Cambodian Amok Curry

Phnom Penh and Cambodian Amok Curry.

We arrived in Phnom Penh after a 10 hour overnight bus from Ho Chi Minh, the $6 drive only takes 6 hours but you have to pull up at the border crossing at Bavet and wait for it to open before processing your visa ($35) and proceeding to the Cambodian capital.  Depending on citizenship, you may be required to show $1000 at immigration to prove that you have sufficient funds whilst in the country.  Ian and I were ok, but a really lovely guy from Sri Lanka on our bus was not allowed in for this reason, so beware.

Anyway, we arrived at PP and after checking in at our hotel for £8 a night (http://www.khaviguesthouse.com) we negotiated with a tuk-tuk driver ($10) to take us to the infamous killing fields, 15km out of the city.  What used to be a Chinese cemetery before 1975, turned into a mass buriel ground during Pol Pot's reign as communit leader from 1975-1979.  It is estimated about 20,000 men, women and children were tortured, murdered and dumped here.  Whilst some of the mass graves have been exhumed, there are countless victims that will remain in the ground.  This was just one of the many so-named 'killing fields' from all over Cambodia, were it is believed over 3 million people perished from what was a country of only just over 7 million people in the 70's.  The majority of a generation wiped out by this barbaric and brutal regime, headed by a man  who failed his degree and so proceeded to kill any person with intellect and their families in case they threatened his ideology or leadership. 

As if the sadness of the killing fields in PP were not enough, we headed for the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.  Prior to 1975 it was a secondary school that during the Khymer Rouge regime became Security Prison 21, where tens of thousands of adults and children suspected of anti revolutionary behaviour where horrifically tortured.  

A somber and depressing afternoon and what angered me further was discovering that for 10 years after the Pol Pot resigned and went into exile in Thailand, some western governments (including the UK) still recognised the Khymer Rouge as the legitimate government in Cambodia.  

It is truly a testament to the Khymer people and Khymer traditions and culture that they are resilient and forgiving.  

The other must sees in PP include the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, Wat Phnom, Independence Monument and the Central Market.

After spending the afternoon at these two sights, you don't feel immediately hungry.  Luckily we had the Khymer version of a Banh Mi en route, so after the prison we went for $2 pitchers of beer and I watched as ian delved into the local delicacies of snake on a stick and fried frogs!

After several beers, we decided to try a traditional Khymer curry, the Amok curry, for about £2 you can get either a meat or white fish amok curry with rice, add an extra 50p for an Ankor beer!  Similar in ingredients to Thai curries, but an Amok is nowhere near as spicy.  As an alternative, you can also have a traditional Khymer bbq, you select your marinated meat and fish and it comes raw to the table with a pile of uncooked veg and you then proceed to cook it on the table top bbq. It is slightly more expensive at around £5 per person, but also delicious and is served with seared veg (the best being seared cabbage), steamed rice and a chilli sauce.

Traditional Amok curry recipe.

Amok Paste

- one stick of lemongrass, sliced thinly

- thumb size piece of ginger, finely chopped

- 1 1/2 shallots, finely chopped

- 2 cloves of garlic (3 if small), finely chopped

- half an inch piece of tumeric

Place all ingredients into pestle and mortar or food processor and blend until paste.

Amok curry

- amok curry paste

- 200g of a white fish sliced (cod, pollock etc), you can also use prawn, chicken or tofu.

- half an onion finely sliced

- 100g mushroom (oyster are the best)

- 1 tbsp fish sauce

- 1 tbsp of sugar

- large handful of Chinese kale or spinach 

- half a cup of coconut milk

To make add a little coconut milk to a hot frying pan or wok, then add 2 tbsp of the curry paste and cook for a minute. Then add the onion, fish, fish sauce and sugar and cook for another minute then add the rest of the coconut milk.  Cook for three to four minutes until the fish is almost cooked, then add the mushrooms and kale or spinach.  Cook for another few minutes until all cooked through.  Check for seasoning.  Serve in a bowl, coconut or banana leaf with steamed rice!

