Monday 14th
Au dai (ou Zeye) the traditional dress of Vietnamese women.
After work Sunday we spent the evening with Peter. We enjoyed dinner at Little Vietnam in Paya Lebar and then walked along the canal to the Tuckerbox which is a great little bar. Fortunately a bus runs right by the door to our back entrance so this new discovery could be quite dangerous.
In the morning we were back at Changi catching a flight to Ho Chi Minh City which was only 2 hrs, and just as well since the little children in the seats behind us were over excited.
At first glance I was disappointed in HCMC as I have this distinct memory of amazingly elegant women riding around on scooters in pristinely clean au dai outfits. The fashions have changed in 10 years, most are now wearing western outfits. However once the taxi dropped us at the Sunny Apartments and we settled in, we went out walking and found plenty to charm us. Women in the tourism industry and serving in many stores are still wearing au dai and they look amazing. The group in the picture below were celebrating their graduation. We found lunch in the basement food court of the Vincom Centre just a block away. Money is problematic; US$1 is roughly equivalent to Vietnamese Dong 22,000. That is just too many zeros, and besides what does 22 divide into easily? Converting to Aust or Sg dollars is no easier and the locals are more familiar with USD. Anyway, I'm sure I will get better at it. From there, we could see the lovely Town Hall and found ourselves drawn to it. It was built in the late 19th century in Renaissance style by the French.
That led us on to the beautiful Opera House, built at the same time, and from there we stumbled upon the Tourist Information Centre. They sent us a couple of blocks down Dong Khoi to Lucky Plaza where Eric found the camera lens he has been after. Dong Khoi Street has witnessed many changes in Ho Chi Minh City. During the French occupation, it was the centre of glamour and was called Rue Catinat, and home to many French colonial buildings just like the Champs Élysées. It became known as Freedom Street during the Vietnam War. When the Communists took over Saigon in the late 1970s, the name changed again to Dong Khoi, which means Total Revolution. We were intrigued with the Bitexco Tower just a block away, built to represent a lotus bud, the Vietnamese national flower. It is HCMCs tallest tower at 68 floors and has a skydeck at the 49th floor. How this city has grown and modernised in the last 12 years! I didn't notice any Armani, Versace, or Louis Vuitton here then.
Happy photographer by my side, we wandered back via the Continental Hotel where Graham Greene, the British author and foreign correspondent famously stayed when he wrote The Quiet American. There is a huge metro construction project, jointly funded by Japan, underway through this district. I assume it is designed to reduce the car traffic and parking congestion but not so sure it will have an impact on the omnipresent swarms of motor bikes. They are just as much a part of the city as girls in au dai. They ride and park on the footpath and go the wrong way on one way streets, are a law unto themselves, but will slip either side of you as a pedestrian crossing the street unlike cars which toot loudly.
The Sunny Apartments are in a great location and interestingly situated above a bespoke men's shoe store. It is a little disconcerting to walk up to the front door over glass steps with the store below.
In the afternoon we went out again and up to the sky deck. We arrived as the sun was going down. It was hazy and the sunset disappointing but as the lights came on it transformed into a wonderland.
Ambling back towards Sunny Apartments we noticed the SH Garden restaurant on the roof above the Tourist Info Office so decided to give it a try. The outdoor temperature had cooled off and was just pleasant. Dinner was lovely too, we shared pork clay pot and pumpkin flower with garlic served with rice. Delicious food and the atmosphere very comfortable and relaxed.
Tuesday 15th
cam on (come un) thank you
We woke early so got up and went walking while it was cool and the light was good. As it is only 7:30 the pavements are dotted with tiny stalls selling egg rolls, curry puffs, waffles, pikelets, rice paper pancakes and pho. The women squat on tiny stools only 6 inches off the ground and offer you one too. How could my knees get me down there? And if they did, I wouldn't get back up. These women, much older than me, are amazing. They often have a shoulder pole like a yoke with a basket on either end. In one basket there will be a charcoal or wood cooker and in the other are her ingredients. Motorbike riders don't even bother to park and dismount. They just ride up onto the footpath and place their order.
