Historical Hue

One of my favorite places in Vietnam is Hue which used to be the Royal Capital of Vietnam. It has a lot of historical places like a fortress, pagodas and royal tombs.

But one really makes the place distinct is that it is in Hue that you will find the best food in Vietnam. Perhaps it is because it is where the royalty used to lived which is why they have food that is really fit for kings and queens.

I can not remember the names of the flour based dishes that I had but I vividly remember how good the food tasted that just writing about it now makes me want to go back again to Hue if only for the food. The desserts with beans and sweet soup are also heavenly.

Towering Tam Coc

I have always had a fascination with karst formations. But before Tam Coc the limestone cliffs that I have seen( in the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia) were surrounded by sea water. So it was with much anticipation that I took this tour to Tam Coc where the karst formations has a river that runs through it.

The tour did not disappoint! We were taken on a 3 hour boat ride along a river that was surrounded by towering limestone cliffs on both sides. Along the way, the boat passed through 3 caves. We were also treated to the sight of boatmen paddling with their feet. Actually had a much better time here than in Halong Bay.

Make time for a visit to Tam Coc. It is a short 2.5 hours road trip from Hanoi.

Halong Bay: Vietnam's Pride

North Vietnam's main attraction is Halong Bay. It is a 4 hour bus trip from Hanoi. The scenery of countless limestone karsts on the Bay is impressive and the place deserves to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Part of Halong Bay tour is a visit to the Thien Cong Grotto. This is a cave which is colorfully lighted to highlight its numerous attractions.

My trip to Halong Bay was still enjoyable in spite of the problems we had on the tour. I paid extra for an overnight stay in a junk boat on the Bay but we were told that there was a typhoon coming and boats are not allowed to stay during the night in the Bay. So instead we spent the night in Cat Ba Island in a cheap hotel, the value of which was cheaper than the tour that I paid for.

But next day, I found out from a friend that they spent the night on their boat in the Bay! That was a major disappointment for me. But I guess that was just a confirmation of the way organized tours are run in Vietnam. There are warnings in Lonely Planet about Halong Bay tour scams and I experienced this first hand. So tourists beware!

Hinagdanan Cave: Much Ado about Nothing

It took many trips to Bohol before I finally decided to visit one of its major attractions, the Hinagdanan Cave. Probably I suspected that it will be one big disappointment. It was indeed a disappointment! And I just tried to make the most out of it.

Hinagdanan Cave is a small cave with an equally small pool where people can supposedly enjoy a cool swim in its clean and clear waters. As in the other caves being promoted as a tourist attraction in Philippines, it is hard to appreciate the stalagmites and stalactites because of poor lighting. At least here, there is some amount of natural light supported by some light bulbs which are however still inadequate to provide good visibility. Underground river in Palawan relies on flashlight and in the others like the caves of Sagada, you have to bring your own flashlight or torch.

Nothing really much going for this cave. I was even warned by my guide not to take a dip in what appeared to be a clean pond because it is actually dirty and a lot of people have complained about itchy skin and rashes after taking a swim in the pool.

Good thing, the admission to the cave is a cheap P15 (US$.35) and it is just about 20 minutes away from the resort where I was staying. Stayed only about 15 minutes inside and the trip was only worth taking if only to say that I have been to Hinagdanan Cave.

Bohol Bee Farm: Organic Farm Paradise

The latest addition to Bohol's diverse attractions is the Bohol Bee Farm. It has deservely become one of Bohol's most popular destinations. Good thing I went there around 9am so I was able to explore the place with some peace and quiet. By the time I left at around 11:30 am the place was already filled a large number of tourists.

Bohol Bee Farm is an organic farm that operates as a resort and restaurant similar to the concept of Sonia's Garden in Tagaytay. The restaurant offers delicious buffet meals at a very reasonable P500 (US $12). Salads on the buffet have organic vegetables freshly harvested from the resort's farm. The buffet also includes servings of home made ice cream that comes in different flavors (i.e. mango, ginger, chocolate, pandan, etc). My personal favorite was the ginger ice cream. They also sell the ice cream at their shop at P50 (US$1) for 2 scoops.

Accommodations in the resort are also good value with prices ranging from P2,000(US$46) to P5,000 (US$116) per night. It also has a shop where the farm's produce are sold. Good buys are squash muffins, honey, home baked bread, and the unique Cab cab (made from cassava) which is a healthy alternative to potato chips and comes with a coconut jam dip.

The resort offers a guided tour of the place for only P20 (US$.46) per person. So when in Bohol, the Bee Farm is definitely a "MUST" place to visit.