Goodbye Vietnam

Saigon was the capital of South Vietnam, but was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after reunification in 1975.  In the two days we were there, we visited the Ho Chi Minh museum, Notre Dame cathedral, the war remnants museum and the revolutionary museum.  We also took a an afternoon trip to the Chi Cu tunnels, which was a main area of fighting during the war as the Americans tried to stop being he Ho Chi Minh trail, which was the flow of arms from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia into South Vietnam to support the Viet Con.  200,000 dong (£4 approx) will get you a ticket to Chi Cu and if you want you can be one of the visitors that ducks and dives through the underground tunnels, I personally only made it 20 metres before I headed to the exit!  You can also pay $1 a bullet to shoot a gun at the gun range, I did not do this, but walking around the area and hearing the AK47's in the distance of tourists in groups further ahead, gave some indication of what it may have been like living with the constant threat of guns and bombs in your own town or village.

The second day in southern Vietnam we decided to head to the Mekong delta. It used to be wasteland until many Chinese requested permission to live there and then 20,000 Thai also settled in the region.  200,000 dong will get you a full day in the Mekong delta with lunch included of fried rice, barbecued pork and a soup. We spent the day in fishing boats weaving in and out of the delta, stopping off in the coconut candy factory, here they make sweets from coconut milk added to caramel and chopped nuts, they were amazing.

All in all, Ho Chi Minh was a good place to spend our last day in Vietnam.  Before I finish my last Vietnamese blog, I thought it was only fair to share my favourite food discovery in Vietnam.

Vietnamese Crispy pancakes (Banh Xeo)

The best food that I discovered in Vietnam, and this is one dish I am sure I will make time and time again, it is the street food crispy pancakes.

Pancake dough

2 cups of rice flour

2 1/2 cups of water

Pinch tumeric

Tablespoon coconut cream

Teaspoon fish sauce

Mix the ingredients together.

Filling

Bean sprouts

Chicken (uncooked but finely sliced) or prawns (peeled and deveined).  I used small prawns.

Put frying pan on low to medium heat and add a tablespoon of oil.  When oil is hot, ladle in the pancake mixture until there is a thin layer on the bottom of the frying pan ( like a crepe).  Evenly place three prawns on one half of the pancake and the a handful of bean sprouts across the same half. Cover and Leave the pancake for three minutes, making sure the heat is low enough not to burn he bottom.  

After three minutes add some oil around the edge of the pancake (we are trying to make the bottom go crispy and light brown in colour).  After another 3 minutes it should be ready to fold the half of the pancake with nothing on it over the side with the filling.  Leave for a further two minutes and then flip for another two minutes.  Both sides should now be crispy and golden brown,  if not place back into the frying pan.

To serve, cut the pancake into three so a prawn is in each section.  Take a rice paper roll and place some greens (lettuce, cucumber, spring onion, pea shoots, coriander, thai basil, mint etc) in the rice paper, add the section of the crispy pancake and roll.  Dip into a dipping sauce and eat.

Dipping sauces

You can use he Nuoc Cham sauce or even a sweet chilli one, but there is also a quick peanut sauce (like a satay) that is nice with this.  I confess that I could not understand the exact ingredients from the lady selling them, but I have googled peanut dipping sauces, and the below link takes you to a good one.  Try with both and see which you prefer.

http://www.chow.com/recipes/10658-peanut-sauce

On the whole Vietnam is a fantastic country that is rich in history, from the ancient Chinese rule, the Vietnamese royal dynasty , the French colonisation and more recently the revolutionary civil war and lastly the Vietnam war.  The people are friendly, the food delicious and the scenery beautiful, it is truly worth a visit.

The French Influences

In 1856 French explorers landed in Denang, on the central East Coast of Vietnam.  From here, France colonised Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos (Indochina) and although they left about 100 years later in 1954, it is still very easy to see the French influences in Vietnam.  Even French is the second most spoken language in Vietnam.

Hoi An, a fishing town 30 minutes outside of Denang is where Ian and I stayed, and like France it is known for its good food.  It looks like a small French coastal town and at night the old quarter resembles Bourbon street in New Orleans, albeit not as hedonistic and you don't see people wearing and playing washboards and drinking hand grenades (Kris, Laura, Charlotte!).  