We soon found ourselves in an amazing street where every store was a book shop. This is where we stumbled upon the graduation class. It looked like an interesting place to return to when the businesses opened. Then we visited the lovely Gustav Eiffel-designed Central Post Office. Walking inside you enter a huge hall with a high arched ceiling and wooden counters which makes you feel like you should be lining up to buy a train ticket for some reason. On the walls are two interesting, large eighteenth century maps. One features central Saigon and its surrounds, the other details the telegraph lines that covered southern Vietnam and Cambodia. On our previous visit to Cambodia the locals told us that Vietnam stole the Mekong Delta from them.
Across the road from there was Notre Dame Cathedral. A number of bridal couples were being photographed in this location because there were so many interesting settings created by the red brick of the cathedral, the chrome yellow of the post office and the green gardens.
We walked through the gardens to get to the Reunification Palace (also known as Independence Palace). The original building was built in classical French style but it was remodeled after the war. The grounds were shady with many well established trees so we enjoyed them before finding ourselves in front of a lovely cafe serving breakfast.
After omelettes and coffee our walk continued through gardens which were full of amazing statues and many people exercising; either forms of Thai chi or groups playing đá cầu, a traditional Chinese sport in which players aim to keep a heavily weighted shuttlecock in the air by using their bodies, apart from the hands. It is the national sport in Vietnam, played between teams on a badminton court over a net. Others just play it in a circle formation without a net and it resembles a game of hacky sack.
Leaving the gardens we passed by a lovely temple where they were lighting and hanging the huge incense coils. An incense coil is made entirely of incense, without a bamboo core in the middle as used in the stick form. A spiral shape allows for a much larger piece of incense which burns longer while taking up little space when hung from the ceiling. An incense stick can be made in any length, but the longer the stick, the greater the chance of breakage. Incense is considered as a sacred bridge between the visible life of human beings and the spiritual world of heaven, earth and gods.
Next we found the Ben Thanh market with rows and rows of stalls overflowing with goods of every shape, colour and size for every purpose imaginable and more. It wasn't long before we needed to escape the feeling of being overwhelmed. On the walk home my eye was caught by some lovely cut silk and I couldn't go by without making inquiries, although I vowed I would not have anything made here, I would wait until Hoi An. Soon I had a dress on order and have to return in the morning to collect it before we fly out. I hope it fits.
In the late afternoon we ventured out again, heading for the river. We established a loop on the map but that didn't indicate to us that once we arrived at the river we would be separated by a tall wall and streams of traffic. We walked by many waterside hotels which would have been disappointing to their guests if they had chosen them for the location. We did eventually get waterside but the river here is very functional rather than picturesque. Looks a lot better from the 49th floor. We did find one small group of lads working away at parkour, movement through any environment at speed. The concept is to overcome all physical and mental obstacles in your path by using your body and mind to run, climb, jump and vault. Dangerous stuff but would be exhilarating too in one's prime. We headed home, stopping by at a beer garden on the way which was celebrating happy hour prices so Eric was drinking draft beer for $1.50. Haven't found those prices anywhere since 1985. Only 3 doors down from our apartments is a French Restaurant we have had
our eye on, so tonight we tried it our and were not disappointed. Eric enjoyed the French Onion Soup and lamb lasagna with fig jus while I had salmon fettuccini with mushroom.
Wednesday 16th
Xin chao (zin chow) hello
First point of call was to return to the tailor for my cut silk dress. We were far too early though and had breakfast at a street side cafe in the sunshine overlooking the park. Then we made our way back towards the market and the street with the tailor.
While we waited for the zip to be put in Eric bought himself another camera bag and I chatted with the assistant who does the finishing hand sewing and all the cutting out of the embroidery. Her name was Han and she grew up in the delta where her parents are both teachers. She is the older daughter working in Hanoi and supporting her younger sister who is studying at the university. She is keen to stay in touch with us on Facebook.
