Jo and Hayley's SEA journal

Last day

happytraveller — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:52:00 GMT

Hi! We are currently in Ubud, and heading home tonight. Hayley is at the day spa, and I'm wandering about. We had a nice stay in Sanur, and then our friend, Ketut, picked us up and drove us to Ubud. Our accommodation was not that nice and smelled strongly of sewerage, so decided this was not how to spend the last days of our holiday. We did a day trip to Ketut's village and spent some time with his family. His 17yr old daughter Ayu is working at a homestay in Ubud and she came with us. It was a really nice day, it had been 10yrs since we had visited the village. The poverty was very evident still. Ketut no longer works driving tourists, as it has taken a long time since the bombings for tourism to improve. He now works in the rice fields and driving other workers to different fields throughout eastern Bali. They were happy to see us, and we were suprised to find our photos from 10yrs ago on his walls. Was a memorable day.

On our return we booked into new accommodation at Ubudgreen. We booked a room that came with a plunge pool as a treat. On arrival we were miraculously given a free upgrade to a 2 bedroom luxury villa (apra 2). Luxury it has been.... the villa more or less sat in fields of rice paddies, incredibly pretty, large plunge pool, beautiful living area and kitchen...with a wine fridge. All rooms has a flatscreen TV and lots of little extras. We had breakfast (included) served in our villa each morning, was Really good! Oh... we also had our own butler assigned to us :) in case we needed anything! Oh... and we had a driver to take us into Ubud if we required. We did not want to leave!!! So our last few days has been Awesome! Home tomorrow! Love to all! xxxxxxx

Hanging out in Bali

happytraveller — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:52:00 GMT

Hi everyone! Sorry for the very late update, computer access has been sporadic! We have done a lot since my last report. Two days in Disneyland.....Hayley thought was awesome! Must admit, enjoyed it myself! We also went to Macau for three days, lashed out and stayed at the Galaxy Casino( 5 star), if you have time google it, was a fabulous place. I contributed to the economy, and lucky Hayley left with more money than she came with... just played the slots was a bit of fun. The casinos were quite a sight to see, but the rest of Macau was rather grotty and uninspiring. We considered staying there longer, but after an open air double decker bus trip around the "sights" decided not to. Hong Kong was nice but expensive. Our last couple of days there were very pleasant, wandered around the zoo and botanical gardens then headed to Soho area for dinner. We had found a japanese bar that did good tapas and very pleasant coctails..... little pots of fried spicy calamari and skewers with marinated chicken and baby leeks were our favourite. Decided to head to Bali early, as we had seen enough of China. Our accommodation is very nice at the Astana Pengembak Villas at Sanur, very nice pool, we are regularly wallowing in. We have been to the zoo and safari, petted a baby tiger, a saltwater crocodile and Hayley held a bearcat. Today we hugged a baby orangutan, very sweet. Tomorrow will chill out in the pool and laze about swimming and reading. 10 days till home! Thanks for your message Susan, have tried to phone you, but no success, glad all is well, give my regards to Dulcie! Take care everyone! xxxxxx

Hongkong

happytraveller — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:46:00 GMT

We have been very busy here, but the weather has been against us, unseasonally cool and foggy. Visited The Peak, which has spectacular views and gardens....but due to the fog unable to see much.... We have been eating well, though not much chinese, did manage to find some nice dumplings and noodles. Yesterday we went to Ocean Park marine and theme park and had a good day, fantastic jellyfish exhibit, and good pork steamed buns :) the weather was actually brilliant, and even got slightly sun burnt, however today is again shrouded in fog. Participated in the pub crawl, though I was hungover from the previous night so did not (could not) imbibe too much! Hayley managed to drink enough for a sizeable hangover and made it home by 4am clutching a kebab ( very tasty!) We met some nice people, lots of ex-pats and a few tourists. We were going to Disney land today, but may have to go tomorrow... see if the fog lifts. All in all enjoying our time, off to Macau in a couple of days, time is starting to accelerate..... dreaded work looming in the future. Susan, if you read this, hope all is well on the homefront and thanks for your message! Love to all! xxxxx

