1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #311 - Thanh Mai Noodles and Pho2000, Ho Chi Minh City

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #311

- Thanh Mai Noodles and Pho2000, Ho Chi Minh City

(Vietnamese noodles are a joy to eat. We came across this corner shop called Thanh Mai which dishes out an excellent bowl of noodles with clear broth, slices of fish cake, plus a stick of pork rib. Yummy! We came back for seconds. Before we flew off, we decided to also try Pho2000, a noodle restaurant tucked above a coffee outlet. Although it's beef noodle soup was a bit average, it's prawn-wrapped spring roll was excellent. The fact that President Bill Clinton was here probably gave it permission to charge a premium for its dishes)

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #310 - Ben Thanh Market, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #310

- Ben Thanh Market, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

(Ho Chi Minh City is pulsating! This old Saigon is a real commercial hub now, unlike Hanoi which still gives one that old-town Vietnam feeling. And the massive Ben Thanh Market represents that buying-selling perfectly. The streets beside it are no slouch too when it comes to selling clothings, shoes and such. I had a field day picking up my 100,000-dong Under Armours shirts. The market  is a hive of activities, both day and night time. I still prefer the cool of Hanoi in January though)

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #309 - Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #309

- Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

(The most famous chapel in the world, the Sistine Chapel, is in front of me, at last. And look, the most iconic of Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling - the Creation of Adam - depicting the creation of man by God. Many regard this painting as equal in fame and impact to the Mona Lisa. Inside, it is a wonderfully peaceful chapel, even with visitors standing almost wall-to-wall, craning their necks to look up at the ceiling. With earplugs from the museum's audio guide, we sat by the side for 15 minutes, just to soak it all in - imagining his every paint brush strokes, which took 5 years to complete on his back, apparently. As we walked out, we decided to send a postcard at the post-office with a stamp showing Pope Francis, right inside the museum itself, capturing this once-in-a-lifetime experience)

 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #308 - The Vatican Museum, Vatican City

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #308

- The Vatican Museum, Vatican City

(We were off at 530am to get to the Vatican Museum, on our last full day in Rome. Our hotel tried to get tickets online, but due to this being 02Jan, the first day in 2016 that it's opened to the public, agents pushed it over 50euro per ticket. We were content to queue for it, for only 16euro at the museum gate. The 2hr queue from 6.40am was an experience in itself. The Vatican Museum is huge, carrying some of the world's masterpieces of the Renaissance period by Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Raphael. Once inside, you can feel how special this museum is. You get to see views of the Vatican City that you won't get by only visiting the St Peter's Basilica, which our 2 previous tours covered. Here, all the museum pieces seemed alive!)

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #307 - Teatro Pace 33 Hotel, Rome

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #307

- Teatro Pace 33 Hotel, Rome  

(One keeps hearing that hotels within the Rome city can be pricey. That is true - ours at Teatro Pace 33 was over S$300 per night. But it was worth every euro. Not just its location - it sat next to Piazza Navona and it's beautiful Four Rivers fountain - but it was an easy 15-20mins walk to the Trevi Fountain or the Spanish Steps. The real surprise we got from this little boutique hotel, painted to feel like a  high-end museum and with thick wooden beams at the room ceiling, is that the morning breakfast gets delivered to you, at your room - nice royal touch indeed!)

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #306 - Vittorio Emmanuele National Monument and Capitoline Hill, Rome

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #306

- Vittorio Emmanuel National Monument and Capitoline Hill, Rome  

(This posting should read "Getting lost in Rome while on a walkabout, and loving it!". We took wrong turns several times on the road but found sights which we didn't plan to see, but which were just as striking, like this huge National Monument, the Capitoline Hill, the Sant Angelo bridge and castle, and a statue of Julius Caesar doing his selfie. All from the Roman times, all over 1000 years or more..Rome is truly the Eternal City)