Thor-ing out in Ho Chi Minh City

In preparation for our arrival in New Zealand, we spent our last day in Vietnam barely knowing we were there. Our first stop after a late checkout was to experience a Vietnamese cinema (but really to hide from the heat and avoid more shopping and aimless wandering). We saw Thor! Just my kind of film when I don't want to do any strenuous thinking but one we may have to see again given the dubious quality of the film and the constant chatter of Vietnamese tweens. A mix of action, cheesiness and humour, Thor was quite watchable, and made me laugh out loud with a reference to Iron Man (for those of you who may be fans of super heroes and comic remakes - which I am). We continued our mall hideaway with Bud's of San Francisco (it's ice cream) before suffering seriously frustrating traffic and listening to Ace of Base and The Macarena! Well, Adam suffered through the music, I found it a welcome change from the usual whining mixed with piano and flute we've been subjected to throughout the trip.

So here we are at Sydney airport, waiting patiently to go home, and cursing Adam for not upgrading us to first class so we could actually have some space between our knees and the seat in front. I'm sure my husband is hoarding millions in a secret off-shore account... watch this space.

A formal summary of our musings on Vietnam will follow, I'm sure you'll be checking every day in anticipation. Ha!

Photos from Ho Chi Minh City

The Bright Lights of Ho Chi Minh City

There's no place like home. Wisely spoken words from Dorothy of Kansas! As much as I have enjoyed the rich cultural experience we've had here in Vietnam I feel completely ready to leave, and the thought of home (well our temporary home anyway), work (yes, work!), family, friends and Vogels toast has never been far from my mind. Our last three days have been spent in the city of Ho Chi Minh, which has a population of more than 9 million people! Funnily enough, one of the joys here has been the size of the footpaths and that they actually have them! Our time here has been mostly spent shopping and eating, my two favourite things. Of course, we visited the War Remnants Museum which was eye-opening but not to be missed.

The shopping...

We visited the Ben Thanh Markets as I'm sure all tourists do and I was relieved to have acquired the knowledge prior that the perimeter of these markets is lined with fixed price stalls. If you've been keeping up with this blog then you'll know of my aversion to bartering. I was both relieved and disappointed with our visit to these famous markets; relieved because I thought the hassling would be much, much worse and disappointed because I actually thought I would get a bargain here. On the whole, if it's cheap, then it's cheaply made (go figure) and if it's expensive then it can be pretty hard to part with the money - never knowing how soon it will fall apart! So, with trepidation I made a few purchases and I'll just have to deal with whatever disappointment follows.

On the flip-side, there are quite a few malls to choose from here and the air-conditioning was bliss! Most places didn't have Large in anything and even if they did it never fit my broad Westerner shoulders - totally depressing. Despite this fact I managed to buy some tops and even a bikini, which I didn't get much choice on because it was the only extra-large on the shelf - hahaha!

The food...

For lunch we were directed to an open, stylish cafe which brought together all the Vietnamese street-foods under one roof. Nha Hang Ngon had very yummy 'homemade' lemonade with lime wedges (which is bountiful and cheap, one thing I will sorely miss back in NZ) and delicious fresh food. Two highlights were the rice flour pancakes and pork spring rolls (a staple for us these three weeks).

The best cocktail goes to Zanzibar (a passionfruit caprioska) as does one of our best dinners. Zanzibar had cool music, efficient service and western food that wasn't a burger and fries, well they did actually have burger and fries on the menu but we resisted and instead were very happy with our beef carpaccio, chicken, bacon and honey mustard salad, NZ beef tenderloin and braised pork belly.

Temple club was another highly rated restaurant. I loved the quaint 1930's decor with a fine-dining twist, the food was well-executed and traditional but didn't rate as highly as Madame Hien (our fav restaurant in Hanoi). Lemongrass, although brightly lit was also very tasty and I had grilled pork with rice noodles and fish sauce which has also become a staple for me.

The War Remnants Museum...

