Monthly Archives: March 2011

Food in Kep

You know what Kep is famous for? It’s not the quiet and breezy atmosphere. It’s the seafood! Cheap seafood that is.

We stayed at Knai Bang Chatt Resort when we were in Kep and it was such a pleasure to find out that the resort is just walking distance to the famous Crab Market!

We literally had a feast for three days, eating nothing but seafood. I am suddenly craving for these delicious sea creatures right this minute. LOL!

Sea Crab. I usually don’t order this because it’s not as delicious as its freshwater counterpart (you know the bulkier and darker ones?), but this one was really tasty and meaty.

Prawns in Green Pepper. Yummy, yummy goodness!

Squid in Green Pepper. So soft and not chewy. They know how to cook the squid just like I want them to.

Grilled Fish. Don’t let the burnt skin fool you. This was heavenly, especially if dipped in soy sauce with lime and chili.

Fresh Fruit Salad. We had this at the resort. Nothing beats dining by the seaside.

If you’re heading to Kep, you cannot afford to miss Crab Market and the delectable seafood they offer.

Memories from Kep

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When the heat gets too much in Phnom Penh, expats and Penhites alike head to either Sihanoukville or Kep. We haven’t been to Sihanoukville (we’re planning to go there next month, though) but we’ve been to Kep.

Kep is a resort town of Cambodia about 2-3 hours drive from the city of Phnom Penh. Kep is not to be mistaken as a beach town. Yes, it is a seaside town but it’s not for swimming, it’s more like a picnic place where people enjoy cheap seafood, and breezy, quiet atmosphere.

I booked our accommodation through Agoda after comparing rates at HotelsCombined. I chose Knai Bang Chatt Resort . I was happy with my choice. Sure, it was a bit expensive ($180++/night), but we got the privacy and the quiet we wanted.

It was a very relaxing 3-day holiday.

If I am not mistaken, there’s only about 5 of these buildings and each has two rooms, one up and one down. We stayed at the ground floor.

Our room, it doesn’t look that pretty on the picture, but it was. I also loved their bathroom.

The swimming pool, small but with a great view of the ocean.

Love this shot. This was the view from their restaurant.

The hotel’s restaurant.

For lounging, which we did the whole time we stayed there.

There’s a water sports just right beside Knai Bang Chatt. You can rent something like this.

I’d love to go there again this year. Let’s see if we have got a budget left for this. LOL!

Beautiful Hotel in Hanoi

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When we were in Hanoi last June 2010, my husband’s company booked us at InterContinental Hanoi Westlake Hotel.

Usually, I google and read up on the hotel we’re going to stay in. And usually, I book our hotel. But that was a spontaneous trip, so I had no time to research anything.

I was not really worried. It’s Intercon after all. I was just not used not knowing what to expect.

My little worries were all for naught. Intecontinental Westlake Hanoi Hotel is one of the best hotels I have stayed in.

I love it that it’s situated on the serene waters of West Lake, the largest lake in the city. It felt like we were in a resort on some sort of a retreat. It was quiet and just beautiful.

I loved their huge rooms and their breakfast buffet.

It’s not in the city center but that did not bother me at all. It’s only about 4 kilometers from the city and it was easy to get a cab from the hotel.

If we are going back to Hanoi, I will definitely book this hotel again.

INTERCONTINENTAL HANOI WESTLAKE
1A Nghi Tam, Tay Ho, Hanoi, Vietnam

Our Halong Bay Cruise Experience

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We were in Hanoi June of last year. It was an unplanned trip, as we just tagged along with hubby who was on a business trip. But nevertheless, we had heaps of fun especially on our trip to Halong Bay.

Since I had no time to research, I just booked our Halong Bay Cruise at the travel agency at Intercontinenal Hanoi, the hotel we were staying in. It cost us $260 (for two adults, kids are free) for the whole tour.

The tour includes a return trip from hotel in Hanoi to Halong bay in a private car with a private guide, free bottle of water, half day Halong Bay cruise in a junk, and lunch for two at the junk.

We were picked up from our hotel at 8AM. The travel to Halong bay took about three hours. We had a short stop over in the middle for snacks and a short rest for the driver.

We arrived at Halong Bay a little past 11AM.

Boats are called junks. We then boarded our junk.

This was our junk. We were not alone there. But I was glad we were not overcrowded like the other junks.

We sailed slowly to take in this amazing sight in front of us..

We stopped and went inside one of the caves.

It was cold inside, felt like it was on AC. Beautiful lime formation! Word of advice, wear sneakers. It can get slippery inside the cave. And bring a bottle of water, you’d be climbing up and down.

After about 30 minutes or so, we went back to our junk and sailed slowly again…

I was mesmerized by the beauty of nature. So magnificent!

My stomach growled, it was already past 1PM. As if on cue, the staff of the junk served us wonderful food.

Shrimps

Stuffed Crabs

Fish in Sweet and Sour Sauce

Fried Vietnamese Spring Rolls

French Fries

Stir fried Squid

Stir fried cabbage

Pineapple for dessert

By the way, this food was served per two people only. Imagine how heavy our lunch was!

The experience was truly wonderful. I am so glad we took this trip.

Later on, I found out that our trip was expensive. You could book the same trip in another travel agency for only $150. And if you want to save more, you could arrange everything yourself – take a return bus from Hanoi to Halong Bay and book a public junk, all for $50/two people.

I felt a little cheated but with the experience we had, I guess it was all worth it.

Food trip in Jalan Alor, KL

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We used to live in Kuala Lumpur before. I missed the place but more than anything else, I missed the Chinese/Malay food.

So when we went to visit KL last month, we made sure to eat at Jalan Alor, where the best street Chinese/Malay food are found.

By the way, Jalan Alor is not a restaurant. It is a street in KL. Please check this google map.

It is near Bukit Bintang. Jalan Alor has several restaurants that comes alive at night. They’re open at day time but the real action begins at dusk.

The restaurants bring out their tables and chairs and line it up along the streets. Jalan Alor is a popular food destination for tourists and locals alike.

So what to order? Here’s our favorite.

Spicy shell food

Buttered Prawns

Char Kway Teow

Grilled Stingray

We also had seafood fried rice which I forgot to take a picture of. Hubby always order beer to go with these very delicious food. The food all look oily but that’s why we love it. LOL!

My Travel Folio

chronicles of our family's adventures

Monthly Archives: March 2011

Food in Kep

Memories from Kep

Beautiful Hotel in Hanoi

Our Halong Bay Cruise Experience

Food trip in Jalan Alor, KL