I wasn't so much into alcohol about ten years ago until a 'bad' influence came into my life, and she brought me to indulge in red wine, beer, martinis etc. One of the most memorable would be the topic for today.
Located on the side of Singapore's world famous shopping belt, Orchard Road, is a pretty sounding area known as Emerald Hill that's a former enclave to "many members of the wealthy Peranakan community".
If you are sick of the shopping centers after shopping centers, it's worth your while to just step into the 500-meter long Emerald Hill (that's the name of a road, not an actual hill) and soak in the setting of being surrounded by pre-war buildings.
My objective of this particular day was to check one of those buildings; which has been converted into a cocktail bar with an unexciting name; No.5 Emerald Hill, simply because that's the address.
Look at how the operator managed to maintain that old school feel that somewhat brought you back to the raw pre-war era with concrete flooring, exquisite finial, although the cool air-conditioning would remind you that we are in the modern era.
A lot of heritage items on display but I didn't quite notice them previously as it was dark and the whole place was packed! My visit this time was a lull Monday evening and the crowd only descended close to about 9.00pm.
Main bar counter, with red lanterns hanging from the ceiling of the stairwell, it's kind of cool but I bet it would be super eerie when customers have left the place! Any former staff member has any ghost stories to share?
Scan the QR code for the menu; ordering would still need a human touch then. p.s. there's a mind boggling amount of cocktails to choose from! More than 50 and not counting the seasonal ones.
Popcorn Glorious Martini - a popcorn lover can't resist this! Comprising of Jack Daniel's Honey and Eola Aloe, it was a sweet tasting cocktail with bursts of popcorn aroma coming from the popcorn itself. Pity the popcorns went soft pretty fast in the liquor.
Cheers to our first drink for the day!
Soju Martini - with five flavors to choose from, we opted for autumn hayan which was jinro grapefruit with absolut elux. We super love this! It was like ice blended fruit juice although not as sour as I expected from grapefruit. Soju can be so deceiving, as I actually find the drink thirst quenching!
Chicken Wings - prawn paste chicken can be found in many tze char stalls in Singapore, but this would be one of the top three! With a strong prawn paste flavor, these came piping hot with an addictiveness that almost made me order another full serving! A must order!
Selfie time! I actually know when I am a bit high on alcohol, my eyes will get swollen although I don't really get the Asian flush. And I will keep yawning.
I actually grabbed a pint of draft beer at No 5 but it didn't stop me from having a half pint of Yebisu draft afterwards at 313 Somerset. Not exactly a lot of alcohol although it did knock me out after I got home. Lousy drinker, I am.
I am a literal person; it was mentioned on the ninh binh day-trip itinerary that we would be visiting Mua Cave and caves were all I was expecting, until I arrived at the destination. Cave or not, I bet the hilltops would be more attractive!
Stores at the entrance where you can rent traditional attire for better photo-taking against the breathtaking backdrop. Well, with an allocated 70 minutes at Mua Cave, we wouldn't have time for sure.
Banner was dated almost a year ago!
Entrance to buy tickets. Ours were covered in the day tour but it wasn't expensive; adults would pay 100,000 dong and kids below one meter in height get in for free.
Gated entrance ahead of us. Timing was 10.30 am and I noticed from some youtubers that you can get in from 7.00 am where the crowd would be much thinner as tours usually stream in slightly later, many of whom would come in from Hanoi, about a two-hour journey.
I can't differentiate between lotus and water lilies! Presumably, this should be lotus flower since lotus is the national flower of Vietnam and there were some representations of it at Mua Cave.
A straight passage all the way in!
A comfortable walk with Vietnamese lanterns lining the street; it also helped that the temperature was pretty cool. Guess it would be a different experience if the weather was as hot as Singapore. p.s. coincidentally temperature soared in Vietnam a few weeks after my return in April.
There's an attached accommodation wing within the attraction called Mua Caves Ecolodge (Hang Mua) where you can spend a night or two. It might be the best option if you decide to catch the sunrise and sunset at the hilltops.
Statues of galloping horses; quite funny expressions though; the two in front appeared startled whereas the rest at the back didn't know what to do. The brown one in front had a fracture foreleg too.
One very important to do before we ascend the over 500 steps to the hilltops.
Release as much fluid as possible, from the bladder!
Beautiful sights along the short path towards the washrooms. Those who read pugilistic novels from authors like Louis Cha, would be able to imagine that some of the scenes in the books would have felt right in place here.
Open landscape on our right with boardwalk.
Sadly, I didn't have time to check it out.
Random photos, including incorporating structures to trees.
So much better than to cut them down.
