amasc

Vietnam, return visit

2012-01-03T17:38:00.003+07:00

I've had a bit of a blog break visiting the old "home" in Vietnam. Circumstances meant that there wasn't a heck of a lot of photography going on but there are more than enough Vietnam pictures on this blog to make up for that.

It's the first time I've left India since settling here exactly 166 days ago (acording the the man's widget on his phone). I never know how I really feel about a place until I leave and return to it. Vietnam was entirely familiar, like a comfy pair of shoes and it was great to go back to old haunts and old friends. It felt good to be back in India though but I realise that there's a long way to go before I reach the comfy shoes stage, still, at least they're no longer causing blisters.

Nurse in waiting

2011-12-18T18:16:00.002+07:00

Nurse on duty at a basketball match, she doesn't look particularly impressed with the action.

Detail of painted metal garden swing

2011-12-09T11:08:00.005+07:00

It's bright, colourful, dusty and messy and welcoming and a bit rough around the edges in places.
I'm really liking India.

Village People

2011-12-04T15:42:00.003+07:00

I'm not really one for pushing my camera into peoples' faces, at least not strangers, hence I have lots of distance shots, back shots and side shots. Children are different though, I am perfectly comfortable interacting with them with a camera in between us. Here are a few kids I took pictures of in the Maharashtran countryside.

One day I'll get over my difficulty in taking direct portraits of adults, but until then there are always children and animals.

Dog with star quality

2011-11-30T10:21:00.005+07:00

This handsome dog was found in a restaurant in the countryside which had a play area and open space attached. Clearly used to strangers he barely acknowledged anyone approaching him but patience paid off and the proffered hand was eventually granted a sniff.

Toran, Door Garland

2011-11-29T12:09:00.004+07:00

I spent a day out in Malegaon around three hours outside Mumbai. It's my first visit to the Indian countryside, it was good to get out into fresh air and open spaces.

Swimming Against the Tide

2011-11-28T12:17:00.004+07:00

The last in my current collection of pictures taken from Mumbai trains. I love that I can hang outside the doors and get angles like this, at least I can during the relatively quiet times when I travel. I wouldn't want to attempt it during rush hour, in fact I wouldn't want to attempt the trains during rush hour if I could possibly avoid it.

Fruit stop

2011-11-24T08:06:00.003+07:00

Netted tubes of fruit for pulping and gulping

Second Class, Women

2011-11-23T00:07:00.002+07:00

Womens' carriage, local train in Mumbai.

Helping Hand

2011-11-21T21:28:00.002+07:00

Mumbai local train, getting a hand up.

Don't touch me!

2011-11-20T22:14:00.003+07:00

AutoRickshaws: They don't like you touching them.

Trading

2011-11-20T16:00:00.003+07:00

I can't begin to understand how difficult it is to make a living from selling simple paper garlands.

Street Eaters

2011-11-20T11:00:00.003+07:00

Dogs, cats, rats and cows are all fairly common eaters of things on the the street. I don't have any pictures of those at the moment so offer some alternatives:

Found everywhere but usually moving too fast for me to capture them.

Pigs were unexpected scavengers in Jaipur but they seem to do a pretty good job in clearing up the edible, and less obviously edible, junk.

Morning

2011-11-08T23:28:00.002+07:00

Sunrise isn't usually as spectacular as sunset but, since Indian cities don't tend to get moving very early and I do, it's a quiet and lovely time of day.

Up On The Roof

2011-11-07T17:29:00.002+07:00

When I lived in Vietnam I had a roof terrace, I miss that outdoor space now that I am in a flat without even a balcony. The closest I can come to outdoors is sitting on the window seat with the windows opened to maximum but it isn't the same. Our hotel in Jaipur had a roof terrace where we spent a lot of time with views of other people doing the same.

Produce

2011-11-06T10:56:00.006+07:00

The range and quality of fresh produce is a constant pleasure whether you just take pictures of it or actually get around to cooking the stuff.

Chili emporium

Farm goods on the way to market

Jantar Mantar, Jaipur

2011-11-03T07:25:00.003+07:00

Jai Singh's amazing stone astronomical observatory built in the early 18th Century and a perfect blue sky.

BBC Radio 4 did an excellent programme on this place if you want to find out more about it. In Our Time, Jantar Mantar.

Jaipur

2011-11-02T12:14:00.003+07:00

Amber Fort tout

Amber Fort bird

The Joy of Sets

2011-10-16T10:40:00.002+07:00

I got very excited recently to find a matching set of plain white crockery, no patterns, no gilt, no flora or fauna. Thank you ShopperStop, saved from eating from the beige plastic stuff that came with the flat.

Since getting the crockery I haven't done much cooking but I can confirm that eggs taste much better out of plain white egg cups than out of shot glasses stuffed with kitchen towel to stop the egg wobble.

The Big Balloons of Bombay

2011-10-08T23:02:00.009+07:00

Giant Balloon Guy

Puzzled. Every city has its own brand of hawkers specialising in selling tat to tourists. In Vietnam it was photocopied books, anywhere there were tourists there were girls lugging tottering stacks of Lonely Planets and The Quiet American around. If they didn't have what you were looking for the would hop off to a central warehouse and be back with your Bill Bryson of choice in minutes. This is a practical and popular product ideally suited to the target market.

In Mumbai they sell giant balloons to tourists. I know you would buy an uninflated version but the questions are still begged...

Who buys them?
How much do they pay?
What do they do with them ?
How long do they take to blow up?
Why?

One Day

2011-10-07T21:31:00.002+07:00

The views from two of the flat windows at different times of day.

Morning

Evening

I say "the view", for the morning shot what I mean by that is the view if I lean out over the child safety barriers and trust in luck to snap the sun. The sunset is from the spare bedroom and requires careful framing to avoid the big black buildings on either side of it. Still, it's nice how the light filters through the smog.

Bandra Thursday

2011-10-07T00:26:00.007+07:00

I was caught up by a passing parade so I pulled out the camera and prepared to be be besieged by beggars, hawkers and other itinerate earners.