Was devastating. Full Stop. The very graphic images of the effects of chemical warfare and the ongoing damage of Agent Orange brought tears to our eyes. The story of the Vietnam War is told through the eyes of the Vietnamese in photographs and artefacts. The information about the many protests held around the world on the bottom floor was a slightly encouraging lift after the harrowing images of death and combat on the first and second floors. I was more than surprised that some people took their children to such a place and I found it hard to smile for about an hour after leaving. I wondered how the Vietnamese people feel towards Westerners and I formed in my own mind that it must be bitter-sweet, they need the income from tourism but the reminders of war are many and it was not so long ago. A photo of a person killed by a landmine as recent as 2003 was a shocking reminder of how recent this war was. I was holding back tears for most of the time in the museum but the most moving exhibit was a letter to President Obama from a 23 year old second-generation Agent Orange victim. She has no legs and only one arm and she was not even alive when the war was happening! She wrote of how she had read a letter that Obama had written to his daughters about his hopes for their lives and that many Vietnamese people born with defects due to Agent Orange are devoid of the same hope. I could go on for much longer but for one, my fingers can't type as fast as my mind is running and secondly, we have to pack, check out and head for home later on tonight. So I'll have to cut this one short.

We'll be home soon NZ - we've missed you!

Photos from Mekong Delta

Cruising the Mekong Delta

For our exploration of the Mekong Delta we were based in Can Tho. At the risk of being derogatory, Can Tho is Vietnam's Hamilton... a farming and agricultural hub, but a wee bit boring. So it stands to reason that the highlight of visiting Can Tho was taking a boat trip on the river, even though said boat trip took nearly seven hours. Adam declared later that he would have enjoyed it much more had we been able to do the same trip in four hours and I wholeheartedly agreed. In fact, during the last hour of the trip we meandered along the same strip that we began on and I battled against sleep. However, as much as the negative points make for more interesting reading, the first five hours of the trip were captivating. The river itself it not a pretty sight; brown and full of a mysterious thick water-weed, but one can clearly see that the Mekong Delta is the lifeblood of these people's lives. Flying into Can Tho, all you can see is rich green vegetation for miles and the littles huts that edge the river tentacles like lace frills on a skirt hem. We visited two of the main floating markets, Cai Rang and Phong Dien and, only after they had made eye contact with our driver, some of our smiles were returned by the hard-working vendors. The fascinating thing about being amongst the Vietnamese people in this area is that most live a large part of their lives on their boats. The main charm of the Mekong delta belongs in the canal tendrils that snake through the countryside. We hopped off the boat to wander along the edge of these canals and we were able to see the variety of freely growing fruit trees; mangoes, bananas, lychees, papayas and durian are just a few. After lunch and a very cheap and satisfying shoulder massage at a Homestay along the way, we were ready for our next and final stop - Ho Chi Minh City!

Photos from Phu Quoc Island

Phu Quoc Island - Pool or beach?

Day after day, we are faced with such monumental decisions that could change the course of our lives... Shall we swim in the pool or the ocean? Which lounger would you like to lie on today? What time do you want to have lunch? A cocktail or a beer? Full body massage or head, neck and shoulders? Keep reading this post, or excuse yourself to be sick?

Phu Quoc Island has been our point in the trip to just stop and relax! To my mind, there is a difference between traveling and holidaying and up to our island hiatus, we've been traveling. So it was time to totally lap it up. We've had five days here and unfortunately, tonight is our last night. Tomorrow we head for Can Tho where we will be based as we explore the Mekong Delta.

There isn't much to report about Phu Quoc, we have mostly been swimming and reading, well I've been reading while Adam has been taking photos. You may wonder how many photos one man can take, and I shall satisfy your wonderings with a pretty accurate answer - millions! There is a lot of wildlife here, puppies that seem to belong to no-one, frogs and tadpoles, geckos and lizards, numerous weird-looking insects, and even a pet monkey with a fake diamond earring (Adam named it Barry - surprised?)!

We did visit the night markets for dinner, they were quite small and mostly sold seafood from suspicious sanitary conditions garnished with flies. I have to say I could have done without this experience of a meat and vegetable skewer that was ambiguous in culture and a rubbery piece of garlic bread. Adam had some delicious king prawns and a scallop skewer that he seemed happy with... until the next day, haha!

