Sauce Boat
Sauce Boat
Cruising Halong Bay, Vietnam on a Chinese Junk
One of the must do's if you are visiting Hanoi is a side trip to Halong Bay. I personally have done it twice – once on a bit of a budget and most recently in style on Indochina Sails. Indochina Sails presents a truly elegant cruising experience on its lovingly restored, lacquered wood, antique junk.
It all starts with a morning drive from Hanoi, which is about 3 hours – your boat will arrange transport from your hotel. Undoubtedly around the halfway point you will stop at some souvenir shops…these are usually prearranged with the driver (unbeknownst to the passenger) and we suspect he gets some sort of commission. You can either spend time here or go quickly. I will say on my more budget trip the caliber of the shop reflected the caliber of the trip. However on this one, we managed to stop off at a place where they were making pottery and statues, so for some of us, it was actually truly interesting to wander around the workshop and see the vases being hand painted and then kiln fired.
As we drove past the dock where I took off last time (full of backpackers standing around in a dusty parking lot and loading their own baggage), I was relived to arrive at an entirely civilized departure point repleat with coffee and gift shop. If you are traveling Indochina Sails a steward will meet you at the coffee shop and whisk away your luggage while you check in. After a short ride to in a smaller boat, you board the junk and are immediately enveloped in old world elegance.
After checking in, lunch is served. We enjoyed (Sup Kem Bi Do) pumpkin soup;
(Nem Tuoi Cuon Phuc Vu Cung Nuoc) fresh spring rolls with fish sauce and green papaya salad;
(Tom He Ha Long Chien Xot Me) fried Halong shrimp with tamarind sauce;
(Ga Nuong Cung La Chanh Tuoi) grilled chicken with lemon leaves;
(Than Ca Vuoc Nuong Phuc Vu Cung Bun Tuoi Va Nuoc Cham Duc Biet) grilled fish with rice and classic sauce;
(Cocktail Hoa Qua & Sua Chua) fruit cocktail and yogurt.
The pumpkin soup was really excellent – smooth and creamy. And the spring rolls were also a hit.
Overall, it should be noted that while the food is good, this is not a culinary cruise. In my book, the welcome lunch was probably the best. The other meals were buffet style, which is often not my preference. The dinner buffet did however feature some tasty steamed littleneck clams. With that said, all food is included in your per person rate, its just wine, beer, coffee or tea you will pay extra for a mealtime (excepting breakfast where the coffee / tea is complimentary.)
The real attraction however on this trip is the majestic scenery of the peridot green Halong Bay and the limestone rocks that make the view so dramatic and compelling. Halong Bay was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1994. As a result the waters and the land are well maintained and one can be sure that the beauty will be preserved.
And beyond the beauty that you can see there is lots of beauty that you cannot. This is where the ship's excursions come in. On day one you can visit Titop island and hike 400+ steps to the top for a panoramic view of the bay.
Also on offer is a 1 hour kayak trip (+$10 USD pp) or a visit to a local fishing village. We chose the kayak trip and so we set out with a guide to explore the bay. It was really fantastic being so close to the water after having admired it sparkling gem-like qualities from on high. I was really hoping it would be translucent, but it wasn't. So instead we got a little arm and shoulder workout as we maneuvered underneath low hanging cave entrances and admired the limestone rock formations.
Once back on board, there is a happy hour. Again, all drinks are a la carte, but if you do want to participate in an all you can drink 60 minute happy hour for $15USD the option is yours. The nice thing about Vietnam is given their French colonial heritage, they get a nice selection of French wines. I enjoyed a crisp Sauvignon Blanc on the upper deck with friends as we chatted about the day we had enjoyed and the day ahead. It was a perfect night, a bit crisp and breezy, and as I enjoyed my wine and conversation, the cares of the world melted away and I was in a rare state (for me anyway) of truly being 100% present in the moment.
Later that night, we slept quite comfortably in our cabin. The boat had docked for the night and was quite still in the placid waters of the bay. Paul was worried he wouldn't be able to sleep on a boat, but his concerns melted away as he fell into a very deep sleep. In fact, in the morning we were both surprised how well we had slept – probably a combination of exercise, fresh air and good wine.
