Badly Dressed Tourists Part 1

The first part in a collection of pictures of tourists wearing ill chosen clothing. These were taking in Mui Ne where coincidentally there are a high proportion of Russians. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether these holiday makers are Russian but it's worth while knowing that they have access to fabrics and designs not seen in the rest of the world since the 1950s.



Mesh baseball cap - Check
Oversized medalion - Check
Ill concieved shorts - Check
String anklet - Check
Moobs - Check
Overhang -Check
A perfect street outfit for the young bleached man babe about town.

And for the gentleman of experience:



Ladies also put in a lot of effort to look suave and sophisticated on holiday:

A Fringed Fantasy, the front featured prancing horses and a nautical theme. It's one of those pictures I will always regret not capturing but my "stooge" refused to stand still so I could take a full frontal over his shoulder. Sometimes I think he doesn't support my art.

More later.

Cyclo Challenge 2009 and the Stealth Samba Band

This year the weather was terrible for the Cyclo Challenge, see earlier post for how lovely it was last year and this post for how awful it was in 209.

I was otherwise engaged so didn't take the pictures showing here but it was my camera so I guess I have ownership:



Muddy and churned up but people waited patiently to go strut their stuff.



This bunch of chancers turned up without a gold sponsor and still managed to blag their way into the opening parade.



Stealth Samba, like Banksy with drums.

Atlas didn't have any supporters so were weirdly happy to have the random samba band.



It was bloody muddy and ruined a perfectly good pair of shoes but it was a hell of a lot of fun.

Nha Trang again

I accompanied a class of students to Nha Trang for the annual school trip so there wasn't much time to enjoy myself and wander off for photo opportunities that weren't full of students making their special camera poses.

I unexpectedly liked the Oceanographic Institute with the exception of the too small enclosure they have for the seal. The specimen room was stunning, I expect places like this exist in every research establishment but doubt they are open to the public. Row upon row of pickled sealife of all types.



You can never have too much plankton in my book.



Vinpear Land, apart from the animal show mentioned in an earlier post, was fun. The major hit was the Pirate Ship alternatively dubbed "The Seasickness Machine", you can see why.



Also on Vinpearl I saw a particularly Vietnamese take on Snow White:



She was accompanied not only by the dwarfs but by a tribe of small bouncy animals:



There were a few moments of peace at Po Nagar towers





But mostly it was wiping off bird pooh, prying students out of cafes and headcounting, headcounting, headcounting. I think we all had a good time of different sorts.

Vinpearl "attractions"

I was in Nha Trang this week and was offered chances to see elephant and bear shows, ride ostriches or watch dog and monkey shows. Vietnam still likes performing animal shows. I've had conversations with people about their cruelty or being inappropriate ways to treat animals but no-one so far has responded wth anything other than some comment about the animals being cute or clever.



I suspect Vietnam hasn't had the luxury of being able to get all worked up about animal dignity having some bigger concerns to get sorted out.



The pictures here feature animals used in a very popular show at Vinpearl Land, Nha Trang. I find them heartbreaking and avoid them. I also support Wildlife at Risk who are doing a good job in education and practical rescue and protection programmes.

Hello S#!tty

I'm not a great fan of the mouthless one but am rather taken by this hotplate, coffee maker, warming oven and death trap all rolled into one very, very pink package.



I need an oven but I'll pass on this one. Featured on the home of Pink Hellishness Hello Kitty Hell , I'm honoured.

Toothpaste finds

There are a lot of products here that wouldn't see the light of day in other countries including Dr. White Silver toothpaste, also available is Dr. White Gold. It's clearly a highly advanced formula but one which I'm not sure there is much of a niche market.



Great, who wouldn't want a little oral disease functionality with their toothpaste?

A free gift came with it.



Oral me?

A new seat for the scooter

We never did like the silver and white chequerboard pattern on the seat that originally came with the scooter. Plus it was slippery and hard braking would send us skooshing forward and clashing helmets much to the amusement of other drivers. Of course, I blamed the driver.



We went to a local pimporium and had it replaced with this much more tasteful (and less slippery) brown seat. That'll be 4 of your rapidly diminishing British Pounds please.

Bond is back...

and is wants English teacher.

Extremely crafty one preferred.

Singapore Sling

A short trip to Singapore for emergency knicker buying and such like pursuits which didn't interfere too much with the main purpose of eating.

I've got a better hang of Singapore now and used the MRT to travel most time, it saved money and time leaving more of both for the important things (see above).

There wasn't too much picture taking but I leave you with a few images of things that tickled my fancy:

This reminds me of the " the internationally acclaimed Holistic Nutritionist and presenter of You Are What You Eat " Gillian McKeith but is in fact a dentist in Little India.


Lion dancers were all over the place ushering in good fortune for the year ahead, my camera wasn't up to capturing them particularly well, either that or my photography skills are still in need of a massive overhaul but here are a few of them anyway.



And a light up version



Lights were a bit of a theme and Clarke Quay's were pretty impressive.



On the subject of themes Clarke Quay takes it quite seriously, here's the first picture of a theme bar, The Clinic.



Drinks are served in intravenous bags on wheeled stands. I didn't see any wheelchair shenanigans but I expect they do happen.

The Highlander Bar is predictably Scottish



Their menu includes haggis, stovies and tattie scones but I don't know if there are any Tunnocks Tea Cakes or Irn Bru available.

Elsewhere it's seafood with impressive tanks of live fish for diners to choose from.

At least at the start of the night they look impressive, this shot was taken of Jumbo Seafood at the end of the night and there are a lot at the bottom of the tank which look like they're going to be getting served first the following day.



We stayed at the Swissotel Merchant Court where there was a sale on rooms. We didn't spend much time in the hotel so there's not a lot to report on it except that it's the first time I've checked into a hotel that matched my shoes and bag.



Flying: Singapore Airlines
Eating: Satay, Nasi Lemak, Curry, Curry, Curry and Kulfi
Returning: Overweight in both baggage and person

A good trip.

Non Non Non La

This picture, taken on Nguyen Hue on Lunar New Year's Day is interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly, and most benignly, it shows how a perfectly ordinary roundabout has been extended to produced a giant planting area. But secondly it shows one of my pet hates, a tourist in a little non la!!!!

You might want to click on the picture which will take you to Flickr, there you can select the largest size available so you too can share my ire.

See what she's done? Removed a perfectly sensible stetson style hat to pose for her picture in a "local" hat. If you look very carefully you can see another Wally in the background also wearing one.

Why does it annoy me? I'm not entirely sure but every time I see it I grit my teeth. It might have something to do with the self imposed rule of never wearing anything on holiday that I wouldn't wear at home. Why should I impose these rules on other people and who am I to say that this lovely lady won't happily walk down the streets of her home town on a sunny day wearing a tourist version of a non la? Who knows but to preserve my molars, if you visit, please don't wear one.

I leave you with a previously posted image to further dissuade. Enjoy.