Hanoi in Winter

The Hanoi 5 days getaway didnt seem long enough. Everything seem to be so rushed with not enough time to rest. Or shop (itu yang penting) - not that there is much to shop. But souvenirs is always a must.

We visited the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum/square downtown. It was cold, windy and drizzled. But nothing could dampen our enthusiasm. The mausoleum is where Ho Chi Minh's (the national hero) body is preserved. And the square is where he used to live - his house is, his office etc. It was a rather large complex in fact.

Soviet inspired hat. To ward off the cold.

The puppet show in Ho Chi Minh is funnier though. Tapi kat Hanoi lagi ramai orang putih masuk tengok.

Halong Bay is of course a must. Make sure you spend the night on the boat. A totally different experience you simply cant miss.

Imagine having this view from your cabin window or better yet from the boat rooftop for a couple days (what else could you ask for?) 

 The only masjid in Hanoi. An old building.

 Mee Pho is a must. Fyi, it is pronounced fe. Seriously delicious. Light, aromatic. At the halal Little India restaurant you have to place your order a day early. It is not on their menu as this is actually a breakfast dish.

We took a boat on the river at TamCoc. Limestone caves and hills. It rained and was windy and cold.

 We also visited a silk making factory. Interesting stuff.

 I think the machine is older than the pakcik weaving the silk.

Vietnam also exports coffee. Their coffee tastes fresh and sedap (tapi bila buat sendiri di rumah, rasa tak sama).

We had coffee tutorial with the coffee shop owner. You sit down and taste the coffee that you've chosen. If you like the taste, you may buy. Otherwise it is ok to get up and leave. There are many coffee shops like this in Hanoi.

Love the street scenes. Especially in the Old Quarter.

Come to think of it, there is a lot more to do in Hanoi than Ho Chi Minh. But there will not be any telekung or kurung or baju to shop for here, if that is what you are looking for. Instead they have running shoes, backpacks (and any kinds of bags), windbreakers. And of course the native Vietnam stuff.

Call me if you need reference for the tour guide. Our room was nice (it was upgraded in fact). The food was great and the itinerary was nicely arranged. If I have any complaint, I'd say that the trip was too packed. As it was raining (and with baby Sara in tow), a couple of our scheduled window shopping trips to the Old Quarter of Hanoi was cancelled. But no complaints.




~ xoxo

RedhaNya

Saya terbaca tentang hamba2 yang diredhaiNya ~

Surah al-Furqaan (surah ke 25)