My guess is Durga but my Goddess-identification-skills need a lot of developing, as do my avoiding-McDonald's-signs skills.

Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai

2011-09-09T17:43:00.000+07:00

I'm a sucker for museums, The Prince of Wales Museum, or more properly, The Chatrapati Shrivaji Museum, Mumbai called me in. It's an excellent looking building and, should you wish to shop, has a fantastic gift shop. I paid my foreigner ticket price for which I got a "free" audio tour, a pamphlet and a postcard.

It's a fine museum although the second floor is currently closed and looks as good inside as out but

far too many wet afternoons in Chamber Street Museum, Edinburgh, as a kid make me feel that the central well is incomplete without goldfish.

The exhibitions are well laid out and informative and there's plenty to see to while away a couple of hours.

The most memorable part of the visit though was The Man catching up with me somewhere between Miniatures and Coins. He was delighted to tell me that he'd been offered a range of drugs ... in a museum! OK, on the streets, sort of expected especially since we most certainly still have a touch of the wide eyed tourist look about us. But a museum! Definitely a Memorable Mumbai Moment.

Fireworks for Ganesh

2011-09-07T07:31:00.003+07:00

Just one of the elements of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration. Good photography practice for Diwali.

Mumbai mixture

2011-09-05T08:17:00.004+07:00

There's no theme to this post, just a collection of pictures taken recently. I've got over whingeing about grey skies and poor light and decided just to suck it up and take pictures anyway. No more excuses accepted, it's going to be like this for about half the year so I just need to adapt.

Repainting the Taj hotel tower, one little bit at a time.

Family outing Marine Drive, overexposed but I like how the family group are thrown into isolation against the mainly white background.

I was attracted by the vibrant orange, the only good thing about grey light is that bright colours are more eycatching.

This came out a bit softer than I hoped for and I'm quite shy about taking pictures of strangers so I didn't hang about to correct my mistakes. I like his face anyway and that there's a "big balloon" in the background.

Monsoon August

2011-09-04T10:49:00.004+07:00

View over Aarey Milk Colony through the rain.

Mould resistant advertising

Wall foliage, colour saturation levels not fiddled about with, it really is this green.

The last day of August and the first hint of blue skies to come.

I admit, I was blase about monsoon. I'd been through four and half wet seasons in Saigon so it was clearly going to be more of the same. No. It's wetter; the rain is heavier and lasts longer, at least it does this this year. I'm not sure how this year relates to previous monsoon seasons. It's the levels of moisture in the air that's taken me by surprise though, everything is always slightly damp, and there are weird mildew like smells around the flat that I'm trying all sorts of things to cover up or clear. However, it's cool, the breeze is lovely and everything is green and sparkly so it's not all bad. I just want some more blue in the sky.

Mumbai August

2011-08-24T08:17:00.005+07:00

The skies are still grey so the weather is still cool but there have been a few hopeful signs of blue from time to time.

I've been heading into Mumbai proper more often but usually without either a camera or a charged battery. The latter is infinitly more frustrating!

Lots of people suggested a trip to Mohammed Ali street for the Muslim food stalls during Ramadan. It's the first time I got overwhelmed by India but it was mostly fun. we went, I got lost, I got punched in the kidneys by a child, we found our way out, I didn't manage to eat a bloody thing. Next time maybe.

Mumbai arrival

2011-08-08T19:05:00.005+07:00

Hawker, damp day at Gateway to India

Just over two weeks ago we arrived and started work in the Mumbai suburb of Goregaon. It's been predictably hectic but the essential practicalities are working themselves out pretty well.

The weather has been abysmal for photography but fantastic for sleeping with no air conditioning.

It took until the most recent weekend to get into Mumbai proper and first impressions were positive. The grey cotton wool skies that go with cool weather didn't make for great photographs, but things will undoubtedly brighted up.

Edinburgh extended stay

2011-07-18T18:04:00.007+07:00

A quick week stop off has stretched out further as the work visas are taking longer than anticipated to get processed. No problem, time for more pictures, more oatcakes and more baked tatties and lots of time at the visa processing centre.

Vermin

There's a Spanish tourism promotion this week and appropriately themed buskers.

There are more traditional Scottish buskers

and traditional buskers with twists.

Otherwise I've been out and about getting arty-farty with the new lens.

Fingers crossed for the next pictures coming from India.

Edinburgh

2011-07-13T18:23:00.007+07:00

Back in the old stamping grounds after four years in South East Asia. It's been a whirlwind of panic, frustration and tangled rules and regulations as we attempt to get travel, visas and banking all sorted out while still leaving some time to catch up and catch breath.

I've rediscovered how few people are out and about before 6am and still being on a Vietnamese waking schedule have found it a good time to get out and take some pictures. There's no doubt Edinburgh is a striking city.

Clouds

Palings

Lums

Lamposts

Castle

Cobbles and a rare personal appearance.

Farewell Vietnam

2011-07-13T05:27:00.002+07:00

School Logo
Originally uploaded by amasc

Time to move on, a brief time in Edinburgh picking up the new work visa then off to Mumbai. I have mixed feelings of regret and excitement but onwards and eastward, it's all part of the extended adventure. It's been good, we've made some fantastic friends and wonderful memories. We'll be back.

I thought of doing a montage of favoured images but I've posted them here already so by way of farewell here's a very occassional image from my workplace.

The last day at school, Students from the youngest to the oldest classes painted this during Creative Arts Week and assembled it during the last morning. No spelling mistakes either!

See you in India.

Anywhere in the world by DHL...

2011-05-16T06:26:00.005+07:00

...anywhere else by bus.

Pastures New and Old Stamping Grounds

2011-05-07T12:21:00.005+07:00

By July we'll be off taking the same kinds of pictures in a different kind of place and I'm already getting a bit nostalgic and taking pictures of things I see on a regular basis but have stopped really registering.
Hence, The Post Office, The Virgin at Notre Dame, Uncle Ho and a coffee shop;

I still think this is one of the loveliest Post Offices I've been to and the service is great and charges are excellent value for money despite the recent hikes in cost.