In short, Hoi An is one of my favourite places I have been too.   You can spend the days cycling round the town, visiting the many markets, sampling street food, watching the local fisherman on the river or spend the day at the beach.  Take in a cookery class of the many on offer, I would highly recommend the Red Dragon cooking class (332 Cua Dai Street).  The chef was taught by his mother and recipes and techniques have been passed down through generations.  $32 will get you a three hour lesson to cook 4-5 dishes, you can cook off the menu or see what is in the market and work with the chef to create new dishes.  The pork and ginger dish was off their menu, the clam and lemongrass recipe below was inspired by the great clams at the fish market!  Any leftovers were wrapped up to take home, so Ian was happy.

At night, we spent the evenings wondering down the old cobbled streets filled with lanterns, listening to the music, watching the street entertainers in the square and of course drinking glasses of 15p fresh beer.

Whilst the surroundings of Hoi An have French influences, so does Vietnamese food.  The famous French baguette and coffee were introduced to Vietnam by our friends across the English Channel.  Having tasted the Vietnamese coffee, my advise would be unless you like thick strong coffee with caramel milk and who knows how much sugar, I would avoid completely or at the very least have it cold with lots of ice, which is how the locals seem to drink it anyway.

The Vietnamese version of the baguette is called Banh Mi, a traditional street food in central and southern Vietnam that is normally filled with slices of meat or pate, tomatoes, salad (coriander, mint, thai basil, lettuce, spring onion, cucumbers), chilli dressing.  My favourite Banh Mi filling consisted of chicken (marinated and grilled with 5 spice), coriander, salad (cucumber and lettuce), chilli mayonnaise, a sprinkling of smashed peanuts and seared mango.  Sounds disgusting, but it was amazing.

Like the French the central and southern regions also seem to embrace sweets, from the many bakeries you can purchase cakes, the Vietnamese version of cupcakes and even croissants.  At street stalls and restaurants you can find pancakes on the menu, which are very similar to the French crepe, I opted for the mango whilst Ian went for the banana.  We both decided to stay clear of the chocolate, as we thought that's not very Vietnamese, until I discovered that yes, chocolate was introduced to Vietnam by the French.  In both crepes, they caramelised the fruit at the bottom of the pan first and then pour over the crepe mixture.

After a few days here, it was time to move south, but if there is one place I would recommend people go to in Vietnam, it would be Hoi An.

Chicken in a clay pot

- 4 chicken thighs (skin and bone removed and diced)

- 5 tablespoons of pineapple juice

- 1 teaspoon of five spice

- 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce

- 1 thumb size piece of finger, finely chopped

- 2 small shallots

- 1 clove of garlic

- level tablespoon of sugar

- 1 tablespoon of fish sauce

- pinch of curry powder (I like mine spicy, so I used hot)

- water

- pepper

- chilli

- spring onions

Place chicken into a bowl and place over the pineapple juice to tenderise, leave for a few minutes.  Then add to the chicken, the five spice, oyster sauce.  

Place a frying pan on a medium heat and add a little oil.  When hot add garlic, 3/4 of the chopped ginger and shallots, let them cook for a two minutes, then move them into the centre of the pan and sprinkle around them in a circle the sugar.  Wait for the sugar to turn slightly in colour, then add in the fish sauce and then add the chicken to brown for a few minutes.  Add the curry powder and stir together. Add a few tablespoons of water and transfer to a clay pot.  Don't worry if you don't have one, I don't! Instead use a casserole pot or small saucepan.  Place the pot back on the heat, add some more water, a pinch of back pepper for seasoning, the coconut milk, and the rest of the ginger.  Place lid on and cook until the chicken is cooked through and tender about 20 minutes, you may need to add a few more drops of water during the twenty minutes so keep checking.

When cooked, garnish with slices if chilli and spring onions.  Serve with steamed rice.

You can use the same for pork, beef, fish or if you want a vegetarian version you can use aubergine.  The cooking time will vary slightly depending on the cut of meat and or the vegetable.

Clams in lemongrass and chilli broth

- 1/2 kilo clams 

- 1/2 litre of water

- 2 sticks of lemongrass

- salt

- 1 hot chilli

- 12-15 leaves of Thai basil

Place the water into a saucepan, turn on heat, you need the water to get to boil.  Whilst waiting for the water, bruise the lemongrass sticks and slice the chilli from its middle to the end (so that it is still held together by the stalk) and and add both to the water.  Add a little salt for seasoning.

