Circle Asia and Flounging.

[drron]

Sunday morning and the weather has changed.Late saturday the remnants of the cyclone that hit Myanmar arrived,strong winds,rain but thankfully a nice drop in temperature.Down to 28C.Set off on the drive to Hue.Through Danang again-look like much better seafood restaurants here.Up the Hai Van pass and even with the rain and mist the view back to Danang,Hoi An and Marble mountain is great.
Down the other side and through Kms of rice paddies and villages-classic scenery.Every village has a monument and a war graves-yes for men of the village who died whilst fighting with the NVA.Priveleged to have an alternate view of history with the pointing out of mass graves left by the NVA when they were forced out of Hue after the Tet offensive of 1968.
Make our way to our hotel-La Residence,formerly the residence of the French Envoy to Annam.This is a fabulous Art Deco hotel with a real air about it.Good views across the river to the Citadel-Royal Palace in pre politically correct Vietnam days.Decide to have lunch here.Mrsdrron because she has been so disappointed with the local food decides to have a steak sandwhich-presentation fantastic and called the best steak sandwhich she has had.I stick with the local dishes and finally meet somewhere that rivals victoria st in Melbourne(sorry QF009 we always start in Bridge rd hence my mistake).Because we found the service and food so good we ate there for dinner and definitely not sorry-this food surpassed that of Melbourne and great friendly service-now wished we had spent 3 days here rather than Hoi An.
Next instalment the sights of Hue and French women who wear sensible shoes(You need to remember Good Morning Vietnam for that reference).

 

[drron]

Hue was worth visiting.Much slower than Ho Chi minh or Hoi An.Beautiful and a lot to see.Went up the Perfume River to the Thien Mu pagoda.Lovely grounds,ancient bonsai and an historical relic-a 1950s blue Austin that figured famously in world history-might even be a prize for those that know the answer first.
Then to The Citadel.Fortunate to have gone with our guide as we got the government line on the recent history of this place as well as the alternative story.He knew many South Vietnamese pilots who operated out of Hue.Was able to point out many of the aspects of the 1968 battle for the Citadel.Also offered to put together a trip if we came back to Hue visiting the DMZ,Quang Tri which was wiped out and then via Khe Sanh(of Jimmy Barnes fame) before driving through Laos to Thailand.Might be worth considering.
Next morning off to Hue International Airport-no planes there when we arrived.Through security and this time the lady manning the Xray pointed to my bag saying Water,water.So a uniformede man came across and I took out 1 of the 3 bottles and drank half,dropped the bottle in the bin and the 2 other bottles continued on their journey.On boarding an announcement from the purser-please cough (* does not =a,e,o,u)off your mobile phone during this fright.Mobile phones are seriously forbidden.No word from the flight deck but apart from the French women with sensible shoes and a seriously frayed seat belt no problems on the flight.
In Hoi An our hotel had many French tour groups.One was made up of mostly women with sensible shoes and one couple was particularly obnoxious.At Hue airport we loaded on to busses to take us to our plane I was seated and this couple boarded our bus and made comments about men sitting whilst women stood,then they were seated behind us and got up several times during the 1 hour flight pulling my seat belt violently back each time.Fortunately I had read the mornings Vietnam daily and so was able to turn around and remind them it was 53 years to the day since France had been forced to sign the Peace treaty with the Vietminh and their behaviour made me understand why the French had united the Vietnamese-no further problems.
Next instalment-Hanoi and on to Halong Bay.

 

[drron]

