What to write about?

... after 4 months of 'silence'?

Spring (brings Tết and holidays)
I am watching a change of seasons move through the south of Vietnam. Longer days, warmer temperatures, slow springing of plants and trees back into green, the barren brown hillsides gradually covering over in foliage.

Two months ago we marked the arrival of spring (Xuân) by celebrating Tết for the year of the cat (the rest of the world knows it as the year of the rabbit). Bảo and I (along with another friend) flew out to Singapore on the afternoon of 1st day of the new year, but before leaving we spent a few days in Saigon.

We visited the flower festival in Nguyễn Huệ street by day and by night, but this year decided not to watch the fireworks there at midnight on the last night. Instead we went to another flower festival in one of the city parks, wandering through displays of flower and fruit sculptures, a variety of orchids, amazing bonsai landscapes, and many, many more flower beds.

On 1st day we joined the family on the annual round of pagodas in the morning before heading off to the airport for the evening flight down to Singapore. Our visit coincided with Anne's - as she does always, we were looked after admirably, starting with the honour of joining Anne, Serena and Steve for lunch on 2nd day. After lunch, Anne took us on a walking tour of Chinatown, telling us some of the history of the area, giving us an idea of how much the old town has changed over the centuries, and showing us some of her favourite places. She also inducted Bảo and Hiệp into the art of hotel foyer and toilet usage and threw in a quick tour of Orchard Road, before delivering us into the hands of Frankie and Jeffrey for the evening.

I counted that this was my fifth visit to Singapore and my sixth to Malaysia. For me, the plusses of coming to Singapore revolve around food and friends, and enjoying the reliability and access provided by the MRT; but travelling with first time visitors allows me to see the sights in a new way. Plus Singapore changes constantly. For example, Bảo expressed an interest in visiting the boat on top of the building. I had no idea what he meant, and strongly wondered whether he knew what he was talking about! But of course he was talking about the amazing construction at Marina Esplanade. We also had the chance to visit the Hongbao festival that takes place at the Esplanade, plus take all the usual cheesy shots at the Merlion Park.

To get to Malaysia (destination Penang) I had booked with Konsortium Bus company to travel on the Sunday after Lunar New Year. Then I found out the roads were likely to be busy with everyone travelling between Malaysia and Singapore to get home ready for work on Monday. I had estimated 8 hours travel time; the bus was 1 hour late reaching Singapore in the morning because of traffic, and in the end it was almost 12 hours before we finally checked in to the hotel in Penang :(

We had a very good time in Georgetown, walking around to see the different cultural and historic features of the city, and taking in buildings of all religious persuasions, from Islam to Buddhism to Confucianism and Christianity. We enjoyed the visit Khoo Khongsi Clan house and the Peranakan Mansion very much, for the insights they gave to different ways of life from the past.

Penang Hill has eluded me yet again, this time because the funicular railway system is closed down and the road entrance is on the other side of the island from where we were. But instead we followed a sign to the intriguingly named Bat Temple, which seemed in the end to possess nary a bat but a huge fish in a distressingly undersized pond. Further up the road we came across a ceremony to dedicate a Buddhist pagoda, and finally we climbed up to another pagoda that had great views back across Georgetown.

We also trekked up to Kek Lok Si pagoda complex. This mammoth edifice continues to expand, funded by wealthy patrons from around the globe. The latest addition is a huge statue of the Goddess of Mercy, sheltered by an even more immense canopy.

So this visit to Georgetown (my third!) brought a mix of new and already-experienced sights. One evening Bảo and I also came across a clan house from which a procession incorporating drums, marchers and a branch of a tree was starting. Bảo has a great video taken as we chased the procession down the road and onto a bus!

After 3 nights in Penang, we started the journey back south via KL. Since the utter confusion I experienced on my first visit to KL, I have gained a very rough idea of how the areas of the central city are laid out and connect, but the cardinal directions for travelling to the outer areas continue to bewilder me! KL's transport system is a little chaotic and woefully undersized for the demand but it works well enough when combined with foot. Of course, we booked in and visited the skybridge at Petronas twin towers - a bit of a coup for Bảo as a colleague had tried to convince him that it was not possible to visit any more.

Leaving Hiệp to his computer on the final day in KL, Bảo and I also set out to visit the Istana (Royal Palace). Having never been here but in possession of a map, I figured it would be relatively easy to walk there from Chinatown. It was up to a point: we discovered that the multi-lane highway adjacent to the palace gates had no place to cross. We braved running across - with our hearts in our mouths - but the thought of it was too much for trying to get back. Fortunately we were able to walk alongside the highway down the hill to a monorail station!

