Dining out in Furano

Furano's peak season is in summer (lavender) and winter (ski-ing and snow).  As a result, they do have quite a number of hotels and quite nice little restaurants for a small town.

Toiletries and spa goodies at Hotel Natulux

Most of the hotels, however, are up near the ski slopes or away in the surrounding area so we were lucky to get rooms at the Hotel Natulux, located right by the Furano bus and train station for easy access.  It was a nice hotel, with a superb range of toiletries which of course we appreciated very much!   The hotel came with breakfast too - choice of western or Japanese breakfast, so as we were there for a few nights we had the opportunity to try both.  The best thing about breakfast was the bottle of fresh milk - so rich that the cream has risen to the top and sticks to the foil top - so you have to shake it hard to redistribute the cream again.  

Lunch was largely eaten on the road so we had to make up for it at dinner.  We went to Kumagera, known for their beef shashimi and nabe (hot pot).  The beef shashimi comprised thin slices of wagyu over seasoned rice.  There is a yummy soy-wasabe-savoury marinade which is poured over the beef before eating - probably lightly cooks the beef, much like lemon and olive oil for fish caparccio.  The hot pot nicely complemented the beef too - duck, chicken, venison (one little piece) and vegetables in a miso broth.  Washed down, of course, with Sapporo beer.

Fukuzushi - Chirashi Sushi Bowl

Another night, we went to Fukuzushi, right next to the hotel.  I had a lovely, huge chirashi sushi bowl. Large pieces of sashimi (that's what they are known for, apparently) - really a delight to eat these large fresh pieces of fish.  Probably the best meal I had in Furano!  

We also went to a well-known little patisserie, Furano Delice (I call it "Felice" for short, and I do feel happiness there!).  It's known for its milk pudding but we ate their Double Fromage Cheese Cake - with a normal cheese cake base at the bottom and a mousse-y layer on top.  Really quite light and yummy, so it's easy to

Happiness at Furano Delice

get down.  I must confess that I was also very happy with the mini cheesecake I bought from Furano Marche (the shopping mall for tourists, specialising in local produce) the day before.

Curry Rice at Masaya- check out the milk!

Apparently Furano is also famous for its omelette curry rice, so I had to have that too, at Masaya, an omelette curry rice restaurant at the heart of town.  I got the Furano special, so called because itis meant to showcase the best of local produce. As such it is served with a little bottle of milk (much like what we have been eating for breakfast every morning).  I am not a big fan of Japanese curry (lacks the lemak-lemak flavour of Southeast Asian curries) and I guess this still doesn't change things but I liked the thinly cooked omelette the rice came in, the tender strips of pork and the pickled cabbage (sauerkraut style) on the side.

So that's the run-down on meals in Furano.  The food adventures continue in Sapporo.....

Furano and Biei - a world of flowers

This year, I went to Hokkaido to experience the beauty of Japan in flowers and lavender.  We arrived in the town of Ashikawa on 11 July and such is the tourist appeal of Hokkaido in the summer, that there is a special "Lavender Bus" from Ashikawa airport straight to Furano.  In winter, Furano is all about ski-ing.  But in summer, it is about lavender and indeed there is an entire website devoted to this topic.

There are numerous lavender farms around Furano but one of the most famous is Farm Tomita, so of course that was where we went. And, we were not disappointed. We had selected the timing of our visit carefully.  Lavender, apparently, fluoresces in July and the peak of its fluorescence is in the third week.  The Japanese take it very seriously, just as they monitor and track the opening of the cherry blossoms ("sakura") they also have a fluorescence index to monitor the blooming of the lavender.  But of course the peak of the lavender bloom is when the tourists are out in full force and so we decided we would not compete with them and arrived one week before.  Even so, the fields were beautiful, a deep purple in colour and stretching out across the horizon.

Lavender field, Farm Tomita (Lavendin in front, Lavende at the back)

Now in a previous visit to Provence in France, we had missed the lavender season (and it was raining) but we learnt there that the French felt that only their lavender ("Lavende") was the true lavender and the type found in other countries including Japan was a less form ("Lavendin"). I am forced to say that I personally find the deep purple of "Lavendin" far more photogenic.  But, I should say also that the Farm Tomita features many varieties of lavender, including (I think) "Lavende".  And in truth, there are many different types of lavender available.  A relatively simple list can be found here.

