JB, back to being a salaried employee is “forced” to take two weeks of vacation before August, and here we are “obliged” to go somewhere. We decide to spend two weeks in Vietnam, with the dates simply determined by the flight prices. Even though it’s not the best time for Vietnam since it’s the start of summer aka scorching heat. Since the goal is to rest, we have a very simple plan which involves returning to places we’ve already visited, where we’ve been several times, so there’s no pressure to sightsee and we can just enjoy these cities like locals. All the addresses & info of the artisans are provided…

The first time you touch this silk, you have a strange reaction: “What is this wonder?” It is neither shiny, nor thick, nor smooth like those from department stores. And yet, it is soft; it’s the silk of my childhood, the one I have been searching for for years. Real traditional Vietnamese mulberry silk. Today, I finally find it again thanks to Lua Lang. I discovered Lua Lang on Instagram and despite several years of ordering (remotely, even though I occasionally find myself in Hanoi), I never had the time to go there because it is a 30-minute scooter ride from my home. It’s a shop nestled in a peaceful…

I can’t remember when I started looking for a sterling silver cup. Was it since my visit to George V with my sister where we were served hot chocolate with a silver cup and cutlery? Or since I signed up for Interenchères where I see silver cups sold for 60 euros? I’m not quite sure. Why? First off, why do we use silver for cutlery and utensils? In the past, poisons were impure and contained traces of sulfur. Now, sulfur makes silver tarnish, and that’s how you detected the presence of poisons. These days, it’s the silver ions that interest us, because they can attack bacteria. There are no serious…