2010: The Year of Living Vietnamesely

2010 was perhaps the strangest year of my entire life. I never expected to find myself living in a small city in the Mekong Delta, but that's exactly what 2010 held for me. It was certainly a challenging year - it's not easy living in another country so far away from family and friends and it's definitely not easy to live amongst people with such different backgrounds, language and culture.

Despite these hardships, I think 2010 has been a good year, I've got to experience things I never expected  to experience and visit places that I never even imagined existed. I've also learnt a lot about myself and I've done things that, 12 months ago, would have scared me silly (12 months ago the very thought of moving to Vietnam was enough to keep me awake at night worrying!). And while I've always known that I am very lucky in terms of where I grew up and all the opportunities presented to me, I now think I am much more grateful for all that I have.

I don't know what 2011 has instore for Dan and me. The only definite plan so far is to keep living and working in Vietnam until mid-April, then we don't know what will happen, where we will go or what we will do.

I hope that you all have a brilliant new years eve and that 2011 has lots of good times and joy instore for you.

Happy new year everyone! Now mot, hai, ba...dzo!!!

(translation: 1,2,3...drink!)

The Dangers of Taking the Sidewalk

I nearly got hit by a guy on a motorbike the other day. While I was walking on the sidewalk. Which isn't a place where you'd normally expect to get taken out by oncoming traffic, unless you are in HCMC. Which I am.

I'm staying in HCMC this week because I've got a couple of dental appointments. I'm staying in the backpacker area and everywhere I need to go is within walking distance so, whenever I need to go somewhere, I walk. But after a few days of walking around the streets of HCMC I'm starting to realise that tackling the sidewalks here is no mean feat.

Walking around HCMC requires your full and absolute attention. You need to be in a constant state of awareness of absolutely everything that is around you. In a city where dogs roam free, where public spitting is common and where the sidewalk may or may not be in a state of good repair (or even actually attached to the ground), you need to be conscious of where you are about to put your feet. It's also best not to think about what might be in that puddle of "water" from which you just got splashed by a passing motorbike. You also need to look ahead to see if your path is clear because it's more than likely that it is not; instead it is probably blocked by motorbikes parked (illegally) on the sidewalk, by street stalls, by ad hoc cafes or by tourists and/or locals milling around waiting for something or other. Even if the way is clear, you still have to keep an eye out for possible upcoming obstacles, like, in a crowded city of about 8 million people, someone stepping or stopping directly in front of you, someone riding their motorbike up onto the sidewalk (to park) or (and this is what seems to happen to me the most and is my biggest pet peeve) someone reversing their motorbike off the sidewalk without first looking to see if there is something or someone behind them.

Then there's the traffic. On the sidewalk. Sometimes, where there is a one-way road, or even if it's just a case of a red light or busy traffic, sneaky motorbike riders will decide to drive up on the sidewalk. Which is how I nearly got hit. I was walking along a relatively deserted sidewalk when a motorbike came driving straight towards me. The driver wasn't looking where he was going, instead he was looking behind him, so instead of going straight he veered straight at me. I didn't have time to get out of the way and the motorbike only very narrowly missed me. I only had time to make a quick, annoyed "tch" noise - which sure showed him!

Along with avoiding obstacles, you also have to deal with the locals trying to tout their wares. You can't walk more than 2 metres down the road in the touristy areas without someone trying to sell you a motorbike ride, a cyclo ride, a massage, a photocopied book, cigarettes, "designer" wallets, bottles of water...the list goes on. So while you're dodging obstacles and roadblocks and trying to plan a your path you also have to make a string of polite refusals. It's only so long before you give up on saying a "no thank you" and revert to the Vietnamese way of saying no - a dismissive wave of the hand - works everytime, though you do feel guilty about doing it to so many people all of the time!

So that was my gripe about trying to walk anywhere in HCMC. But there is at least one positive aspect to it - by walking around HCMC I feel like I'm doing something that I've never done before - I fell like I am participating in an adrenalin sport!

