Taking a Cooking Class in Hanoi, Vietnam

On December 11, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes, Vietnam2 Comments

One of our favorite memories of our recent trip to Vietnam was taking a cooking class in Hanoi. This was a true cooking class, not a demonstration, where we purchased the food from a local market, prepped all of the ingredients, and did the cooking ourselves with our chef’s instruction. There were only five of us in the class, making it very intimate and interactive. We created a four course meal, which we enjoyed eating family-style after cooking everything.

Cooking Pork Meatballs and Barbequed Pork

After buying our ingredients, we went to a local house to prepare our meal. Our dinner included Banana Flower Salad (Nộm Hoa Chuối), which we made from banana leaves, a variety of vegetables, and sautéed beef. Our entrée was Vietnamese Grilled Pork With Rice Vermicelli Noodles (Bún Chả), which originated in Hanoi is a famous dish in the region. We made it with both pork meatballs as well as barbequed pork. To accompany the Bún Chả, we made Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls (Nem Rán), which are often served as an appetizer as well. For our dessert, we made Vietnamese Egg Coffee (Café Trứng), which is rich and delicious and is made with egg and condensed milk.

It took about five hours to do our shopping, prepping, and cooking, so we were quite hungry by the time our meal was actually ready. The class is offered in both the morning to create lunch or in the afternoon to create dinner, but we chose to do the dinner class and were glad that we did. Our chef was extremely knowledgeable and shared stories with us while we prepared our meal. It is an experience that we would highly recommend to anyone who visits Hanoi. After completing the class, the chef sent us all of the recipes that we made as well as others, which we are looking forward to cooking and sharing in the near future.

Whisking the Egg and Condensed Milk for the Egg Coffee

Mua Cave in the Ninh Binh Province of Vietnam

On December 10, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Vietnam4 Comments

When visiting Hanoi in Vietnam, planning a day trip to the Ninh Binh province is well worth the time. You will likely have the choice to visit several different locations during your visit and choosing to go to Mua Cave should be one of them. It isn’t about seeing the cave, there are plenty of other caves that are more impressive, but it is all about climbing the over 540 stairs to see the incredible views of the countryside.

To be clear, the steps are steep and uneven throughout much of the ascent to the top, so bring plenty of water and take your time. Despite the effort to reach the summit, the views along the way as well as when you reach the top are well worth the muscle pain. At the base of the mountain is a beautiful park with statues of horses and a fountain. It is a perfect place to sit in the shade and unwind after completing the long climb up the staircase.

Rice Paddies at the Base of the Mountain

As you near the top of the stairs, you will have the choice to go to one of two viewing areas, one lower and one that continues all of the way to the top. Obviously you can do both, but we chose just to head all of the way up to the top. Looking down, you can see the Ngo Dong River and all of the boats paddling their way through Tam Coc (or three caves). We had done the Tam Coc tour earlier in the day, so seeing it from above was a truly different experience.

Ninh Binh has been called “the Halong Bay of inner Vietnam” and the scenery will definitely let you know why. By the time we reached the top, it was late in the afternoon and the mist was rising up from the jungle vegetation below, making for stunning views. It was as difficult going down as it was climbing to the top, so give yourself plenty of time for going both directions. It is very popular with tourists for obvious regions, so expect there to be plenty of people joining you as you wind your way up the staircase.

Pha That Luang – Golden Buddhist Stupa in Vientiane Laos

On December 5, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Laos1 Comment

Located in the heart of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, is an enormous, golden stupa dedicated to Buddha. Built in the 1500’s, the stupa has a holy relic that is believed to be the breastbone of the Lord Buddha, making it a great national treasure of the Laotian people. At one time the entire stupa was supposed to be made of gold, but today only the top pinnacle is covered with gold leaf while the rest of it is painted gold.

Photograph on Display of the Buddhist Festival in November

Stupas are shrines that house relics or ashes of Buddhist monks or in special cases like Pha That Luang, the Lord Buddha himself. Several wars have caused significant damage to the stupa and it has been repaired and rebuilt several times. What you see today was rebuilt following WWII and is truly an impressive sight. In November, there is a Buddhist festival that brings thousands of people to Vientiane for three days of celebration. Our visit was actually about a week after the celebration had finished.

Walking the grounds of Pha That Luang only takes about an hour, but it is definitely a highlight of any visit to Vientiane. You will often find people making offerings to Buddha and praying as you visit this historic site. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, Pha That Luang is beautiful and the architecture is quite fascinating.