The dress was a good fit thank goodness, there was certainly no time for alterations as we had to get back to the apartment and check out. They arranged a taxi for us and he turned out to be a good driver who wove expertly through the log-jammed traffic one hand on the horn, and got us to the domestic terminal on time for our flight to Da Nang.
We were met there by our driver from the hotel in Hoi An and whisked off without delay. Our first attempt at landing had to be aborted and while it was good to land safely 10 mins later it does make you wonder what went wrong the first time. We do take this flying gig for granted.
Located on the coast of the South China Sea in the South Central Coast region, in the Quảng Nam Province, Hoi An has approximately 120,000 inhabitants, and is recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Once settled in on the third floor of the Hai Au Hotel we asked the cheerful Sunny and her offsider Cherry (Sonny and Cher) at the front desk for a recommendation for a late lunch. She suggested Morning Glory in the old quarter. We followed a fairly rudimentary map getting lost once or twice but nothing too difficult as this is a small town compared with HCMC. The roads are full of locals on motor bikes, some cars and delivery vans but mostly tourists on push bikes and in cyvcloes. The footpaths are hardly existent so there is plenty of foot traffic on the roads too. Street signs are old and tired, if they exist at all so it is not surprising we took some wrong turns. Even so we are only a few blocks from the charming old quarter. I have vivid memories of being dragged into the central market last time, not realising it was a tailors market until I got inside. This time I was better prepared but in that particular block the competition for custom is still very strong. Sunny's suggestion turned out to be a wonderful one. The Morning Glory Cooking School and Restaurant opened its doors in 2006. As Ms Vy’s fifth hospitality establishment in town, Morning Glory restaurant was the result of the owner's passion to create a venue where visitors could not only enjoy a Vietnamese dining experience, but could also see local Hoi An food specialities made first-hand in the open kitchen. It is located just across the street from one of her other ventures, Cargo Club, on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, the heart of the old town.
The restaurant and cooking school takes its name from the morning glory vegetable which, after rice, is the most commonly eaten food in Vietnam. It is very resilient, being able to grow in any kind of climate and from soil, mud or waterways. Locals believe this makes it synonymous with the Vietnamese character. It can survive—even thrive—in the harshest of conditions, growing into a beautiful green vegetable with a white star flower. For lunch we made our own fresh rice paper rolls followed by steamed fish and morning glory stir-fried with garlic. Eric booked into the cooking school for tomorrow morning. Just as we were about to wander back to the hotel though, his back seized up and so we got him home and into a hot bath followed by a tiger balm rub. Only stopping once along the way, at the Lifestart Foundation's Fair Trade Shop, a grassroots, not-for-profit charity that helps disadvantaged Vietnamese people and their families to become self-sufficient. Founded in 2000 by Australian Karen Leonard and supported by a team of dedicated volunteers, the Foundation is helping those in need through proven working programs and initiatives which are designed to effect a generational change.
While he tried to get comfortable I took my clothes to copy and some materials that Beth had given me (that I still hadn't managed to sew into anything) and headed for the tailor. Ham is just around the corner and comes highly recommended by Sunny. If her last recommendation is anything to go by I expect to be happy. It took me far longer than expected and I was exhausted by the time I got back to the Hai Au but I felt very happy with Ham, now a 2 day wait for the first fitting.
Meanwhile Eric was no better so out I went again to find dinner and something to relieve his spasm. I ate at Orivy, a little home style restaurant also in our street. The woman who runs the business is the daughter of the cook who uses traditional methods and ingredients of the local region. I chose a simple chicken and rice dish and a glass of local red wine. Yes, even Vietnam is now producing wine. The grapes are grown around Dalat, up in the hills. We visited the area in 2004 but there were no vines under cultivation then. A French viticulturist, Daniel Carsol, started planting them in the central highlands early in 2007. He has Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Caladoc and Syrah (or Shiraz) and found the relatively cool climate and the distinctive soil gave the grapes a unique taste. The first harvest was in 2010. I quite enjoyed my glass, and my meal for that matter, and will have to take Eric back when he is back on his feet. I found some hot patches for him to apply and pain killers at the local pharmacy after an interesting game of charades.