When water boils add the clams, and wait about 5 minutes for them to cook.  You will know when they are cooked because they will open.  When cooked and before in a bowl add some Thai basil about half and stir, check for seasoning and heat. Place broth and clams into a bowl and garnish with the remainder basil.

To serve I a separate small dish ass a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper, and squeeze over 1/4 of a lime, mix together.  You can dip the clam into this (it's amazing) and then eat the broth like a soup.

On the midnight train to Hue

After leaving Halong Bay and arriving back in Hanoi, it was time to board the overnight train to Hue.  £25 per person will get you a bed in a four berth sleeper cabin and as well as being your transport and overnight accommodation, can also be your entertainment for the evening.  We shared with a Vietnamese civil engineer who taught us some basic language and a Japanese graphic designer who told us everything we needed to know about Tokyo, including, rather worryingly that even in our three days there, we can expect an earthquake!  After sharing several beers with our new international friends, Ian watched on in embarrassment as Seiya (from Tokyo) taught me some tap dancing and I proceeded to entertain the rest of the coach with my new found fancy footwork!

After arriving in Hue and dropping all our backs at the hotel we went out to explore Vietnams ancient capital.  The Imperial Citadel is Hue's prime attraction and was the former imperial seat of government.  The Nguyen Dynasty was based in Hue and ruled from 1802 to 1945, when Emperor Bao Dai abdicated in favour Ho Chi Minh's communist government.  The Citadel was sadly partially destroyed during the Vietnam war but is slowly being restored to its former glory. 

Hue's food reflects the fact that it was the ancient capital where the royals lived. Ordinarily, Hue cuisine consists of many dishes served in small portions.  One famous hue speciality is Banh Uot, which apparently means wet pancakes and is normally served with Vietnamese pork sausage, fried shallots and salad.  The version we had was slightly different and simply delicious.

Banh uot.

Salad

- Thai basil
- Lettuce
- Pea sprouts
- Mint
- Coriander

Vegetables

- Bean sprouts
- Julienned carrots

Nuoc Cham dipping sauce (see recipe in blog Far for Pho)
- Fish sauce
- Lime juice
- Sugar
- Garlic

- Chilli

- Shallot oil

Crispy Pork belly
- Pork belly

- for the rub (3 teaspoons of honey, 1 teaspoon of 5 spice, 1 chilli deseeded and finely chopped, 2 teaspoons of oil).

To cook, I was told to put in a hot oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours and place the marinade on the pork during the last hour of cooking.  I would put on 180 for 3 1/2 hours and add the marinade for the last hour.  

Rice noodles, long.

To assemble, place a handful of the salad in a bowl, add the veg then noodles, top with chunks of the crispy pork and then as much as you want of the sauce.  A Hue lunch for three people with one beer and two iced teas for £3.20' bargain.

After Hue, we made a decision to go off budget and get a car to take us to the de-militarised zone, the Vinh Toc tunnels, where the Viet Con hid and fought the Americans during the Vietnam war and the to take us over the Hai Van pass, all three were brilliant, except when we were crossing the pass, the clouds descended and the rain came, so some of the views were slightly obscured, good job I , the Top Gear Vietnam special!  Is it wrong to like James May?!

Next stop, Hoi An

Earth, Wind and Fire

After Hanoi, we left to visit one of the seven wonders of the natural world and a UNESCO heritage site, Halong Bay.  There are many cruise operators that service tourists wishing to see the bay, we chose one of the cheapest, which was Paragon cruises and cost £120 for one night and two day cruise for two people.  For this we got all our food, kayaking, monkey bay, a cruise of the area and bus transfer to and from Hanoi.  It is beautiful, well worth a visit and you will make some new friends along the way, even if you think it is a tad overpriced.  Beware, drinks (including water) is not included and are western prices, best to pick up some beers en route and place in your bag before getting on board.

Anyway, whilst listening to the tour guide Wan talk about the history of Vietnam and Halong Bay on the 4 hour bus journey, he mentioned the flag of Vietnam and how the star had 5 points to represent the 5 types of people in Vietnam - intellectuals, businessmen, farmers, workers and the military. It also represents the 5 elements - wood, fire, earth, metal and water. I read somewhere sometime ago that in some cuisines and indeed centuries ago in England, a yin-yang balance (or equivalent) is appled to the preparing and cooking of meals as it was/is considered to be beneficial to the health of the human body.  This must be applied then to Vietnamese cuisine, right?