Day 2 started with an early morning trip to Sung Sot Cave (also known as Surprise Grotto) on Bon Hon island where you can climb the 100 steps to the cave entrance and explore for about an hour. Inside the grotto, Light illuminates the passage so you can see thousands of stalactites and stalagmites along the 500-meter paved passage. It's probably the only grotto of its kind that I have personally seen and so it lives large in my memory. I wish it was a little more rustic rather than tourist heavy, but in the end I am glad I visited.
After the morning excursion the boat heads back to the dock and it is time to head back to Hanoi. Another 3 hour drive, another stop at a souvenir shop. As we recounted the trip during our ride back, myself, Paul and the other 5 travelers who were with us agreed that Halong Bay was an absolutely spectacular thing to see and doing it aboard the Indochina Sails was time and money well spent.
To contact Indochina Sails, you can do so through their wesbite below.
Indochina Sails
$165 USD pp for a double room, includes meals and transport. Dos not include some activities like kayaking.
Source: accidentalepicurean.com
About the Author
Indochina Sails
Add: 27, A6, Dam Trau Quarter, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel:84-4-39842362
Website: http://www.indochinasails.com
Blackened Banana Boats? Yea or Nay?
4 bananas(unpeeled); 3 T. packed brown sugar; 3 T. orange juice; 4 t. rum(opt.); 4 t. butter; one-half teaspoon grated orange rind; Pinch of cinnamon. With toothpick, pierce skins of bananas all over; place in 8-inch square baking dish. Microwave at High for 4 to 5 minutes or until blackened all over; let cool slightly. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix together brown sugar, orange juice, rum( if using), butter, orange rind and cinnamon; microwave at High for 1 minute or until butter has melted and sugar dissolved; stir. Transfer bananas to individual plates; slice through lengthwise. Spread skins apart slightly and press in ends to form boat shapes. Spoon 2 T. sauce into each banana; serve immediately. Makes 4 servings. Lol. Y/A wants this in Politics and Government.
Sounds like a Yay.
Sauce Boat
Button Moon - The Gravy Boat
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Fresh Tomatoes, Basil and Piece of Cheese, Sauce-Boat $24.99 Fresh Tomatoes, Basil and Piece of Cheese, Sauce-Boat - Photographic Print |
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Worcester Shaped Oval Sauce Boat and Octagonal Bowl Decorated in Enamels, 1750-55 $49.99 Worcester Shaped Oval Sauce Boat and Octagonal Bowl Decorated in Enamels, 1750-55 - Giclee Print |
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Tuxton China BBZ0259 Sauce Boat 2.5 oz. Black 1 Dozen $121.94 The Sauce Boat 2 1/2 oz Black is ideal for an individual serving of gravy dressing or barbeque sauce. A nice addition to the place setting. This boat allows the customer to apply the amount of sauce they prefer. This sauce boat is microwave and dishwashersafe ovenproof and fully vitrified. Width: 5.13 . Depth: 2.63 . Height: 2.38 . Fully Vitrified. Microwave Safe. Oven Proof. Dishwasher Safe. |
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Luigi Bormioli RM126 Michelangelo 19 oz. Sauce Boat with Ladle $33.21 Beautifully designed sauce boat with glass ladle that easily coordinates with any dinnerware but also looks lovely on its own. Classic enough for any entertaining need but perfect for everyday use. A perfect complement to Michelangelo Masterpiece stemware and barware. Luigi Bormioli Michelangelo19ounce Sauce Boat with Ladle. Designed in Italy. Dishwasher Safe. Lead Free. Capacity: 19 Ounce. |
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Sauce Boat' or Cup for Libation, from Heraia in Arcadie, Early Helladic Iii Period $34.99 Greek Sauce Boat' or Cup for Libation, from Heraia in Arcadie, Early Helladic Iii Period - Giclee Print |
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Sauce Boat Made for the Table of Mme. De Pompadour, Bearing Her Coat of Arms, Paris, 1745-55 $49.99 Francois Joubert Sauce Boat Made for the Table of Mme. De Pompadour, Bearing Her Coat of Arms, Paris, 1745-55 - Giclee Print |
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Thermo Sauce Container $13.49 It has happened to us all. A delicious meal is all served and waiting, but the best part is cold and already has an unappetising skin: the gravy. You can put an end to that straight away! Our insulating sauce boat with its hard-wearing stainless steel insert keeps that lovingly-prepared gravy hot and delicious for hours. To prevent accidents, the lid is even lockable for carrying. Timeless elegance in quality chrome-plated finish. Contents: 0.4 litres. |
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Sauce $199.99 August Escoffier Sauce - Premium Giclee Print |
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Low-Fat Sauce Pan stainless steel $8.99 At last you can enjoy tasty, aromatic low fat gravies! The trick with our new sauce boat is really simple: pour low fat gravy from the bottom of the sauce boat onto your food through the low spout on one side. Using the spout on the other side, you can pour off the floating fat and serve yourself as required. Rust-free 18/10 stainless steel0.25 litres volume |
Last Year for the Delta Queen !