This is the famous "crying Madonna" who caused a huge fuss just before I came to Vietnam. She wasn't crying today and hasn't for four years I've been here but the real novelty in this picture is the blue sky which made such a change from the horrible grey candyfloss that has been passing for sky recently.

Now, what I wanted here was a picture of Uncle Ho's statue in front of the Hotel de Ville with the Vietnamese flag snapping away in the breeze. This was one of the grey sky days hence the ridiculously cropped closeup.

Vietnam has adopted the fancy coffee culture with arms open wide. A fancy coffee has at least four components to its name in my rule book. This was an expresso freeze with cream so clearly not as fancy as some. Very good though and the first time I've been back since their rebuild, I noticed that they're hosting live music now, Regina Coffee, Nguyen Du St.

I didn't realise just how many puns I got into the title of this blog until I re-read it, I'm quite proud of myself if a little ashamed.

Hoi An break

2011-05-07T12:08:00.003+07:00

We were off to Hoi An for a few days during the recent break. We'd toyed with ideas of setting off somewhere abroad but work and other commitments wouldn't let us do it and I'm glad of it. A relaxing time with good food and friendly people and a break from the city was just perfect. I also spent some time with the models of Hoi An who will happily either sell you fruit or pose for you for a very modest fee.

Cheers Etienne.

Cambodia trip

2011-03-27T13:39:00.004+07:00

At this time of year I am usually to be found leading a school trip to Nha Trang. I had a change of scenery this year and led a trip to Cambodia instead.

Angkor Wat is still there.

Spiders are still considered delicious snacks.

The monkeys of Angkor still swim when they get the opportunity.

And you still have to watch out for your ice cream.

Dress Up Day

2011-03-06T09:46:00.003+07:00

It's the annual book week and students dress as their favourite characters or books, so do teachers.

It can make teaching a bit distracting.

Not a normal school day.

Old Advertising, Saigon

2011-03-02T03:02:00.007+07:00

On Tran Hung Dao one hotel has been knocked down to be replaced with another one. In the process old wall advertisements have been revealed for the first time in who knows how many decades. I like the juxtaposition of the old adverts with the new and that there are no power lines getting in the way.

Cat Time

2011-02-04T11:55:00.004+07:00

It's The Year of the Cat, rabbit elsewhere but cats rule in Vietnam! Nguyen Hue in District 1 is turned into Flower Street for a week and there are always representations of appropriate animals. Here are a few of them:

Yes, it is a dog.

So why do we have the Year of the Cat while the rest of the world hop along happily in the Year of the Rabbit. One theory goes thus: "The Chinese word for rabbit is 'mao', which sounds like 'meo' in Vietnamese, where it means cat. As the sound of the word changed, so did its meaning,". You can read the full article here .

I'll finish with one set of animals which seem to bridge the gap between cats and rabbits quite well.

Happy Meo Year

Tet Flower Market

2011-01-31T09:50:00.003+07:00

My annual wander around a Tet flower market;

Flowers are a very big deal. Also a very big deal is making fruit and plants into something they're not like a Dragon Fruit Fruit Dragon.

More pictures from Flower Street with Cats being heavily featured very soon.

Santa Time

2010-12-20T08:39:00.004+07:00

The streets are full again of children of all ages posing in front of the Tax Centre Christmas displays. This year the photographers are liveried up in Noel 2010 shirts.

Red velvet ropes are set up to help keep people from climbing on the polystyrene displays which have an international theme courtesy of Hitachi.

Most of the Santa Babies have already learned the art of photo posing but you have to start somewhere.

There are new Santa fashions, the halter neck tiered dress...

and more and more fairies.

The decorations are up.

The Santas on sticks have arrived.

The balloons have been modeled

and Mickey and Minnie are available for you in their Military Fighter helicopter.

Merry Christmas from Ho Chi Minh City.

Traffic light behaviour

2010-10-28T10:44:00.002+07:00

Just another picture of the amazing layering that takes place before your average Vietnamese girl can risk going onto her scooter.

This one also depicts the "sunny day traffic light strategy" - wait for the lights to change in the nearest patch of shade which might be some distance away and will be popular. On dull days or at nights it's full steam ahead to get as close to the lights as possible

Vincom Centre, Mall life reaches Saigon

2010-10-26T07:01:00.005+07:00

The new mega-flash mall has opened complete with an Armani Caffe and a Jimmy Choo. It's all very impressive down Dong Khoi these days.

Stepping inside is like being transported to Singapore but there are significantly low numbers of shopping bags being carried around. On my last two visits the most popular activity was from groups posing for photographs outside shops. There's shopping going on, I'm sure, but not on a Singaporean scale. On the other hand, La Senza had completely sold out of medium sized knickers so some are doing well.

Not such great mall news from Phu My Hung where the wedding cake styled Paragon mall closed with little or no warning. It's always been a bit of a ghost mall in there. Completely unsubstantiated rumour which is likely to be entirely wrong, has it that Parkson will be moving in. I'll keep you posted.

Holland Village Saigon

2010-10-25T16:22:00.004+07:00

Holland Village came to Saigon, an exhibition of all things Dutch. They set up in the park near the Ben Thanh roundabout. I took a wander through during the day when the finishing touches were being made.

Bitexco Tower with Windmill in front, an odd juxtaposition.

The finishing touches being put to the lighting rig, as always not a hard hat or harness in sight.

Red Saigon

2010-10-24T09:04:00.003+07:00

It's been a while since I posted. Here's the Red Saigon version of the Blue Singapore shots I did a while back. I have some time on my hands now so more posting should follow.

Singapore Blues

2010-09-07T13:45:00.001+07:00

I went to Singapore and took pictures of blue things.

There was some shopping and eating too, but mainly taking pictures of blue things, maybe Saigon Reds is next.