Lavende, complete with bee

Lavendin, I suspect

It was also really quite interesting to track the lavender flowers fluorescing.  Our hotel had a few pots of lavender out in front and we managed to see the little flowers opening up.  I have never really seen the lavender flowers in such profusion before.

Fluorescing

 Lavender products could also be had a-plenty. And in addition, Furano is well known for its Yubari melon,  the price of which can go into the thousands and ten thousands of Japanese yen.Fortunately we got our slice for just 200Y each.

Yubari melon

Lavender Ice Cream

Lots  more photos of my visit to Farm Tomita can be found here.

We would do more flower gazing the next day, at Shikisai-no-oka, a flower farm between Furano and the nearby town of Biei.  Biei is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Japan - a reference really to the peaceful rolling hills and flower farms and fruit farms in the area.  But unfortunately, it was a rainy day when we went there and this discouraged us from roaming around.  The flower farm, however, was all one could ask for. Here're one or two pictures just to spark off some interest.  More photos can be enjoyed on my Flickr page.

Flowers and a distant view of hills

Flower fields, Shikisai-no-oka

Majulah Singapura! Celebrating SG50 as One United People

 

So glad to be able to participate in this year's National Day Parade to celebrate Singapore's 50th Birthday as an independent nation.  

 

Many highlights - the ariel fly-past, mobile column, the short video commemorating Mr Lee Kuan Yew's life, the emotional climax of "Home" right at the end and the recital of the Pledge and the singing of the National Anthem.  Sadly my seat did not provide that great a view of the fireworks.  The floating platform's probably the best.

 

There are better reports elsewhere, so I won't elaborate.  My own photos and videos can be found here on Flickr.

 

But what was quite moving was that there were people wearing red throughout the day - when I went for mass, when I went for lunch.  It was a sign of solidarity for the day, that we were One United People.

 

 

An Ancient Imperial City

Main Entrance into the Imperial City

For over a hundred years, Hue was the capital city of Vietnam under the Emperors of the Nguyen dynasty. The Imperial City was their seat of power.  Here at this site by the Perfumed River, they built strong, high walls around their throne hall, the administrative offices of their mandarins and the Forbidden Purple City, a citadel within a citadel where only the Emperor and his inner household (read wife, concubine and eunuchs) could step foot.

Our resort provided a free shuttle bus to the citadel, but it left at 10am and by the time it reached Hue around noon, the sun was blazing.  So, sunglasses, hat and scarf were in order.  And sunblock too, on the face and arms.  I could see why the locals wore long sleeved, loose clothing - the traditional aodai perfectly suits the climate!

There are many perfectly good sites describing the Imperial City, such as this, and this virtual walking tour of

Ruins of the Purple Forbidden City, from a newly restored corridor

the Citadel.  So I will not reproduce my route but instead go into the details which held more interest for me.  Sadly, in any case, much of the Imperial City was bombed during the Vietnam War and was destroyed, in particular most of the Forbidden Purple City.  Whilst restoration (or maybe re-creation) work is being done, there is still much to go.

From what I understand from Vietnamese history, the Nguyen Emperors were the last to rule Vietnam.  After WWII, the line of the Emperors stopped as Vietnam became torn in two between Ho Chi Minh and the communists in the north and the republicans in the South.  Eventually, of course, the communists won the day.  One would have supposed that they would have totally repudiated the legacy of the monarchy.  And they did, except for one detail.

The To Temple with Dynastic Urn

Peacock on Dynastic Urn

For whatever else they did, the Vietnamese Emperors had sent their ships out into the surrounding waters, out into the South China Sea where they laid claim to the islands in the area - such as the Spratlys and the Paracels.  In other words the two hottest properties in South East Asia today!

These activities were recorded, on the maps of the time and on the nine dynastic urns that one of the Nguyen Emperors commissioned.  The urns stand outside the Hian Lam Pavilion, across from the The To Mieu  Temple - where most of the Emperors of the Nguyen dynasty are commemorated.  The urns depict, amongst other things, scenes of the countryside and of the sea, of flowers and birds and beasts (including one peacock).

