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The Red Dress Run
There is something exciting about discovering a city for the first time. You never know what to expect on the next corner. Strange sights. Beautiful freeze frames. Or just plain hilarious moments. Yup, downtown Montreal didn’t disappoint in that respect. Something I don’t see too often. A horse waiting patiently at a traffic signal. It’s not every day that one gets to see a horse wait patiently at a traffic signal. Wedding guests dressed in their brightest and best, willing and more than happy to pose for you. Or men walking and running around in red dresses like it was the current fashion rage. Everybody in their finest, all set…
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Go against the flow
There’s always one amongst us all. The one who does the exact opposite of what’s expected. The backbencher. The loner. The rebel. The one who breaks the rules because they’re meant to be broken. The one who veers to the left and thinks it’s right while everybody else is wrong because they are right. Right. There’s one amongst us all. And there’s a bit of that person in all of us. Right, Happy Hour, I say. Cheers to all! Like this post or want to read it later? Pin me.
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Quan Thanh Temple – protector of Hanoi
It’s amazing, the number of places that are there, waiting to be discovered when walking around Hanoi with no definite plan. Walk around Hoan Kiem Lake in the Old Quarter in the evenings and you realise it is the same bridge you have seen written about in innumerable blogs, with its bright red lights. It’s on one such walk that I discovered Quan Thanh Temple. View of the entrance to Quan Thanh temple from the shrine A bit of history The Quan Thanh Temple, formerly known as Truch Vu Temple, is a temple that has been built to face the North. It is one of four sacred temples that were…
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The extra passenger
Like this fella taking a free ride, standing on the back bumper of a taxi heading into Shillong. The driver didn’t seem to mind unless he wasn’t aware of his presence. Nor were the passengers concerned. There’s something universal about traveling like this, getting from place to place, without actually paying for your trip. Am sure we’ve all done it at least once. Sometime. Somewhere. Surely. 😉 Like this post or want to read it later? Pin me.
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A visit to Pasteur Street Brewing taproom in Hanoi
There is a revolution that has been slowly brewing in Vietnam since 2015. In a reverse of sorts, it’s been so contagious that it has finally spread from Ho Chi Minh City all the way to the Hanoi. Not to fret though. It’s a revolution of a different kind. Say ‘cheers’ to Pasteur Street Brewing taproom and their excellent selection of craft beers. The Coffee Porter and Jasmine IPA When I first visited Vietnam in 2007-8, there weren’t any craft beers available. At least none that I was aware of. To be honest, I wasn’t too aware of craft beer myself. It’s only in the last 10 odd years, on…
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Vietnam Military Museum
For those visitors who wish to understand a bit on Vietnam and its many wars for Independence, then a stop at the Vietnam Military Museum, or simply known as Military Museum is a must. It is Hanoi’s oldest museum. It opened its doors to the public on the 15th anniversary of the Vietnamese Army Day, in 1959 – a mere five years after they defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu. View of the B-52 wreckage in the courtyard A bit of history Vietnam’s history, especially the last century, has always been about fighting for independence. In the beginning, it was waging a war to get the French to leave…
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Temple of Literature
Hanoi is a fascinating city, with endless amount of history, culture and activities to keep you engaged through your stay. It can also be chaotic, with even the act of crossing a street being quite stressful. So, if you feel the urge to take a break and seek a peaceful spot as sanctuary, there is one – the ancient Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national university. Lotus flowers in the well within the third courtyard A bit of history It is within the hallowed gates of the Temple of Literature that a generation of future kings, mandarins, generals and doctors trained under the watchful eyes of well-respected and informed teachers.…
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Conversations by the canal
There’s nothing more enjoyable than having a conversation with a good friend or two, however banal the topic may be. Never mind the hordes of wide-eyed tourists, like myself, sailing by in gondolas, clicking snaps like this, so we can post them on social media later. 😇 Like this post or want to read it later? Pin me.
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Museum of Ethnology
The country’s biggest ethnic group may be the Viets – around 86% of the population. To understand more about the rest of the ethnic group, you would need to visit the furthest corners of Vietnam. Or, you could simply head to the Museum of Ethnology. Example of Hmong House An introduction A proposal to set up the museum was first approved on the 14th of December 1987. Constructed continued for a little under eight years, when on the 12th of November 1997, it opened its doors to the public. Sitting on a 10-acre property, about 8 km outside Hanoi, the exhibition building, in the shape of a Dong Son drum,…
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Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex
Ho Chi Minh is revered in Vietnam. He was both prime minister and president of North Vietnam and played a key role in the early stages of the Vietnam War. And what better way to honour a beloved leader than to embalm his body and have it on permanent display at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Ba Dinh Square with Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum in the background However, that is not what Uncle Ho, as he was popularly known as, wanted. Just before his death in 1969, he had left strict instructions that his ashes should be buried in the hills throughout both North and South Vietnam. However, his colleagues…