Phnom Penh

2010-09-02T09:30:00.002+07:00

We made a quick visit to Phnom Penh at the end of the summer break simply because we had a few days spare and hadn't been there for over two years. The broad walkways along riverside are now fully completed and make for a pleasant strolling area despite the current threat of brick attacks which started to be reported during our time there.

Having seen most of the usual attractions, rifle range excluded, it was an excuse to do a little browsing, a little cafe time, eat some pretty good food, hit the second hand bookshops and settle in for the remainder of the break with a cool drink.

Delivery Driver

2010-08-11T02:47:00.003+07:00

I have absolutely no idea what is in the boxes, Google couldn't help me but it's gratifying to see that they come in different sizes.

Backpacker Bingo Burma Style

2010-08-07T15:34:00.005+07:00

A change from the non la, the flag t-shirts and the erroneous ao dai but still the fun continues. Spotted in Myanmar we have:

The matching pair - extra points for this - longyi and "ethnic" shirt combo's coupled with matching beards. I give myself additional extra marks for them having the poor taste/confidence to actually wear these to the airport. Spotted in international departures in Yangon.

Wandering the temples of Bagan I came across this example; longyi, "ethnic" shirt and thanaka, I like to think he was haggling over the cost of a lovely hat to set off his outfit perfectly. He was in the company of another two similarly attired backpackers but they were cunning and I could never get them all together in the one frame.

Cambodia next, rich hunting grounds I think.

Yangon, Myanmar

2010-08-07T14:00:00.002+07:00

There are no motorbikes in Yangon, they are banned. Coming straight from HCMC that took a bit of getting used to. Lots to see and find out. The danger of asking direct questions had been impressed on me but it didn't take much powers of detection to read between the carefully chosen lines of taxi drivers and temple guides.

Shwedagon Pagoda dominates the city, it's breathtaking

Elsewhere the reclining Buddha is stunning

The harbour is worth a look

The taxis are great feats of keeping things together, this is my favourite makeshift seat of the entire trip, our regular taxi had nice matching lino on the floor in a tastefull wood grain but that was no competition for the deck chair guy.

A great starting off point, well about the ONLY starting off point for a trip to Myanmar. We flew via Bangkok because the Vietnam Airlines flights only go via Hanoi at the moment making a longer and more expensive option. Visas on arrival worked well, there was a wait of about 45 minutes and minimum commotion.

Bagan, Myanmar

2010-08-07T11:42:00.003+07:00

It's all about stuppas:

Thousands of them

and Buddhas of course

And some goats.

Amazing and exhausting and well worth visiting.

Myanmar, Inle Lake

2010-08-04T11:40:00.003+07:00

Feeling a bit out templed after the visits to Yangon and Bagan we spent a day just lazing on the deck of our hotel room and taking advantage of the spa treatments and books before taking in the attractions that Inle has to offer. In truth some of the nicest things are sitting quietly and listening to the silence or glow worm spotting but they don't make good pictures so here are some other attractions.

The deck where the lazing took place
.

The pace of life is slow and hanging about seems to be a bit of a local passtime, not that I'm complaining.

Of course floating and rowing is a big part of life too.

The biggest draw is the Leaping Cat Monastery where, it is alleged, lots of cats leap through hoops. Maybe they do in the high season but we saw one half hearted leap.

Sleeping Cat Monastery seems a more appropriate name

However, it's a beautiful building and the views from the walkways are lovely

And if you really need your cat fix you can visit a stilted cat centre where they are reintroducing the Burmese cat. They're friendly and will happily climb on you and purr like small outboard motors. Meals and coffees are served here too.

If cats aren't your thing what about a pig?

Pigs - usually found around the edges of markets for a purpose unknown and unexplored. I particularly liked the ubiquitous Myanmar Shopping Bag.

and the dragonflies

and the buildings

and the twilights

Safe to say, I liked it all, if you haven't had enough of other people's holiday snaps feel free to click on through to flickr where there are more, oh so many more.

Myanmar, Pyin Oo Lwin

2010-08-04T09:12:00.002+07:00

Pwin Oo Lwin, previously known as Maymyo, was the British Hill Station during their occupation of the country. It now houses a lot of government organisations and military training centres on the approach roads including the enigmatic Internet City("nothing happens there" said the guide and I can't find anything about it on the internet but it's big and it's there). However the provincial city itself is pretty unchanged and the air is fresh and cool. It's a bit like Dalat with British colonial architecture instead of French.

Flowers are one of the biggest exports and they travel downhill on motorbikes or trucks
while uphill trundle the trucks heading for China - it's about a 10 hour trip from
where these pictures were taken.

The colonial architecture is still very evident. This picture shows a house which is only
used for a few weeks of the year as a holiday home, that might explain why the croquet lawn
is in such a state.

Hillstations seem to bring out the enterprising in people, certainly the sign makers are taking full advantage of any opportunities to replicate well known companies.

Alas it rained so we didn't get a chance to see the Famous Flower Garden which was a real pity as it had a horse and cart constructed entirely from flowers at the entrance.

Mandalay in Myanmar

2010-08-03T20:02:00.005+07:00

Mandalay in Myanmar, some of hundreds of pictures taken:

At a monastry in Mandalay, 1,500 monks queue for their main meal in silence

At a ceremony where novice monks enter the monastery for a short period

Mandalay is one of the centres of Buddha image creation, both bronze and marble

Lots of colonial buildings but I'll leave you with the Post Office which is typically British and was also typically closed when we wanted to use it.

Thre are more, many, many, many more on Flickr, feel free to click through to them. I'll post pictures from Inlay, Bagan and Yangon very soon.

