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Buddha Bellies Cooking School
It is certainly love at first sight with a fellow foodie when I met Ayuko who runs Buddha Bellies Cooking School in Tokyo!! The table was laid with some of the ingredients needed to make Edomae Sushi. Edomae sushi essentially means Tokyo-style sushi. In the 18th century, Tokyo was known as Edo and sushi was food specially invented for travellers who wanted bite size food on the go. Therefore, ingredients like vinegar, soy sauce, kelp and other ingredients were added to the rice to prevent spoilage or to make the rice lasts longer. Ayuko explained the brief history of sushi and types of sushi. Occasionally, she would take a book…
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Tsukiji’s Outer Market
If the Tsukiji fish market is too intimidating for you, take a walk in the narrow streets just outside the market. You will find a wealth of seafood, fresh vegetables including the wasabi roots, dried seafood like bonito flakes and dried squids and many varieties of dried seaweed or kelp. There are also shops selling handcrafted sashimi knives and Japanese porcelain ware. The best quality sashimi restaurants are also located in this outer market.
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The Killing Fields
I visited the Killing Fields in Choeung Ek where more than 20,000 people were buried. This is a sad place to visit but very informative. It was just awful to think that I was standing on top of a mass grave where underneath lay thousands of bodies. There was a shrine that housed the skulls of the massacred people!! It is shocking that such things happened in Cambodia not long ago!
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People watching in Pune
It is only in the countryside that you get to see more people in ethnic clothes! When travelling, I want to see people the way they are - the villagers are innocent and mostly shy people but their hospitality is so warm. They are always ready to share their food - language is not a barrier here - just with gestures they will convince you to have a drink or eat something in their houses. I love people and I do not class people into groups. In my eyes, all men are equal!
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Shivaji Market
When in Pune, visit the Sivaji market. You might consider being a vegetarian for life after seeing all that healthy, fresh looking vegetables on sale there. Most of them were probably just plucked from the trees that morning. The vendors were very friendly and the whole lot of them were like one huge family!! Check out the two women who are chiselling the mortar and pestles.
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Ho Chi Minh street foods
There is lots more food in Vietnam than just Pho and Banh Mi. Vietnamese cuisine is all about fresh and simple ingredients. In Ho Chi Minh, everywhere you turn, whatever time it is, there are people preparing food or eating. People sit on low stools to consume their meals. When travelling always stick to freshly cooked hot food.
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Binh Tay market in Cholon
I visited the big Ben Thanh market and did not like it for two reasons – the vendors were too pushy and there were too many touts. My favourite market in this city is certainly the Binh Tay market in Cholon. This market caters for the Vietnamese locals and therefore prices were very reasonable and I also found the vendors friendly.
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Here and There in Ho Chi Minh city
There are a lot of interesting places to see in Ho Chi Minh City and its surrounding area and it is best explored on foot. Don’t forget to wear a pair of sunglasses and a hat – it can be very hot! If possible leave your important documents like passport in the hotel’s safe.
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Temple Visit
Chùa Bà Thiên Hậu (The Pagoda of the Lady Thien Hau) is a Chinese style temple located on Nguyễn Trãi Street in the Cho Lon (Chinatown) district of Ho Chi Minh City. The roof of the pagoda tells fantastic tales taken from traditional Chinese lore, while the walls are covered with lacquer paintings of various spirits and deities. This temple should be a “must visit” place in this city.
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People Watching in Seminyak
Balinese people including the expats who are staying there are warm and friendly and most of them go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. The Balinese love children…it is rare to hear a Balinese adult shout or scream at the kids. I realize the Balinese don’t focus on negativities and so very positive.
