Eating Food in the Countryside of Vietnam

On March 4, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Food, Vietnam4 Comments

We took a couple of day tours outside of Hanoi that included a local lunch, which is a great way to eat simple meals that are traditional to the region. Obviously, you can get wonderful local food in the city, especially street food in Hanoi, but eating in the countryside can give you a completely different experience. The variety of food that we were able to try was almost overwhelming, especially during our tour of Perfume Pagoda where we basically had a banquet meal.

Almost every meal that we had in Vietnam had fruit of some sort, but bananas were often eaten as dessert. Beef, pork, chicken, and fish were all represented, but we also had goat stew and an egg omelette dish as well. It is typical in Vietnam to add peppers or a spicy pepper sauce to any dish so that you can control your own heat level. It was interesting that the meals that we ate in the countryside were different than those that we ate in the city. Since these were part of a tour, they were obviously meant to spotlight the food of the province, which we truly enjoyed.

We always encourage people to get out to smaller towns and villages when visiting a country. Trying the food in those locations is as much a part of the experience as seeing people in an authentic setting. Having the opportunity to try so many various dishes was definitely a highlight of our time exploring the countryside of Vietnam.

Stratford-upon-Avon in England

On July 29, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn England8 Comments

With the birthplace and gravesite of Shakespeare, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and historic Tudor buildings, Stratford-upon-Avon is a wonderful town in England to visit. It gets its name because it is located on the River Avon and is sometimes simply referred to as Stratford. Located in the county of Warwickshire, there is also the Warwick Castle nearby, which is definitely worth visiting as well. Although it is definitely a tourist destination, we went during the off-season and enjoyed sharing the streets with more locals than tourists.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford-Upon-Avon

Obviously, seeing the birthplace of Shakespeare is a highlight of any visit to Stratford-upon-Avon. The house where Shakespeare was born in 1564 is located on Henley Street, which is part of the historic section of the town. The timbered house has been restored and looks very much today as it might have in the 16th century when Shakespeare was a child. There is also the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Swan Theatre where performances still occur throughout the year, but especially over the summer months featuring many famous actors. With over two million visitors per year, Stratford-upon-Avon can be quite busy.

We were in Stratford-upon-Avon during the holiday season, so there was a Christmas market and the town was decorated for the holidays. We also were there to watch the mayor kick off the holiday season as people gathered around the town hall. There were also many stores that featured holiday gifts as well as other typical shops selling items for tourists. Perhaps even better were the various pubs that were offering mulled wine to keep us warm on a cold autumn evening.

We spent a couple of days in Stratford-upon-Avon visiting the historic town and seeing the impressive Warwick Castle before catching a train to continue on to Manchester. Seeing the English countryside and the historic buildings was certainly one of our favorite parts of our trip to England several years ago.

Ancient Spanish Church in Bolivia

On July 10, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, South America6 Comments

We were driving through the countryside of Bolivia outside of Cochabamba and we came across a tiny village with an old Spanish church. We stopped and talked to the locals, but apparently the church was no longer in use and they didn’t have keys to let us inside. We walked around the church and found a window with a mesh screen that was loose and peeked through to see some of the contents inside. It felt as though we were looking back over a hundred years in time.

There are times when traveling, especially when you get outside of the major cities, where you come across little pieces of history that can be as fascinating as some of the well known places. There was nothing particularly specific about this little church, but understanding how the Spanish, who once controlled the region, influenced the native Quechua people is quite interesting. One could easily imagine missionaries working from this church and trying to convert the locals who remained faithful to their existing beliefs.

We would have loved to enter the church to see if there was any artwork inside, but unfortunately we were only able to see a little bit of the altar from the little window. We could have easily just driven by this church and not stopped to investigate, but we are glad that we took the time to visit. Clearly this church is never going to be on anyone’s travel itinerary, but sometimes these unique little oddities are as interesting as the destination. Have you ever come across something unexpected during your travels that has turned out to be memorable?