Vietnam - Ha Long : Unique Water Puppets Show and Cultural Dances

Ha Long, Vietnam - Part 2

Vietnamese water puppet has been a unique puppet show  well known by the world. It was also recommended that there is one in Hanoi which is well known and recommended via internet.

Non the less, there are not many activities that we could do in Ha Long, therefore, our tour included a water puppet show and cultural show at the local well known Royal Amusement Park. Indeed it was packed with tourists too. There is a Casino in Royal Amusement Park and before the show started, few of us went to have a short gamble and it was my first to gamble in a Casino, normally just watching friends to play back in the University in Liverpool.

- Water Puppet Show -

I always tell myself that every country has their own culture and believe, we should respect them. Well, not many people that found water puppet show interesting and from such I've seen on that night, the music, the puppets, the musician, it's all teamwork. Never easy to deal with and to be recognise by the world.

Immediate after the puppet show, we went to another venue by walking distance to watch the Vietnamese cultural show.

Frankly, they have similar culture attires like us and even the dances! 

One of them will be Bamboo dances, where in Sabah, Bamboo dances is a traditional dances by the Murut here. Do I ever mentioned that we could see similar traditional wear in China as well?! 

Perhaps, we might see similarity again in another Asia country too. :)

- Cultural Dances -

I always love culture and it has been the way to understand more about a country. :)

Location :
Bai Chay - Ha Long - Quang Ninh.

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小诗料理 ： Stew Mushroom with Abalone 冬菇焖鲍鱼

Bilingual entry (Chinese & English)

总是觉得要向妈妈学习一些过节的美食料理。

农历新年都是每个华人都会重视的一个节日， 开心的是看到了家家户户贴上了红红春联，挂上了红红灯笼还有装饰呢！今年的农历新年妈妈送了一罐澳洲鲍鱼，也教了冬菇焖鲍鱼做法， 幸亏婚前看到妈妈焖冬菇的做法哦！好让身为媳妇的我可以在今年的团圆饭“搞定” 那罐鲍鱼！

以下是年夜饭的其中一盘美食，做法也记录了一下。好让我也有一个网站可以分享，也提醒自己。

Believe that every home will have the special dishes. At my home, my mom could prepare delicious Chinese dishes for the festive day.  

Lunar New Year is an important festive season for the Chinese. As I seen in my neighborhood and business outlets,  it was nice seeing red couplets affixed and red lanterns being hang up! In Chinese tradition, we will be giving gifts to our friends and relatives. This year, my mother gave us a can of Australian abalone in addition to other items, with it I shall prepare abalone dish with it. Referred to my mom for the recipe and slightly remember the process of stewing the mushrooms too. 

The following is the steps to prepare Stew Mushroom with Abalone.

 

- Stew Mushroom with Abalone 冬菇焖鲍鱼 - 

- 材料 Materials -

主料： 冬菇 与 鲍鱼

装饰 ： 西兰花 （蔬菜可以随意 - 大头菜等等 或无需）

调味料： 

腌制材料I -  鲍鱼汁、蚝油、食酒 （绍兴酒等等）、 糖、 胡椒粉 

其他 - 鸡汤 及 干贝 （或无需）

料理时间 :  一小时十五分

制作方法：

A. 冬菇 ： 

1. 浸开冬菇，去蒂，洗净， 采用腌制材料I （如果想要更入味的话， 早一两天腌制吧！）。

2. 烧热瓦缸，下油。 加入腌制冬菇，浸过的干贝（或无需）还有适量鸡汤 （我准备一大碗，以防焖冬菇过程不会过火干。） 加盖煲着， 等待过程需要翻炒，也在需要的时候加入鸡汤哦！

3. 焖的时间接近45分钟至一小时。如果冬菇软了，切也容易，这代表可以上菜了！

4. 把冬菇摆饰盘上，放置一旁备用。

B.  鲍鱼 ：

1. 开罐取出鲍鱼，切片。

2. 【选择】 

i. 把焖冬菇的汁，加入鲍鱼片，少许鲍鱼水 （或无需），快速翻炒以防失去鲍鱼鲜味。或

ii. 切片后摆在备用的焖冬菇上面。

C. 酱汁 :

烧热冬菇汁， 加入少许鲍鱼汁，（如果想要多些汁那就加入鲍鱼水/鸡汤）拌入适量粉芡。 倒入盘上即可原煲上席。

小贴士：各位朋友在挑选冬菇的时候，要选择蒂粗、菇身厚的，吃起来肉多又鲜美。而选购鲍鱼要从肉质观察，肉质瘦薄，外干内湿，不陷亦不鼓胀为上好鲍鱼。
 
Ingredients: Mushrooms and AbaloneDecoration: broccoli (as preference)Seasoning:Material I - Abalone sauce (widely sold at supermarket), oyster sauce, wine (Shaoxing wine, etc.), sugar & pepperOthers - Chicken Soup & Dried Scallops (option)