Off again through the mad vietnamese traffic.Hanoi is not as bad as Saigon but not far off it.Here though we have seen accidents not just near misses.Our guide tells us that the inter-city public busses are responsible for most of the road kill in vietnam and unfortunately he is not talking about furry little animals-they have all been eaten!
Our first night is to be spent at the Sofitel Metropole-they have no record of the booking,fortunately our guide does so we get a room-rather dour corner room.Told by woman who checked us in that there was complimentary internet access in room-? because of stuffup.Try to access and payment page comes up and ring front desk-told accessing internet is free but using it costs-what the!Wifi in lobby and bar also means purchasing a card.Breakfast next morning is a French farce-juice watered down,not a great selection and am still waiting for the coffee I asked for.Not sure why this hotel rates highly.
Part of our tour is a cyclo trip-down at motorbike level.Noise,noise and more noise.Our drivers though are the most laid back fellows you could meet going straight through the trffic without flinching.However at the end things change-demand a 100,000 dong tip each-now average wage in vietnam is 30,000 a day.Getting a little sick of the aggressive ripping off of tourists.Negotiate a price and then when you go to pay it changes upwards of course.I only buy if I have the right money and still get roundly abused for proffering the agreed price even though you are paying minimum of double local price.
Tuesday morning off to Halong Bay with a cruise and night on a junk.3 hour drive from Hanoi so a day trip would be tiring.Interest ourselves with finding out how much you can fit on a motorbike-5 adults,5 fully grown pigs,12 piglets,60 dozen eggs,4 metre potted ficus or a fully grown cow with 2 men as well-one to hold down the cow is what we have seen.Arrive at Halong and literally hundreds of junks-express our amazement and told it is quiet now because it is low season.
Our vessel has us and a German couple-good company and interesting conversations as he restores vintage cars-eg 3 of the cars in the Paris-Peking rally.Really good seafood but really no Vietnamese touches.This is a beautiful place-but despite world heritage listing it is certainly not pristine-coal barges cross the bay to Haiphong and when coming back empty you see the crew brushing the coal dust overboard.Plastic,styrafoam everywhere.Visibility poor dur to haze-very similiar to Hong Kong or Shanghai but despite all this it is very worthwhile.Our tour description says we will be spending the night in a secluded bay-well if you can call spending it with 15 other junks around you with at least 250 other people it was secluded.
Next instalment-back to Hanoi and our first Hilton for the trip-how will it measur up to our SPG experiences?

 

[drron]

Arrive back in Hanoi and rock up to the Hilton.Give my name to be greeted by Drron we have upgraded you to the executive floor.The assistant manager will escort you to the lounge for check in.They must have known.A word of warning though if you are about to come to Hanoi.A renovation program is about to start here with the Business centre starting off in a week or two and then the executive lounge.Lounge is good with soft drinks available all day,afternoon tea and a reasonable food offering in the evening.Alcohol from 6 to 8.30.We decide to have breakfast in restaurant as that is also free plus free in room wifi on exec floors.
Meals at Vietnam Kitchen-OK but a bit bland.
Indochine-much better,on par with Melbourne and Cabramatta.
Ba Mien at the Hilton-really good food but pricey-basically Aussie prices.
Then a cooking school at Old Hanoi.At least this was interesting and the food OK.Get called Buddha again due to my figure resembling the happy Buddha.Did Mr.Handy come to Vietnam in his rugby days?
Walk around the old Quarter-dirty,noisy and once again the ridiculous prices.
Thank goodness we are off to Bangkok this evening.Next instalment-our first experience on AF.

 

[Alanslegal]

good going ddron

nicely detailed and much enjoying to read

 

[drron]

Our last trip through Vietnams traffic.Today has been designated Green Traffic Day in Hanoi.Trying to get people to use a bus rather than a motorbike.They calculate there will be a 1000 fewer bikes on the road(out of 2 million in Hanoi).Didnt seem to make much difference but get to the airport reasonably quickly and first in line at J checkin as it is about to open-a french Y pax wants to get in front of us because he has a large bag to check in.Fortunately agent over hears this and literally tells him where to go.
Off to lounge which is shared with CX,JL and a host of other airlines including Air Vladivostock.Spacious enough but only 1 in 3 lights are working and no wines or spirits.At least away from the crowds.On our flight and in the lounge are 6 Thai buddhist monks-subsequently in BKK we see the oldest monks pictures up in several places-is this another brush with fame.I can report the favourite drink of Buddhist monks is Heineken.Meanwhile I drink the local Haluda Bia.
Onto the plane.J cabin is the first 6 rows.We are in row 7-a single row of J seats behind the galley-AF joins the ranks of airlines seating drron in the last row.FAs are an equal mix of male and female-not a great idea as they spend most of the time talking to each other.Even the champagne is served in an ordinary drinking glass,food very forgettable.
Oh well never mind BKK soon and civilisation!