Hongkong

happytraveller — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:19:00 GMT

We took the ferry from Shekou port to Hongkong, took about an hour, easy and not crowded. Taxi to our new hotel, the T-Hotel, Pokfulam. Exceptionally nice hotel, well appointed room with views over the South China sea. A little out of town, but easy enough to get about. Hongkong is hillier than I thought, and there are double-decker buses and trams flying around the streets. We have spent the last couple of days getting our bearings and navigating transport and a bit of shopping. The food here is much much better, with tons of choice and a lot of western food. Yesterday we had high tea at the hotel, little cakes and nibblies on a 3 tiered tray, very British! We have located the food and bar areas around Soho and had a pleasant wander about, and some cheap but tasty Kebabs. Went to watch the parade for New Year, but was so crowded and the time between the floats was quite long so we gave up and caught the metro home. Tonight there is the firework display over Kowloon harbour, which I'm looking forward to, Hayley not that fussed. Anyway we have some things to do over the next week ; Pub crawl Thursday night, Ocean Park, The Peak and some markets, and Disneyland of course, so some fun ahead. Phone credit is proving difficult to come across for China unicom, so it might be a while before I call home (for mum and dad). Love to all!!! xxxxx

Still in Shenzen

happytraveller — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:39:00 GMT

We have extended our stay in Shenzen and will depart for Hong Kong on Sunday. We have found quite a few things to do in the area, and an Irish pub that has good food and Cider for Hayley! I don't think I will ever eat fast-food again, so it's been great to have some actual food! The pub meals are huge and there is a mexican restaurant next door. Still not eating much Chinese food, I had some kind of pancake yesterday with ?tofu in it and other ?stuff...was ok, but nothing fabulous. There is a sizchuan restaurant we have been recommended so may give that a go. The last couple of days have been spent doing attractions. We went to Happy Kingdom, an amusement park and spent several hours there. Hayley went on a couple of roller coasters, one of them was the type where your legs hang down ( While I was watching saw some poor girl's shoe fly off, never to be seen again) and Hayley got a nice adrenalin rush. I did a couple of the tamer rides with her. The largest coaster was out of action for maintenance (re-tightening screws) and I was really glad, it looked horrific. There was the usual attractions, haunted house, arcade games, dodgem cars.. The next day we caught the metro to Sheiku on the coast to a place called Sea World, which was a square containing a collection of bars and restaurants. A lot of ex-pats living in the area. Was a pleasant day wandering about. Yeasterday was spent at Splendid China and Cultural village. Really pretty parkland, more miniatures and scale representations of cultural houses and villages of China. There were various shows throughout the day, and we took a little boat ride as well. The highlight was hiring these little motorised scooter chairs, one each, and riding around the park (we did this twice, $20 each for 2hrs, was well worth it, good for a laugh). Hayley also bottle-fed some golden carp, that was wierd! Stopped of for a cider on the way home :) Today we are having a rest, and will go out for a drink tonight. Our friend Bill, an ex-pat here is going to take us to some night spots, so I assume tomorrow will be a hangover day! Love to all! xxxxx

Shenzen

happytraveller — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:39:00 GMT

After searching on the net found some touristy things to do, and decided it was time to master the metro. I found an Irish pub in a place called Coco Park, so we decided to taxi there and have a few drinks and maybe a meal. Was closed for a staff function when we arrived, but we found a western guy who directed us to an italian restaurant. The food was OK, nothing spectacular, but a welcome change from McDonalds, Pizza Hut and KFC (which I will never eat again, it doesn't taste quite the same....) We found a bar and had a few drinks and played a dice game that is very popular. Atmosphere wasn't that great and another guy directed us to a club down the road. We got a little drunk, but overall not that merry. After sleeping off our hangovers,Pizza hut for lunch, was time to brave the metro. Hayley has gotten quite good at copying chinese characters for when we need assistance. After a little help we mastered the metro, and headed for 'Window of the Worlds'. Cost about $70 for the two of us, but was well worth it. The place was huge, and heaps to look at, there were some rides, some shows and really well done models of all the monuments of the world (quite large, we walked over Sydney harbor bridge!) We spent 6hrs here and still didn't see everything. As it got dark, everything lit up, really pretty, and we took a lift up the Eiffel Tower (to scale) and the view was fabulous, we could see Hong Kong. There was also an ice skating rink and snow boarding slope. The sky cleared and we saw our first stars in weeks, this really cheered me up! We caught the metro home, and it is really quite easy. Food still an issue.....McDonalds for dinner. Today the sun is out!!! We are staying in Shenzen an extra couple of nights, heading to Happy kingdom amusement park today, and will try for the irish pub again for dinner. Love to all! xxxx

