HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I can't believe it's New Year already and Xmas didn't make much impression! Don't know whether we got heatstroke on the boat but we're both exhausted and just want to sleep. Rich is worse as his legs are really burned, so he lathers them in Aloe Vera and stays out of the sun. I've left him in bed while I'm at a local Cafe with WiFi.  

As we've seen Ankhor Wat and there's not much else to do here, although its a nice little town, we'll be returning to Phnom Pen tomorrow and possibly take a quick trip to the coast where Rich has a friend who's opened a circus school there. Rich says the south coast is beautiful and it would be great to relax by the sea, even briefly. 

Anyway, we must be back in Phnom Pen by Monday to fly to Singapore for our connections to Perth. We're so looking forward to seeing Damian and family for the first time since they emigrated. It will take two days and Rich and I have different flights so we will be exhausted by the time we get there!

So I send my love and wish everyone a very happy, healthy and successful New Year xxxxxxxxx

At last; Ankhor Wat

  

Tuesday 30th Dec. 2008  

It's been all go since I left Viet Nam, but so good to be travelling with my son Richard. If I'd been alone in Phnom Pen I don't think I'd have visited the Killing Fields, so I'm glad he was with me for this horrifyingly moving experience. The monument at the site contains at least 20,000 skulls, a fraction of the people who were butchered there, not to mention the many thousands or millions who died at the hands of the Khymer Rouge all over the country. A quarter of the population died in the 3+ years they were in power! This country is still recovering. Cambodia or Kampuchea is quite different from Viet Nam; there are so many beggars, children and victims of land mines here that a tourist has to be selective in giving money. Sometimes it's enough to give a child a bottle of water just purchased. Desperate! 

After a couple of days we booked tickets for a boat trip up river to Siem Reap, the entrance to Ankhor Wat, so at 6.30 on Monday morning we were at the quay with a bag of bananas, bread and bottle of water to sustain us.  I soon began to understand what I'd read online; one traveller's advice was to not travel inside as it's too stuffy, but to find a place on deck and chain one's bag to the rail.  OK, I thought, I'm sure that's good advice, but it wasn't until we boarded the long, narrow boat that we thought was to ferry us to a bigger boat, that we realised how a large cumbersome river boat would be far too slow for the journey of 60 Kilometres. 

We were among the first onboard, so chose our place in the bow and tried to get comfortable on the deck; with no seats we made use of our bags and a blanket but it was quite uncomfortable and my legs began to cramp after a while. Starting at 7.30am, the 60 Km river journey took just 6 hours so we were exposed to the midday sun as we crossed the huge Lake, where the shores just disappear. Unfortunately, coming from cold northern climes, Rich forgot about the strength of the sun and got his legs and face badly burned. I was luckier, having long trousers, long sleeved jacket and my sunhat firmly tied in place with a scarf, but my unprotected feet and lower legs are now the colour of boiled lobster and my lower lip is swollen!  (Like a idiot, I've left my sun protection in my case at the hotel!)

We were met at the Quay by a friend of the Tuk-tuk driver we used in Phnom Pen, (you can't avoid using them unless you hire a bicycle, which some tourists do,) to bring us to a hotel, which is clean and not too expensive.  When I say Quay, please imagine a rough earth causeway (must be horrendously slippery in the rain) rising up from the lakeside, crowded with Drivers holding placards with the names of the Tourists they are to meet. I'm glad we had no illusions of finding our own way into town as it was quite some way.  

It really is necessary to make friends with those who provide a good service in guiding and advising and the ones we've met seem to be honest and reliable. They are educated and speak pretty good English, but they can't earn enough as Teachers to keep a family, so they invest in this carriage attached to a motorbike to earn substantially more from Tourists. 

Later we had a wonderful meal of Khymer cuisine and explored the market where we were persuaded to have a 'fish massage', which was great fun and really cleaned my poor old feet! 

I'd heard about the sunrise at Ankhor Wat, so determined to get the whole experience, this morning we were up at 4.30 for a 5am pickup by 'our' Tuk-tuk driver. We joined an unending procession of Tuk-tuks, buses and cars for about 15 Km's along a less than perfect road to reach the site. There, we bought one-day tickets and proceeded to follow the crowds, stumbling along a causeway across the huge moat that encircles the site, (the only entrance) in the semi-darkness.  If this is meant to be a profound experience it is diluted by the the hordes of Tourists waiting for the moment when 'the dawn comes up like thunder' to quote the words of an old song; 'The Road to Mandalay', that came to mind and seemed appropriate.  However, this morning the crowds waited in vain for an apocalyptic vision as it was more of a damp squib; dull and overcast, raining briefly while we took cover under the dripping umbrellas of the many waiting food stalls anxious to serve us breakfast. 

The fare to Ankhor Wat was $15 and our driver waited patiently for us to return. Unfortunately for him, we couldn't face any more sightseeing and just wanted to return to our beds.  We're probably suffering from mild heat stroke and Richard is still affected by jet-lag as he was travelling for 2 days without any proper sleep.  So after a couple of hours, I'm up again and at this Restaurant called 'The Dead Fish' that houses a few crocodiles that they don't want to eat and can't loose into the river. It's the only place I've found that has FREE WiFi with good coffee. I'm enjoying the good choice of music too! 

I'll post a few pictures of the journey. One shows me with the troupe of Shadow Dancers that recreate the traditional forms of theatre in Phnom Pen and also abroad.  A couple of pics from the boat trip and you'll see from our faces how much we enjoyed the 'Fishage'. Then Dawn at Ankhor Wat and our Tuk-tuk driver.  

That's it for now folks!!!

 

Bien Hoa to Phnom Pen

Saturday 27th Dec

Happy Birthday to Georgie... 10 today!  Have a lovely day!