Indeed it is, I learned.  There are 5 fundamental taste elements in Vietnamese food - spicy (metal), sour (wood) bitter (fire), salty (water) and sweet (earth) and so most meals contain ingredients that are affiliated to one of the elements.

In addition, most meals try to have 5 colours, normally white (metal), green (wood), yellow (earth), red (fire) and black (water).  In honour of the yin-yang balance, below is a meal I made with a lot of direction from a chef who took me to a local market to purchase the ingredients.

Green papaya and Mango salad with prawns.

Salad:

- 100 grams julienned papaya (green)

- 50 grams julienned carrots (orange)

- 50 grams julienned mango (yellow)

- 1/2 small white onion (white)

- 1 chilli deseeded and thinly sliced (red)

Cut all the vegetables, but rinse the cut papaya and carrots in water before adding the other ingredients.

Salad dressing:

- 5 tablespoons of lime juice

- 1 tablespoon of sugar

- 1 tablespoon of fish sauce

- 10 tablespoons of shallot oil

- 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

- Half a red chilli finely chopped

Mix the dressing and taste, add more of any of the ingredients if you feel the balance is not quite right.  Place of the salad and toss together.

Prawns:

- Add a little oil to a frying pan and heat.  

- Add 1 clove of garlic chopped then add 6 prawns (peeled and deveined).  

- Add 1/4 teaspoon curry powder, 1/4 teaspoon of oyster sauce, 1/4 teaspoon of sugar and a little water. 

- Cook for about 3 minutes or until prawns are cooked through.

To serve, place the dressed salad (as much as you want) on a plate, then scatter over
some chopped peanuts, add the prawns on top and a final shake of black pepper, finely chopped spring onions and some mint leaves or chilli.

I know papaya can be difficult to come by, but the papaya and mango can be replaced with other vegetables - cucumber, peppers, grapefruit, orange etc, you just have to try and remember that it should have 5 different colours.

Far for Pho

Hello Hanoi......Or in Vietnamese, Xin Chao Ha Noi.

I knew only a little of Veitnam before this trip, and that mainly centred around the Vietnam War and even less about Vietnamese food, the knowledge of which consisted really of a noodle soup called Pho (pronounced Far) and Vietnamese spring rolls.

Anyway after our visa was stamped and bags picked up we went to try and navigate to the city via public transport.  You can pay to get a taxi into town, but we went for the cheaper option, which was the minibus.  Basically stuffing as many people in a bus as possible and charging you 80,000 Dong per person to do so (about £2.). An hour later we were dropped at the hotel in the bustling old quarter, after picking up a map we wondered off to have our first taste of Vietnamese food.  There were countless street stalls with hobbit sized plastic tables and chairs selling food, so we went for the one that looked the fullest with locals and asked for Pho, a soup made with a broth, rice noodles, bean sprouts, herbs, spring onions and if you want chicken and/or beef.  It was delicious, a herby, spicy soup with enough carbs to fill you up and a clear broth that makes you feel healthier eating it. Yum.

For those wanting to make it, I've put a recipe below reliably informed from a lady in Hanoi, and a video on how you can put it together.

Anyway after food, we went to sightsee, and took in the Opera House, Temple of Literature, Water puppet show, flag tower and Hao Lo prison, otherwise known as the Hanoi Hilton. Albeit, if Ian was in charge of the tour instead of me, we would have ended up in the Hilton Hotel and not the prison...muppet! We spent the remainder of the day, meandering round Hanoi, trying to cross roads in the mental traffic and occasionally stopping off at one of the many street bars to drink glasses of Hanoi beer at about 20p each, a bargain!

As an FYi , Local beer in Hanoi is Bia Hanoi, and to ask for it in Vietnamese just say "Mot ly Bia (one beer please).

We ended our day in the old quarter, which turns into the night market and obviously a few more drinks!

Pho recipe

1.  Stock/broth.  To make this boil 2kg beef bones for 5 minutes and then rinse in hot water.  Then  put bones in another large pot with 2 litres of water, add 1 roasted onion (oven roasted for 30 minutes), 2 star anise, 20 grams of ginger, 2 cloves, 1 cardamom, 5 shallots, black pepper, 2 whole chillies, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, 50 grams of sugar.  Bring to boil and simmer for at least 90 minutes, then drain through a fine
sieve so the broth should have no sediment.