The Delta Queen is celebrating her 80th birthday. I hope when I am celebrating my 80th I will be as surrounded by music, loyal friends and fun.
This traditional paddlewheel steamboat has been cruising up and down the Mississippi and its tributaries for decades, recapturing the days when hundreds of steamboats plied these waters. In fact, dozens of steamboats were tied up, one after the other, all along the docks in port cities.
Delta Queen is a part of history, an American treasure, making the steamboat days live again for those who still have the opportunity to cruise her. In fact the Delta Queen has been named a National Historic Landmark and a member of the National Trust Historic Hotels of America. And she has been inducted into the National Maritime Hall of Fame as a vessel that made an outstanding contribution to the maritime industry, in fact the only vessel still operating that is in the Hall of Fame. She used to cruise along the California coast, then in drab grey was a troop ship in World War II, then guided by tugboats came through the Panama Canal to her present cruises on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
Our cruise was a week roundtrip from New Orleans so we arrived early enough to wander the city, walked the French Quarter, bought a nice print of a jazz pianist at the French market, took the trolley ($5 for the day for unlimited rides anywhere on any route), searched for an internet center, and then since it was cold and windy, headed back to the boat for the first of many hot chocolates always on hand along with chocolate chip cookies.
Walking around the Delta Queen is like a walk through history … Victorian furnishings, Tiffany-style lamps, some leaded glass windows, tin ceilings, mahogany trim everywhere, and rocking chairs and a swing forward on deck 2. Large prints of old riverboat scenes are on many walls. The dining room which also serves as the show lounge has old Siamese iron bark flooring, now honey-colored and smooth after being cleaned of the grime when that level was used for cargo.
Since the boat has an all-wood superstructure (the hull is steel clad) there is no smoking allowed in cabins or in the interior public rooms.
It has an old steam calliope and the ship’s bell that sounded out landings for the steamboat that Mark Twain rode downriver in 1883. The calliope at the stern, built in Cincinnati in 1897, is played at departures from the river towns, usually by the band’s piano player, but occasionally by passengers, and one night by the captain. Typical of the casual family atmosphere on board, the captain also played the piano at the party given for repeat cruisers.
The engine room, open to passengers, has the original old steam engine that drives the big red paddlewheel. Parts are sometimes pirated off the engine of sister ship Delta King, now serving as a restaurant in California.
There is even reputed to be a ghost on board -- the ghost of Capt. Mary B. Greene, of the Greene family who owned the steam boat for decades after the boat was a troop ferry in California. She had both a Master’s and a Pilot’s license. Knocking sounds sometimes are still heard in the cabin where she died of a heart attack and it is said she still walks the decks.
Delta Queen has accommodations for 174 passengers. Cabins are air-conditioned and have a private bath with shower. Higher category staterooms also have a tub. Some cabins open only onto an outside deck; others open into the interior.
The staterooms have been lived in by many famous people including Presidents Carter, Truman, and Hoover, Lady Bird Johnson, Princess Margaret, the Vanderbilts, Errol Flynn, Helen Hayes, to name a few.
