Short Escape to Hanoi Day 4: Museum of Enthology

Hooray! We have pick and choose bfast!

We lugged the kids out of the bed early in the morning so as to maximise the last day in Hanoi. We had requested for the hotel to arrange for a car to the airport and it was picking us up at 1pm. It cost us USD20 and it would have been slightly cheaper if I had booked through Klook... all in the name of laziness. Haha.

The plan was to visit the Museum of Enthology, which opens at 8.30am. It was the only museum that we had targeted bcos it looked children friendly on its website. The museum was 6km away and it would take us 20mins by car. Yes, the traffic was painfully slow. The easiest way was to take a cab. According to the hotel staff, it would cost about VND100k to 120k by cab and helped us got one.

The ride was enjoyable bcos we were traffic watching. There were many interesting things to see - we saw family of 4 on a bike, a mummy with her toddler on a self-made baby chair (yes, on the bike). We even saw this PMD on the road!

The cab fare was indeed VND100k. The museum is made up on indoor and outdoor section. The moment we entered the museum, this interesting structure greeted us. I think it has to do something spiritual.

The museum is a lot about the different ethnic groups in Vietnam. The kids are now older and able to tolerate museum better. We saw the water puppets; the characters are the exact of the show the day before.

I selected this museum bcos I thought the outdoor exhibits looked interesting. There were many actual size ethnic group house replicates. I found it very interesting but the kids obviously didn't enjoy my enthusiasm and whined about the weather. Zzzzz.

So interesting, right? Silly kids.

The kids were only excited when they found this balancing beam.

It was true that the weather was really hot. We ended off the trip with a cold coconut and coke.

There were many Vietnamese families with young kids in the museum. I guessed the big and air condition space is ideal.

We found a cab at the door and checked that it was charged by meter before we boarded the taxi. This taxi was smaller than the one that we came in. The driver was very friendly and was introducing us to the city as he drove.

It took about the same amount of time to arrive back at the hotel but the meter was at VND270k!!??? We paid nevertheless but felt very much like a carrot. Well, I supposed the extras can be deemed as "tour guide" fees.

Right when we were at the hotel door, we saw a small crowd gathering by the road. Upon better look, 2 ladies seemed to be selling frogs! They were killing and skinning them. Eeeeeewwwww....

It was nearing noon by the time we got back to the hotel room. The hotel allowed us a late check-out at 1pm. The kids were happy to finish the remaining 2 cup noodles so that I didn't have to lug them back. Daddy Lim and I bought lunch back to supplement.

We had some last bit of time to freshen up and packed up before the car to the airport. The kids were asked to rest and soon Zaky was in lala land.

Soon, Lil Shauna followed.

The ride to the airport and the immigration was uneventful. Zaky saw a playground and was excited...

... only for a moment. He is too old for that lah. Not long after, he was back on his gadget. Chey.



The flight was easy as well. The kids had downloaded enough movies on Netflix to self-entertained themselves. Plus the meals that I had pre-purchased, I had happy kids.

The flight was 20 mins later than scheduled. By then, exhausion was slowly setting in.

The boys were hungry again and wanted to have a bite, which we did before we got a cab and were finally on the way home. The kids dozed on the cab and we were home at about 10.45pm. The kids showered and went to bed in prep of school the next day while Daddy Lim helped to unpack.

It was then that I realised that my office hp and Zaky's hp were missing! I checked them when we alighted from the plane. Daddy Lim was carrying my bag while heading to the taxi and my bag was in the boot. He also carried my bag when we reached home. T.T My guess was that the phones had dropped in the taxi's boot but there was no way to surely find out.

We spent the next hour trying to remember the color of the taxi in order to identify the taxi company and then calling/ messaging the different possible taxi companies but to no avail. Sob. The next day, we even asked the condo for CCTV footage and successfully identified the cab.

The taxi company replied that they located the driver but no phone was found. Sob. It isn't a big deal for Zaky, he now inherited my old slightly cracked screen Samsung S8+ but it is fully functional. The trouble is the company mobile phone. Haiz. What a way to end a holiday. Zzzzz.