Duration: One hour and fifteen minutes

Steps
A. Mushrooms:1. Wash and soak mushrooms, remove the stalks. Adding Seasoning Material I into soaked mushroom and leave for half a day or leave it for 1 or two days inside the fridge before cooking.2. Heat the frying pan and add some oil. Add in seasoned mushrooms, soaked scallops (optional) and suitable amount of chicken soup (I prepared a large bowl of soup in case I needed it while in stewing process.
3. It takes roughly 45 minutes to an hour. Once the mushrooms are soften and easily cut or can be poke through with chopstick, it's DONE.4. Place the mushrooms on the plate and set aside.B. Abalone:1. Open the cans and cut the abalones in to slices.2. Optionsi. Heat the stewed mushroom gravy, add in abalone slices and quickly stir fry the abalone. OR
ii. Abalone slices decorated on top of the stewed mushrooms.C. Sauces:Heat the mushroom sauce and add a little abalone water or chicken soup and add in starch.
Tips: While selecting mushrooms, choose those thicker mushroom so that the it taste better and the texture of the stew mushroom just right.

- Stew Mushroom 焖冬菇 -

- 团圆饭 Reunion Dinner -

晒一晒 - 这是我家的丰盛的团圆饭。华人传统少不了鱼、蒜菜还有鸡。

幸亏老公还会帮忙炒些简单料理。 感恩。

It's my family's scrumptious reunion dinner. In Chinese tradition, we could not avoid from fish, leek and chicken. 

Fortunately, Mr. Hubs assist me by frying some of the easier dishes. :)

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Vietnam : World Heritage Site (UNESCO) - Ha Long Bay 越南 ： 下龙湾

Vietnam : Part 1 @ Ha Long Bay
Guide to Vietnam - Ha Long Bay and Hanoi 5 Days 4 Nights
 

Ha Long Bay, located in the Gulf of Tonkin, within Quang Ninh Province, in the northeast of Vietnam, is 165 km from the capital of Ha Noi. The bay is famous for its scenic rock formations. In fact, Ha Long Bay was well described in Wiki Travel. There are more than 1,600 limestone that arises from the sea and each island are covered with massive trees.

Can you imagine how far it was for our journey to travel from China, passes through the Friendly Gate between China-Vietnam and to reach Ha Long Bay? It was almost the whole morning and afternoon and we reached our hotel in the evening. Slightly I still remember the beautiful scenic of Vietnam's agriculture and it was magnificent in a sense.

 

- World Heritage Site -

 Ha Long Bay being one of the world heritage site listed in UNESCO. At the first sight, it does amaze us with those mountains from the sea. Some of the larger islands are developed to be a tourist spot with various caves visiting for tourist/ travelers like us.

- Vietnamese Wedding favours -

Did I told you about the friendly tourist guide that we had during our trip? He told us a lot of Vietnamese stories and introduced us with many local fruits and local delicacies. We were glad to know him. :)

- Vietnamese Coffee - 

Perhaps we all knew it is Vietnamese Coffee when we saw the little pot to drip the black coffee. It's a lifestyle of theirs.

- One of the island -

Embarked at one of the island - Tian Gong Cave for cave visiting, where mother nature created imaginary scene for our eye to imagine. 

- Tian Gong Cave -

The staircases. Most of the lifestyle was in a mini figured way. The table seats in cafes and others.

- Fishery Area -

Embarked at the fishery area and keep this in mind, we must NOT simply point at those large fishes, or else we will end up paying for it! It's a kind of tactic to indirectly make visitors to pay for it. The price? PRICEY!

- The tycoons -

 Just kidding! It was my mom and friends that went down earlier to have a look together with our tourist guide.

- The Sea Seller -

 Each visitors are their potential customers, and each visitors are potentially being pick pocket by some sellers, there's experience that some of the came nearer to the windows just to try their luck to lift whatever worth.

- Lunch -

Our lunch by the sea. The package we had were inclusive of a meal and these were part of it.

- The ferry -

It was another ferry and we were in the same type of ferry during our afternoon trip.

- The Heaven Island 海上石林、 天堂岛  -

- The Heaven Island 海上石林、 天堂岛  -

Went for hiking just to see the view of Ha Long Bay. It was the last stop before we depart at the jetty and back to the land.

