There's a whole lot of things we will definitely miss about Vietnam, but there's a few things about home that we're looking forward to too:
Meals that don't consistently bring out the kids food last - as in up to quarter of an hour after we've finished last.
No motorbikes ridden on the footpath, and generally having a footpath that isn't the primary parking space.
Drinking water from a tap!
Escape from the heat and dust.
Only worrying about itchiness from the insects :D
Our final full day of holiday is nearly over...sniff...before we start the journey back to NZ. We spent the day visiting and exploring The Reunification Palace, markets, pagodas and surrounding streets - including 2 long swims and icecream to combat the hottest day of our trip.
Security and numbers have certainly increased as the city gets ready to celebrate 40 years since the end of the war. Several veterans all in uniform from surrounding towns appear to be visiting. But so truly out of town that they had not encountered many white blonde blue eyed children. Today would be the first time I felt truly mobbed by peoples inquistiveness and actually pulled the children to me and yanked them out of groping hands. Nothing malicious but just far too many people. Although Tremain was also offered his first bride as well.
Think my head is still spinning from all the incense at the pagodas. Fascinating places. Really going to have read up on my Taoism and Buddhism to gain some real understanding on the beliefs and stories. My favourite pagoda visited today would have to be of the Goddess of Travel, who rides safely on a magic carpet avoiding troubled waters.
Today another long excursion - into the lives of those that live around the Mekong Delta.
First however we got another glimpse into the juxtaposition of Vietnamese life, in Saigon in particular - with the corrugated iron shacks of the poor on the river banks almost alongside the still beautiful French style villas of the nouveau rich.
In the rice paddies there was good confirmation that the traditional conical hats are still in popular use, and not just a tourist trap :D
The delta itself was fascinating, from the river house fish farms (only $7000 for house and income ;p), the abject size of the river, through to the villagers plying their trades. In particular we stopped for a visit at a coconut candy manufacturer before heading on horse and buggy to a honey tea house for refreshments and songs. Needed a bit more warning on the buggy acceleration though with us close to toppling off the back at first! Certainly not the same as a water buffalo. Oh and the kids were thrilled at being conned into wearing a python ;D
Brought back to our boat by Sampan it was amazing to watch the effectiveness of the strange backwards strokes, but a nice trip either way.
A huge feast closed out our time in the Delta - including the highly recommended Elephant fish (that the kids got to feed first...)!
Another interesting drive through Vietnams bumpy, dusty, confusing and slow roads this morning. High rise apartments, derelict buildings, tropical shanty towns, rice paddies all in the space of 60km. Amusing watching 2 high school girls buying illicit icecream from a street vendor over stone wall. All this took us to Cu Chi to learn and explore about the tunnels. The atrocities the Vietnamese have had to endure have certainly been vicious and the tactics they employed to try and evict the enemy from their country certainly weren't friendly either. Some of the traps to catch, wound and maim the Americans made out of the weapons the Americans used were particularly nasty. All of this was lost on our younger two only Sophie is gaining an understanding of some of these terrors of war. Of course the highlight for the kids was going through the dark dusty tunnels and while the kids could stand we got to walk doubled over and some parts crawl. These tunnels were even enlarged to allow for us European tourists to fit through.
Having swimming pools at most of our hotels as been a refreshing treat for the kid's not to mention the juice and icecream to keep them cool in the hot weather. So after lunch and a swim we then visited the HCMC museum (quite dated) and The Jade Emperor Pagoda - stuffed with statues, incense and mythology stories we could only guess at, and a pond writhing in turtles.
We then went to a beautifully atmospheric restaurant down a narrow alley for beautiful Vietnamese cuisine as always before catching a taxi back to the hotel.
Motorcycle of the day: the mobile pet store selling puppies.
Highlight of the day: having light dinner and a beer on top of the 23rd floor of the Centri Building looking at the dazzling lights of Saigon. Lowlight: the dirty and hungry approximately 2 year old selling tissues on the sidewalk...50/50 moment: Elijah in a moment of rage as I dared to help hold his glass of ice water, have it launched at me covering me midriff to thigh in wetness over lunch, however it made for a cooler walk back to the hotel in the 39 degree heat :-/
Light relief for the kid's on Vinpearl an island amusement park which required taking the world's longest gondola ride to get there. In the afternoon headed to the night markets, dinner and wandering under dazzling lights as the waves pounded the beach
A funny side effect of each household only getting a couple of hours of water service per day is that *every* building has a big silver water tank on top.
Which creates a sea of glittering flashes as you're coming into land at the airports which is almost fairy like in nature.
If taxis were this cheap at home I'm not sure many people would own a car. Works out to be about $nz 0.70 per kilometer - so catching a cab just about anywhere just makes for simple transport (especially because they are happy to take all 5 of us). And that's at the expensive less than 5 kilometre rate too - it gets cheaper for longer journeys!
Taken on the plane yesterday... S and T had very intense discussion on which door they would be jumping out of in case of emergency. Cheap entertainment - lasted half the plane trip :-)
Queen sized bed, assembled, lying upright on teeny trailer being hauled by a... Yep...motorcycle... That's how they roll in Vietnam :-)
And if not in this store will be in the next one down or not quite fit I make and deliver to your door! Let Sophie and Tremain play at the resort with babysitter so we could peruse the shops in Hoi An today. More tourists than Vietnamese but still beautiful clothes and trinkets. Had to indulge and get a custom made dress -got delivered to resort for $25 US five hours later! Flabbergasted and saddened to think price I paid is three times the amount a Potter earns which is more again than a rice farmer.
Of a rice farmer.
Got to ride both on water buffalo drawn cart, and the water buffalo itself - way harder than expected to hold onto those things especially while holding the kids too! Weird hot beasts, hide felt just like skin despite looking like pretanned leather - but very hot. Very efficient swatting tails too but seemed to think I was a very big fly o_O
Was very hard work using the plow behind the buffullo too; although working the harrow was a bit more like surfing :D
Planting the rice was fun but way hard - felt much like Tom Cruise though ;p. And definitely not cut out for a life of rice planting with my hip giving grief after only a few rows :-/
The traditional methods of husking, seperating, turning white and into milk were also fascinating. Although none of us could get the panning technique right at all!
A cooking lesson on the traditional pancakes as well as how to make the rice paper itself was followed by a fantastic feast - we thought the appetizers were the main course. The mackerel steamed in vine leaves with tomatoes was the standout though.
