nha trang pics

The final installment of our Vietnam holiday photos... this batch from our recent time in Nha Trang, a beach city with aqua water, sandy beaches and umbrella drinks.

The view from the plane flying into Nha Trang.
My lazy attempt at a photo, while relaxing and resting under an umbrella on my beach chair... sigh, I wish I were there now!
Preparing sugar cane on a side street. There are street vendors that have sugar cane presses that basically juice the canes and sell the yummy sugary drinks.
View of the city at night.
The band on our small boat tour, which also happened to be the crew, the guides and the cooks. The drums were made out of plastic containers and wood. My husband Roger got dragged up to the front for a karaoke version of "Yellow Submarine" with the band (unfortunately, I have been forbidden to share this video with anyone).
The "floating bar"... notice the bartender pouring glasses of wine in the middle. Our boat (which was generally full of 20 and 3o somethings) was joined by another boat, a seniors' tour from Denmark -- I have never seen a bunch of seniors party harder!
A giant tranquil Buddha on a lotus overlooking the city.

hoi an pics 2

Ok... so I guess we did take quite a few photos on our trip.... only two more small batches to post.. I promise! These are a few more from Hoi An and the surrounding areas.

This was the giant Buddha on our excursion to the Marble Mountains... basically a set of mountains made of natural marble with caves/caverns that contain several temples. I am still grateful I did not slip and fall and crack my skull in some of the tight spots we had to scurry through.
The Japanese Bridge in Hoi An, one of the main attractions in the old town.
Oh yes... it's SuperBono!... I guess his do-gooder persona spans the globe! This was in one of the local bars.
Rice workers in a field.
The local marketplace... if you can believe it... scooters try to drive through here too.
One of the temples at the Marble Mountains.
Champa ruins at My Son, which is in the jungles of Vietnam. There were swarms of people there... not an easy feat, but I managed to get a few people-free shots. :)

hoi an pics

Some more photos from our Vietnam trip... this time images from Hoi An, a small town near the centre of Vietnam. Designated a Unesco World Heritage Site, the old town was quite and serene.

A view from the water. 
The view from our hotel balcony overlooked a rice paddy field... so every morning we would watch the local farmers tend to their crops.
One of Hoi An's specialty goods are their lanterns. At night there are rows of vendors along the streets all lit up with these colorful lanterns... it's quite mesmerizing in person, hard to capture in the picture.
There were a lot of merchants walking around town selling their wares... food and bottled drinks mostly. There were also a high ratio of tailor shops (you can see one in the background)... they would make anything you wanted custom fit... no joke - show them a picture of your fave designer dress in a magazine, and one day later you'll have it ready to go for a bargain.
There were an abundance of temples in the town too... at times, it almost felt like more temples than people.
Rows of spiral incense hanging from the ceiling of a local buddhist temple.
Rows and rows of cyclos lined up and ready to shuttle tourists around the town... only big tour groups seemed to ride them... we didn't end up riding one since everything was actually very close on foot ...they seemed more for novelty than practicality. Another batch of pics coming soon!

saigon pics 2

Some more pics from the Saigon portion of our trip... we love taking pictures of everyday things when we travel, since other people's ordinary is extraordinary to us.

An average utility pole in Saigon... they all looked like this. I would hate to be the utility person or electrician.
Merchants rolling racks of shoes down to the night market. They were rolling a bit too fast for me too browse though.
Assortment of tropical fruits at the Ben Thanh Market. I still haven't tried durian (the spiky one on the left)... it has a very very strong pungent odor, well more of a funk... but apparently it's supposed to be really tasty. It is banned in most all the hotels due to its funky nature.
A yummy gourmet Vietnamese sandwich (banh mi thit), soup, and coffee (not pictured)... all for $4.
Notre Dame Cathedral... yet another leftover from French colonial days.
A cute couple getting their wedding photos taken in front of the cathedral... and in true Vietnamese fashion, they are on a scooter!
More scooters!... people wear masks to protect themselves from pollution. A lot of women also wear masks, hats, long sleeves and gloves to protect themselves from the sun, since lighter skin is seen as more beautiful (I profess that I, in fact, did the opposite and tried to get a little tan). Will post more pics of other areas of our trip in a couple of days!

saigon pics

As promised, I am posting some photos of our recent trip to Vietnam. This batch is a selection from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). My overall impressions of Saigon - a huge vibrant city with elements of east and west. There is a mix of traditional street market culture juxtaposed with high end western luxury stores. Streets are packed with an infinite amount of scooters and constant hustle and bustle. Everyone here is super friendly and always happy to see you... the overall population is energetic and young (a huge amount born after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975). The food is awesome with a great selection of Vietnamese, French and other international selections. Would I go back?... most definitely.