2.  Rice noodles (vermicelli is fine)
3.  Bean sprouts
4.  Coriander and Thai Basil
5.  Spring onions
6.  Chicken (cooked) and or beef tenderloin.

To put the soup together, place the noodles in the broth for about 1 minute, until soft, take out and place in soup bowl. Place handful of bean sprouts in broth for a few seconds and then remove and add to the bowl.  Add spring onions to the bowl and then handful of cooked chicken (great if leftover from a Sunday lunch).  (If you want you can finely slice some raw beef and add to the broth for a few minutes to cook and then add to your soup bowl.) Finally add some spring herbs and then ladle over some of the broth before adding more black pepper.

You should serve with wedges of lime and extra chilli/garlic sauce if additional heat required.

The stock is the longest to cook, but I was also told that you can use good beef, chicken or veg stock, rather than make your own.

Vietnamese spring rolls

The rolls are relatively easy to make, but you do want a good dripping sauce.  Of course you can use chilli sauce or even soy but my favourite is Nuoc Cham.

Nuoc Cham dipping sauce

- 5 tablespoons of lime juice

- 1 tablespoon of sugar

- 1 tablespoon of fish sauce

- 5 tablespoons of shallot oil

- 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

- Half a red chilli finely chopped

Ingredients for the Vietnamese rolls

- julienned carrots

- julienned cucumber

- fried pork mince with chilli, shallot, salt and pepper

- vermicelli noodles (rehydrated in water)

- rice paper

- sliced omelette

- sautéed vegetables (finely chopped) for vegetarians

- cooked prawns

- coriander, thai basil or mint.

To make the rolls, take the rice paper and rehydrate in water if necessary.  Place the noodles at the centre of the paper towards the bottom, add a mixture of the ingredients above, whatever you fancy.  I personally like, pork, carrots, coriander.  Then roll like a cigar, place in dipping sauce and eat.

Ready for the off...

Backpacks backed, tickets booked and en route to the airport, hubbie and I are off for a trip around the world.

As part of an approaching 40 and 35 crisis, we are taking off to take in 5 continents, 15 countries, stuff ourselves  with a variety of international foods, sample plenty of local beverages and learn a little of some foreign languages.  I am also mission to try and learn as much about the history and influences of each country and how that reflects today in the lifestyle and local cuisines and finally I obviously want to try and learn to cook as many of my favourite dishes as possible! 

The first update will be in Vietnam, from Hanoi and Halong Bay, but for any peops that are thinking of a backpacking trip, a holiday, or even a good weekend away, below are a few things I learned to save money when looking to go abroad.

1.  Book any flights, accommodation, activities in advance through a cash back website like Quidco (www.quidco.com).  Depending on who you book with you can earn up to 10% cash back.  Just by booking flights, some accommodation in advance and car hire in North America, we earned about £700.  For those going to several destinations, it is worth looking at STA travel or trail finders, but for us, it was cheaper to book separately.

2.  Book tickets, flights, etc with a credit card that provides a % of cash back also.  You will probably need a credit card for your trip anyway, so getting one that pays you for money that you spend is good.  Just remember to pay the bill off quickly!

3.  Sign up for groupon alerts for any of the countries you are visiting.  You will get daily emails of lots of offers, but these offers range from cheap meals, activities including dancing, cooking classes, overnight stays at some really lovely resorts.  We signed up for New Zealand, UAE, Thailand and Malaysia.  If you are going away for a long trip, some of these offers are great birthday or Christmas presents family and friends can buy you, if they don't want to give you cash.

4.  Lastly but very importantly whether you are going on the trip of a lifetime, your annual holiday or even a long weekend away and you want to get your trip off to a great start, then book yourselves into one of the airport lounges before your flight.  £30 per person will ensure that for three hours before your flight you can eat and drink as much as you like, which you may have spent close to if you had gone to the bar before takeoff anyway.  Just make sure you book the lounge via quidco!

Right, so cash back all tracked, sparkling wine drunk and mushroom tortellini ate, we are off for the 24 hour mission to get to our first country, Vietnam.