Mummy Lim

Short Escape to Hanoi Day 3 Part 2: Water Puppet Show

We stayed in the Babylon Garden Hotel for the final night. If there is anything to shout about on the hotels in Hanoi, it has to be their services. We got really nice welcome drinks and fruits. The staff were always so helpful and took time to share information.

We booked a room with 2 double beds. Woohoo! No need to squeeze.

Before the kids got too comfortable, we lugged them out of the hotel room. This time, we were on the other side of the lake and it took us less than 5 mins' walk to the lake. The plan was to catch the infamous must-watch water puppet show. Enroute, we saw so many stalls selling slippers. Speaking about Murphy's Law. Zzzz.

The earliest show was at 4.10pm but the tickets were sold out. Fortunately we got tickets for the next performance at 5.20pm. It was too hot to walk around and the kids were bugging to laze in the room. We headed back and only ventured out at 5pm. The weather had cooled down a lot by then.

Our seats were the 4th row from the front. We paid VND200k per pax and those were the only 4 togather seats left at the time of purchase.  While they were near to the water stage, I was frequently blocked by the audiences in the row in front. Not exactly that ideal when they are the most expensive tickets leh.

We knew that the performance is in Vietnamese language and were thinking if we should pay to loan the translator. We eventually forgo the loan hoping that it would like watching cartoon in foreign language - that we would understand without understanding the language.

The performance started at 5.20pm sharp. While we made do through without the translator, we should have at least figured out what the performance was about. I had to Google while in the theatre and found that the show was depicting the different folklores passed down from generations on the people's daily lives. Otherwise, the performance can be understood.

The show was for 50mins. There was live singing and music accompanying the performance. The puppets were in water and controlled by the masters behind that temple structure.

I was worried that Zaky wouldn't last throughout the performance. Midway, he started asking how long more and was fidgeting non-stop. Then again, there were certain parts that he was totally intrigued. Lil Shauna for most part looked bored and about to fall asleep. Haha.

Finally, the performance ended. These were the masters behind the scene.

That was when Zaky exclaimed his urgent need for the toilet. He then said that he enjoyed the performance very much and was fidgety bcos he needed the toilet. Chey!

Daddy Lim likes the show. He was absolutely amazed by the skills and technics required to operate the puppets. Success!

As it was a Saturday evening, the lake was crowded with people chilling. Some of the roads were closed for pedestrians and car free.

We needed dinner and wanted to try KFC; Daddy Lim's friend said that it is more tasty than what we have in Singapore. Well, it tasted... normal. Haha. About the same leh but the kids were happy to have "normal" food.

We then tried to pretend to chill like the locals. Not very successful. Haha.

The last activity was to walk the night market much to Zaky's protest. Sorry, not sorry.

We didn't last very long though as it was hot and the kids were whiny. More importantly, I was too lazy to want to bargain and thus didn't attempt to buy anything.

With that, we ended our last night in Hanoi.

Mummy Lim

Short Escape to Hanoi Day 3 Part 1: Halong Bay Day 2

Sleep wasn't too bad. Just that in the night, I realised that the phones were not charging bcos the main switch was switched off in order to turn off the cabin light. I was fumbling to look for the light switch but couldn't locate it. Ended up, Zaky and I slept with the lights on, all in the name of charging phones. Lol. Fortunately we are good sleepers, lights on or not.

The plan was to wake up at 6am to maximise the day. I was hoping to see sun rise but the sky was already bright at 6am. Chey. When the alarm rang at 6am, I couldn't tell if the light was from the cabin or the window. Hoho. 

I was telling Daddy Lim the great sacrifices that we made for the phones only to realise that the light switch was right on top of the power socket; I had thought that it was the switch to power the power socket. I sacrifice stupidly for nothing. Double chey. Haha. Zaky was totally not affected by the cabin light. When he woke up in the morning, he still asked if the squid fishing took place. Lol. 

Hello beautiful morning!

The plan was to join the 6.30am Taichi session. It is not that we are fans of Taichi but might as well for the fun of it. 