Thursday 17th
bao nhiêu (bow new) How much?
We had to postpone Eric's cooking class as he is no better but hopefully after a delicious breakfast served in bed, he can take one of those pain killers and get some relief.
Meanwhile I managed to get our suitcase handle repaired by the boys on the maintenance crew of the hotel and a pair of my shoes copied (and while I was at it another pair made). This at a friend of Han's in a store directly opposite. Vy (Vee) is also going to replace Eric's wallet with a copy. Then I put my purse away and took out the camera as I wandered back to the old quarter.
The old quarter is built on the north bank of the Thu Bon River, near its mouth, being an important South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. The river supports a number of islands but isn't particularly picturesque in itself, but I'm keen to eat at one of the many restaurants overlooking it one night. Everyone is after a sale as it is still quite early in the morning but they are mostly quite happy with a polite shake of the head and a smile. I just waved my camera at them and they were satisfied.
When I got back Eric felt a little more confident that he could manage the stairs so we headed back to Orivy for lunch. We have always loved pho, the traditional dish of the northern province. It is a soup made with rice noodles, beef or chicken, fresh herbs like basil and Vietnamese mint, lime and fish sauce. People eat pho at any time of the day. It is said to keep you warm in winter yet cool in summer. Here they had it sauté style instead of as a soup so I tried that variation and wasn't disappointed. They recommended a doctor in town who speaks English but since his clinic doesn't open until after 5pm it was back to the hotel to rest. I am getting a lot of reading done. On the way we saw this amazing couple in wedding attire. The doctor gave Eric much stronger pain killers and said to rest and use ice, oops I have been rubbing in tiger balm. We wandered home grabbing some food on the way so he could begin on the stronger drugs and dropping by the shoe shop where they have not only copied his wallet but also repaired the old one. My shoes fit well so not to be outdone, Eric ordered some too. Leaving him with an ice pack I went back to the Ham's shop to find they have already finished 4 items. Done in with all that shopping we spent the night in.
Friday 18th
Mot hai ba zo (mo hi bar yo) one, two, three cheers.
Eric was feeling much better in the morning so we ventured down together for an early breakfast then walked through town and over the lantern bridge to Vy’s Market Restaurant on An Hoi Island, one of the seven islands in the river where he could join the cooking class.
I left him there and wandered into Heaven and Earth Cycling Tours. They were free to take me on a 3 hr guided ride which covered about 10 kms over three different islands. I was keen to get out among the rice paddies and skip the crazy traffic of the busy township. We headed straight to the jetty and crossed by boat to the second island where I watched them making the traditional wooden boats with wooden nails and bamboo fibre caulking. With so many trees decimated by agent orange or cut down to rebuild villages after the war, all the timber these days is purchased from Laos and Cambodia. The eradication of the forests has also contributed to regular flooding of Hoi An and the islands in the river. Hoa (whar - which means flower) my guide, showed me levels of the recent years.
Riding around the village I also saw wood inlaid with paua shell-oyster (see middle above), rice beginning to seed (they get 2 crops a year here) and vegetables like sweet corn, marrow, taro, beans, peanuts etc being grown and harvested. I watched as a man hauled huge fishing nets through dying pits, not sure why - perhaps to preserve their life. Many families keep a cow for meat and have an elevated stall in their yard for it when it floods. The people stay in the upstairs level of their homes if they have one, or evacuate to the hospital or secondary school on the island. I have been intrigued by the round bamboo woven fishing boats they use here ever since I first saw them in Mui Ne on our last trip here. Today i got to see them in the different stages of completion and learnt that you need to seal the outer side of the ones that go out to sea, not necessary for the ones that are just used in the river. The great beauty of these boats is that they are so easy for just one person to handle, both in the water and on land, because they are so light.
