fah-thai-magazine-march-april-2017-in-flight-magazine-of-bangkok-airways

HAPPENINGS
vietnam / lAOs / cambodia
danang / Luang Prabang / Phnom Penh
SPOTLIGHT
Good Food,
Good Wine and
Good Coffee
When in Danang, take the Ba Na cable
car – one of the most impressive and
scenic cable car lines in the world – to
the French Village on Ba Na Hills. There,
you’ll discover a unique architectural
work that transports you to ancient
France. But a visit to Ba Na Hills won’t
be complete without a check of the of
100-metre long Debay Ancient Wine
Cellar which was dug deep in Ba Na
Mountain in 1923. Don’t miss a chance
to grab a bottle of wine and enjoy it
with Vietnamese cuisine at a Hoi An
restaurant, which evokes the atmosphere
of an ancient town similar to Hue.
From Cherries to Cup
Another café worth checking out for coffee aficionados in Luang
Prabang lies next to L’Elephant Café on Khem Khong Road. Saffron
Coffee Espresso, Brew Bar and Roastery offers various ways to
experience your Arabica coffee – hot or cold, French press or
drip. All of their specially-selected coffee beans come from the
mountains near Luang Prabang. Your coffee experience shouldn’t
stop at the tasting. Saffron also takes you to a “Cherry to Cup
Tour” where you can witness the beginning to the end of the
coffee journey – picking coffee beans when they are still fresh red
‘cherries,’ to the drying, roasting, and finally the coffee-making
process itself; to be savoured by the cup. saffroncoffee.com
But if you’d rather read postcards
than get absorbed in social media, go
to Café Postal, a modern French bar
with modern and contemporary art that
adorns their brick walls with postcard
correspondence. Visit the bar at Mercure
Danang, open from 6:30am till 10pm,
where the café serves a wide range of
international wines, specialty coffee
and upscale tasty snacks.
mercure-danang-banahills-frenchvillage.com/food-beverage/cafe-postal,
Tel: +84 5113 799 888
Never-ending Café Culture
Of all the itineraries and activities in this World Heritage City,
Café Culture is one of the most fascinating cafés to enjoy
a cup of coffee – and sits on the patio. Downtown Luang
Prabang on and around Sisavangvong road is the easiest place
on earth to indulge in café hopping. They’re all within walking
distance, if not next to each other. You could be drawn to
one of two Joma Bakery Cafés while doing the morning run
along Khan and Khong rivers that run through the city. The
one on Khan River gives you quiet ambience, while the other
one by Chao Fa Ngum statue is livelier. But both serve the
best organic coffee, grown in southern Laos by a farmers’
cooperative. Signature treats include fresh squeezed juice from
locally grown passion fruit and gourmet ice cream – something
for non-coffee drinkers. joma.biz
Heritage Night
If you are more of a night person, make
sure to go for free flow beer and nonstop
music for only $10 at the Mansion
Heritage Bar in the old town of
Phnom Penh. It’s just a few steps from
the Royal Palace, opposite the National
Museum on Sothearos Boulevard. An
old, abandoned and almost torn down
French colonial villa built in 1910 by
a wealthy Cambodian trader comes
alive at night, hosting concerts and art
performances. Other forms of evening
entertainment include film screenings
(Mondays) and live music (Wednesdays).
The Mansion operates daily from 5pm
till late night. fcccambodia.com
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