The accompanying commentary and description of the urns in the Hian Lam pavillion points out that they also record the "East Sea" (I could not find this though - but searching for individual decorations on nine gigantic urns in the hot sun is not easy, it is not unexpected that we miss things), presumably east of Vietnam, which would be the South China Sea.    So this is "evidence", at least from Vietnam's perspective, of the country's historic claims to the Spratlys and Paracels.

Map Detail

These claims are further reinforced by the maps.  Behind the great audience chamber of the Thai Hoa Palace - where sits the Imperial Throne - there is a smaller hall which contains maps of the South China Sea, again with the Spratlys and Paracels demarcated as being in Vietnamese territory.  There is a map in French - ie the French also recognised these historic boundaries.  

The competing claims of the various parties contending for ownership of the Spratlys and Paracels will take much time to go into.  Other countries will have their own evidence.  I am no expert, and putting this up on my blog does not indicate I am taking sides one way or another; it is purely to indicate the interesting point that the present day communist leaders of Vietnam are using the records of the Imperial administration to support their claims.

Detail - Thai Binh Pavilion

The other highlight of the Imperial City was, to me, the Emperor's little reading pavilion, Thai Binh Pavilion.  Situated deep into the Forbidden Purple City, it is one of the few buildings not destroyed by the bombing.  Ornate mosaic decorations adorn the roof and walls of this charming little building.  The Emperor's reading room faces a pond with rock garden in the middle so that he can rest his eyes on this peaceful scene when he wants to take a break.

After our visit, we took a cyclo to the French Boulangerie, a small little cafe which we located in (I believe) Lonely Planet.  This little cafe is a social enterprise, set up to train disadvantaged youth to be bakers.  The food itself was simple - we had a "Baguette Brest" which is essentially bread topped with cheese, ham, onions, tomato paste etc.  There was also a very welcome ice cream for dessert.  Not quite an "Imperial" meal, but warm and tasty nonetheless.

This is my fourth visit to Vietnam and I find that the more I visit, the more I find of interest.  In Hanoi we explored the ancient capital and the beautiful Ha Long Bay.  In Central Vietnam, the old town of Hoi An and the Imperial Capital at Hue.  In Ho Chi Minh City, I learnt more about the Vietnam war and visited the Mekong Delta.  And still so much more to see.....

More Hue photos found here.

Resort Living in Lang Co, Vietnam

Our Resort - Angsana Lang Co

Vietnam is a great place to visit.  Good food, historic buildings, beautiful scenery, lovely resorts.  This time round we got to sample all of them.

We stayed at Angsana Lang Co, the "low cost" version of Banyan Tree.  Not that we were complaining though - the resort itself was perfectly situated just next to its more "atas" sibling and shared the same beautiful sandy beach.

And, I can't complain about having a suite with a big balcony and well-appointed bathrom.  See pictures of the resort here.

It was hot though - really hot.  In early June, the dawn comes around 4am and twilight at 7pm.   I suppose this is what is the norm for farming communities,so that the farmers wake up and work in the cool of the day.  We learnt, pretty quickly, that we too needed to wake up early in the morning if we wanted to have a swim in the cool of the morning.  From 10am to 3pm, all we wanted to do was laze in our room or in the spa.

The bay area 

Lang Co is a village about 1 hour north from Danang, and is supposedly one of the most beautiful bays in Vietnam (see this link).... I guess I will need to visit more bays to make a more educated assessment!  But it is indeed a beautiful place - the drive takes us along the coast with absolutely stunning views of misty mountains and clear waters.  We would travel this route repeatedly, to visit Hoi An and Hue.

I have of course visited Hoi An before - see my post on my previous trip.  But it was a pleasure indeed to revisit this charming little town.(See the photos of this trip on my Flickr page). In particular, I like walking around in the evening, when the the air is cool and the glow of the lanterns light the streets.