The loyalty to the Delta Queen is one of the highest in the cruise industry. Most passengers on our cruise had been on Delta Queen cruises previously, some booking a different itinerary every year … lower Mississippi, upper Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee … with the goal of experiencing them all. One man on our cruise, from Virginia Beach, had cruised on the paddlewheelers 81 times. The frequent cruisers all said that they liked the fact that the boat was small and it was casual. One veteran cruiser, not on our cruise, has cruised with the company more than 100 times.
The Master, Capt. Gabriel Chengerry, began his career on board in 1968 as night watchman and has been Master since 1976.
The Delta Queen has many theme cruises -- Civil War history, antebellum plantations and gardens, Mardi Gras, golf, quilts, fall foliage. Each of them is like a step back in time.
Our cruise was on Cajun heritage. There were lectures on Cajun history and about the history of the river and the river towns we visited. Much of the US Cajun population is in the small towns from the mouth of the Mississippi River west to nearly Texas and north to about 300 miles.
Acadian (Cajun) culture has been in Louisiana for almost 300 years. Acadians formerly lived in eastern Canada; then when the English took control there after war with France, they made a deal to remain neutral in any future conflicts if they would be left to live in peace. But a new governor in 1755 ordered them to swear allegiance to the crown of England. When they refused and reaffirmed their desire to remain neutral, the governor confiscated their lands and forced them to leave. Some returned to Europe, some moved to other parts of Canada, some to areas in the colonies later to be the United States. Over the next decades thousands of Acadians from all these areas began moving to southwest Louisiana. The name Acadian got shortened to Cajun. Their bonds were close and their culture survives today.
We will be visiting several of the towns that still maintain the traditions.
Whether it’s Cajun, zydeco, or swamp pop, Cajuns like to dance. A Cajun band played several afternoons and evenings on the boat, plus Walter Kross and the Riverboat Five played jazz and dance music to continue our taste from New Orleans. Unfortunately there were no dance hosts on board for dancing and no instruction in Cajun dances. Shows each night also contained some great ragtime, and the lounge pianist sang hilarious old vaudeville songs.
We were scheduled to go to Morgan City first, but you need to be flexible on river cruises, and that night because of fog a couple of barges got stuck on a sand bar and we could not get past them. So we went instead to the port of Iberia. There were shore tours past sugar cane fields and old plantations to St. Martinsville and to Avery Island where rock salt is mined and Tabasco sauce is made and thousands of snowy egrets come to nest. In St. Martinsville the Cultural Heritage Center has a mural depicting the 1765 arrival of the Acadians in Louisiana, a genealogy center, and exhibits on free people of color in Louisiana who before the Civil War were active in business, owned plantations, and indeed sometimes had large numbers of slaves of their own. You could also visit Acadian Village with authentic Acadian structures including the home of senator and Hadacol inventor Dudley LeBlanc.
The next day we cruised to Morgan City. There were more sugar cane fields, and rice fields (which are later flooded for raising crayfish), and bayous and large cypress trees that were crucial to building houses and the railroad in the development of the area. We visited beautiful Oaklawn Manor, built in 1837 and now the plantation home of former Louisiana governor Mike Foster and featuring a large collection of John James Audubon carvings and prints. Audubon spent many years in this area. And we visited the Wedell-Williams Aviation Museum, with Wedell’s famous plane that broke the world speed record in 1933.
Next stop was the port at Krotz Springs, and our tour guide on the bus played a guitar, sang songs, and told stories about his memories as a boy of sitting in the bayou with his father, building a fire, their food cooking in a big black pot. Another guide talked of their family land and how they grew and shipped sweet potatoes, a big crop in this area. We visited the Academy of the Sacred Heart and heard their stories from Civil War days when soldiers were camped outside. And we visited the Chretien Point Plantation built in 1831, often used as a set for films, including Gone with the Wind.