At Anne's suggestion we took the overnight bus back to Singapore. Puduraya Bus Station has now closed and most of the south-bound buses have supposed to relocate to a spanking-brand new bus terminal outside KL. Most have not, but ours had. It took the taxi driver (who learned in a kamikaze school of driving) three attempts to get us into the place because he kept missing the correct entrance, but eventually we were checked in. The staff have little to do here and so the individual attention to service is high. Wish the same could be said of buses in KL. The VIP standards of the past are declining, particularly in cleanliness, although leg room remains luxurious. We arrived back in Singapore early, took a taxi to Tanjong Pagar and drank coffee at an all-night shop while we waited for a decent hour to knock-on Anne and Serena's door. Little did we know they were already awake and waiting for us. But thank you again to them both for looking after us for the morning.

The Great Outdoors of Northern Vietnam!

Sa Pa
As I've noted elsewhere one of the big aims of my November holiday was to visit Sa Pa. I travelled up and back as the majority of western visitors do, by soft sleeper on the overnight train, and took a 3 day/2 night tour operating out of the very comfortable Sapa Summit Hotel. The tour involved a lot of walking with one night in the hotel and the other night as home-stay in a H'mong village.

I guess there is nothing remarkable about the tour I took. There is only so much to do in Sa Pa and thousands of visitors (domestic and international) come every year to do it, following much the same itinerary with only a few variations. However, events and staging were very well organised, even though at the beginning of each day the hotel reception looks like bedlam, with crowds of eager hikers and minority tribal women (always women, no men) waiting either as official guides or what became known as 'the travelling shop'!

The tribal people - women and girls - accompany you every step of the way, asking questions and warming you up for a purchase at the end of their journey. Having said that they are also extremely sure-footed on slippery muddy paths, even though they are wearing plastic sandals, and are ever-ready to lend a hand to prevent undignified falls. And just to let you know that the picture at the beginning of this entry records the only time in 3 days I saw the mountains. It came as a very big surprise to see how immense and close they are. The rest of the time they, and often us, were shrouded in mist.

Depending on the train you take from Ha Noi (there are 2-3 departures each night) you arrive at Lao Cai in the darkness of morning or at about 6am. From there it is an hour long bus trip almost straight up to reach Sa Pa and breakfast. If lucky the room is also ready to check into, but usually not. The tours start at 9am for a half-day visit to Cat Cat and Sin Chai villages, homes of the Black H'mong people. Along the path we visited homes to see how the people live as well as to observe weaving and dying of cloth. Much of the cloth is made from locally-grown, non-hallucogenic hemp and dyed using indigo plants also grown profusely as a crop in the area. We had an excellent young woman as our guide over the 3 days visit, with the most marvellous laugh and sense of humour. We returned to the hotel through the main market in Sa Pa, meeting our guide's aunt (I later also met her mother and her cousin here).

For the afternoon we were left to our own devices. By now the fog was getting close to a pea-souper and I was also learning that it was impossible to walk anywhere without the travelling shop joining in. I took refuge for cake and coffee at Baguette et Chocolat before returning to the hotel for dinner and a very comfortable sleep.

On the 2nd day of tours itineraries start to diverge depending on whether you are taking a second night in the hotel or a home-stay as I did. The morning involved walking down, down, down from Sa Pa into the Muong Hoa valley. At one point we had to take an alternative path because the main route was impassable. Just before lunch at Lao Chai village one iteration of the travelling shop departed, after gaining some sales from us (yes, from me! I bought a wall hanging).

After lunch of course we were joined by a new shop for the - now-flat - walk to Ta Van village which we reached at about 3pm. This was our home for the night. The house we stayed in was very large, because it had been extended or purpose-built to accommodate both the family and tourists. Morality is important in the tribal villages, to the extent that men and women must stay in separate dormitories (though in our case we were all male; joined at our accommodation by a married couple). Our dormitory was on the second floor: it really was just a succession of mattresses, pillow and blankets on the floor with mosquito nets. It was also extremely comfortable and warm on a night when outside temperatures fell quite a bit. Ta Van village accommodates Black H'mong and Red Dzao people. Each group keeps to its own traditions and cultures but also co-exist well.

The third day briefly promised clear weather but we set out again in a slight fog, climbing again to a waterfall before making our way back down to the river and lunch. From there we climbed back up hill to meet the bus for the trip back to the hotel, a shower, dinner and the return to Lao Cai for the overnight train.

Tam Coc
Before leaving Vung Tau a less certain aim I had was to travel to Ninh Binh and visit Tam Coc and Cuc Phuong national park. One of the interesting things since making this trip and telling people about it is that they all ask if I went to the nearby city of Phat Diem to see the cathedral. I knew about it and considered it, but clearly we have different concepts of what is most notable or attractive to visit!

Every hotel in Ha Noi is a travel agent as well, and they advertise tours of fixed duration to all of the popular destinations in the vicinity. The tour to Tam Coc and Hoa Lu Citadel is one day, as is the tour to Cuc Phuong but I knew that I wanted to go to all, and I didn't want to have to come back to Ha Noi in the middle of it. So I arranged instead to use the tour bus as a means of getting to Ninh Binh (as it turned out did some other people on the bus). In the end this also meant the opportunity to take the usual rushed visit to Hoa Lu Citadel along the way. (In fact I would have been better to plan to stay in Ninh Binh an extra night and go to Hoa Lu and Phat Diem under my own steam. As well as visit a few of the other scenic places near Tam Coc. You live and learn!)