 

[drron]

Arrive at BKK and gate F6-the furthest from Immigration.However when we get to Immigration no one there so straight through.Ignore the airport limousine guys and girls-funny the price starts at baht 1900 but when you ignore them it comes down gradually to 1200 but them telling you what a long line there will be for taxis.Get outside and no one in line but at least 20 drivers in their line.Hop into a brand new taxi and experience something that has never before happened i9n BKK-a taxi driver that obeyed the road rules and was courteous to other drivers!Made for a longer trip in but very relaxed.
Arrived at the Millenium Hilton at 2300 so checkin at front desk.Sat down on a lounge with a welcome drink and once again upgraded to exec floor.This hotel is half the price of the hotels we stayed at in Vietnam.Service once again good and appreciate the 2 complimentary laundry items per person per day.
Next morning off to our jewellers in River City-she has found just what mrsdrron wanted-damn!Then off on the skytrain for some shopping and eating.First day Central world-on I think the fifth floor is a spa-90 minutes Thai Massage for $15.Have lunch at MK restaurant-this does sukiyaki Thai style-cheap and good food especially the mushrooms which we love.
The next day was Siam Paragon-upmarket and even includes Lamborghini and Maserati dealerships.Lunch on 6th floor at L'orangery-a very upmarket food court with Thai,chinese,lebanese,indian,french food.The Thai food is by the Blue Elephant restaurant where we have had good meals in the past.Start off with fresh Vietnamese spring rolls and sugar cane prawns.Exactly the same price as the Cago Club in Hoi An but much better and in air conditioned comfort with no hawkers bothering you as you eat.No wonder we already have our next stay in Thailand planned.
Last day and off to the airport.One word of waning on the trip back taxi drivers often try not turning on the meter and wanting 5-600 baht for the trip.Coming in our fare was baht $!% including tolls.So when i get in cab I offer baht 450 and driver pays the tolls-they are happy with that.Consequently must have close to the record trip to the new airport.From starting off at the Millenium Hilton to alighting outside the CX checkin was just under 24 minutes-we literally flew.
Next instalment-CX to SIN then JL on to KUL.

 

[serfty]

Good report ...

IME, Metered taxi cost from Millennium Hilton to Suvarnabhumi is generally less than THB300 + THB65 in Tolls. I try to ensure I carry THB40 and THB25 in exact coin/cash to pay the tolls (hand to driver who hands it to toll operator).

More here: (posts #56 and #58)

• http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...star-class-impressions-8472-2.html#post129423

While not against helping the local economy a little; If I wish to tip for good driving I will. I just do not wish to have a tips an other extras automatically included. I have found that it has become more than a game in Bangkok - "Meter" ... "Meter" ... "Meter" is normally the first conversation I have. The driver finally knows you are serious when you give them correct change for the tolls.

One thing that is starting to annoy me immensely is that drivers have started trying to claim the THB50 Airport fee for travel to the airport. It is only payable from there. :-|

 

[drron]

Well Serfty I know it can be done cheaper but i am not against a little redistribution of wealth as long as I am in control.I might get away with B400 but that is a tip of less than a dollar,at B450 a little less than $3.So I am OK with that.
Because of the speed of our trip back to the airport checkin hasnt started.Still rock up to the first class line and no problems.For once I am not upset about being put in the last row of the cabin as it is Row4 and the F cabin.2 out of 2 onthis flight with CX.Also 2 out of 2 that a problem with my seat on this flight and wouldnt fully recline-but only a 2 hour flight.
After boarding there is a delay finding a pax but gives me time for 3 glasses of Deutz.Then comes meal and wine choices.A premier cru burgundy or a grand cru bordeaux?What the heck-a glass of each.All too soon landing at SIN.JL offer us access to the SATS premier lounge but decide to continue straight on to the QF/BA Flounge.Virtually empty when we arrive but now at 1820 filling rapidly.Nice selection of food.Decide to have the Mt.pleasant phillip rather than the Pol roger as spent 18 years as a resident of the Hunter Valley.
Next off to Malaysia.

 

[NM]

Good to see you have your fill of wines inbound and at SIN, because the JL flight to KUL is dry :shock:.

 

[drron]

Yes NM it was a coke only on JAL to KUL.Only a 35 minute flight so no problems.Virtually empty flight on 763.Bags out first!So off to the KLIA express and wouldnt you know it one pulls out as we reach the platform so everyone else on our flight gets the same train.
I booked the executive floor at the Hilton as that is what we wanted and reports suggested that even for diamonds access can be a little dicey.Now this is what aggravates me about honors-pay the extra and have the worst room on exec.floor.Small and closest to lifts when my profile says away from lifts.amenity is one apple and one plum.SPG is looking better.Email diamond desk with my thoughts as well as letting exec lounge staff know my feelings which at least gets me 3pm checkout(asked for 5pm) when denied at check in.Standards also seem to be dropping here-1 bar of soap,no bath crystals and chocolates at happy hour not replaced-take a plate as soon as you arrive.ont get me wrong this is still a good place to stay but prices going up,service going down and no status recognition make it much poorer value.
Next instalment-shopping and eating in KL.