Feeling a little lazy, we also decided to go for a boat trip around the island and do some snorkeling. The communication barrier ruined this one for us I think as we ended up heading north instead of south and with a bunch of divers. Weather conditions worked against us as well and it ended up being a day of lazing on the top deck of a made-over fishing boat. Sounds terrible, I know. Luckily the Saigon beer was only $1.20NZ and the company was good. Excitingly and terrifyingly, we saw some massive jellyfish! Apparently, it's the time of the year when they are most predominant and one of our fellow passengers had sting marks wrapped around her arm to show for an encounter with one! One of the diving instructors had one wrapped around his bald head just days before! Adam and I didn't see one on our snorkeling ventures - thankfully or I might have embarrassed myself in a panic!

So today, I finished my most recent read (Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult) and my assignment - phew! Tomorrow we move on from this idyllic spot to more of the typical Vietnamese hustle. Bring it on.

Photos from Hoi An

Guess which one is mine and which one is Adam's?

Hoi An - Yin and Yang

The same way my mother taught me to eat my vegetables first and save the best for last, I'll start with my worst experience in Hoi An. I really have only myself to blame for having such high expectations (or any expectations whatsoever) of what the tailoring would be like. I trustingly took recommendations from yet another of our helpful hosts to go to Bebe and 09 (clothing tailors and shoe makers respectively). She said she had heard plenty of good feedback about these two places and that they were reasonably priced but not too cheap, and (as I heard many times within the next few days of our stay) 'very good quality'. Now I think I must mention that most of the time I don't spend a lot of money on clothes - by that I mean individual items, not generally, hahaha! I find it very hard to justify (for many reasons that aren't important for this post). As a result, I found the tailored clothing was actually quite expensive. More about that in a few lines or so.

First, for those of you who won't know: here is how it works. You look at catalogues (hundreds on offer) and choose the styles you like. All the while, the assistant encourages you to buy more. You then choose the fabric you like. They measure you up, you come back for fitting the next day, they make adjustments and voila! It's done.

Now, I am happy with the clothes I had made. I just have this niggle about the fact that the sewing itself was so simple and I paid $50+ US dollars for something I think my Mum could have made (she is a good sewer by the way)! Apart from the fact that I wouldn't have part with that amount of money for a similar dress in New Zealand, I was left feeling disappointed. You may be wondering why I even paid that much in the first place, well this is where I blame the situation itself. Looking at a catalogue full of models in beautiful dresses lulls you into a dream-like vision of yourself looking fabulous in those very same dresses. It is not like trying something on in cramped changing room in front of a mirror that makes you look like yourself plus five pies a day, oh no, it is so much easier to shop when you don't actually have to try it on. I just thought to myself, oh this will be perfect, a style I love and a fabric I love - what could go wrong! Oh the drama. Well, not much did go wrong. One of the necklines is slightly wonky, I don't think the garments will be in the same perfect shape after being washed and I'm left with a feeling of stupidity at my spending. The most important thing is that I am over it now. There is a similar (and more devastating) story with the shoe tailoring, but at the risk of more whining, I'll save that for 'off the record'.

Now that I've eaten my vegetables... Hoi An was lovely to wander around, the streets are wide and the buildings are quaint and colourful. One of the joys here is that some streets are vehicle free, apart from bicycles, and you can stroll with little hassle in and around the shops. We were lucky enough to arrive on one of Hoi An's festival nights and the town was bursting with colour and life. Cherry red, candy pink and buttercup yellow paper lanterns are for sale all along the riverside and fabric lanterns line the streets. Vietnamese singing and games add to the festive scene and of course, Adam captured every moment! Photos coming as always.

The cooking class at Morning Glory definitely lived up to expectations! Ms Vy, the writer of her own Morning Glory cookbook and the owner of the cafe (and three others) was charming, funny and informative. While taking us through traditional Vietnamese cooking methods and dishes she spoke about the philosophies of balance and health remedies in their food. Just quickly, before I've written a small chapter, we cooked shrimp parcels wrapped in cabbage leaf and cabbage soup (tastier than it sounds), shrimp and pork rice paper rolls with herbs and fish sauce (yum yum!) and five spice chicken with mango salad (sooooo good!). Before we actually did the cooking we went on a tour through the markets and were taught how to select the right produce for Vietnamese cooking.

Phew, I've avoided doing this post because I knew it would be so long!

Photos of Hue