Vietnamese Cooking Class

On our last day in Saigon, we had a few hours to kill while waiting for our late night flight back to Manila. We decided that since we loved every bit of food during our time in Vietnam, it would be great to learn how to cook some of it. Fortunately we found a cooking school that was just a few blocks away from the hotel.

We were the only two people taking the class that afternoon which was nice because we got all the attention from the chef instructor.

Our first creation:

Beef fillet salad with tamarind sauce (Goi bo tai me)

We also made:

Sour snakehead fish soup with vegetables (Canh chua ca loc)

Caramel snakehead fish in clay pot (Ca loc kho to)

The chef instructor prepared the following for us:

Steamed rice with ginger (Com hap gung)

Dessert: Sweet green bean soup with coconut milk (Che dau xanh)

At the end of the 4 hour course, we were given a certificate of completion and a recipe book. It was a great way to kill some time before we had to go to the airport. For more information, please visit:

http://www.vietnamese-cooking-class-saigon.com

Saigon Street Food Tour

On our first night in Saigon, we took a street food tour. Back of the Bike Tours is just as the title suggests; you are picked up from your hotel, and toured around Saigon on the back of a motorbike. The tour itself ran from about 6pm-10pm and the fee included all the food listed below, as well as bottomless drinks (including beers). It rained really hard during the middle part of the trip so I wasn't able to take pictures during this time. Here is a small sample of some of the things we ate.

Green Papaya Salad topped w/ Thai Basil, Dried Beef Liver, Toasted Peanuts and Prawn Crackers, Sauced w/ Chili Sauce and Light Fish Sauce

Tender Squid, Grilled Over Coals and Served w/ Salt, Pepper, and Lime Sauce

Ocean Crab Soup with Tapioca Noodles, Pork Rinds, Fried Fish Cake, and Green Chili Sauce

Tapioca Dumplings Filled w/ Pork, Ear Mushrooms, and Fried Shallots

Not pictured:

- Fresh Rice Paper Rolls Stuffed w/ Cooked Jicama, Sliced Chinese Sausage, Dried Shrimp and Fresh Lettuce, Served w/ Hoisin Sauce

- Crispy Rice Flour "Crepe," Stuffed w/ Shrimp, Pork and Bean Sprouts, Served w/ Fresh Lettuce and Sweet Fish Sauce

- Minced Beef Grilled in Aromatic Leaves, w/ Green Banana, Star Fruit and lettuce for wrapping. Served w/ Anchovy and Pineapple Sauce

- Durian w/ Milk

- Soursop Smoothies

- Young Coconut Jelly
- Vietnamese Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Our tour guides / drivers for the night.

Book this tour next time you are in Saigon, not only was the food amazing, the tour guides themselves made it all worthwhile. For more info visit:
http://backofthebiketours.com/

Sumilon Island, Cebu

Right outside Oslob, Cebu is a little Island Resort called Sumilon Island. Since diving with the whale sharks was over by 6:30am we decided to check it out. From our hotel in Tanawan, Oslob, it was about a 500 meter walk to the staging area to take the boat to Oslob.

Sumilon Island in the distance.

Just follow the signs down the little brick road.

After paying the fee for the day trip, we waiting for the boat to arrive.

The fee for the day trip was 1,500 php per person. It included the following:
- Roundtrip boat transfer
- Plated 3 course lunch
- Access to all resort activities (snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, etc)

- Free rental of snorkel gear

- Use of infinity pool

- Use of storage lockers
- Free towel
- Use of showers

After looking at the island map, we decided to start our morning with a hike around the island.

The hike was hardly a an easy stroll through the woods. Steep inclines and walking on jagged rocks would make it impossible to finish with flip flops, good thing we planned ahead and had adequate footwear.

Mia climbing to the top of the old lighthouse.

A view of the white sandbar.

The hike around the island took about one and a half hours, safe to safe we were ready for lunch after that.

An opening course of breaded chicken liver and a mushroom soup.

My main course of sweet and sour poached lapu lapu.

Mia's main course of pan fried cajun chicken with corn salsa.

Our 3rd course was mango cheesecake and pineapple puree.

After lunch it was time for a swim. We picked up our snorkel gear and jumped in.

Sumilon island is the first protected marine area in the Philippines (since 1974). Unlike other areas of the Philippines, the coral here is untouched, vibrant, and full of life. In just one foot of water you will already see an abundance of marine life. This alone is a good reason to visit Sumilon.

We thought about Kayaking, but after a long day of diving w/ whale sharks, hiking, and snorkeling, this was one activity we passed on.

We decided instead to swim and relax at the infinity pool facing Cebu Island. 

After showering, we killed some time playing games while waiting for the boat to take us back to Cebu. While we did not spend the night in Sumilon, there are some nice accommodations pictured below.

The resort has a number of cabin rooms, all with an ocean view.

For a more outdoors experience you can go "Glamping". Which is what they call their version of camping (Glamorous Camping = Glamping). Hardly what we would call "roughing-it"

Overall this was a good way to spend the day. For more information visit:

http://www.bluewatersumilon.com.ph/

Thailand Hopping

While in Phuket, we had to go island hopping. This particular tour was labeled "Phi Phi Island by Speedboat" on the website. We were picked up around 7:30am and made it back to the hotel a little before 5pm. Fortunately for us, the weather was perfect that day making the views of the Phi Phi islands even more spectacular with great visibility in the water. Unlike our adventure tour, the drive was only about 30 minutes, meaning our fun began much earlier. Upon arrival at the dock, there was a short wait while they tried to sell us on renting fins to protect your feet. A word to the wise, invest in water shoes.

Here are the speed boats used for this tour. Each one fits about 50 people, and they manage to make sure each seat is full. Not a great situation if you are squeezed next to an oiled up Euro.



Passing by Phi Phi islands beautiful limestone formations and clear blue waters.

First stop was Maya Bay, famous for being "the beach" in the movie The Beach.

The thing I remember most about the movie The Beach was the pristine sand and the hot French chick that Leo swoops up on. I don't remember there being so many empty suntan bottles and people taking selfies, maybe that was the sequel.

Back in the boat and away from the hoards of people at Maya Bay, we were able to pass by more of lovely Koh Phi Phi.

Next stop, Monkey Island. First rule on Monkey Island is NOT to touch the monkeys. First thing the Euros do... GRAB A F*CKIN MONKEY!

Next stop was snorkeling off the coast somewhere. I don't think we were in Phi Phi anymore, but I think we were still in Thailand.

This was the last picture I was able to take until I noticed that my band new waterproof camera wasn't so waterproof.

After snorkeling we were taken to another island for lunch. This particular island was Muslim and all the food Halal. The food was pretty unspectacular, but at least there was plenty of it. The bad part about this island was that there was no alcohol served, couldn't even find a store that sold any. After lunch we tried to kill time on one of the lounge chairs but a guard immediately told us there was a charge to sit there, so we just went back to the boat and waited there. 

There was one more stop which was supposed to be the "party" island. This whole island was just a big tourist trap, there was a charge to sit anywhere and the local beers were about $7 each (ridiculous for this region of the world). There was really nothing else to do on this island except spend money. Mia tried snorkeling but she said there wasn't anything in the water to see. Once again we decided to go back to the boat early.

Overall I wouldn't recommend this tour even though it was fairly priced. The islands themselves were beautiful but the trip was ruined by having to be surrounded by rude tourists throughout the day. I just couldn't get past their lack of respect for the rules, nature, and the people of Thailand. I'm sure there are other ways to see these lovely island, I just don't think this was it.