Child Safety Vietnam

2010-07-09T09:55:00.003+07:00

I used to get very worried about children on motorbikes without helmets but, as with most things, it's become perfectly normal now. People tell me that it's difficult to get helmets for very young children and that, even if they could, they are too heavy for their necks. So this is how young children are protected on the move:

They have a little chair to sit on, this one is made of chrome but you see rattan ones too. On their heads are hats to protect them from the sun and netting to keep off dust and insects. In front of them is usually a booster cushion shaped like a teddybear or some other cute animal. It is attached by elastic to the bike and provides both a soft landing incase of sharp braking or bumps and a handy place to put your head for a quiet snooze. As someone who's been known to nod off on the back of the bike I'm considering attaching one to the Man for added comfort.

Packaged Packaging

2010-07-08T18:04:00.001+07:00

Carry out and delivery food is very common, most cafes, restaurants and stalls do it so they need something to put their takeaways into.

This is a wandering purveyor of expanded polystyrene and plastic requirements to local food shops. The toilet roll? It also works as napkins.

Land Development

2010-07-08T15:09:00.005+07:00

Saigon has a new and nearly completed landmark, the Bitexco Financial Tower. It can be seen from all over the city and surrounds and even has a helipad on one side. Alas my picture doesn't do it justice but I'll get some better ones soon.

Large swathes of the city centre are also earmarked for ripping down and "improving". Not everyone is in favour of course and I've been told that the flags flying from the residential buildings at the top end of Le Loi are in protest to the planned redevelopment of that area.

Such a shame to see buildings of character go under the jack hammer but I doubt the mild misgivings of one expat blogger are going to make the slightest difference.

Backpacker Bingo

2010-07-08T07:19:00.002+07:00

Backpacker Bingo is a surprisingly popular sport. The rules are simple, prepare a ist of typical backpacker attributes and tick them off as they're spotted. The more advanced gameplay requires that you get a picture as evidence.

To get you started here are some of the things you might want to look out for:
too many wrist/arm/ankle bands, careful bed head, new dreds, novelty shorts , motorcycle leg rash, overly large bottles of water, overtly "dressing like a local", star t-shirts in wrong colours, inappropriate facial hair, new tattoos, beachwear as streetwear, unworn hiking boots dangling from well worn backpacks, unravelling extension, "on tour" t-shirts, front and back packs worn together augmented by carrier bags, an accessory or item of clothing from every country visited, robes of any description, walking with a staff.

It's a fine way to pass the hottest hours of the day while you sip on a cool one.

Architectural Signage Puzzle

2010-07-07T16:23:00.006+07:00

Perhaps someone out there can help me with this. I've seen signage like this since I arrived and have never been able to work out what it means or meant. Any ideas?

Blog Break Broken

2010-07-07T16:03:00.004+07:00

It's been a busy time at work and the blog's suffered for it. However, the balloons have finally gone up so it's business as usual.

Vietnamese clichés

2010-05-04T07:29:00.005+07:00

- apart from the water buffallo and a bowl of pho this hits most of the cliché buttons.

Jogya Jaunt

2010-05-02T10:01:00.006+07:00

We took a trip to Jogjakarta, a good test of how much Bahasa Indonesia was still lodged in the dusty crevices of my mind. Quite a lot as it turned out. I hadn't been to Jogya since I was in High School but it was still very recognisable, just more hotels now and becak drivers have cell phones.

Here are some obligatory holiday pics:

Temples

Carvings

Batik

Fashion advice

Beer

Good times.

Things that happen in Vietnam

2010-05-01T15:14:00.002+07:00

After any amount of time living in a country most things start to seem normal, which indeed they are.

Dozing on the morning school run:

Dressing for sightseeing:

Getting comfy in the airport, note the matching fake Clark's sandals:

Moving large pieces of equipment around during lunch service:

All perfectly normal.

Watch repair

2010-05-01T14:35:00.004+07:00

Pretty much anything can be fixed on the streets of Vietnam. Phone fixing and unlocking, bike repair, grey hair plucking, shoe repairs and so on.

Here a watchmaker does his stuff. An emergency visit was required when my watchstrap and the Man's both broke on the same day.

Rain falls in Saigon

2010-04-18T11:14:00.005+07:00

On Friday I stopped work for two weeks. On Friday the rain started. Huge dark clouds and the odd clap of thunder followed by a short but heavy downpour. It rained on Saturday too for longer and more dramatically but by then we were safely tucked away in a restaurant having lunch and could indulge in one of the great pleasures of wet season - having one more drink while you wait for the rain to ease off.

It seems that nearly everyone with a blog in Vietnam's been going on about the oppresively hot weather, I'm no exception and I welcome the rain along with everyone else, at least for the time being.

I'm absolutely gutted that I didn't have my camera with me to capture the two boys in matching polka dot pink ponchos though. Still that's another joy of the wet season to look forward to.

Waiting for the Saigon rains

2010-04-11T15:02:00.005+07:00

It's hot, sticky, sweaty, tiring hot. The rains haven't come yet but they're on their way and meanwhile I'm prone to the odd, very ladylike, trickle of perspiration. Sitting is hotter than moving when the air is so still but if the breezes start in the evening it's pure joy to be up on the roof with a cool glass of wine. The plants are dusty and even the tree frogs are feeling the heat.

Of course, once the rains start I'll be back to moaning about how little I suit a rain poncho.

Shocking

2010-04-06T16:33:00.005+07:00

The Ho Chi Minh City Power Company has sealed off and cut off power supply to 61 ATMs after a 10 year old girl was electrocuted by one in District 1 on Mac Thi Buoi street.

Investigations by police in District 1 found an electric wire running across a set of stairs leading to the ATM. The wire, which was set up by Agribank to provide power and light, had many open joints and was leaking electricity.

A total of 61 ATMs were found with electrical problems as of Sunday afternoon. Tran Dung, manager of technical and labor safety at the company, said the ATMs had been isolated and their power cut. Most of the ATMs were set up by the banks themselves, they've been have been asked to fix their machines.

Many ATM customers of Vietcombank have reported experiencing slight electric shocks at the machine on Cao Thang Street, some when leaning on the iron door, some when typing the numbers in, VOVNews reported Sunday.

Full story

Personally, I've had no shocks from ATMs except for the shocking bank rates compared to what's available at gold shops and money changers.