 

[Keith009]

I've always wanted to check out the Hilton KL - it's physically impressive at least, rooms are very modern and even a bit hip. But the location always bothers me. I've stayed at the Le Meridien on a mattress run and didn't like the location. Perhaps more convenient for overnight layovers.

 

[NM]

Sounds like the KL Hilton has dropped its standards, which is sad. As a Diamond, I was always provided exec lounge access, even if not staying on the exec floors. I did receive a range of room types in my many stays. The exec lounge food offerings were always great when I was using this hotel, but I have not been there for about 18 months now. More recently I have been staying at the Renaissance and Crowne Plaza hotels.

 

[drron]

QF009 we think the Hilton is a great location-but older,slower and think 10pm is a late night.If out on the town until all hours probably a poor location.We find access to everything is easy via rapid transit or monorail or even the taxis.Good to be able to laze by the pool and look out at trees.The rooms are good and the lounge is definitely one of Hiltons best.
NM it was about 18 months ago that Hilton International was taken over and the policy became(though not every hotel)that lounge access only if on executive floor.Standards havent slipped drastically but it is noticeable.My gripe is that there are 111 executive rooms of which 18 are smaller than the rest and so as a diamond on a repeat stay there are 93 with more status and stays than Moi.As I said the last time I paid the best available rate and got a better room-doesnt seem like good business practice to give less for greater expenditure.

 

[NM]

NM it was about 18 months ago that Hilton International was taken over and the policy became(though not every hotel)that lounge access only if on executive floor.Standards havent slipped drastically but it is noticeable.My gripe is that there are 111 executive rooms of which 18 are smaller than the rest and so as a diamond on a repeat stay there are 93 with more status and stays than Moi.As I said the last time I paid the best available rate and got a better room-doesnt seem like good business practice to give less for greater expenditure.

Or maybe there are 93 others that have paid for the larger rooms on the exec floor?? I know I never paid for an exec floor room, usually paying <400MYR/night. Once I was upgraded to a really nice suite, but certainly had my mix of smaller and larger exec floor and non-exec floor rooms. I always booked the cheapest room rate that was available. But I know how you feel when you know there are nicer rooms in the hotel and you are stuck in a shoebox.

 

[drron]

Well unfortunately for the hilton KL they had put a note in my room saying upgraded rooms were unavailable for my stay but please accept a bottle of wine as an EQUIVALENT amenity.Now not only does this bottle of wine happen to be exactly the same as they are serving complimentary in the exec. lounge which I have access to but my room is able to pick up the exec. lounge wifi so logged on.So on M,T,W I could get Exec plus rooms at less than the rate i was paying for the rest of my stay.
But to better things.On the last occasion we had dinner at Chynna at the Hilton and enjoyed it so went back.Beijing duck was $33.Skinned at the table and probably the best duck we have had.2 other dishes plus wine and a bill 0f $80.Can thoroughly recommend this restaurant.
The next day we went next door to the meridien and had lunch at their turkish restaurant which rates in some lists as amongst KL's best.You can charge meals back to your hilton room and of course i could earn SPG points.now lunch here was $90 but quality was well below that of Chynna.My chicken tagine had obviously been cooked very quickly with meat dry and with little flavour.Their milk pudding was bland and the Baklava very dry.Not recommended.
Of course we went shopping.As i have said everything is very accessible from the Hilton.Can reccomend the food courts at the Suria mall-upmarket,and the Central Market-quite downmarket.Prices equivalent to Vietnam but much better food.
Next-final days in KL and mrsdrrons spa experiences.

 

[drron]

