“Vietnam. It grabs you and doesn’t let you go. Once you love it, you love it forever.” Anthony Bourdain Things to do in Hanoi, Vietnam The French Old Quarters is the heart of Hanoi. It feels straight out of Arabian Nights, with old buildings, temples, pagodas, and markets. Most travelers stay here. It is close by popular destinations, such as the Temple of Literature, Hanoi opera house, National Museum of Vietnamese History, and many temples and pagodas. The best way to see this area is on foot with frequent stops for iced coffee, banh mi1, and bun cha2. 1 The Vietnamese version of a sandwich made with baguette filled with a mix of meats,…
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Awesome Two-Week Itinerary for Vietnam
I have always wanted to visit South East Asia, and when we finally planned a 2-week trip this year my husband immediately said: “Let’s do Vietnam.” Anthony Bourdain’s enticing depiction of Vietnamese cuisine drew him to the country. For me, it was a book, called Saigon which had been on our bookshelves since I could read. When I grew up, and finally read the book, it took me to a place both familiar and exotic. The maps were pulled up on our laptops and we started planning our journey. Vietnam is a thin narrow strip of land, like Kerala – so it made sense to do a cross-country trip. We chose…
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Benne Dosa at Gururaj Canteen, the Oldest Dosa Canteen In Davengere
On our way to Sirsi, on a hot summer afternoon in May, we stopped at Davengere, to sample the Benne Dosas which have made this tiny city so very famous on the Karnataka map. And of course, we wanted to have it at the most authentic place possible. After some scouting around in the busy city street, typical of small towns like this, with fruit vendors, flower sellers, goli soda carts, and small eateries, we gathered that the place to be at is GURURAJ CANTEEN. We walked around, avoided the larger shops with bigger boards until we found out this hole in the wall shop. It was in a small…
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Glimpses of Odisha Through Craft Conversations
A Different Kind of Raja & Eid Celebration Bhubaneswar is still waiting for a respite from the grueling heat. Monsoon has still not hit the city, this year. And the Raja festival fell during a hot and humid week. However, excited townsfolk beat the heat celebrating at restaurants, fairs, Ekamra Haat, and other event venues. three-day festival where young women take a break from household work to play games and enjoy some time off. A slightly different kind of celebration, coinciding with Raja and Eid, was the two days long Craft Conversation held on 16th and 17th June at Kala Bhumi – Odisha Crafts Museum. It introduced the city to…
