My Small Private Space at Movenpick Hotel Hanoi

In case you're wondering how the typical rooms at the Movenpick look, here are a few pictures of my small, private space.  Stayed here from June 6 to June 15, 2010.  The room was nice and clean.  Nothing fancy.  Service was good.  Internet is ok.  Check it out.

My room  number :-)

A few pictures of my room.

Discovering Chim Sao's Home Cooked Food

I had lunch with some colleagues of mine. Though I wasn't working for their project this time around, they were so gracious to take me out to lunch.

 
So there we were, five girls in a taxi, off to Chim Sao- a local Vietnamese restaurant.  Because they said that Chim Sao actually refers to a bird, I just had to google it to satisfy my curiosity.

TopPot Doughnuts now in Starbucks Manila

Top Pot Honey-glazed doughnut at HKIA

Now available in Manila.   It comes in three variants - honey glazed, chocolate and apple fritter.  Not bad for P55 a piece.  Tried this at HKIA en route to Sri lanka.  The honey glazed is way too sweet for me. Considering that I love sweet stuff, you can just imagine how sweet this is.  It's probably best to dunk this in a steaming cup of coffee.  Enjoy peeps.

Getting Back On-Line Again

I have obviously not been posting anything.  Last year was difficult for me and the family.  I didn't have the strength nor want to write.  Not sure if I am ready or will ever share what has happened.  We'll see how it goes.  For now, I hope to start again.

Lunch Lost in Translation

After a week or so in Batticaloa, I had to travel back to Colombo since I was scheduled to leave the next day for Manila. Yahoo! Couldn't wait to go back home. The road trip from Batticaloa to Colombo takes approximately 8 hours - this includes an hour lunch break. I do not want to travel 8 hours straight without having lunch. This would just make me dizzy and irritable. The driver and I need food :-)

My Typical Sri Lankan Lunch

What do I eat for lunch? Well, the typical Sri Lankan lunch set that is ordered for me consists mainly of fried rice, curry, some salad and a vegetable dish. Special mention is the the ton of rice that you get with these lunch packs. Ayayay...any rice lover like me would be happy. I remember a former officemate who once commented, "Tanja, you eat rice like our driver."

Well, I do love rice and I'm not bashful about it. Love it to the max. However, here in Sri Lanka, the rice meals proved to be way too much for me. Only a fourth gets gobbled up. Imagine that! What a waste I know. But unlike in Manila where rice is often in "one cup" portions, here it's like rice until you drop portions.

Chicken Biryani, dried fish and sambal, dahl, rotti, vegetables (Grand Cinnamon Hotel , Colombo)

Meanwhile in Batticaloa, the company driver Mohammad, surprised me when he paid for the lunch pack as seen below. It's similar to the one I had in Colombo but much more tasty. This was the best so far. Plus it's a quarter of the cost compared to the one I ordered at the hotel.

Chicken biryani, egg, tomato and onion salad, violet potatoes (In Batticaloa)

Despite their enormous portions of rice in ordinary meals, Sri Lanka, just like the Philippines is a net importer of rice. They import the rice from China and Thailand.

Of Gemstones, Linens and Designer Outfits

September 19, 2009. Saturday. When I'm abroad for work, I usually work six-days a week. Yesiree, Saturday is a working day for me. Although at half past five, I did go out with Sudharshini who graciously took me around Colombo with her two lovely children in tow.

Our first stop was at Premadasa & Co. (Jewellers) Ltd. for gemstone shopping. Their stuff is expensive, not in my budget at all. It looked like quality gems. Hmmm, like I could tell, right? I'm a novice when it comes to gemstone shopping, so I am basing it on the price. Didn't think that a ruby, half a carat, would cost so much. Duh, how could I forget the theory of supply-and-demand, thus the price of the ruby. It's not a garnet, ok?! I accepted the fact that I couldn't afford it, so we left the store without a single purchase. Sad.

Next stop was at Barefoot, a shop that specializes in quality hand woven cloth, linen, hand-made toys, artsy houseware to name a few. It also has a cafe and art gallery. Went away with two sets of cushion covers. Really pretty.

From there, we went to Odel, Colombo's high-end shopping center. Although three stories, it's similar to a "mini-mini" Rustans in Manila. Sri Lanka's garment industry is a major dollar earner for the country. No wonder you can find various brand names here at a fraction of the price. Maybe there's a slight damage here and there. But honestly, who can tell. Saw a pretty Calvin Klein dress for approximately P2000. I was overwhelmed with the choices available and was tempted to purchase the dress. I'd like to think that I'm a high EQ kid so I was saving my dough to buy rubies. Still hoping, right?

There's a Dilmah store at Odel in case you want to buy some tea to take home. They say the tea leaf is better than the tea "dust". The "dust" is too strong according to my friend.

If you fancy a henna tattoo, take the escalator to the third floor. You won't miss it. Failed to ask how much though.

Overall, I enjoyed the rest of my Saturday, at least the few hours that were left for window shopping.


Premadasa & Co. (Jewellers) Ltd.
Main Showroom
560 Galle Road, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka
Tel: 2595178 or 79

Odel
No. 5 Alexandra Place,
Colombo 7
Open everyday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.