When I was being given this full explanation, I wasn't aware that I was soon to experience it first hand! We crossed to the third island where I watched as a mother and daughter weaved the sleeping mat from dyed reeds and then had my spin in the fishing boat. It was a very interesting and enjoyable ride.The older woman first demonstrated how it was done and then let me have a go. See her in the boat, squatting behind me though, I think she was worried I would fall out. But it was fun all the same and amazingly responsive to the slightest turn of the paddle.
We returned to the second island via the floating bridge which was a very rudimentary structure of loose planks strapped to floating blue plastic barrels. Then we caught the ferry back to An Hoi island. I had enjoyed a very interesting morning.
Meanwhile Eric was also having an interesting half day, learning about Vietnamese food and the Hoi An way of life. He began with a boat trip downstream to Hoi An’s colourful central market.
The group tour of the market was followed by a tour of Vy’s Market Restaurant, watching live cooking demonstrations with some involvement and many food tastings. Then he enjoyed a two hour hands-on cooking class where he cooked shrimp broth, marinated bbq chicken, shrimp and pork crispy pancake and mango salad all of which he ate for lunch, coming home with recipes and a Vietnamese cooking utensil for slicing mango or papaya. He met some lovely couples from Canada, Denmark and Adelaide in his group.
I met him when the class finished and he recommended I try the cinnamon ice cream, no one ever has to say that twice to me, and it was delicious.
We wandered home, stopping by the tailors so Eric could try on his new trousers and order 2 more shirts. I resisted the temptation. Then he popped into the shoe shop to collect his sandals. Talk about an improved shopper now his back is better. I am still in front though. In the evening we walked back down to the waterfront and ate upstairs at the Banana Leaf. Then we wandered around the Japanese Bridge and lantern bridge area to take photos of the nightscape.
Saturday 19th
Ban Khoe khong (ban kway Hong) How are you?
Luc nao ban Ve nuoc? (Look now ban vey newok?) when will you leave?
We had breakfast early again and were collected by a tour that took us to My Son (Mi Sen) at 7.50am. They picked up a number of other groups before leaving town and we discovered just how big Hoi An is. With approximately 120,000 locals it is not surprising there are areas we haven't seen yet since we only get around on foot! Its old town is exceptionally well preserved as a South-East Asian trading port on the South China Sea from the 15th century and is recognised by UNESCO. Between the seventh and 10th centuries, the Cham (people of Champa) controlled the strategic spice trade and with this came tremendous wealth. Hoi An was their harbour town, at the estuary of the Thu Bồn River. It is only this part of the place we concentrate on.
My Son Sanctuary dates from the 4th to the 13th centuries and is located near Duy Phu Village in the mountainous area in central Vietnam. It is situated within a basin surrounded by a ring of mountains, including Mount Meru, the mythical sacred mountain home of Hindu gods at the centre of the universe. The basin forms the source for the sacred Thu Bon River and it flows past the monuments and through the historic heartland of the Champa Kingdom, draining into the South China Sea at its mouth near Hoi An. The location is also of strategic significance as it is easily defensible. The tower temples were constructed over ten centuries of continuous development in what was the heart of the ancestral homeland of the ruling Cham clan and established the kingdom of Champapura (Sanskrit for City of the Cham people). This unique culture owed its spiritual origins to the Hinduism of the Indian sub-continent. Under this influence many temples were built to the Hindu divinities such as Krishna and Vishnu, but above all, Shiva. The monuments of the My Son sanctuary are the most important constructions of the Cham civilization. They were constructed of fired brick and stone columns. No mortar was used, but instead bricks were glued together with tree sap.
Many examples of fine sculpture and carving on brick remain; images of deities, mythical animals and dancing beauties. Conservation of the My Son monuments began in the early part of the 20th century, soon after their discovery by French archaeologists. During World War II, the First Indo-China War and, especially, during the Second Indo-China War, many tower temples were damaged. Reconstruction is incredibly expensive and the work inhibited by the rainy season. There is still lots to be done.