Vespa by the Ben Thanh Market, the central market downtown.
Everyone has a scooter in Vietnam... and it feels like they are all on the road at once. Not uncommon to see a family of four (baby included) all riding on one scooter with their dog and shopping bags tied to the back.... I have no idea how they balance it all, but they do. We stuck to walking, since it was safer!
Inside the Ben Thanh Market in the fabric section. The market is a massive space that sells everything under the sun - fresh produce, live seafood, toiletries, clothes, shoes, watches, DVDs, fabric, jewelry... the list is endless. I had my first crack at haggling here.
Yummy spring rolls... just one of the many Vietnamese dishes we gorged ourselves on. Our average bill for a nice restuarant dinner for two (including appetizers, entrees, and two beers) was about $7 - 10. Beer was only $1... so needless to say, there was a lot of beer flowing on our trip.
A lot of colonial architecture is still present, leftover from the French.
Statue of Ho Chi Minh (or Uncle Ho, as he is also known), who led the Vietnamese Independence movement and established the communist-governed Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
Sunset on Saigon from our hotel rooftop. I'll post more photos soon!

home sweet home

It feels so good to be home! Our trip to Vietnam was fantastic, but it does feel nice to curl up in our own bed. I am still walking around like a zombie trying to recover from my jet lag and now also trying to get back into the regular groove of things. So hard to get into work mode after a vacation!!! We're still going through all our photos, so in the meantime, I thought I would post a crafty item I bought while on our trip. She was so cute, I couldn't resist.... she is even wearing the traditional Vietnamese dress (ao dai)... I probably should have packed my suitcase a bit better though, since I kind of squished her conical straw hat.

collage: yellow bird

We're flying home today! It's going to be a brutal flight.... nine hours from Saigon to Tokyo and then an eight hour wait until our next long flight back to Vancouver.... arghhhh. Something tells me I am going to need some sleeping pills.... I wish I could fly like a bird, but I guess that would mean i wouldn't be able to sleep.

vietnam on valentine's day

It's Valentine's Day here today in Vietnam and there are vendors up and down the narrow streets of Hoi An selling bunches of roses and chocolate. Given that I feel like I am melting every time I go outside, I'm thinking buying a box of chocolates on the roadside here isn't that good of an idea. Today we headed up to see the Marble Mountains... basically a series of pagodas and worship sights that have been literally carved into the mountain and its many marble caves. Why I thought it would be a nonchalant easy promenade, I'm not sure. At times we were scaling narrow slippery steps in the dark with our guide reassuring us that all was OK.... all I kept hearing in the back of my head was an ambulance siren. It was well worth it in the end, I'm glad we did it. As for Hoi An, it such a cute town... I have already broken down and got a pair of sandals made as well as a winter pea coat... Roger broke down as well and got two jackets made... now we just have to figure how to get it all into the suitcases. I think we have to leave here soon before we buy too many things! Will update again soon when we're off to Nha Trang!

vietnam continues

Yesterday we said goodbye to Saigon and left to venture to Hoi An. What a huge difference -- from urban sprawl and bustling city life to scenic views of the countryside. We are on the top floor of our small hotel, with an excellent view of an expanse of rice fields.... its beautiful! Roger woke up to a distant ringing of a gong travelling accross the fields. Walking around the old town last night, there are rows and rows of shops lit up with beautiful Vietnamese lanterns as well as rows of tailor shops ready to make anything from suits, to shoes to backpacks... all customized to fit. I am looking at my suitcase and thinking... I should have really brought a larger one. I wouldn't be surprised if many of these shops can make luggage as well, so perhaps my problem is solved. Ok.. off to trek to the old town and discover the sights. Will update again soon!!!

good morning vietnam

It's Sunday here in Vietnam, and it still feels so surreal that we are here. I am still pretty jet lagged after the 23 hour flight, but it seems to be getting a little better today, despite the 80% humidy. We are staying in central downtown Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and things here are very very different than the slower pace back home. I am quickly mastering how to cross the street... well, more like run like the wind across massive intersections of crazy scooter armies... its like one big game of frogger here. Also have had my first authentic bowl of pho (beef noodel soup) here as well as had a crack at bargaining at the local market (I think I need more practice). I can't upload any pictures from where I'm staying, so it'll be text blogs while I'm here... although I think it will be hard to even capture what it feels like to be here in just pictures alone. Will update again soon!!!