Candied Lotus Seeds from Ô Mai Hồng Lam @ Hanoi [Vietnam]

Remember the sugar coated lotus seeds that I was so obsessed with when I was at Sen Spa in Hanoi? I couldn't resist, and asked the manager on duty where I could get them! 

The name "Ô Mai Hồng Lam" popped out and when I searched for it on Google Map, I realized I did walk past, and even step in, when we were at the Hanoi Weekend Night Market on Day Four.

Tourists would love this place as their food souvenirs were nicely packaged, making them desirable as gifts for family and friends back home. Do note that with nice packaging comes with a cost. 

I showed the staff member a picture of the sugar coated lotus seeds and was brought over to this section. Honestly, I wouldn't know these contained the candied lotus seeds if I didn't take a closer look at the words "sugared preserved lotus seeds". Anyway, pricing at 100,000 dong (about S$5.50).

Some of you would recall I had this Kudzu starch drink at The Corner Food Eatery beside Bonsella Hotel. You can get the powder from this souvenir shop too! Problem is that it was a large bottle! 

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Address

11 Hàng Đường, Hàng Đào, 

Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội 110303, Vietnam

Map

As above.

Click here for my Week-Long Itinerary to Hanoi - City of Lakes, Ninh Binh and Halong Bay @ Vietnam

Noi Bai International Airport Terminal 2 - Departure Hall @ Hanoi in Vietnam

Arrival at Noi Bai International Airport Terminal 2 for our flight back to Singapore! The seven days in Hanoi have been fun and to be frank, I don't mind returning in the near future! 

Joining the queue for checking in to the airline. We have been too pampered in Singapore as I eschewed physical check-in, preferring the speedier self check-in that's quite common at Changi International Airport. 

Your last chance to grab Vietnamese souvenirs before going into the restricted area. As expected, prices were high although it didn't stop me from grabbing more items in case I didn't have sufficient for distribution to my family and friends back in Singapore.

Departure hall at Noi Bai International Airport Terminal 2 actually didn't have that many branded outlets although we had yet to reach the main thoroughfare of the 996-meter long terminal which opened in 2012.

You wouldn't get lost here as it's just one entire stretch up and down with shops on one side and the gates on the other. Given the length, I can easily have a 2.4-kilometer jog even though I bet the security would stop me. 

A small airplane themed playground for kids. 

Free pure drinking water; for someone who doesn't take sugary drinks nowadays, this was a godsend as mineral water is usually priced quite ridiculously in the airports. 

Lunch beckoned and it's hard to decide what to have. Something familiar, like Starbucks, or bear the risk by having expensive local cuisine that I should already have my fill in the past week.

Familiarity won and we had Burger King! I couldn't remember how much was the meal since Alex made the decision; I did enjoy my fried chicken though. 

After a great meal, walking would be a great way to aid in digestion and it's time to check out the rest of the shops along the almost one-kilometer stretch.

Only thing is that the things sold in every shop were almost all the same! I wonder if they were all from the same boss, just having different company name and interior design. 

I am not big on display souvenirs but snacks would be something that caught my eye. Should I get more of the cashew nuts with skin, or Vietnamese addictive lotus seeds?

When you search for food souvenirs to buy in Hanoi, you would come across Marou, a chocolate brand said to be "The Vietnam's Finest Artisan Chocolate". For the past seven days, I had been keeping a look out for it but never did find it for sale.

p.s. there were in fact quite a few outlets, one of which was near Bonsella Hotel. Guess I must have been blind! Nevertheless, I shall keep a lookout for it in my upcoming trip to Danang! 

Reason for keeping a lookout at Danang? Aside from the expected higher prices in the airport, the currency used within the departure hall was also in US dollars! This small bar already cost US$7! 

Time to board soon! 

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Click here for my Week-Long Itinerary to Hanoi - City of Lakes, Ninh Binh and Halong Bay @ Vietnam

DIY Tea Tree Oil Insect Repellent @ Hua Lu Flower Home in Taiwan

Another advantage for taking the tour package route is that you are forced to take part in activities you would usually avoid; for example, if not for this Taiwan package, I doubt I would ever sign up for a class on making our very own Tea Tree Oil Insect Repellent! 

After going through an informative outdoor session on plants and herbs, we were brought into an indoor setting where ingredients were tidily placed and apportioned for each of us. 

There were empty bottles, spray caps, alcohol, plain water and two plants that I assumed to be tea tree leaves and fir. Another important ingredient was a small bottle of essential oil that's shared among the 19 of us! 

First step, roll up the tea leave and drop it into the empty bottle.   

Pluck the tiny branches from the fir, stuff them into the bottle and then fill up with the alcohol until you reach the 90% mark. Some agaration would be expected although the trainer would advise it's somewhere near the first marking on top of the bottle.

Add 10 drops of the eucalyptus essential oil. 

I am a stickler for following instructions; nothing more, nothing less. 

Fill up the brim, with water!

Done! You can't use it as an insect repellent at this moment; there's a need to wait for around a week. If you can't resist, its current state can only be used as a hand sanitizer, which I presume was the result of the high alcohol content.

Dad with his finished product. Since this was hands-on, I presume he would remember this activity. But apparently, he forgot about it when he returned to Singapore! 

Group photo!

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Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers

Xoi Banh Mi Kim Huong near Hoan Kiem Lake @ Hanoi [Vietnam]

Xoi Banh Mi Kim Huong was less than a hundred meters walk from Bonsella Hotel and with a perfect rating of 5.0 on Google Map, I decided to buy one banh mi, to try out, right before we were to leave for the airport! 

Main menu was in Vietnamese but step closer to the counter and you would find an English one; darn, the most expensive banh mi was priced at just 30,000 dong! That's like less than S$1.70.

I was glad I went at the right timing as the line started building up right after I ordered! It might appear I was quite relaxed but the truth was I was rushing for time, and I didn't know how long the lady boss will take to make my bread! 

Thankfully, she was quite quick.

In less than six minutes, I got my completed grilled pork bread right in this paper bag! From the feel of the bread, I got an inkling that the banh mi would lose out on the crispiness factor. 

Lightly toasted, the tomato sauce and mayonnaise made all the difference as the grilled pork wasn't strongly marinated and seasoned, and I felt it was disappointing that there weren't any pickled vegetables, an ingredient necessary to make this Vietnamese dish authentic. 

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Address

28 P. Báo Khánh, Hàng Trống, 

Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam

Map

As above. 

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Grilled Pork Bread - 30,000 Dong

Click here for my Week-Long Itinerary to Hanoi - City of Lakes, Ninh Binh and Halong Bay @ Vietnam