Anyway ... we got dropped off in Ninh Binh and as the other people had already organised a hotel I followed them to check it out and ended up staying there as well. Another great place that I recommend to everyone - Ngoc Anh Hotel - along with the manager Luc. They organised a bicycle for me to rent for the afternoon, gave me a map and directions, plus a recommendation for where to eat lunch in Tam Coc (though I couldn't find the place) and off I went.

The ride was easy, and Ninh Binh people are very friendly and easy-going too. On the other hand the travel guides warn - and I had read on Elsbeth's blog, too - that there are a few tricks for persuading travellers on the river to part with their money (so I was prepared for this, thanks!).

Tam Coc is described as an inland Ha Long Bay. This is because, not just the river side but the entire region stretching way back up towards Ha Noi as well as further south from Ninh Binh, is impaled by rugged karst limestone rock formations. Many are quarried for building material and so sadly but inevitably it is possible to see how the landscape is changing at a rapid unnatural pace. The journey takes you some kilometres upstream from Tam Coc village passing through three caves. It is very peaceful, especially to start out later in the afternoon when the larger tours are already returning. The river is hemmed in by towering peaks and cliffs, scaled by mountain goats. It is reminiscent of the river-side scenery in Guilin, but on a smaller scale.

After returning to Tam Coc village I hoped to visit Bich Dong cave pagoda a couple of kilometres further out. It was another pleasant ride to reach the area, but unfortunately I was too late in the day to be able to make the journey up and back down the hill in daylight.

Cuc Phuong national park
I also decided along the way that I would visit Cuc Phuong national park (this link is to the park website). This is about 45km away from Ninh Binh so the bicycle was out of the question, and I wasn't certain enough of my map-reading and language skills to make a solo motorbike trip, so Luc arranged a driver/guide for me. He also recommended taking a less direct route, which is what we did.

The road took us south on the highway first and then inland past farms. Along the way we saw fields of passionfruit vines, pineapples and sugar cane. The driver also explained that there are two varieties of pineapple in Vietnam, the sweeter yellow ones and the Chinese ones which are more sour and whiter in colour (like the only pineapples that we used to see grow in Australia). Then we started to climb up into the hills, several times passing a group of cyclists on a supported tour.

I hadn't really worked out what the attraction of the park was for me. The highlight really turned out to be the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre. This is home to many species of gibbons, macaques and lemurs, some of which whose low surviving numbers put them in the highly endangered category. The centre's aims are to provide a refuge for these animals, encourage breeding and eventually to reintroduce them to the wild. My guide to the centre and for hiking in the park after lunch has worked there for over 13 years. He is a forestry conservator by education, but his passions are hiking and bird-watching, as well as building a pictorial record of flora and fauna in the park.

One of the other significant places to visit inside Cuc Phuong national park is the Cave of Prehistoric Man, just a short uphill walk and then a very interesting and dark climb/clamber up ladders and rocks inside. The cave was rediscovered in 1966 when human graves and tools were found dating back 7500 years.

The final part of a 1-day visit to the park is a hike, partly on a trail but often over very sharp limestone rocks, to the 1000-year old Big Tree. I'm glad to have made the hike, and it was the first time my driver had been there, but I sort of wondered what the fuss was, really!

Rainy season

It seems that the rainy season is finally with us. Most days now for the past 7-10 days we have had at least one heavy downpour, sometimes with thunder and lightning or with wind. This morning it rained for about 3.5 hours, not always heavy but enough to dissuade me from going out to do a few jobs.

It's not so great for the washing, though. Last Wednesday was dry nearly all day, and Xe had been and washed the bedclothes. So they were out the back of the house to dry. I planned to get home at about 5pm (I had extra classes last week and so a lot more planning, including Wednesday - sob!), but it bucketed down at 4.30pm, and the washing got soaked. Xe has spirited the whole lot off somewhere to dry - I don't know where - and I guess will bring it back on this Wednesday.

The photo is a view of today's rain from the balcony. Jesus is rather shrouded by it all, and you can only see as far as the taller buildings near Back Beach.

Did I mention the heat?

I bet I continue to do this!! It gets extremely hot from quite early in the day. This is a fact of life, and the only way to cope is to slowwww dowwnnn. And to seriously embrace the concept of siesta whenever you can.

The nice thing about Vung Tau – at least at the moment – is that it gets a great seabreeze from late afternoon, making the seaside the place to be if you can. Just to hang out, take a leisurely walk and watch people – families arriving in pairs and threes on motorbikes, groups of friends, people fishing – and because I’m a westerner, be watched.