I was just lucky to have such a wonderful weather in Hanoi November last year. Bach (pronounced as Back, a Vietnamese whom I befriended when I was there, we became best of friends) told me that they just had a week of flood, over knee-high water covered the whole of Hanoi after a continuous rainfall for days. It took the cityhall almost a week to clear the debris and mud that flooded the city. Cars were damaged and so were properties.

When I arrived, it was just a week of settling down after the flood. Everything seemed normal, if I was not told of the flood, it wasn't obvious. I did notice mud on the sidewalks, but that was like some leftover debris from construction sites. I was surprised when Bach told me about nature's onslaught.

Hanoi seems to be so resilient to a lot of going-ons or had-beens. And yet so humble and hard-working. It was really relaxing sitting beside Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Returned Sword) while watching so many people sitting around enjoying the peace albeit the noise of traffic around it. Everyone was doing something but I did not feel the busy-ness. Someone approached me and tried to chat me up asking questions, speaking a little English. He asked where I was from, what do I do, where do I live, what is it like in Malaysia, and finally asking if I would like to get some of his books and postcards. I often like to talk to these sales people, I like the sincerity in them, I like the way they approach a sales and I also like the way they ask questions. They were so friendly, they were really interested to know about me as I would be interested to know about them too. I will look at the products, if I want to, I will make an offer. If I do not want the products, I will just politely decline. The conversation was always smooth and no hassle. Anyway, I always welcome sales talk, I really like to just listen with an open heart, there is always something I can learn from the person who sits in front of me.

I sat at Hoan Kiem Lake overlooking the Tortoise Tower which has its remnant in the middle of the lake. The temperature stayed between a cooling 20℃ to 28℃, just perfect to sit outdoor. There were lots of willow trees all around the lake, some have bent so low, they almost touch the water. The willows take to the flow of the wind, sway softly along as if that is naturally what they are there to do - all day long, just dance to the mischievous play of the wind.

I read Somerset Maugham's "Of Human Bondage" while looking up occasionally to see people walking past and enjoying tea. Some having lunch everywhere beside the lake. I was impressed with the way Hanoi has built itself to be like a garden city where their citizens can come out to sit and play in the open. I guess we did not have that here in KL, no wonder the scene of people having food in a group at Hoan Kiem Lake fascinated me so much.

Just walking around the lake brings you to the island-temple known as Ngoc Son Temple, very picturesque footbridge. I did not go in because I was more captivated with the scenery outside the temple. It was founded in the 14th century.

Bach told me later that the Vietnamese don't actually have a religion. So, I said what are they praying in the temples here in Hanoi. He said they are just praying to the ancestors. So, their ancestors become their "god", and this is passed down through generations.

And I also learned that the people have to pay for education in Vietnam. I told Bach that in Malaysia, education is free from 7 years old onwards until we are 18 if we choose to stay on to study. Aren't we a fortunate lot to be Malaysians?

Hi Guys,

I would like to introduce Low Angle Production, a group of Malaysian action short-film makers formed in May 2008 by a group of martial artists and action-movie enthusiasts (below is a picture of the Hanoi shooting crew).

I just wanted to share with you guys a video of our recent trip to Hanoi, Vietnam recently.

We booked our flight on AirAsia about 2 months in advance and in preparation for our trip, we thought it would be a good idea of including a fight scene on a junk boat.

The Halong bay cruise is of course one of the more popular tourist attractions of the region. We decided to stay overnight on the junk. The video is also a compilation of our travels to the shoot location.

Well enough with words, I hope you enjoy the video as much as we did making it.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Cheers

We were flying back from Hanoi on AK763 on 11 Oct recently where we had our management review there. There were about 37 passengers and we made up the biggest group and hence naturally we conquer the plane. Though everyone was tired, we could not sleep since we were waiting for the Pak Nasser nasi lemak after a few days consuming Vietnamese food.

As the stewardess pushed the cart along, we ordered variety of dishes and also requested them to 'pull' the tea for we are missing teh tarik at home. The stewardess (Haslina, Maisara, Norizwani & Zainudin) sportingly entertained our request. We ordered about 10 teh tarik and Haslina was the one who did it all. Though we teased her, she kept smiling all the way until we landed at LCCT.

We really enjoyed our flight and we would like to record our appreciation and thanks to the whole crew of the flight. Their courteous, not forgetting pretty & beautiful, manner really made us happy and welcomed. Their service are an example of the best in AirAsia. It was a pleasure for us to know them and cherish the memories.

My husband and I had booked a very cheap flight from Gold Coast to Kuala Lumpur recently but when we arrived at the airport we found at that there was a fault with the plane and it needed repair and would be unable to fly for a few days. They advised us immediately that they were going to charter a plane the next day to get us to our destination.

Although I was initially upset with being delayed the airline went out of their way to look after us. They chartered another flight to Kuala Lumpur with food and drinks included, putting us up overnight in Kuala Lumpur for our missed accommodation and re-booking our connecting flight to Hanoi. For a budget airline, I think this was great customer service. We look forward to a good return flight to Australia and many more flights with AirAsia in the future.

Ever booked any hotel accommodation online only to find out that the actual room doesn't look at all like the images advertised on the website?

Welcome to the 21st century, where everything on travel can be found online and at affordable prices. But beware, the Internet is a knowledge portal with no moderator and boundaries. Hotels will publish their nicest pictures and disgruntled patrons will write the meanest reviews. How can you tell if the information is dependable? All it takes is some research while sitting down in front of your PC and a visit to the local bookshop.

Where Do I Want to Go?

Stay home and surf the net. There are numerous travel sites you can surf to get ideas on where to go. Further information can also be obtained from the country’s tourism authority site. If you still need more opinions, visit travel blogs just by searching through Google or Technorati.

Spend an entire afternoon in ‘Borders’ book shop. Sit down at the travel section and read your way through some of the destination guides to better understand what the different destinations have to offer

Lastly, talk to friends about places they’ve gone. Try and get detailed answers, most of the time they can’t stop talking about their travels.

Diving at Redang 2006

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