Annual trip to Nha Trang

2010-04-03T07:09:00.002+07:00

It's that time of year when I haul 40 odd assorted kids to Nha Trang for a week. Mostly beach games, swimming and Vinpearl amusements. There's very little time to take the kind of pictures I like best but here's a selection of snaps from the seaside.

I was knackered after the week and it's taken another week to get these uploaded, I now understand why parents like amusement parks and all inclusive resorts.

Altar Images

2010-03-20T14:20:00.005+07:00

On Calmette, in District 1, is one of many Shrine Shops where you can buy house altars, statues, lights and everything else you could possibly need for your at home devotions.

I'm tempted but bright shiny things do that to me.

Vietnam, Hair Today

2010-02-28T07:19:00.009+07:00

The man who held the record for Vietnam's longest hair, and possibly the longest hair in the world, died of natural causes in the Mekong Delta earlier this week. He was 79.

Tran Van Hay stopped cutting his hair after several post barber incidents when haircuts were followed by bouts of illness.

Full story here but also widely reported in the world's press.

It got me wondering what other stories made the international press in the same day, not much really:

Vietnam's first death from avian flu this year New Straits Times

An article on the proposed increase in Vietnamese steel prices
in Commodity Online News and a report on Jetstar in Vietnam in the Sidney Morning Herald

The last story to get wide reporting was The Man Who Sleeps With His Wife's Corpse

One Big News story, widely reported and commented on, was the Facebook Troubles, we've still got the troubles but the coverage has gone. Clearly Vietnam is still firmly in the odd and quirky category of international news, either that, or very little ever happens.

Saigon Spawning Season

2010-02-19T10:59:00.003+07:00

Back in August I posted a picture of a strange roof creature. A fish shaped air ventilator.

And this week I took a picture of the same roofscape, they're multiplying.

I'd quite like a shoal of fish on my roof too but our landlord hasn't suggested one yet.

Dancing dragons in the suburbs

2010-02-16T12:43:00.004+07:00

As I've mentioned before we live in a pretty quiet part of town, our area is "up and coming" which mostly means there's a lot of building going on but on the 15th of February we had a bit of excitement. The dragons and lions arrived to bring luck to a new house.

Here's my first glimpse of them:

As for the rest of the pictures I'll let them speak for themselves, I'm not informed enough to explain exacly what was going on, suffice to say it was like a mixture of the circus and a dance troupe had landed in our otherwise quiet part of the world.

It took about an hour and a half to complete all the activities then they jumped onto their bus, truck and bikes and headed off leaving the street quiet and deserted again. Until the Karaoke started.

Tet Celebrations, Saigon's Year of the Tiger

2010-02-16T10:30:00.004+07:00

When I'm in Ho Chi Minh City during Tet I always make a point of going up to Nguyen Hue to take pictures on the first day of Lunar New Year. This year was the busiest yet as the traffic bears testament to.

The rest of town was incredibly quiet. Here are some pictures of what everyone wanted to take pictures of:

Tigers of course.

Large and impressive tigers at the entrance to the floral display.

Well hell-lo! A debonair tiger with a touch of the Lesley Phillips about it.

A more traditional Vietnamese tiger.

And a Disneyesque tiger to complete the set.

At Tet everyone's a photographer.

There are flowers, tigers of course, calligraphers and family members to be captured.

And when all that pales there's always practicing walking in your new shoes.

Or talking your tiger for a walk through the streets of Saigon.

Chúc mừng năm mới.

Hello Tuk Tuks

2010-02-15T13:06:00.004+07:00

Since Tuk Tuks, rather than taxis, are the main form of privately operated public transport in Siem Reap it makes sense to differentiate your vehicle. That way you're memorable, eye catching and easily spotted. One or two differentiated themselves so well I felt the need to share.

First the Red Bull Tuk Tuk or Bad Bull to further distinguish it. It's also advertised as a Luxury Vehicle, which indeed it is, it has a cooler on the back full of what? Red Bull for the hangover or Beer to create it maybe. Either way I suspect the market segment for this one is most likely to be Brit Boys Abroad.

Here's a closer look at how "bad" this bull is complete with a warning not to "do it two time a day"

It could be two bulls "doing it" or one and a very muscular cow.

For the movie going public and families with small bored children there's the Batman Tuk Tuk

I like the attention to detail on the Batmobile, even the helmet and motorbike are branded.

Finally, for the Korean and Japanese tourist girls what could be more perfect than this?

For the Hell0 Kitty obsessives out there, and I know you come here regularly looking at other Helly Kitty S#!% I've found and posted, here's another picture with more pink details.

Siem Reap, 2010

2010-02-13T20:56:00.006+07:00

I'm just back from a visit to the Temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I'm officially all templed out. We took Tuk Tuks for bum numbing periods and saw sunsets and sunrises and all the hours in between, did the Small Tour, the Grand Tour and the Back-of-bloody-beyond tour. Climbed over, under and through things and got sore knees from that and sore shoulders and necks from the cameras and other "necessities" we carried with us.

It's going to be quite a job to pick through the hundreds of pictures taken, there're bound to be a few decent ones between them, but in the meantime, here's a few:

One of the large stone elephants at Mebon

Also at Mebon, stone balancing seems to be all the rage.

Intricate carving seen at a temple the name of which temporarily slips my mind - I'll need to look it up

The south entrance to Bayon at sunrise

The same entrance with local brushmakers heading out to work

A yellow flower in honour of Tet, I'll be out taking pictures of the Tet floral displays tomorrow so expect lots more yellow.

The man took pictures this time too, apparently it's marginally less boring than just waiting for me to take them, and so his first real contribution to this blog might appear very soon.

Tôn Thất Thiệp on a sunny afternoon

2010-01-31T11:20:00.005+07:00

It was just one of those lovely days when the sunset filters through the pollution in a particularly pleasing manner. Ton That Thiep looked positively bucolic in places, especially the roadside dining option outside Sri Thendayutthapani Temple.

