1.11.15

My Asian holidays

Streets of the Hoi An Ancient town, Vietnam
Morning shopping in the streets of the Hoi An Ancient town

Hello everybody! I am back from my almost two-weeks long Asian holidays during which I managed to visit not one but two countries, both Asian - super modern Singapore and more traditional Vietnam. And if it was my fifth visit to Singapore, Vietnam on the contrary happened to be my first-time destination. Somehow the idea of visiting this country had not sounded appealing to me before. But while doing my research on possible not-so-far-away get aways from Singapore I stumbled upon a name of a small town in Vietnam that promised nice beach relaxation as well as some interesting historical sight seeings. This town, Hoi An, was on the list along with Thailand's Ko Samui (where I've already been), Malaysian Langawi and Indonesian Bali. And though Bali sounded rather seducing too I chose Vietnam...And no regrets about that whatsoever.

Skyscrapers of Singapore seen at night from the Marina Bay Sands Hotel roof
Skyscrapers of Singapore 

During the last two weeks I have been shopping in giant malls and small bazars, indling on the beach, visiting modern structures and old ruins, admiring man-made wonders and natural marvels, tasting new dishes and watching unusual performances. The time just flew by. 

Chrysanthemums exposition at the Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
Chrysanthemums exposition at the Gardens by the Bay 

Traditional Singapore laksa, spicy noodle soup with prawns, cockles, chicken and fish cake
Traditional Singapore laksa. It is a popular spicy noodle soup with thick vermicelli, prawns, cockles, shredded chicken, bean sprouts, sliced egg and fish cake.  When in Singapore one should definitely try it.

Enjoying the views from the Skypark of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Wearing floral dress bought in Moscow and Steve Madden sandals. 

Street of Singapore's Little India illuminated for Diwali festival
Little India, a must visit place in Singapore

Sentosa beach, SingaporeEnjoying shade of the palm tree on Sentosa

Jewelry section of the souvenir shop at the Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
Jewelry section never fails to attract me 

Trick Eye Museum, Sentosa, Singapore
Fooling around at the Trick Eye Museum on Sentosa

Cua Dai beach, Hoi An, Vietnam
Enjoying waves on the Cua Dai beach, Hoi An, Vietnam

Figures at the Folk Museum of Hoi An Ancient Town
Fooling around at the Folk Museum of Hoi An Ancient Town

Expressive Vietnamese opera performance. I doubt I would be able to bear it for an hour or so but as a short presentation it was nice

Crispy wonton dumplings Hoi An style
Crispy wonton dumplings Hoi An style. Turned out to be quite different from what I had expected

Vietnamese fishermen ready to sail on their hemispherical boat, Hoi An
Vietnamese fishermen with their unusual hemispherical boat

Cave inside the Marble Mountains, Hoi An, Vietnam
 Inside one of the caves of the Marble Mountains

More posts will follow soon.  Stay tuned!


7 comments:

  1. Oh these shots are fantastic, especially the ones featuring lovely you, dear :) So glad you had a wonderful time and also so glad to have you back. Big hugs for you!!

    All Things Bright and Lovely

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  2. So glad you enjoyed your well deserved holiday. I really enjoyed your holiday shots , it really looks like you had a lot of fun. I am sure you did some shopping in Singapore and Vietnam , so no doubt some treats to come.

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  3. You have surely had wonderful holidays, Olga! And you saw very special places ... beautiful photos ... the one at the trick eye museum is funny!

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  4. you always look so feminine and pretty. All your holiday outfits were very stylish, even casual ones. I really like that floral dress you bought in Moscow....it is like it was made for you.

    So nice you decided to visit Vietnam. Personally, I haven't seen a lot of photos from this country so it is very interesting for me to learn something about it. I haven't visited either of these countries (Singapore and Vietnam) but somehow Singapore is often on TV so I think I saw a few travel shows about it, whereas Vietnam is not that well known.

    That trick eye museum sounds like a fun place to visit...time always flies when we're having fun!

    That traditional boat is very interesting....I wonder how they pedal in it.

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  5. Great photos, Olga, especially love the one of the Chrysanthemums - gorgeous colours. So glad you had a relaxing time. Good to have you back!

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  6. Oh that looks so fantastic! Such a varied set of activitites; you look fabulous (as always!) and the places you visited, from urban settings to beaches, are stunning. xxx

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  7. Such awesome photos. It looks like you are having the best time and a wonderful vacation, Olga. I would love to go to Japan, China and Singapore.

    Bacci <3 Ada.

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