Well today it was lunch in Senses-Cheong Liew's restaurant at the Hilton.Booked for Friday lunch at 1.30pm and turned up to find we had the restaurant to ourselves.Started to doubt our choice but we didnt have to worry-the food was really good.I started with a seafood soup-lobster bisque with a baby lobster tail,scallop,piece of fish and caviar-delicious.Mrsdrron had the crab salad with a tomato emulsion-pronounced it to be great.She then had the coral trout and again thought it cooked perfectly.I had the deboned lamb shank served on linguine with garlic escargots.The dish looked great when it arrived but just one problem-I could find no lamb.The chef had forgotten it.Red faces all around but made our waitresses day when i suggested that whenever the chef got precious she should remind him of the day he forgot the lamb-she went straight to the open kitchen and the smile on her face was priceless.The meal arrived back about 5 minutes later and the lamb was worth waiting for-melt in your mouth.
For desserts mrsdrron had the poached figs with a rosewater and pear sauceand cinnamon icecream-great she is now in a good mood.I had the signature dessert-chocalate with evian water as a mousse served with a salted caramel and the cinnamon icecream-fantastic.Because of the mixup we were both given a glass of a very good french sticky.The food bill was $A130-same prices at dinner.Well worth it and reccomended if you are seriously into food.
Now the spas.Mrsdrron has sampled in the last 12 months-Hilton Fiji,Conrad BKK,Millenium hilton BKK,Hilton Curacao,St regis Shanghai,and here at KL.Her rankings-
Facilities and ambience-from the top-Conrad,Millenium,St.regis,Curacao,Fiji,KL.
Quality(massage and pedicure)-Curacao,Conrad,Millenium,St.Regis,Fiji,KL.
Next instalment Saturday brunch at Iketeru the Japanese restaurant here.And taking a leaf out of QF009's and various other's books I will have the never ending champagne for ringgit100.

 

[Keith009]

That lunch sounds totally decadent!

If it's not too late I also highly recommend Shook! at Starhill.
http://www.ytlcommunity.com/shookhttp://www.starhillgallery.com/feast-tenant.asp?tID=12

 

[drron]

Well our last day in KL.Booked for the weekend brunch in Iketeru-the Hiltons japanese restaurant.Let me tell you if you enjoy Japanese food this is not to be missed.Ringgit98 for all you can eat food.Started off with Edamame,Sashimisalmon and tuna.Then on to assorted sushi,teppanyaki-the scallops and mushrooms were divine so seconds for those.Then Soft shell crab,tempura including prawns,scallops and oysters.Next some teriyaki dishes and more soft shell crab before cl;eansing our palates with some lime sorbet.
For an extra R100 you can have free flow champagne-gosset.Well normally R69 a glass in their restaurants so 8 glasses later drron thinks he has got his moneys worth.Highly reccomended restaurant.
At the opposite table was an Asian lady of proportions that I have previously only seen in LOTFAP.And she complained because the service was too slow!I felt I should hire her to walk beside me-I would look so svelte.
Now a couple of hours to kill here in the exec. lounge before taking the Airport express for the quickie JL flight to Singapore and the Hilton plus the Great Singapore sale-Oh my poor credit cards!

 

[drron]

Well I now find myself in the last Flounge of the trip back in SIN.
The JL trip from KL was uneventful-again a 1 coke trip.Quick taxi ride into town after our bags came off first and second.Then again only J pax getting off in SIN.Incidentally a JQ asia flight from Ho Chi Minh landed just before us.Crew was all asian so JQ will have plenty of pilots to hire for Australia-read SMH this morning.
Staying at Hilton Singapore and once again in view of reports that it often is at capacity booked Exec Floor.Here though all rooms are the same size so I can have no gripes.At checkin given a $S40 credit for any food and beverage outlet and a choice of gifts as a diamond privilege-felt recognised.Better was to come in morning with a letter under door giving me 50% more base points plus complimentary late checkout until 1600 as could not be upgraded-felt this is what a loyalty program should be.
Took breakfast in the downstairs rerstaurant which is offered as an alternative to lounge breakfast.Very good and featuring a couple of firsts for a breakfast buffet-mangosteens the first morning and persimmons the second.Both amongst our favourite fruits.
Only complaints was that they have a temperature control on bath and shower water meaning only just lukewarm water-my arthritic knee wanted it a lot warmer.Also free wifi in the lounge is only available from 6.30am until 5pm.They have a laptop you can borrow but once again internet access only for the same hours.
Our 2 days are the start of the Great Singapore Sale so my role is that of parcel carrier.Forget all those copy bags here for the second year mrsdrron is able to pick up the genuine article for only slightly more than those copies.
As for eating I limit myself to a couple of food courtys and try out what is my signature Singapore dish-laksa.Still make them just as spicy when asked.Now I am sorry but i just dont see the point of chilli crab-freshly cooked crab is fine just by itself or with a little bit of melted butter-to slightly change an old Polish saying-for perfection a crab must swim 3 times.First in salt water,second in fresh water and finally in a butter sauce.
Now for some more champers and QF52 home.Tomorrow brings the wagon,a diet and just maybe some more exercise.