Guangzhou to Shenzen

happytraveller — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:39:00 GMT

After leaving Yangshuo we headed to Guangzhuo by bus, about 7hrs and arrived at our new hotel, which was rather unpleasant. The area around the hotel was basically comprised of highrise shopping malls, so we spent many hours wandering. We hardly brought anything as prices were quite high, surprisingly. Lots of brand name shops, Lacoste, Luis Vitton, Tiffany... the list goes on.Found a really good frozen yoghurt cafe, in which you pay by weight. You pick your yoghurt, like soft-serve and then you pick you toppings, about 50 choices, from fruit to marsmallows. We did find one underground mall which was really interesting, lots of neon lights, and quite funky and arty, spent a few enjoyable hours poking around. At the top of one mall we found an entertainment area with a cinema (no english) and a large area of arcade games, so played around for quite a while, was fun. It also had a haunted house so we screamed and laughed our way through that as well. Food also proved to be a little tricky, there were lots of restaurants, but no english on the menu, and the food was largely unrecogniseable, except for the ever-popular chicken feet, which are in soups, and seem to feature in most dishes and are also a popular bar snack. Had it not been for McDonalds, KFC, Pizza and Starbucks we may have starved. Our hotel room was so grotty, and tiring of mall hopping we decided to head to Shenzen. It is difficult to sightsee in some areas, people aren't that helpful, the language barrier does'nt help either, and there are few tour agencies. Very different to Vietnam, which we have gained a re-newed appreciation of. As Hayley quite rightly pointed out, Western tourists are not needed, or wanted? for the economy here. Some people will help you and others ignore you. Getting our luggage on the bus for instance, the driver just gestured under the bus... so after shifting other peoples baggage we got ours in, then a chinese lady came along and the driver gave her the utmost assistance. Little things like this can make you feel quite isolated. The people at the hotel advised us to head to the bus station to get the bus to Shenzen. This too was quite an experience as there were about a million people there, no joke! Again, no english, and not another foreigner in sight. We did get assistance though, thank goodness, a nice female staffer pointed me in the right direction, and after a half hour in a line, secured our tickets. We caught our bus about an hour later. Our new hotel, the Metropark was a welcome relief, clean! and spacious, nice bathroom, two tv's and a comfortable couch. Bed is rock hard, so couch cushions are a big help! Have been wandering around Shenzen, and again the food is difficult...have been warned about the street food, after a brief dabble in Guangzhou we are a little wary. A few things have made us appreciate home alot more, there is a high presence of police and maintaining public order is main priority, the level of pollution is incredible, even in rural areas, I haven't seen the sky, moon or stars for weeks and it can feel quite oppressive. The high-rise residential complexes are everywhere, and look unappealing to live in. The sheer volume of people is overwhelming. We are enjoying ourselves, but probably will not return to China. Shanghai and Yangshuo have been the most enjoyable part of our journey here. Next stop Macau!!! Love to all!

Mmm Bamboo rafting....!

happytraveller — Mon, 9 Jan 2012 13:04:00 GMT

Yesterday we decided to do a tour and chose two activities, the first, in the morning was Bamboo rafting down the river and then a tour of The Silver cave. Was quite chilly when we woke, so after a substantial breakfast we heated up our hot water bottles in preparation of rafting. A driver picked us up and we drove about 12kms to the river, and got our first view of our raft. The raft was made of 10 bamboo poles tied together, with two rusty deck chairs tied to it. The chairs consumed the width of our raft. Our captain was a very elderly, bow legged man, with a cheerful disposition and a wonky eye. The raft was propelled by a long pole, and our captain, whilst doing this sang, quacked at ducks for us, and chattered away, punctuated by frequent hacking and spitting. Quite endearing really! The rafting took about 2hrs through beautiful scenery. There were concrete levees periodically, which our raft was pushed and shoved over. When you hit the water on the other side you had to lift your legs, as the front of the raft was submerged quite deeply in the water before balancing back out. Our captain really enjoyed our shrieks and screams, as the water sprayed over us.... our bums were quite wet at the end. Our captain gave us a very warm farewell, and the morning really was enjoyable.