I almost refuse to walk on those staircases, but in the end, tried my best. Four of us, two uncles and my younger sister walk up to see the beautiful view.

- The Heaven Island 海上石林、 天堂岛  -

- Vietnamese Ice Cream - 

Unlike our Malaysian Ice Cream which I preferred more, there were one funny taste with Vietnamese Ice Cream which I'm not sure why.

 - Under the stone -

Vietnamese are hardworking people, they will find a way to earn for their living. Non the less, you will be surprised they knew how to speak Korean, Japanese and even Chinese languages.

That's all for the details of Ha Long Bay. :)

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Life : Toast to 10 Yrs @ Azure Pool Bar & Cafe, Le Meridien KK (#LMKK)

Another customised dinner party for the office, this time with the mission to plan for the 10th Anniversary a day to be remember, at least. Its' ain't easy as previous dinner session which is easier to handle.

In the midst of planning until finalizing and till the day of the event, it wasn't easy to be an event organizer and as the amateur emcee on the actual night. I always believe working in a group and gathering ideas bits by bits.

Some may wonder why do I write an update on the event I organized. First, I am not an event organizer nor running a event company. To customise an event for 60 person in the afternoon until after dawn, you will be wondering how do that person could make it. Finally done and everyone happy with the party. Non the less, Tatiana from #LMKK did a good job as well by assisting on my case. :)

- Evening Scene -

It was an hour before the arrival of guests and table settings and all were surprised by Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu team and even surprised by my guests. Yes, I had my office event this year at Azure Pool Bar and Cafe, Le Meridien KK, a dinner beside the pool with wine and alcohol.

The earliest colleagues were afraid to sit down before the event started, should I say they were afraid to ruin the table and waited for the party to start?

- Balloons for toasting and decoration -

Where surprised might happen with this.

- The Table Setting -

- Loving Sunset View -

I told Hubs that I would love to have our anniversary at a place like this in town. With sunset and breezy place. Hopefully LMKK will consider to add on with fans to the surrounding, the environment was great that night, however it was warm and having whiskey and wine, we were wet. (hahaha)

- The Table Setting -

- During the Night -

- During the Night -

- For launching session -

- For launching session -

- Real orchids -

- The Appetizer -

- Balloon Releasing Session -

- The Main Dish -

LMKK will need to consider the preparation on their fish menu and even on the selection of the seafood. A happy tummy will make the party even memorable!

- Desserts -

Chocolate Cake which included in the package we had. In addition, LMKK's Velvet Cake was delicious! My family loves it too!

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KK Eats : Celebrating CNY at Alu-Alu Kitchen, Kolombong

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. 
Serve No Pork

When many restaurant owners are promoting Yee Sang 鱼生 in social medias and other forms, automatically we know that Chinese New Year is near!

Non the less, Alu-Alu Kitchen 雅露城 also having their Yee Sang offered to all locals. Yes, Alu-Alu is the restaurant formerly located at Jesselton Point, and currently moved to Kolombong Industrial Area and providing with more parking. It's more convenient for all of us to have a nice dinner with such an environment.

- Special Fatt Choy Yee Sang -

Yusheng, Yee Sang or Yuu Shang, or Prosperity Toss, also known as lo hei is a Teochew-style raw fish salad. It usually consists of strips of raw fish, mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients.

- After Toasting -

They said that the messier it will be, the prosper it would be!

- Steamed Corn-Fed Chicken with Special Sauce -

Alu-Alu Kitchen provides all ingredients that are organic and even having the corn-fed chicken from own farm.

- Top Left : Braised Fish Mow Soup with Crab Meat, Top Right : Organic Vegetables with Crab Meat and Bottom : Winter Melon Seafood Soup -

- Deep Fried Prawn with Butter Milk Sauce -

- Top : Steamed Hybrid Grouper in Hong Kong Style, Middle Left : Dry Seafood with Oyster Sauce in Claypot and Bottom : Lamb "Q-Nyuk" (Lamb Meat with Yam) -

- Honeydew Sago with Vanilla Ice Cream -

In fact, I could taste the organic and the authentic taste of the ingredients which Alu-Alu Kitchen could offered in their menu offered. Having dinner with such a simple decoration, air-conditioned environment was decent.

All the food serving was delicious, seafood was fresh and everyone satisfied with all of the organic dishes by Alu-Alu Kitchen.

Facebook :
Alu-Alu Kitchen

Location :

Lorong Mangga 1, Kolombong Light Industrial Estate, Jalan Kolombong

88450 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

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