TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

In Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam, we booked our hotel in District 1 right beside the Ben Thanh market. We wanted to be centrally located to the important attractions and in an area that is oozing with activity day and night. I took this picture from our room at Avanti Hotel, zoomed in. By day, the Ben Thanh area is busy with many local shoppers, street vendors roaming around and curious tourists eager to taste a bit the local Vietnamese market life. But by night when the market closes down, the adjacent market streets come to life! What is sweeter for us is that from our hotel room, which has a floor to ceiling one-way tinted glass wall, we were indulged with a fantastic view of the goings-on of the night market below. This was our view every single evening. There is a feeling of being one with the market for sure. You know, that feeling that despite we were not actually down there below, we felt like we were. BEN THANH NIGHT MARKET  I managed to make a video of t...

The Dutchman and I have a love and hate relationship with France. We liked going to the French Alps for our winter sports holiday and to a few places in the country as well. I know for a fact for myself that there are a number of regions, cities and towns that I would love to explore in the south of France. But I am not rushing, I will get to see and experience them one at a time =) Last week, we went on a 4-day little trip to Verdun in the Lorraine region to visit the World War I battlefields, the war memorial monuments and the cemeteries. Lost in French menu translation case: I ordered pork but not pig's feet? But there are certain things that we do not look forward to when visiting France. In general, French people are not very helpful at all and they will insist on speaking French even if they know damn right that you are a tourist and you do not speak the local language. They will ignore your pleas and people will just continue speaking French even if you said NO FRE...

Retracing the World War I history in Verdun... and (poignant) stories to follow soon... At the Douaumont Ossuary where the Battle of Verdun happened 100 years ago. This is at Fort Douaumont, one of the forts used during the Battle of Verdun. Verdun city centre on the Meuse River. Porte Chausee on the La Meuse in Verdun. Travel Period: May 2017 Destination: Verdun, Lorraine (Grand Est), France Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =) All pictures were taken by a point and shoot pocket camera or a smartphone.

After a whole afternoon of batting balls on the driving range with different types of clubs, a short break of warm chocomel with a splash of whisky and playing a few rounds at the practice tee course, we called it a day and went back to the clubhouse to change and prepare for the evening’s dinner. The day was spent very well except that it was rather cold for a mid-November day. Good thing that I brought my thick shawl with me to protect my neck and face from the chilly wind. In the Netherlands, the wind chill factor is a thing to consider when staying outdoors. A 10C temperature can feel like 5C or lower with the wind. So we are all very glad to be moving inside the clubhouse where it is warm and cosy. I love artistic and well-thought of dinners. They do not have to be aesthetically complicated dinners or have a Michelin star, but when they are presented well, I really appreciate the extra effort. I guess being a visually-inclined person does help enhance the enjoyment journey...

There is a saying and I don’t know where I got this, but I dropped this statement out of the blue during lunch in the office kitchen, well many years ago actually, in anticipation for the golf clinic outing the company will do the week later. “The older the man gets, the smaller the balls they play become.” It took the guys a few seconds to burst out into laughter. I guess they cannot get past the words, ‘balls’ and ‘play’ in one sentence. These words just got stuck; blame the naughty mind of a man. Haha! But more importantly, they did not expect that coming from me. Well yes, that was supposed to be a joke! Last November I went to another golf clinic in Badhoevedorp, which is located near Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for a day of flexing our upper limbs and muscles. Basically, in the driving range and practice tee course only which hosts a number of holes. But we only started hitting balls after a series of meeting presentations and then followed by a nice and casual lunch. I ...