After this we drove about 20kms to the Silver cave. We were'nt allowed to go in without a guide, so we had to wait for another group. A busload of Indonesians on a tour turned up, so we joined them. They had a guide who held up a flag, and everyone followed him. Everyone seemed a little bemused to find us with them, they could'nt speak chinese, we could'nt speak Indonesian, and I'm pretty sure they had no idea why we were with them! Anyway, we just kept smiling at them, and after a while they smiled back, and the flagbearer became more friendly. I just felt like a stalker initially. The cave system was quite spectacular, and lit up with fairy lights, and the tour took about an hour. There was even a shop inside, never let an opportunity pass to sell overpriced trinkets. The exit also required you to pass through many little stalls, but we ran the gauntlet and purchased nothing.... we are getting better at this! Anyway, great day, lots of beautiful photos. A stroll in the evening, finally sussing out some decent food, and had wok fried rice for $2. Love to all! xxxxxxx

Yangshuo

happytraveller — Sat, 7 Jan 2012 20:58:00 GMT

Hi! We have moved to a hotel in the town, splashed out on a bit of luxury and really enjoying it. Staying at the Bamboo house Resort which is a small boutique hotel in a great location. The room is really clean and warm, with a massive jacuzzi and heated toilet, which apparently will also wash and dry you, haven't quite been game to give it a go, and a little balcony. The town is surrounded by limestone karst and is really beautiful. There are many restaurants and cafe's, but must admit the chinese food is not as good here as in Shanghai. There are many western restaurants as well, including KFC and Maccas, always good for a hangover. We went out to experience the nightlife last night, initially started at a small bar with crap food but cheap beer. Met some guys from Sweden, chatted for a bit then headed off. Another bar in town, with laser lights, and a singing chinese guy, the music was ridiculously loud, so only one drnik. Came across some Aussies at another pub on an intrepid tour, and steadily got merrier. Continuing on came across a bar/club that had good dance beats coming from it, much to Hayley's delight. Drinks continued to flow, and the dancing improved. For some reason we did'nt have to pay for our drinks.... the staff just kept a steady supply coming, and the DJ's seemed happy we were dancing, met some nice people and had a great night. Must admit was plastered at the end, and despite KFC burger on the way home, have had a pretty slow day today. Big breakfast, actually more like lunchtime, eggs and all the trimmings, and DVD'S in bed. Tomorrow will take a tour of some sort. The weather is still cold, but its stopped raining. It is quite misty, but just adds to the spectacular scenery around us.

Shanghai to Guilin to Yangshuo

happytraveller — Wed, 4 Jan 2012 20:20:00 GMT

Well New Year's Eve in Shanghai was different, a dearth of pubs did'nt help. We brought some little bottles of Vodka and laced our fruit juice with it, and headed to the Bund area near our hotel. This has a long walk along the river with the spectacular Shanghai nightline of buildings and lights. We found one drinking establishment and met some American teachers, was nice to talk and get merry. Headed back to the riverside for the countdown, along with a couple of million chinese. I was hoping for fireworks, but alas there were none due to a tradgedy in a previous year. There were balloons and streamers releases from tall builings instead so was still good to look at. Just before the countdown, over the loud speaker came the anouncement to maintain public order..... so there wasn't a lot of cheering going on.... Headed of to Guilin on the 2nd, arrived about 7pm to the city and checked into a particularly grotty establishment. Looking at the wiring and the general ambiance...stained bed heads, hair on pillows, uninviting bathing facilities, we began our escape plan. We left our packs locked, slept in our clothes and decided to head to Yangshuo asap. We took a 4 and a half hour cruise up the Li Jiang river which was spectacular, Karst formation everywhere, very beautiful scenery despite the chilly temp, and rain. Had a good lunch on board and sat with some Aussies, from Newcastle ha ha! The river was only about 50cms deep, making the lifejacket drill a bit pointless, and we regularly ground along the bottom. Arrived in Yangshuo in the afternoon, walked about a kilometre with our 20kg backpacks in the rain, then got a taxi to our hotel. Our hotel is cool! It is beautiful here, but the temperature today is 4-7 degrees and rainy. We wondered around town this morning getting supplies and are currently camped out at the hotel, because it is FREEZING. There is no english channels on the telly, but upstairs is a dvd player with wall projector, so armed with doona's and dvd's from Vietnam we are pretty happy. Hopefully the rain will stop, though we are planning to stay here for a week or more. The roof near the lounge area is open, so we are pretty rugged up. Last night the hotel staff, a couple of sweet girls brought us up these really nifty hot water bottles, soft material pouches that are like a kettle, you plug them in and heat them up.We promptly went and brought 2 today, awesome investment for $4 each. I'm clutching mine now, as my nose runs. Anyway, heading back to our movies and the doona, and to re-heat my hottie! Sorry about the lack of stories, internet has been surprisingly difficult till arriving here. Our laundry is free here too! Bonus! Love to all!!! xxxxxxxx

