The Message

The Message

Asia » Vietnam » Northeast » Quang Ninh » Halong Bay
October 22nd 2016

Published: September 30th 2017

Geo: 20.9063, 107.082For nearly two weeks, Vietnam has been trying to deliver me a message, one of such profundity, that it is rivaled only by the depth of the Vietnamese culinary repertoire. I paid no attention to the early murmurs that started in HCMC, but they didn't stop, growing louder and louder as the days passed, until they could no longer be ignored. Vietnam's pleas had been muf... Read Full Entry

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Busy Port ...

... the number of ships turning around new passengers every day is astonishing - the tour operators have gotten it down to a science.

Like Cattle ...

... waiting for the next group of passengers to arrive, so we can switch places and take their buses back to Hanoi.

Obligatory Surveys ...

... Vietnamese tour operators are big on having guests complete surveys, always jokingly pressure you into giving an excellent score. This particular form was funny, because of the leading nature of the tick boxes conveniently placed in the "excellent" row. Hmmmm ....

Surprisingly-Good Food ...

... we expected little of the food aboard the Flamingo - a touristy boat in one of Vietnam's most touristy destinations? It's bound to be crap! Or so we thought ... this seafood soup was stellar, and was reminiscent of a Chinese crab meat fish maw soup. Rick, thick, chock full of seafood, and a great start to lunch - almost as good as the sup cua we had at that street stall in Dalat.

Fresh Salad Roll ...

... even better than the taste, was the presentation.

Green Mango Salad w/ Shrimp

Fried Basa w/ Passion Fruit Sauce ...

... a bit of a fusion dish - served with sauteed vegetables and rice. We were surprised at the amount of effort put into the aesthetics of the food on board.

Asian Pear, Watermelon, and a Smooth Creme Caramel

Stiff Cocktails During Happy Hour ...

... a mango margarita and a mojito - the mojito was pretty good, but the margarita tasted like pure alcohol. We quickly switched to beer.

Dinner Started w/ Pumpkin Soup ...

... didn't seem like a true Vietnamese dish, but good, nonetheless.

Lotus Salad

Steamed Shrimp

Braised Chicken w/ Vegetables and Rice ...

... while dinner was decent, lunch was superior.

Creme Brulee w/ Caramelized Pineapple

Simple Breakfast ...

... fruit, toast, and a very plain pain au chocolat.

Great Omelet ...

... the chef's skill was undeniable, when you can make something as simple as an omelet so delicious. What made it even more impressive was how he could churn out such great meals in the boat's tiny galley.

Decent Bowl of Soup ...

... it must be difficult to make a good broth in the ship's tiny galley, but they managed to do so. We were sad to be leaving behind all this excellent food, and savoured every last bit of our final lunch on board.

Squid Cake Fritter ...

... super tasty! Too bad the boiled vegetables were so plain, and the sticky rice was kind of hard.

Another Fruit Platter ...

.... but this time, they added some dragon fruit, which was tasteless, as always ...

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