At the next stop, St. Francisville, were many antebellum houses. One tour was of the Rosedown House, built in 1835, and The Myrtles, a West Indies style home, supposedly haunted. The other tour was of Greenwood Plantation, a grand old home lovingly restored by owner Richard Barnes who personally showed us through the rooms it took him 16 years to restore. Many movies were filmed here. This same tour went to the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, a maximum security prison where prisoners farm their own produce on 18,000 acres, hold an annual “Wildest Rodeo of the South”, and participate in many educational and work programs, including an inmate band. There are 5,000 prisoners here, all with a 50 year sentence or longer. The longest escape time -- three hours. They sell t-shirts saying "Angola -- A Gated Community".
Our departures from the river towns visited are accompanied by loud calliope music. Every day a riverlorian talks about the river and steamboat days. One day we could fly a kite from the top deck.
In between it was just relaxing on the river, watching the shore go by. It was too chilly for alligators so we did not have the opportunity to take a swamp boat trip to see alligators or birds in the bayou.
The last day was spent in Baton Rouge. We docked beside the Mississippi Queen and passengers could visit back and forth. Shore tours included such things as a tour of the destroyer USS Kidd and Memorial Museum, visits to historic homes and plantations, and to the old capitol building to hear stories of Louisiana governor Huey Long, assassinated one day on his way to his office. I chose the Cajun Heritage Tour to a Fais-Do-Do dance party on the bayou at the Cajun community of French Settlement. We sampled Cajun appetizers of alligator, crayfish, boudin, and jambalaya, and were taught some Cajun dances (finally), then were given the opportunity to spend the next half hour dancing with the dance instructors. This was one tour that I did not want to leave.
That night on our way back to New Orleans, there were bonfires and fireworks along the river in our honor. The century-old tradition started so Santa Claus (Papa Noel) could find Cajun children at Christmas even though they were back in the bayou. On Christmas Eve there will be more than 100 such fires all along the banks of the river.
We had gone through many locks and under many bridges, steamed along on the Mississippi River, the Atchafalaya River, several canals, and the Intracoastal Waterway, for a total of 518 miles.
If you go: Check for occasional special offers such as 2-for-1 pricing, 50% off second passenger, or free airfare, and past passengers (called Frequent Floaters) often get a discount or a cabin upgrade.
*****
About the Author
Shirley Linde, of St. Petersburg, Florida, is a best-selling author and editor of SmallShipCruises.com. Her latest book From Sea to Shining Sea: A Guide to Cruises in the USA will be in bookstores in October.
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Max Burton 6010 8-Inch Induction Interface Disk with Heat-Proof Handle $37.49 Allows you to use any cookware with your induction cooktop. Works with portable units as well as most drop in hobs. The surface is 8" in diameter with a heatproof handle and is made of stainless steel.... |
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Deni 15501 Electric Gravy Boat with Warming Plate, White $17.00 Hosting a dinner party requires the right tools. Now gravies or sauces can be created ahead of time and kept warm until the hostess is ready. The gravy sauce & syrup warmer keeps gravies and sauces hot and ready to serve whenever your guests are ready. The ceramic gravy boat sits on top of a warming base. The detachable cord allows the entire unit to be brought to the table. This appliance pliment... |
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Norpro Porcelain Gravy Sauce Boat with Stand and Candle $17.75 Gravy Boat holds 2 Cups/16 ouncesCan use gravy boat separatelySauce/Gravy Boat measures 4.75 inches by 8.75 inches by 3.5 inchesWarming Stand measures 2.25 inches by 5.75 inches by 4.75 inchesDishwasher safe Product DescriptionKeep sauces and gravies warm with Norpro's porcelain sauce and gravy boat. The warming stand and included candle ensure temperatures stay as desired. With its 2-cup (16-ounc... |
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Clasicos De Las Americas $39.98 ... |
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Mayonnaise in Red Line Sauce-boat with Curly Parsl - 24W x 18H - Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys $33.99 WallMonkeys wall graphics are printed on the highest quality re-positionable, self-adhesive fabric paper. Each order is printed in-house and on-demand. WallMonkeys uses premium materials & state-of-the-art production technologies. Our white fabric material is superior to vinyl decals. You can literally see and feel the difference. Our wall graphics apply in minutes and won't damage your paint or l... |
Sauce Boat