Shanghai

happytraveller — Sun, 1 Jan 2012 13:29:00 GMT

Sorry for late post of story. Internet here is very expensive $4.50 for 10 minutes! We are leaving Shanghai tomorrow for Guilin, hopefully things will be cheaper. Shanghai has been fabulous, although expensive. Some things are cheap, like street food, which is great, rice, noodles and the best dumplings! People are mostly helpful, though some are a little hard-faced. Our hotel staff are incredibly unhelpful. We found a double decker open bus that for $5 tours you around the city for 24hrs, get on get off as you choose. We spent a good day in China town and another day around Xintiandi (where the rich folk hang out) was great fun and we have some terrific photo's. Everywhere is interesting and its hard to get bored. Mix of old Shanghai and new, the development here is enormous. The skyline of a night is spectacular, the lights are phenomenal. The is bugger all english spoken, and so far have only met one Australian.... recogniseable due to the beer he was holding. Very few western tourists, more european. Love to all! xxxx (my 10 mins is up)

Getting to Shanghai.....

happytraveller — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:20:00 GMT

Hi! Getting to Shanghai was a major adventure. Our flight from Hue to Hanoi was cancelled at the last minute due to bad weather, which meant we missed our connecting flight to Shanghai. We decided to sleep at the airport, as only 5 hrs to next flight. Unfortunately due to Hue being a domestic terminal it was locked overnight, so we slept outside. Another guy from Australia had the same idea, although about 3am we were all pondering the wiseness of this....bloody freezing!!! Anyway we survived, tested out our new winter woollies, and enjoyed the re-opening of the airport at 6am. We arrived in Hanoi and decided to try our luck finding a new flight, $700 and 40minutes later we were on a plane and heading off! Arrived in Shanghai, made our way to our hotel by subway and taxi. People are very helpful. Our hotel is awesome, lovely large room, huge bed and the softest pillows, after our previous night it felt like heaven!!! We went for a walk around the city, mind blowing! Lights, tall buildings and food! Great smells everywhere! Very different from Hanoi, very clean, so much to look at! I'm off for breaky, will write more after we explore! Love to all! xxxxxx

Departing Hue

happytraveller — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:18:00 GMT

Hi! Today is our last day in Hue, we have managed to stuff and closed our backpacks and will hang around until our flight to Hanoi then on to Shanghai, will arrive 4.30 am. Yesterday was spent with our friends, had coffee in a lovely coffee house by the river, then on the back of the bikes to the countryside to go fishing. Funny little place, bamboo huts over the water, provided with a rod and some bait. Only caught a tiddler, don't think there were many fish there. Anyway had nice lunch there, hotpot, catfish, spicy beef salad. Bye for now! Love to all! xxxx

Christmas!

happytraveller — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 20:07:00 GMT

Yesterday was spent at the Big C supermarket buying some small gifts for our friends, and some snacks for ourselves. The evening was the Christmas Eve Gala dinner, a large buffet was provided with an interesting array of food, shellfish, fish, coldcuts, salads, and chocolate and orange crepes. The entertainment was odd, catering to the many asians (only a few westerners) a formal Vietnamese music group with lovely traditional dress playing odd instruments, I guess you could say the sound was haunting..... following this a small group of children murdered some Christmas carols for us....there was more but we elected to eat and flee to the DMZ Bar across the road! Far more up beat, everone wearing Santa hats, free shots and plenty of alcohol flowing. The music was good, plenty of dancing followed by a raffle and a troupe of Hip Hop dancers who performed on the pool table...was more our scene, the whole night cost $20, we were given most of our drinks free. All in all the arrival of Christmas was pretty hazy.... Today has been pretty chilled out, pizza and icecream in bed, watching some telly and recovering. We will head out for dinner later! Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!!!! Love to all! xxxxxx

