Yesterday our cat Ollie caught a sparrow. I turned around from finishing making our bed to see a helpless little bird trying desperately to escape Ollie’s mouth. He managed it and flew into our lounge, Ollie and I both chased him in there. Ollie was thrilled of course and I was envisioning scenes of blood…
Category: Vietnam
Hot Hanoi; Ho Chi Minh, Heat and Hyperactive Rain
“Rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath” – Forrest Gump. Torrential Rain became a feature of the last few days we spent in Hanoi. One morning we decided to brave it, carrying only our umbrella and wearing open shoes. THIS WAS A stupid idea. We made our way down the stairs of our…
Heavenly Halong Bay; Swimming, Stone faces and Silence
Halong Bay is one of the most beautiful and sort after tourist destinations in Vietnam, the 180km bumpy drive from Hanoi is not. As our bus bounced along the high way reaching the astronomic sped of 60km per hour, I wondered what we had signed up for. I hadn’t realised we were going to be…
Herby Hanoi; Delicious dishes, dirty streets and dodging traffic
On a steamy hot Monday evening we emerged from our air conditioned haven into the lobby of our hotel. A smiling face greeted us, we met our foodie guide extraordinaire Ha. Over the next four hours, we would laugh, squish ourselves into small spaces of all descriptions and eat seven different street foods. Sweat started…
Mighty Mekong; Rafts, Rain and Rice Paper
Ominous dark clouds loomed down at us as we walked through the wet blanket air of Ho Chi Minh city. We were on our way to the Mighty Mekong River, the twelfth longest river in the world. We drove through the chaotic streets of Saigon, our transfer van bouncing on the potholes and swerving to…
Combative Cu Chi Tunnels; Tunnels, Tapioca and Typhoon
Little bubbles of excitement were rising up inside me. Ever since I studied the Vietnam war in sixth form, I had wanted to come to Vietnam and see the Cu Chi tunnels. And today was that day! The Cu Chi tunnels are located about 70 kilometres from central Ho Chi Minh city and are an…
Sumptuous Saigon; Cyclos, Cruises and Clever Puppeteers
After a long day hard at work, it was time to let down our hair and live it up Saigon style. The lights, the entertainment, the pollution? Saigon (the original name for Ho Chi Minh City) is a city of contrasts. Tacky neon lights advertising everything from tours to motorcycles for hire wink at passers…
Hectic Ho Chi Minh City; Chaotic Crossing, Cathedrals and Coffee
The relative peace and tranquility of the deserted Ho Chi Minh airport washed over us as we entered the arrival hall. Little did we realise what a rarity this would become in a city populated with 7.5 million people and 5 million motorbikes. “Controlled” chaos would be a term I would apply to Ho Chi…
Ginga Musings 