Season's Greetings from Soc Trang

Christmas is fast approaching, Santa is preparing his sleigh and reindeers and planning his trip to Soc Trang, the store-keepers in town are happily decorating their shops with festive aluminium foil and the priest at the local Catholic church is checking to make sure the neon halo around the baby Jesus' head will glow brightly on the special day. So Dan and I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas, merry duck and happy holidays - wherever you may be and whoever you may be celebrating with. Have a good one!

Dan with festive kiddies' costumes on sale out the front of Soc Trang's post office.

Possibly the cutest photo ever

This was at a pearl farm on Phu Quoc Island. They had a little pet monkey which was grooming their pet puppy - so cute!

Beaches, booze and boats

It's summer in Australia, which means sand, surf and seafood! Not wanting to miss out on the summer action, Dan and I decided to spend a few days beachside in Nha Trang - Vietnam's answer to the Gold Coast.

Nha Trang Beach - usually a lot more crowded than this but we were there in the low season.

 A new hotel was being built next door to where we were staying. Check out the scaffolding and the chairs up the top (probably for the painters) - it all looks very safe and secure!

We spent an inordinate amount of time at Louisiane Brewhouse - a pub which had everything we could possibly want: beer (made onsite - Dan fancied the pilsner but I prefered the wheat beer), a beachside location, a pool, Western food and even a sushi bar!

  The nights soon turned messy, there are hundreds of bars and pubs in Nha Trang, all selling $1-2 beers and $3-4 cocktails. This was taken at the Red Apple Bar, a backpacker favourite where all guests are greeted with a welcome shot. (Don't ask me what is in it, I have no idea!)

 We did a bit of sightseeing around the town of Nha Trang.

 Including a visit to a Cham Tower - an old temple about the same age as Angkor Wat. These nuns were praying in the grounds of the temple.

 Dan and Cam at the Cham Tower.

 This old lady was weaving in the ground of the temple.

 We also did a boat tour around the islands of Nha Trang. This included a visit to Nha Trang's Aquarium - a massive paint-splattered concrete structure made to look like an old sailing ship, possibly the ugliest aquarium in the world.

 Nha Trang Aquarium - where giant concrete marine creatures rise from the seas and live on the land.

 Nha Trang Aquarium Gift Shop - selling the world's scariest souveniers. This one is a brilliant Christmas gift idea - what says "Merry Xmas" more than a shell-encrusted, giant, evil rabbit?

 Our boat dropped anchor in the middle of a sheltered bay where we could go swimming. Dan did a most-elegant swan-dive off the top of the boat.

 For which he was awarded a glass of Dalat Red Wine from the floating bar.

My (long) weekend in Singapore

Last weekend I went to Singapore. It was great. I met my parents there and we did nearly every touristy thing possible. Rather than boring you with all the nitty-gritty details, I'll present to you my (long) weekend in Singapore...in pictures...!!!

We had dinner in China Town then stopped at the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore.

 

 We went shopping on Orchard Road and marvelled at all the Christmas decorations - which all seemed to have a distinctively wintery theme - very appropriate for tropical Singapore!

 We watched the buskers on Orchard Road.

 We went to Clarke Quay for dinner and locally brewed beer.

 We had the obligatory photo taken.

 I pretended to be a student at the Singapore School of Art.

 We had a ridiculously massive meal in Little India.

 We visited the Arab Quarter where, naturally, I had my photo taken with a robot.

 We went back to Clarke Quay for more locally brewed beer. And I played in the water fountain.

 We went to the Botanic Gardens where, unfortunately, their 3m-wide,

rotting-flesh-smelling flower had not opened.

But their orchids were spectacular!

Don't do that!

Part of my work here has been to create drawings which illustrate the co-management regulations for the mangrove forest adjacent to the village of Au Tho B. So I've done a series of drawings which show what the villagers are not meant to be doing in the mangrove forest. Below are a few examples. You'll just have to imagine the big red cross through them.

 Don't damage or destroy mangrove plants.

 Don't use chemicals to catch fish.

Don't set up long nets in the mangrove forest.