[63]
Dan hamba-hamba (Allah) Ar-Rahman (yang diredhaiNya), ialah mereka yang berjalan di bumi dengan sopan santun, dan apabila orang-orang yang berkelakuan kurang adab, hadapkan kata-kata kepada mereka, mereka menjawab dengan perkataan yang selamat dari perkara yang tidak diingini;
[64]
Dan mereka (yang diredhai Allah itu ialah) yang tekun mengerjakan ibadat kepada Tuhan mereka pada malam hari dengan sujud dan berdiri,
[65]
Dan juga mereka yang berdoa dengan berkata: Wahai Tuhan kami, sisihkanlah azab neraka Jahannam dari kami, sesungguhnya azab seksanya itu adalah mengertikan
[66]
Sesungguhnya neraka Jahannam itu tempat penetapan dan tempat tinggal yang amat buruk";
[67]
Dan juga mereka (yang diredhai Allah itu ialah) yang apabila membelanjakan hartanya, tiadalah melampaui batas dan tiada bakhil kedekut; dan (sebaliknya) perbelanjaan mereka adalah betul sederhana di antara kedua-dua cara (boros dan bakhil) itu.
[68]
Dan juga mereka yang tidak menyembah sesuatu yang lain bersama-sama Allah, dan tidak membunuh jiwa yang diharamkan Allah membunuhnya, kecuali dengan jalan yang hak (yang dibenarkan oleh syarak), dan tidak pula berzina; dan sesiapa melakukan yang demikian, akan mendapat balasan dosanya;
[69]
Akan digandakan baginya azab seksa pada hari kiamat, dan ia pula akan kekal di dalam azab itu dengan menerima kehinaan, -
[70]
Kecuali orang yang bertaubat dan beriman serta mengerjakan amal yang baik, maka orang-orang itu, Allah akan menggantikan (pada tempat) kejahatan mereka dengan kebaikan; dan adalah Allah Maha Pengampun, lagi Maha Mengasihani.
[71]
Dan sesiapa yang bertaubat serta beramal soleh, maka sesungguhnya (dengan itu) ia bertaubat kepada Tuhannya dengan sebenar-benar taubat;
[72]
Dan mereka (yang diredhai Allah itu ialah orang-orang) yang tidak menghadiri tempat-tempat melakukan perkara-perkara yang dilarang, dan apabila mereka bertembung dengan sesuatu yang sia-sia, mereka melaluinya dengan cara membersihkan diri daripadanya.
[73]
Dan juga mereka (yang diredhai Allah itu ialah orang-orang) yang apabila diberi peringatan dengan ayat-ayat keterangan Tuhan mereka, tidaklah mereka tunduk mendengarnya secara orang-orang yang pekak dan buta.
[74]
Dan juga mereka (yang diredhai Allah itu ialah orang-orang) yang berdoa dengan berkata: "Wahai Tuhan kami, berilah kami beroleh dari isteri-isteri dan zuriat keturunan kami: perkara-perkara yang menyukakan hati melihatnya, dan jadikanlah kami imam ikutan bagi orang-orang yang (mahu) bertaqwa.
[75]
Mereka itu semuanya akan dibalas dengan mendapat tempat yang tinggi di Syurga disebabkan kesabaran mereka, dan mereka pula akan menerima penghormatan dan ucapan selamat di dalamnya,
[76]
Mereka kekal di dalam Syurga itu; amatlah eloknya Syurga menjadi tempat penetapan dan tempat tinggal.
[77]
Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad kepada golongan yang ingkar): "Tuhanku tidak akan menghargai kamu kalau tidak adanya doa ibadat kamu kepadaNya; (apabila kamu telah mengetahui bahawa Tuhanku telah menetapkan tidak menghargai seseorang pun melainkan kerana doa ibadatnya) maka sesungguhnya kamu telahpun menyalahi (ketetapan Tuhanku itu); dengan yang demikian, sudah tentu balasan azab (disebabkan kamu menyalahi itu) akan menimpa kamu


alFurqaan adalah salah satu nama untuk alQuran, dengan maksud Pembeza kerana alFurqaan membezakan antara golongan yang benar dan ingkar. Dan adalah antara surah Makkiyah.

Apabila membaca ayat 63 saya teringat kisah yang diceritakan ustaz di mana Saidina Abu Bakar as dimaki oleh seorang lelaki di dalam satu majlis. Pada masa itu Rasulullah saw duduk disebelah Abu Bakar as. Setelah dimarah tiga kali lalu berkata Abu Bakar as dengan nada yang rendah bahawa dia tidak melalukan apa yang dituduh oleh lelaki tadi. Lalu Rasulullah bingkas bangun dan beredar. Terus Abu Bakar as mengikut Rasulullah dan bertanya samada Rasulullah marah kepadanya. Jawab Rasulullah bahawa semasa lelaki itu memarahi Abu Bakar dan Abu Bakar berdiam terdapat dua malaikat yang berdiri melindungi Abu Bakar. Namun bila Abu Bakar mula bercakap, malaikat telah meninggalkan Abu Bakar dan syaitan pula yang telah duduk bersamanya. Dan kata Rasulullah, dia tidak akan duduk bersama syaitan lalu beliau beredar. Wallahu'alam.

Namun saya tiada reference untuk kisah ini.


Selamat berusaha menjadi hamba yang diredhai.





~ AllahuAkbar

Halong Bay : Bucket List Checked!

This is one of the places that I sort of have on my bucket list (because I dont really have a bucket list, I suppose. Although I have been thinking of officially creating one).




