Hue

happytraveller — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:01:00 GMT

After a final fairwell lunch, hugs and tears, we left Hoi An in a hire car and headed for Hue. The weather changed markedly as we headed North, very grey, misty and drizzly. Time to get the cool weather clothing out! We arrived at our hotel, The Riverside Century around 5pm. It is a huge hotel, was the first luxury hotel in Hue, now a bit dated but spacious rooms and the softest mattress, after the concrete slab in Hoi An is awesome!!! The place is decked out for Christmas, pretty nice! We had an early dinner, pizza for me and chicken and cashews for Hayley. Nice to be able to regulate our own intake again, hoping to drop a couple of kilos....maybe ha ha! We caught up with our friend Linh, and said a few hello's to some familiar faces. Thought we would have an early night, and after a problem with the hot water and a quick room change we settled in for the night. Up early this morning, quick circuit and sample of the breakfast buffet (really nice big fresh passionfruit) and headed off to meet Linh and our other friend Anh for coffee. They took us on motorbikes to a beautiful coffee house, a beautiful old building with lots of orchids and bonsai in the immaculate gardens, some sizeable carp in the fishponds. Then we decided to buy some warmer coats with Linh and Anh's assistance. Hayley got a very stylish black coat.... I'm actually REALLY jealous! For me it was a bit more difficult, I'm bigger and fatter for Asian sizes but half a dozen shops later found a nice dark grey woollen fitted coat with a nicely lined hood and lapels in black and white check. Then lunch of what is starting to be my favourite, Banh Xi, rice flour and beansprout, prawn and pork fried pancakes, and pork mince cooked on stems of lemongrass. Off to the Big C supermarket for a wander, always different and enjoyable to see whats floating around the seafood section, did'nt see any containers of frogs this year... Brought a couple of umberellas and bits and pieces, and now we are just chilling out at the hotel. We are'nt doing much touristy stuff here this year, so not too much of interest to report. Looking forward to Shanghai in 5 days time. Love to everyone! xxxxxxxxx

Last day Hoi An

happytraveller — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 03:14:00 GMT

Our last day in Hoi An, the time has gone so quickly. Tomorrow we head to Hue by car, about a three hour drive. Today was lovely, coffee in the morning at Suong's shop and then some last minute shopping. We have sent some Vietnamese coffee and bits and pieces home by ship, will take three months to arrive. Suong cooked us an awesome lunch, tamarind prawns, spring rolls, soup, sticky rice things with red bean in the centre and then some fresh fruit, mangosteens, longans and mandarins. Tonight we went to a local restaurant, and Nathan, Sharon, Hayley and I shouted dinner for the family for Christmas, about twenty of us, for the ridiculous price of $55. Trinh and her new husband returned, so the family were together again. Yum! Bowls of Clams cooked in soup, dipped in salt,pepper and lime juice, clams cooked on charcoal with lemongrass and something else, platters of calamari, steamed squid, marinated chicken, and sliced beef which you wrap in some sort of large green leaves and dip in sauce, followed by "hotpot" a tasty broth cooked at the table on a paraffin(?) stove which slices of raw beef and seafood are cooked in, served in bowls with rice noodles. We have never eaten better. Was a great night and the whole family are wonderful. We were given little Christmas presents, Hayley got a silver anklet and I was given a really pretty hair-tie with nice bling. After dinner we went to Karaoke... Hayley and I weren't going to sing, but with enough beer on board we belted out some fabulous tunes (ha ha). Overall we have had THE BEST time!!!