Our return was by bus then boat down that incredibly important river, the Thu Bon. We stopped off at a wood carving village (the same one I visited by bike yesterday) before returning to Hoi An for a bowl of noodles at the tour company restaurant by the market.
Walking home we had coffee and carrot cake at a cafe, the best coffee we have had since arriving in the country. Funny, I have strong memories of enjoying the local coffee here last time but not this visit.
After showers it was time to collect all the items from the tailor and a final hunt for a jeweller who could make up the pearls I have been harbouring for years. Once again Ham at the tailors came good with a suggestion so I had a successful visit to Bac Viet Quality Jewellery. More collections to be done tomorrow.
In the evening we wandered by another shoe store and Eric decided he was in need of a new shoulder bag at the right price and we found it at the first store we entered. They are just opening a new business and I think we got their opening sales price. Collect tomorrow night.
We were heading for a restaurant we had walked by a few times called The Hill Station in a traditional old building but when we got there it turned out the menu was western so we tried another one nearby called The Bees Knees and really enjoyed local fare once more. Eric can relate to all the dishes now with information gleaned from his cooking course and I can see he is keen to get home and try some. No complaints from me.
Sunday 20th
chúc ngủ ngon (chook nu non) goodnight
We arranged a wake up call so we were ready to be collected at 6am for the drive to Bach Ma National Park. It is situated in the Annamite Mountains and is said to be one of the wettest places in Vietnam with habitats ranging from the coast to high mountains which means a rich biodiversity of animals and plants. We were sent off with a packet breakfast of fresh fruit and bread and cheese. Our driver also brought along water, bread rolls and apples to be shared. The drive followed the coast mostly and took us just 40 kms short of Hue along Highway 1. A huge 6 km tunnel through the mountains saved us quite a bit of time avoiding the mountain pass. On entering the park we still had 19kms of climbing to do up to the summit carpark. In 1932, the summit of Bạch Mã was selected by the French engineer Girard to become a hill station for the colonial administration of Hue. At an elevation of 1250 metres above sea level they could enjoy relief from the heat. In the following years, a village including 139 holiday villas and hotels was created. They even had a post office, a market and a hospital. Not surprisingly the Viet Minh tried hard to spoil the holiday – the area saw some heavy fighting in the early 1950s. After independence from the French, Bạch Mã was soon forgotten and the villas abandoned. More recently the park has been extended to the Laos Border creating a wildlife corridor for the rarities such as the douc langur, Asiatic black bear, leopard and stump-tailed macaques, as well as wild pigs and deer. A lot of these are more active at night, so we saw none of them during the day. It is hoped elephants will return to the Vietnam end in the future. About 65,000 tribal minorities also live within the national park ‘buffer zone'. It was disappointingly misty as we climbed, but when we got above that layer we had magic views of the mountains rising up through the sea of mist below.
Maps of the park trails were pretty rudimentary and the signs rarely in English but we did find our way to the summit lookout point, passing some Peoples Army tunnels along the route. There are a number of war remnants in the park. The summit of Bach Ma was used as a helicopter landing base by the American army during the war in Vietnam, and the area was heavily defoliated using Agent Orange during the fighting, but has had about 40 years to bounce back. Love your work Mother Nature! While the growth isn’t quite what it might have been, it’s still lush and green. There is a massive bell and an interesting summit lookout building to mark the achievement of walking to the very top.
Returning to the car we headed down a couple of kms to a chalet with a restaurant where we enjoyed a coffee. A bird with a very distinctive call was driving me crazy because despite my binoculars I could not find it in the dense foliage. Fortunately, as we drove on, I spotted another one with the same call and we were able to get a good look this time
and identify it as the Golden-throated Barbet. Continuing down we stopped at the spot where a trail leads to water cascading into a string of five waterholes and then tumbles down a waterfall. We clambered down a steep, rocky path and I could only be amazed at how Eric's back has improved to the point that he was managing this without any trouble. I managed to get to the waterholes but figured I had better stop there and begin the reverse climb or he may have to piggyback me out and that may be asking a bit much. He continued on beyond several more pools before catching up with me. Then we returned to the front gate and hit the highway south again.