Nu's eatery

Re-reading the post, I remember now that I was not too thrilled about the food.  But this time round, we took our chances at a little restaurant further away from the main tourist strip.  And we were rewarded indeed, by a truly yummy meal of Vietnamese style kong bak pau (!), pomelo salad and a yummy Hue style noodle in a pork ragu with rice cracker strips on top. We finished off with ice cream - when I tried chilli ice cream for the first time.  Believe me, it has a kick to it.

So if you are in Hoi An, try it out. Nu's Eatery is at 10A Nguyen Thi Minh Khai.

There was never a cat like him

Dinky on thealert

My family recently said good bye to one of our most adorable cats - Dinky, or Dinky Darling as we affectionately named him.  Dinky came to us as a kitten.  One of four kittens, his sister disappeared and one brother got knocked down before we decided to take Dinky and his remaining brother Winky into our home.

Dinky's siblings- Inky, Winky and his lookalike Binky

Dinky and remaining sibling Winky

Dinky amply repaid our kindness with lots of kitty love and affection.  He was always ready to be cuddled and stroked, and had this most appealing way of looking at us in adoration with his big luminous green eyes.  Of course this earned him more strokes, cuddles and kisses.  Dinky was always on the look out for what was happening and even when we called one of the other cats Dinky would also come running.

Dinky with his mousie

Other adorable little habits: jumping onto the bed (or sofa) and clambering all over me to be stroked and hugged (he always was, at least for a moment) before snuggling down next to me.  Sweet little mew when looking for food.  Jumping up when watching TV, coming when he is called ready for a hug.  Allowing you to rub his tummy, to do his exercises, could do anything with him.  Timid and a little afraid of others but with his family, and those he got to know better, he was the most affectionate of cats.  

Utter Abandon - after disposing of the cardboard sheet

Dinky was also very good with other cats - at least with little kittens/ young cats who joined our family.  And there were many!  Dinky dealt with them all with patience, affection and lots of licks.

Dinky and little niece Ariel

Dinky would depart just when he was around 9.5 years or so.  We didn't suspect anything but realised he was getting a little lethargic- we thought it would pass.  Then we found some bumps and lumps growing, one on his head and the other on his back.  His lethargy increased and he ate less and less.  Finally we brought to the vet, took an x-ray and heard suspicions that it was cancer.  The situation worsened, and his breathing got more laboured. Eventually, we took him to the vet for that final goodbye.  

Snoozing

I took some time to write this post -- he left us on 4 June but the feelings of loss are still there and I still miss him very much.  Goodbye dearest Dinky Darling.

Farewell, Mr Lee

Queue at the Padang, Thursday

Singapore's Founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, passed away at 3.18am, on the 23rd of March 2015, at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) where he had been warded for severe pneumonia.  This triggered the start of a week of national mourning.  People from all walks of life mourned his loss.  They left tributes at SGH, where he passed away, at the Istana, where the private family wake was held, and at Parliament where he lay in state until his funeral service on 29th March.  Thousands waited for hours, queuing to pay their last respects (myself amongst them).  Each journey his coffin subsequently took was made through streets line with people.  Everyone wanted to say good bye to one of the founding fathers of modern Singapore.  

Mr Lee said once that Singaporeans are champion grumblers.  Somehow, this week, we decided to prove him wrong for once.  Despite hours queueing in the hot sun, despite more hours in the rain waiting for the funeral cortege to pass, Singaporeans took it all with good humour.  Strangers handed out drinks, food and umbrellas to those waiting in line.  We remembered the uncommon privilege we had in growing up in a society where success in life did not depend on the family you were born to or the colour of your skin.  It was a time which bound us together as Singaporeans.  Amidst all the sorrowful thoughts, there was a confidence that we could go on as one nation, one people, one Singapore.

Aside from queuing (mercifully, for only three hours), I visited the tribute site at SGH and also waited by the roadside for the funeral cortege to pass.  But much time was spent reading through the many newspaper articles, including in overseas newspapers, talking about his legacy.  Some critics complained that the hype in the media was just another attempt at propaganda by the ruling party. But the mass turnout, far greater than anticipated, and the soaring of the Singapore spirit indeed showed SIngaporeans' true respect and gratitude for Mr Lee.

At the SGH Tribute Site

Goodbye, Mr Lee.