Love to all!!! xxxx

We survived a Vietnamese wedding

happytraveller — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:15:00 GMT

Today we are exhausted! A vietnamese wedding takes two days! The first day Nathan, Sharon, myself and Hayley started early at Trinh's father's house. The house was full of relatives and much commotion. We were cooked breakfast, eggs and home made tomato sauce and something resembling sliced spam, which we promptly popped on to Win's (Suong's son) plate. Poor kid, every time he looked away his breakfast grew. After a strong coffee, it was time to get dressed in our best. The bride was stunning! The dresses are very extravagant, similar to our own, but in pinks and blues, as well as white. The bride changes dresses frequently and I think Trinh had about five changes over the two days.Then off to the venue! We shared a taxi with the bride, a few relatives and some small children, I think that there were about eight of us.... No easy feat as Trinh's dress was quite big. A short trip and we arrived at the venue where a large marquee had been set up. A couple of hundred guests arrived, and after being officially welcomed by the bride and groom (Quang) we were all seated. Food began to be served, ten courses in all, and the beer began to flow(Thank god). It is difficult to try and eat small amounts as someone is more than happy to continually fill your bowl...complete strangers finding you tasty morsels...I am sure food is closely associated with affection. Not many Vietnamese women drink alcohol, but thank goodness it seemed acceptable that we did. Throughout there were many toasts, basically anyone can raise their glass, then everyone at the table must touch glasses, Mot, Hai, Ba, Yo! (like 'cheers') is yelled loudly. Then you are supposed to drink your glass till empty, quite merry! The entertainment consisted of two dancers performing an elaborate and romantic dance, a few speeches and then karaoke. The Vietnamese LOVE karaoke, good or bad they all sung. The beer helped! After a couple of hours the party finished, around mid afternoon, and we went home for a shower and rest, then back to the bride's parents for dinner....

The next day is more formal. We were up at 4.30am and dressed in the traditional Ao Dao's, which were quite lovely. At Suong's father house we had breakfast of wonton and noodle soup ( which I was sure I was going to splatter my outfit with) The family and dozens of relatives all dressing in their finest, and the commotion continued, as the house is quite small. A marquee was also set up here as well. The groom's parents arrived, and officially greeted by the family, and us, at the marquee entrance before entering the house. There was different parts of the ceremony being carried out, but would take to long to explain... was interesting to watch and be a part of. Several mini buses then took the wedding party to the groom's parents town, about three and a half hours away. Was a huge spectacle, and Hayley, Sharon and myself certainly provided the locals with something to look at. At the groom's parents another marquee, and the other half of the family and relatives. Same process as the previous day. We were always seated with the bride's family (we being the white Vietnamese relatives) and considered to provide affluence. Everyone seemed to accept that somehow we were related. Suong's son Win considers Hayley as his sister. Several more courses of food, and plenty of karaoke and Mot, Hai, Ba Yo! We knew the pork was very fresh because of the little piggery out the back. After this there was a five hour hiatus before the last and final part of the celebration. We (the bride's family on mass) went for coffee, at a small place on the main street. Tables and chairs had to be gathered and hastily arranged wherever we went. The locals watched with great curiousity, but very friendly. After coffe we went to the local pagoda, lit some incense, and prayed for luck and happiness. Then it was decided that we should have a snack... Banh Xi,fried rice flour pancakes, with bean sprouts inside, eaten with lettuce and cucumber, wrapped in rice paper and dipped in sauce. (although it wasn't like we were hungry...) Then we went and sat on the bus for a rest and some biscuits (more snacks!!!!!) Back to the marquee, time for dinner, speeches, toasts and karaoke. There was also a magician, and a younger crowd, many of the groom's friends. The last song involved the bride's mother singing and all the family getting on stage and dancing with her (us too). The song was some sort of farewell, was fun and upbeat. When we left it was very emotional for the family, as Trinh had to remain with the groom and his family. On the bus we all clapped hands and sang, which lifted the mood again. Home by 11pm......

So we survived a Vietnamese wedding!!!!

Lots of love to all, xxxxx

Wow! Traditional wedding

happytraveller — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:03:00 GMT

Well we are not spending much time at our hotel, which is probably a good thing....the mattress is like concrete and I'm pretty sure I have become food for bedbugs, they seem to find me tasty, but not Hayley so much. The wedding preparations are in full swing, and Suong's father's house is undergoing an amazing transformation. Relatives are everywhere, apparently they are also ours, everyone is so welcoming. I did'nt realise how involved we were to be. We have had our Ao Dao's made, Hayley's is beautiful, mine is, well... pale pink and somewhat tent like according to Hayley. We had a girl's afternoon with the bride to be, Trinh, facials and nails, very pretty. Nathan and Sharon have arrived from the UK, also friends of the family. Lovely people, and great fun to share the excitement with. We are being fed at every opportunity, by pretty much everybody. Nathan told us he had a good appetite, however to our amusement even he is struggling. Tomorrow we will be up at 6am, for coffee, dressing in our finest, and greeting guests, and then more food....Have to go now, shower, dress and head for dinner! We have eaten vast quantities of spring rolls, cao lao, omelettes, noodles, rice, beef salad, chicken (bits?) duck (entire, neck, gizzards, feet?) soups, fruit, something called Flum, which looks like a capsicum, but tastes like a nashi pear. Love to all!!!! xxx