It had been so nice driving through the mountains without the constant horn-beeping of the regular traffic. The park is such a welcome and very different break from tourist filled Hoi An and on reflection we could have allowed more time there, staying overnight in a chalet and seeing a sunset then sunrise. That's travel, you work it out as you go along. We heard plenty of birds, though we didn't see many, and not one mammal all morning. Only photographs of French hunters with tigers and bears after a successful venture into the wilds. On the way home our driver suggested taking the alternate route home, skipping the tunnel and taking the more scenic Hai Van Pass route instead.
It was a lovely drive and mostly only motorbike traffic as they are not permitted to use the tunnel. It crosses a spur of the Annamite Range that juts into the South China Sea. Its name refers to the mists that rise from the sea, reducing visibility. Historically, the pass was a physical division between the kingdoms of Champa and Dai Viet. We stopped at the top of the pass to stretch our legs and have a quick look at some more war remnants.
Coming down we had fabulous views of beautiful bays and a stunning headland but the day was hazy so photos would not do it justice. We had showers as soon as we got back to the hotel as we had been sweating profusely when walking in the park. I had expected it to be cooler but it wasn't on this particular day. Then we went out to find a bowl of pho for a late lunch. Along the way we bumped into a woman from the UK that we met a few days ago as we seem to be frequenting the same tailor and shoe stores. She joined us and was delighted to have someone to talk to about her travels and plans. On the way home we collected my last shirt from Than before returning to the hotel for a rest. I feel quite sad to be saying goodbye to Ham, she knows every measurement of my body and if we were ever to live in the same city I feel confident we would remain close friends. Unfortunately a wedding celebration was taking place across the road with loud 'duff-duff' music so I gave up on updating the blog and went downstairs for a foot reflexology session which turned out to be wonderful. Eric persisted for awhile but then took off downtown to collect his new bag. I met him a short time after and together we collected my Arafura pearls which have been set into a necklace, then found a nice restaurant for dinner. We were home by 9.30, it had been quite a long day.
Monday 21st
Tam biet (Tharm biet) See you, goodbye
Eric set off early with camera and tripod this morning, our last in this town. He met another keen amateur who told him about a local who runs morning photography tours. What a shame we don't have one more morning; this town is a photographers dream. The old town is painted almost exclusively in chrome yellow but washed with a coat of moss and lichen which appears like a top coat of time.
It is photogenic from every angle and then there are the faces of the time weary locals who have done it hard in the fields for years yet everyone remains so cheerful. The spirit of the people in Vietnam is uplifting. Eric managed to photograph some fabulous faces of the women at the market. The lines are like contours on a map, they have so much to reveal.
I had a more leisurely start to the day then we shared breakfast together after which I had a manicure at the hotel spa. We wandered down to the old town for a coffee at our favourite Mia Coffee and then came back to arrange our departure, one more purchase in hand. We both agreed that we could quite easily revisit this town. Now the challenge is to get everything into the bags. Not a problem! The staff all came out to say goodbye.
We were met at HCMC airport and taken to our apartment which was a handy 5 mins away. It is just off the main road down a small lane way so the noise is not too bad. The room is huge and the price very reasonable. Eric ventured out for snacks in the afternoon and later we found a simple restaurant for dinner. Otherwise we caught up on blogging and reading.
Birding checklist has been improved with 4 new sightings including that Golden-throated Barbet and the White-bellied Yuhina in the forest of Bach Ma, as well as the Black Drongo and Paddyfield Pipit in the cultivated rice paddies. There were many other birds common in Singapore once you got outside the town limits.