I first saw Halong Bay on tv (coincidently, I am curious, do you watch tv and if yes, what sort of programs do you watch? Boy, have I got stories to tell on this subject. Later). Then I see it popping all over the web. Then some friend went and then the good old retired sisters went too with their rombongan makcik kiah..

So that's that and I just had to go.

Halong Bay is 3 and a half hours journey from Hanoi by bus. It is listed on the Unesco heritage site and is huge. According to our tour guide it covers an area of 1,400km-square. And it is beautiful.

It is winter and it is cold. You definitely need thick sweaters. We were told the best time to visit Hanoi is between September to January. The weather will be on the cool side. April is hot (but I suppose no hotter than KL agaknya). Personally I dont think Jan is a good time to visit as it gets very cold especially when the wind blows on the bay. And in the evenings and at night. But still utterly wonderful nonetheless.

  In the afternoon we took a bamboo boat to look at the boat houses from near. Lovely.

And spent a night on the boat. It was lovely. Everybody has got to try this.

Sara & Atuk by the boat window in our cabin.

 The food on the boat was fab. Caters to muslim needs, vegan needs and what have you. Very nicely and professionally done.

And then went out on the boat to smaller islands for scenic & panoramic view of the bay.

So yeah. Hey, I've got this checked off my bucket list.

ps - you must go!




~ xoxo

It Is Jan Again

Duduk diam tak diam it is Jan again. I have no new year resolution. Personally I dont think they work (and I should know!) And I suppose if you want to do something just get it done. Why wait for the new year to usher in before you start?

Nevertheless. I have some last photos from last year to share..

I finally found Tom's shoes in KL (find out more about Tom's). But not in a color that I am looking for. These are in Parkson KLCC, if you plan to get a pair (or more).

Trust me, they are so comfy.

Kaia posted this. When hubs showed it to me I had to ask, yang mana satu anak kita? Haha!

He looks too different from the usual clean shaven misai.

Sara was with us most of the evenings as mami had to work late for year-end stuffs at the office. Which actually lasted for almost the whole month of December. And also with Efan being away, dinners are almost always easy, outside or err.. none (oops).

 Sara here macam budak besar duduk di high chair when we were in Absolute Thai the other day (I love their Mieng Kam - daun kadok with lots of condiments - and pandan chicken (a serious wow!)) ps - when you are in IT you must know how many open and close parentheses you have.

We went out for a birthday dinner at Me'nate. The first time we heard the name and read the sign, we said apa tu?  (Kata anak2, you have been to their place in Ampang, mama. Oh, I have forgotten, that was a long time ago). The meat was delicious. And at a very affordable price too.

We were in their newly opened shop in StarParc. I like the meat but I'm not too sure about the side dishes. But you must go try the meats.

And we bought birthday cake and pie at Delectables. Their cakes look awesome and tasted even better. No regrets. I read their cupcakes are great too. We will try that next time.

This was our to-get list at Baskin-Robbins on the 31st. Their queue was seriously long. But as usual we persevere (kata shop assistant behind the counter, In Dec our discounts start from the 30th lagi. We didnt know that. We will come on the 30th Dec this year I said).

But the ice-cream was definitely worth the effort!

And now the kids said we must try Magnum pulak! We were at Mid Valley the other day and this is Magnum at 10:30 in the morning.

You should see the queue at lunch time! Macam ular kena patuk. Personally I dont understand what the fuss is all about; it is only Magnum. But I've been told over and over : jangan nak cakap apa2 kalau sendiri pun tak tahu. So I will visit Magnum one of these days!

But of all the photos, this is my favorite (of course).

Hubs occasionally goes to the tadika to pick up Sara in the evenings. Umar recently went to the tadika also. One evening after Sara came home with her papa, hubs went over to pick up Umar pulak. The teachers all called for Sara but was told Sara has already gone home. So hubs said, ye Sara dah balik dah. Saya datang ni nak ambil Umar. Cikgu pun terkeliru sekejap..



Have a great year ahead.

ps - Our remaining time will be shorter by yet another year. Gunalah peluang yang diberi Allah sebaiknya (I am telling this to myself too).





~ xoxo