Motorist seemed to be in a particularly good mood and the road was quieter than usual.

Ton That Thiep is a busy little street now and home to three newish bars, the Temple Club, the 3T rooftop Barbeque and of course Fanny's.

I'm British so of course I took a picture of the Fanny Parking sign.

Saigon Tet decorations, the start

2010-01-31T11:00:00.005+07:00

The city's gearing up for Tet, the biggest celebration of the year. The excesses of the Christmas decoration seem palid compared to Tetorations and it's all about tigers this year.

The tax centre at the top of Le Loi is one of the first to roll the big cats out:

The balloon sellers have inflated the tigers:

At least I think they're tigers, they could be orange and black zebras. Does Hello Kitty count as tiger?

Bonus pic!

Gratuitous back view of lost tourists for no particular reason except to marvel at the confidence it must take to wear such a hellishly mal-suited garment.

Saigon from a distance

2010-01-25T06:23:00.004+07:00

A visit to Conic Apartments, KDC gave me an interesting view of the city. The first picture shows the view to the left of the apartments and away from District 1.

Next a more direct view towards the city, I don't expect these fish ponds are going to be around for too much longer.

Finally, towards Phu My Hung and showing the plots already laid out for further developments in Conic.

I tend to forget how flat HCMC is, we don't really want the sea level to rise.

Vespa Street

2010-01-23T15:02:00.005+07:00

A trip to Vespa street to ooh and ahh at the pretty things.

Reconditioned Vespas are available all over town but Ly Thai To street in District 3 seems to be particularly well populated with refurbishing shops. Here's some pretty pictures:

Beer optional. Most of the pictures here were taken at Hoa Vespa .

A sad day for footwear

2010-01-17T11:56:00.002+07:00

Alas a trip to shoe street looks necessary to replace the pink flip flops which pass as work shoes because they're not made of rubber.

Expat develops addiction to unavailable confectionary

2010-01-17T11:52:00.003+07:00

The man's gone to Kuala Lumpur with the work and has promised to bring back Maltesers. I've been gorging myself on the last ones in the fridge which were donated by a very understanding friend.

I seldom touched the bloody things in the UK.

New balloons hit the streets

2010-01-09T11:49:00.006+07:00

Who knew there were balloon fashions? At New Year I noticed that the balloon to have if you were anyone wasn't a tiger or spiderman or santa but one of these fantastic spiral creations.

I've already had a few of them bop me in the face but it would be churlish to complain about a balloon attack.

Helmets for sale

2010-01-02T13:23:00.004+07:00

A nice bit of urban decay and graffiti as a background to a pretty normal looking display of helmets. Graffiti still isn't too common but I've noticed a slow increase recently.

Fast Food Saigon Style

2009-12-31T20:34:00.005+07:00

Sure, the streets are full of vendors selling all manner of tasty Vietnamese treats but the fast food chains are making steady inroads too.

KFC franchises are probably the most numerous.

Jollibee, the Philippines contender for the burger crown is well established. At least their happy bee mascot isn't as creepy as the clown used by McDonald's.

At the higher end of the market Illy cafes have sprung up jostling with Gloria Jeans, Highlands Coffee and, more recently, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to capture cafe high society.

I wonder if we'll ever get a Greggs ?

French Architecture, Central Saigon

2009-12-30T10:41:00.004+07:00

I think this is the Party Headquarters in District 1. I know I've never been able to take pictures of it before because there are always armed guards outside looking sternly at me but I managed to grab this image from a taxi.

I love the slightly debauched and louche face surrounded by hair and roses and I'll have to try to take more stealth snaps of the building in future.

Home made designer chic

2009-12-30T09:19:00.004+07:00

Fashion, grooming, style and labels are very important in Vietnam and the high end labels do good business. However once you hit the streets originality is more evident than originals.

I'm guessing this is not part of the official collection.

Dalat Christmas Break

2009-12-30T00:07:00.004+07:00

A four night trip to Dalat for Christmas in the well posh Sofitel Dalat Palace was a nice break from Saigon. Vietnamese people tell me it's very romantic, certainly unheated rooms do encourage cuddling up, but I enjoy it for the cool air during the day and the kitschness.

First, here's a picture of the cool air:

And now some of the kitsch:

Dalat makes a wine, and from the bottles they have also made a Christmas tree which will also double as a general purpose tree for the upcoming flower festival.

One of the "romantic" attractions of Dalat is to take a swan pedalo onto the lake.

You can take your swan for a tour past the potato crisp heart:

Or gaze at the Dalat Eiffel Tower courtesy of the Post Office:

Pony rides are popular, so is taking pictures of people taking pony rides. Look carefully (you might want to click on the picture for the full size on flickr) you should be able to see the best combination of hats in any one picture ever.

A stetson, a non la or cone hat, a sun hat complete with face protector if the hat doesn't provide enough coverage and, being Christmas, a santa hat. There's also a hat on the guy on the pony that I don't know the name for.

Merry Christmas

Mumtaz Indian Restaurant, Saigon

2009-12-21T07:15:00.004+07:00

In the interest of fairness I'm posting Mumtaz Indian Restuarant,226 Bui Vien - in the backpacker area.

Me and the man fight over whether this or Ganesh is the best in town and truly there's not much to choose between the food. Ganesh has airconditioning and is a bit spiffier, Mumtaz is friendlier. Both serve very good Northern and Southern Indian food, a great line in vegetarian dishes and for me, crucially, Mumtaz delivers within half an hour.

Saigon acrobats

2009-12-10T22:00:00.003+07:00

The recent Loreto Fest went all out to create a carnival atmosphere complete with acrobats and slightly creepy isnie-disney costumes.

While the acrobats were impressive, as is so often the case in Vietnam, it was the unexpected that really caught my eye.

Another shot of the real acrobats

Accidental acrobat

The lighting rig needed adjusted. Ladders? Harness? Hard hat? Clear the people underneath? Why on earth would you do that?