Hoi An

happytraveller — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:36:00 GMT

We enjoyed our short stay in Saigon, forgot just how crazy the traffic is there! Its hard to remember to walk casually across the road with a thousand motorbikes, cars, trucks and buses coming at you from all directions. The bikes move around you, but anything bigger has right of way whether you are on a pedestrian crossing or not. Hayley is feeling much better, so we took a short flight to Hoi An. The weather is really pleasant 17-20 degrees, and its nice to walk around in jeans and T-shirt, rather than melting into a pool of sweat. The Vietnamese however consider these temperatures to be very cold... everyone is wearing thick coats, scarves and beanies. The street snacks have also changed to suit the colder (not for Tasmanians) weather, with sweetpotatoes roasted on charcoal (very popular) roasted corn on the cob and deep fried banana pancakes. Incongruous with the sweet mandarins, bananas and mangoes we are eating....

We were picked up at the airport by Suong and her husband Hung, lovely to see them! We were immediately taken to their home and fed. Feeding us seems to be a way of loving us, and they fill your bowl, and pass you bitesize pieces of different things, like small slices of pork they wrap in green leaves, or a piece of fruit they have peeled for you. We will never leave here thin! Wedding plans for Suong's sister Trinh are in full swing. A Vietnamese wedding takes 2 days and numerous dresses. The first day we have some sort of ceremony in Hoi An and the second day we travel by bus to somewhere else 3hrs away. Today Hayley and I were measured for traditional dresses called Ao Dao, and we also have to have 2 other pretty dresses as well, so it sounds like its going to be an interesting experience.

Last night we ate out with the entire immediate family for a nephews' 11th birthday at a local restaurant. Was great fun, tonnes of food, and I developed a taste for Tiger beer, very cheap $1, very merry! The family was very happy to see us, felt incredibly welcomed. Hugs and smiles go a long way when there is little english spoken. The language sounds lyrical and is great to listen to, never felt left out of conversations, and the more Tiger beer I drank the more I seemed to understand..

Lots of love from us!!!

Arrival Ho Chi Min

happytraveller — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:30:00 GMT

Our day started at 3.30am, bleary eyed but ready to go, Hayley not happy, has woken with a sore throat, which worsened as the day progressed. Have hit her with some antibiotics, replenished our supplies this morning in Ho Chi Min. Ian took us to the airport, and gave us a lovely sendoff. The flight was about 8 hrs and was reasonably confortable. We have gotten much smarter, and always request seats at the very back, as they fill them from the front. We scored two seats each, so bit extra room to stretch out. Arrived around 4 pm, temperature about 26 degrees, so pleasant. Hit the BiSaigon for a cheap tasty meal, lemon chicken and fried rice, cost approx 5 dollars, so good to be back! Hayley still quite ill so went to bed. I went out and had a couple of Coronas and happy to sit back and watch the constant activity in front of me, plenty of good natured touts trying to sell watches, books, hippy jewelry, toiletries, cigarettes and on the spot massages. Spent an hour chatting to a hapless backpacker from Hull,who was clutching a copy of The Beach, and spending his inheritence on grog. His father had passed away recently and left him reasonably well off. He was very happy with the exchange rate of the pound, and I suspect he will be drunk for some time to come. It is about 8am at the moment,and sitting in Highlanders coffe shop where the internet is free if you have a drink,as our hotel is now charging for computer use. The atmosphere here is very Christmasy, more so than at home, to Hayley's delight, there are Santas and Christmas trees everywhere,although all have a slightly asian twist.... Santa and his polar bears?, playing a trumpet?, and plenty of "snow" everywhere.There are Christmas carols being played constantly everywhere...quite nauseating. Will start taking some photos! Love to all!!!!