The guide said that we would see others onboard other cruises doing Taichi too bcos it is a common itinerary. Bo leh; we were the only silly people doing Taichi. Lol.

After a good stretch, it was time for bfast. It was a decent spread of bacon, eggs, toast, noodles, pancakes and fruits. Soon after bfast, it was the only and final outdoor activity - to explore some cave.

Our cruise was parked near to the cave and the ride on the tender boat was short. The myth goes, some dragon came to the cave to lay some eggs and the cave was where the baby dragons laid. Enough said, time for some calories burning.

The cave is a popular one with most cruises sending their passengers to the same cave. The guide dropped us and happily waited for us in the shade while we huff and puff up the flight of stairs.

It wasnt a tough climb but the weather wasnt too kind plus the narrow path was crowded with people going to and out of the cave. It was the same path.

About 80 steps after, we came to an abrupt stop and then a narrow stairway into the cave.

It was a tiny cave with one smaller and one bigger compartment. Usually caves tend to be cooler. This one was just packed with people and ended up stuffy. The bigger compartment was more airy given the size. Unlike the other caves that we had visited with clear demarcation to protect the caves, this one was free for all. Tourists ended up everywhere taking pictures.

I doubt the natural formation will last very long.

We didn't stay long; there wasn't much to see. We were afterall only given 30 mins before to meet back.

There was a mini pathway leading to a "beach" on the same path back.

The guide reminded that no swimming was allowed.

We were later told that it was a "commercial" man-made beach. Sand was transported to create the beach and so people have to pay to swim at the beach. Like that also can.

Back on the cruise, it was mad last min showering and packing up before we checkout of the cabin. The cruise has a short turnaround time. While the guests were being entertained in the dining room, the staff were busy cleaning up the cabins for the next batch of passengers.

The next itinerary was the Vietnamese spring roll making. The kids were thrilled and volunteered to crack an egg and mixed up the stuff. Zaky cracked the egg nicely; all our bfast training paid off.

But the spring roll making skill CMI. Lol.

One of the pro aunties had to help re-wrapped what the kids did. The kids had fun nevertheless.

The final lunch was really good, including the Vietnamese spring rolls that we just made. While Zaky was picky over food, he too try more than his usual food variety.

The food and activities onboard were all included in the cruise fees. However, addition drinks needed to be purchased and nothing beats a cold coke in that dreaded weather. In fact, we had a couple of cokes. Hohoho. The price was decent though.

With all the bills cleared and tummies filled, it was time to disembark the cruise. Daddy Lim's friend who frequent Halong Bay cruises told him that tipping is customary at VND100k per pax. However, we were not ask and gave an appreciation token, which was likely significant enough bcos I thought I saw one of the crew's eyes sparkled when we dropped the $$ into the tip box. Hoho.

The bus journey from Halong Bay back to Hanoi Old Quarters would easily take between 3 to 5 hours depending on the road condition and the mandatory pitstop for the usual souvenirs and toilet break. The bus was also travelling very slowly on our way to Halong Bay. Time was precious to us given our short trip and we prebooked a luxury transfer back to Hanoi separately at an extra cost of USD75. I googled and found A1 with good reviews and easy booking.

It was good money spent bcos it was comfortable and we were clearly separated from the kids. We each had a single seat and there was wifi though a tad slow. The kids self-entertained with their gadget.

The van was older and the ride bumpier than what I had expected bcos the pictures on their website made it looked a lot more luxurious. Lol. Along the way, we picked up 4 more passengers and I wondered if they paid less than we do bcos 1 couple had to take the back row of 3 seats and the other couple was separated with 1 in the back row and the other in the front (beside driver). No time for pity bcos we paid so much.

The van was travelling much faster. I tried to enjoy the scenery bcos I totally missed out on the way to Halong Bay, wedged between the 2 Spanish ladies. However, the Zzz monster didn't quite agree and I was soon dozing off. I wasn't the only one.

We arrived back in Hanoi Old Quarters at about 2.30pm. The journey was only 2.5 hours, saving us precious time for the next activity. Yay!

Mummy Lim