Mushroom structures; guess they were there just to make the space more vibrant and justify for entrance fees. Well, at least the operator attempts.
A familiar sight; main characters from Journey to the West, one of four Chinese classical novels. Guess most, if not all, Chinese would know where they are.
Finally at the foot of the lying dragon mountain! I presume the dragon is laying down and not fibbing; English can be so confusing even for a country that converses officially in English.
A discolored dragon statue that doubled up as a handrail; not sure if anyone would hold on to it for support as it appeared more decorative than functional.
Before starting your climb, note the warning notice! It's incredulous that we need the operator to have this warning when it's plain common sense not to "climb out of the retaining wall". Well, plenty of daredevils who would do anything to get viewership.
It didn't take long for us to get to the first challenge; the narrow steps!
Those with large feet would have to go to the other side where the steps were wider; bottlenecks occur when it's a two-way traffic and both had large feet individuals.
High steps at times too.
Good things we were surrounded by natural terrain filled with fresh air! As mentioned previously, the climate played an important part and I think summer would have been a killer even for Singaporeans.
A swimming pool; likely for those staying over at Mua Caves Ecolodge. My primary concern, however, would be whether the pool would have creepy crawlies like snakes taking a dip.
Visitors in traditional attire having a field of the day! I don't remember ever doing such things even though it's quite common amongst tourists in Japan, South Korea and China.
View towards where we came in from.
Stone lion guarding the stairs; more like a gargoyle, exception it didn't come with wings. p.s. we were not even halfway up the mountain.
More steps to go.
A petrified eagle that was about to take off. Despite the height, I bet some adventurous ones would stand up and attempt to have a photograph with the eagle. I may be adventurous but not at this age, and not with my fear for height.
About to reach the crossroads where we had to make a decision; whether to check out the hilltop on the right, or on the left. Former was said to be a shorter, yet more perilous journey.
Simple pulley system up the mountain; if only it can carry humans although it wouldn't have make economical sense as the mountain was only about 88 meters tall.
Another warning sign; I do understand such needs to protect the operator from lawsuits as there are just too many unreasonable people around, with no common sense.
Taking on the perilous summit first; for more photographs, please check out the separate posting here. If you don't have the luxury of time, I would suggest skipping this. The coolest thing for this viewpoint was the opportunity to waive the Vietnamese flag.
Embarking the other summit, said to be much easier. Halfway up and we were about the same height as the perilous summit, as seen from the above photograph. For more photographs of this segment, visit the post here.
Showing you the scenery as I doubt you would be interested in photographs of more steps to climb. Anyway, the passage was wider and the steps weren't as narrow; hence, a smoother climb easy even for my 70 year old father.
Best spot for photo-taking; it's like a painting! Ninh Binh is actually known as the land version of Halong Bay, and in the context of China, it's like the Wanfeng Forest Scenic Area in Guizhou province.
The summit, another great spot for photos although not for everyone as the short way up was crowded and more dangerous since the only protection was the chain barrier which didn't look secure.
I did manage to find another way which required a bit of climbing but I wouldn't recommend to people who didn't have good upper body strength. And even then, my rational mind told me I shouldn't go any further given my clumsiness.
Video for your viewing pleasure. Honestly, it was thrilling as I was all alone; I had the tendency to spend to much time on taking pictures, and would ask them not to wait for me.
As I made my way down the mountain, I sprained my ankle! The pain, as always, was excruciating but experience told me to give it a few minutes of rest before restarting my journey. Having said that, I was somewhat hobbling down the steps, and had to be mindful to keep my balance; failing which I would literally roll down!
Some would lament this as ugly but I thought it's a nice way to inculcate ownership, so long it doesn't compromise on safety and approval has been granted by the operator.
Coming to the dangerous turn; where the steps narrowed on the left side. Gratefully, it was a one-way traffic when I was there. Nevertheless, I took it slow and steady, almost bumming down the steps.
At the foot of the mountain was actually the cave, which I wonder is the Mua Cave, although the name clearly tiger cave, with a statue of the tiger which was being honored. Curious me decided to check it out, even though one foot was still in pain.
Just a well; kind of eerie and since the place was quite desolate; I guess I shouldn't venture any further. Personally, I have never been a fan of cave exploration, especially after watching a movie called The Descent.
My friends were indulging in instant noodles while waiting for Lock and me! After the "workout", it felt extremely satisfying to slurp down the noodles and soup!
I enhanced the satisfaction with ice cream!
Biding our goodbyes to Mua Cave. The time was too short for me to fully immerse myself in the attraction and I sure hope I would be back again soon, maybe with my parents who would enjoy the scenery and cool temperature.