I would lay money on the power still being live too. Still, at least he isn't wearing flip flops.

Loreto Fest Saigon 2009

2009-11-29T22:41:00.004+07:00

A few more posts from this event will eventually make their way to my adoring public but to keep you satiated here's the best 'fro seen since the Seventies.

Loreto Fest is the biggest live music gig in HCMC and all for a good cause so that makes getting drunk in the open air a good thing. Here are some details.

The terrible truth about the Ao Dai or The Pajama Party

2009-11-28T08:01:00.007+07:00

Browse any website aimed at tourists to Vietnam and you'll be hard pressed to find one that doesn't feature the undeniably beautiful national dress, the Ao Dai (áo dài). Sure you'll see them worn by receptionists in hotels, in tourist oriented shops and of course on Vietnam Airlines but far, far more prevalent is the pajama suit. They're EVERYWHERE.

Polyester miracles of bright patterns not seen elsewhere since the sixties adorn everyone from children to ancient grannies. They come in all sorts of patterns and styles according to the preferences of the wearer and hardly ever featured on the tourist industry websites as an attraction.

Sleeveless and short trousered.

Stretchy and spaghetti strapped.

Puff sleeved and tailored.

Flowing and edging on elegant.

Covered with a big cardigan to provide further protection from the sun.

I love pajama suits and think they should be celebrated more but I doubt there will be a day when Miss Ao Dai competitions are replaced by Miss Pajama Suit. Shame.

Scotia Vietnam Fashion?

2009-11-17T06:49:00.003+07:00

I'd seen the helmets, tried them on, not photographed them, I'll have to now for comparison. The helmets have a strip of tartan down the middle and the slogan "Scotland, every day is lovely". I hadn't seen the complimenting shirts though.

I'm suspecting, what with the wrong colours on the flags and all, that this is a local design but I'd be delighted to be informed otherwise. The Lovely Scotland helmet would go much better with this than the hibiscus strewn one.

Wiring solution?

2009-11-17T06:15:00.006+07:00

In my previous post I showed pictures of power cables, mainly on Trang Hung Dau and mused about them being moved underground some day.

Co-incidentally Vietnam Daily News published an article about the same thing.Full article here

The main concern is that there are no standards in place and cables are being buried in a haphazard manner. On Tran Hung Dao they'll be in lined ditches with power and telecom wires kept apart. On Le Than Ton they'll be buried 75cm underground in plastic pipes with no concrete support.

Great, the era of the permanent roadworks is dawning.

Power talks

2009-11-16T00:35:00.002+07:00

You know what it's like, you stop seeing things after a while then something happens and whatever it is is back in focus.

I'd been trying to take some pictures of buildings and bemoaning the power cables always getting in the way so, of course, soon I see nothing but power cables.

These are fairly well ordered, there's still a lot of them though.

The busier the road, the more houses and businesses there are, the greater the need for power and things start to get a bit more complex.

Then there's this, it reminds me of the last time I decorated a Christmas tree. Snagged, tangled and horribly confused.

I suppose one day they'll all be underground and what excuse will I have for not being able to take good pictures of buildings then?

A shoe with everything

2009-10-29T11:39:00.003+07:00

Diamondesque jewels set on a giant multicoloured, multifacet jewel, surrounded by a ring of clear jewels sitting on more of the same on a gold trimmed and silver studded Be Be flip flop with a bit of wedgieness about it and silver studs teamed with flesh coloured, sun evading thong socks and, if you look very carefully, a flower painted on the big toenail. A winner on all fronts I'd say.

Sometimes I am so glad my giant western feet don't fit into these things because I would, I know I would.

Franco Vietnamese Hospital Benches

2009-10-28T08:43:00.003+07:00

I've been spending longer than I particularly want to FV hospital this week. I'm still in negotiations about whether I can blog the reason or not, meanwhile, here's a picture of the benches there that throw shadows shaped like sunglasses.

Yes, I was THAT bored.

Newspaper Headline

2009-10-28T07:44:00.001+07:00

Newspaper suffers shortage of proof readers

Justice

2009-10-17T19:10:00.007+07:00

There's been a lot of running about recently trying to comply with new visa regulations, some of my documents went missing a while back and it's not proving too easy to get them replaced. Thankfully I still have all my originals but this morning I made my second attempt to get my police check sorted. I was turned away last time because it was too busy so early Saturday morning I turned up at the Department of Justice:

I think I got it sorted, at least I got a slip telling me when to go back and pick it up but worryingly, I got it from the counter where they organise marriage licences.

I am a good citizen and did not take information from The Outsiders.

Polka Dot rainwear

2009-10-12T06:01:00.002+07:00

The Saigon equivalent of a dreich day, it was overcast and cloudy all day with near constant drizzle gave me lots of time to mull over the rainwear solution.

I've more or less given up on working out how to get the plastic poncho to keep anything other than my shoulders slightly dry. They flap around and leak and whatever I'm wearing on my legs wicks up water to waist height. I put it on when I'm on the bike but it's more a case of fitting in that providing any practical wet weather protection. How two Vietnamese manage to stay snug and dry under one of them is beyond my comprehension.

I like the look of the clear plastic polka dot poncho draped over the blue and white Attila but know that on me It'd look like I've been shrink wrapped so mine is dark blue, anonymous and a waste of space in the boot box.

Clever camera tricks

2009-10-06T20:39:00.006+07:00

Some people, not me, are very good with photo manipulation tools. Here's a photograph I took back in 2008 at Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

Below is something created using it by a Flickr member called Jeloid (click the name for the original work in a larger size)

Pretty impressive huh? I think I'll stick to the odd crop and fiddling about with lighting in photoshop when things turn out really bad, if only because I have neither the skills nor the time to develop them.

Praying Mantis

2009-09-19T13:57:00.004+07:00

There are two insects I like here, the metalic green scarab looking ones that I don't have a picture of yet, and the Praying Mantis. Here's one that was hanging about outside the glass kitchen door.

Much nicer than cockroaches.