! Not that it mattered to me since I would have more energy for exploration. Not for Alex; who was dying to go back to the hotel, and sleep. 

Crispy Thick Fries - these gave me the potato wedges vibe which I don't really like but they were good; blessed with plenty of blended potato hidden in the thin, crisp skin sprinkled with herbs that set them apart from your typical, normal fries, they were also served piping hot! 

Loving the pinkish mayonnaise dip that was a great substitute for my usual must-have Kimball Thai chilli sauce! Do eat the thick fries while they are hot as the crispness soften with every passing minute.  

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Address

728 Đ. Hai Bà Trưng, Old Town, 

Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam

Map

As above. 

Website

https://www.facebook.com/feferoastery

Pricing

Avocado Smoothie - 85,000 dong 

Coffee with Condensed Milk - 55,000 dong

Crispy Thick Fries - 80,000 dong 

Click here for my 8 Days' Itinerary to Danang (The City of Bridges) & Hoi An (The City of Lanterns) in Vietnam

Ancient Gate of Ba Mu Temple in Hoi An [Vietnam]

In my limited research for Hoi An before I made the trip to Central Vietnam, I did chance upon numerous photographs for the above. As Alex isn't big on temples, I didn't even plan to check it out. 

Nevertheless, we still chanced upon the place after having our first bahn mi in Central Vietnam. It wasn't on purpose as our intention was just to ride through a shortcut that would eventually bring us back to La Charm Hoi An Hotel & Spa! 

Knowing Alex was hot and sweaty, I had to have a plan in order to keep him sane. There was a cafe (red arrow) overlooking the structure and the lotus pond; I suggested paying for drinks and snacks. 

Above was the photo of the temple taken from the second floor of the cafe, called Fefe RoasteryFefe Roastery, which was rated 4.9 on google map by over 90 reviewers. 

Coming back to the 'temple' - it was said to be a temple due to its origins a few hundred years ago and this particular iconic photograph shows only the gates of the temple, known as The Tam Quan gate, or three-entrance gate. 

I was intrigued by the design which showed what appeared to be fruits like the Buddha's hand citron, the oculus that seemed capable of capturing the first ray of sunrise, and the porcelain-laid decorations! 

Standing in front of the worn vermillion wooden doors, I had a thought; should I push open? Visitors to this area were 99% keen in taking photographs of the gate and no one appeared to want to see what lies beyond the doors. I am a curious cat.

Interesting; door knockers in the form of lions, and not dragons. That's quite unconventional given the ancient Chinese influences when it comes to religion and culture in Vietnam.

Here we go! 

Open sesame.

Hm..... the level of disappointment commensurates with the same level of excitement when I first saw the gates for the first time. There's literally nothing behind that resembles a temple! Beyond the metal fence was actually a school; literally the Nguyen Duy Hieu Secondary School.

So where's the temple? Is there one? 

Turned out we walked past the gates quite often in the next few days! This time round, I managed to get Alex to model for me. He did help take some photographs of me but pity, I am just not as visually attractive as he is. 

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Address

675 Đ. Hai Bà Trưng, Old Town, 

Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam

Map

As above.

Click here for my 8 Days' Itinerary to Danang (The City of Bridges) & Hoi An (The City of Lanterns) in Vietnam

Amazonian Jewels Zone @ Bird Paradise Mandai in Singapore

Given the lack of money and the fact that I am not into travelling long distance, I doubt I would ever explore Amazon in my life. The most I can do is to visit the Amazon Flooded Forest at River Wonders in SingaporeAmazon Flooded Forest at River Wonders in Singapore. 

Or check out the Amazonian Jewels Zone @ Bird Paradise Mandai! 

The mammoth thing that greeted us when we entered the zone was the above, which I am guessing to be a replica of a bottom half of a broken gigantic tree. Fact: the tallest tree in the Amazon rainforest is 88.5 meters tall.

This replica was hardly helpful as a shelter from the hot sun!

Let's do some bird watching instead. As the world's largest tropical rainforest, my expectation was high as it was said to have over 1,300 species.

Maybe my eyes were tired as I spotted only two! The South American pileated parrot and the Capuchinbird, latter looked like it would fit well as a prop during Halloween. 

Due to the simmering heat close to noon, we proceeded to the air-conditioned arena that separated the zones. Cooling aside, the somewhat interactive screen allowed us to touch a button to hear the call of the respective bird species. 

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Location

Amazonian Jewels Zone,

Bird Paradise Mandai, Singapore