This is an update to yesterday's blog with pics of Co Mai's Goodbye lunch, Mark choosing a new PC with the help of Nick and Mr Ha, Michael with Sophia's Dad, Nick and Mark with Sophia singing Karaoke, me in my new suit; (a gift from Brad and Jojo), outside the very posh Majestic in Saigon, crossing the mighty Mekong and finally, breakfast with Rich in Phnom Pen!

Friday 26th Dec

I've not had time to blog since Sunday because of adding pics to the previous ones. This all takes time and there was so much else to do preparing for the rest of my journey; booking hotels last minute at Xmas was a bit fraught; one in Saigon last night for me and Mark and another in Phnom Pen for me and Rich when he gets here. I left Bien Hoa early on Xmas Day by train with Mark who had things to do in town.  

I was so tired after a night at Sophia's (see Michael's blog: My Time in Vietnam.) We were all invited to stay in her family's fantastic new house with all mod cons after the party and that meant Mark could get back to his own bed and get a good night's sleep.  Since I returned from my trip he'd given his bed to me, (new teacher Nick had moved into my room) and had to stay at a local hotel after evening classes. So as lovely and comfortable as my room was, the noise from various Xmas parties (they do like things loud here!) permeated the double glazing, earplugs and scarf that I donned and sleep was fitful. Even after the loud music stopped I heard singing coming from the Karaoke room (yes, they have one room dedicated to that function.)  I could hear Michael's plaintive; "Is it me you're looking for?"  We had an emotional farewell; I'll miss that crazy Louisiana man. We shared the experience of being new teachers and finding our way around on his bike; he's only just learned to ride! Michael, you come and visit me at home anytime, OK? 

So I slept for a couple of hours while Mark went to meet little Michael who helps him buy DVD's at a good price. Then I had to get my bus ticket from the Meilinh Office, (the best bus operators around) which just happened to be close to the hotel, so I didn't have far to go the next morning, that is today, to get the bus. 

So here I am in Phnom Pen, in a cafe with Wifi, and I must contact Rich if I can as he should now be in Singapore, waiting for his flight here tomorrow! I'll be at the Airport to meet him at 7.30  in the morning.

That's all for now folks!

Only 23 Hours to Bien Hoa

Monday 22nd Dec

Back in Bien Hoa after my longest train journey without a sleeper. Starting at 9.15 on Saturday morning and arriving at 8.15 yesterday, I survived the discomfort and actually managed to sleep. That's  a glimpse of the coast as the train crawled around precipitous cliffs south of Hue and the following morning. 

Travelling by rail brings to mind other famous and infamous train journeys; Murder on the Orient Express and The Lady Vanishes, Doctor Zhivazgo and Lara fleeing from the revolution on the Trans-Siberian Railway, Hobos crisscrossing America in goods wagons and Jews horrifically  crammed into cattle trucks.  Then my own childhood memories of leaving bomb-blasted Manchester for the country and more recently, crossing The States in style with my own sleeper. For me, there's just something fascinating about Railway journeys. 

So yesterday I was busy all day downloading and sorting pictures and catching up with emails. Now I'm finalising plans for the next leg of my travels, meeting Richard in Phnom Penh and I must book a Hotel where we can meet, before he flies from Heathrow on Xmas Day! 

Hue, Ancient Capital of VN

         

Thursday 18th Dec

This is as far north as I can go at this time. Leaving Hoi An this morning my bus followed the coast north to Da Nang. The only sight I had of the famous China Beach was a brief glimpse of grey water and sand dunes. However, after Da Nang, a busy city, we did stop for a break at a very nice, very modern upmarket Hotel with golden sands and inviting surf. At least it would be if the sun was shining, but then it rained for a while.

I said goodbye to Fiona and Maria last night after a memorable meal at the Cafe des Amis on the Hoi An waterfront, where the menu is different each day. The only choice you have is meat, fish or veg so we said we'd have all three to share. We didn't know quite what to expect and after being presented with a 'white rose' noodle dish (asian ravioli) as a starter, each course included a meat, a fish and a vegetable dish. Two or three courses later, (I lost count) there was far more than we could consume, especially as we'd started out with a large beer each. The food was superb, cooked by a man who was once the taster for an American General. Quite a local character. However, it was expensive, at least 5 pounds each (including beer) so I'm glad we hadn't found it earlier or we'd each have a lot more weight and far less cash!

The cafe has a very French flavour and played intriguing music by a Georges Brassens, singing to a guitar, who's memorabilia adorned the walls. I must look him up. Actually, Fiona read about it in the Lonely Planet I think, so it's well known. I was sorry to part company with the girls; they're great fun and it was a bit like having my daughters around. So we'll be keeping in touch. I've also had a lovely email from Uncle Wing in reply to mine, thanking him for such a good trip. What a lovely man.

Here on the Tourist track, a westerner only excites the prospect of money, so I've stopped waving to everyone! I was beginning to feel like the Queen, as adults and children alike would shout 'Hello' as soon as they spotted me.

I've checked into this Hotel for the only reason that as soon as our bus let us off, some of the passengers (the ones like me that didn't have a hotel bus waiting for them) were escorted to a minibus that brought us here. It's clean and reasonable; just $10 a night, which is the usual cheap rate. And not only that; it has a real bath, so as soon as I've finished this I'll be in there for a soak!

If the sun shines tomorrow I'll go on a tour of the sights, maybe by boat. If it rains, I'll probably do it anyway or go by bus. Anyway, it means being up bright and early and now I'm feeling very tired! So Goodnight....

Update... Pictures of the Dragon Boat that took us along the Perfume River to see Tombs of Emperors and Buddhist Pagodas. Also the Citadel that was once the vast Imperial Palace but destroyed to a large extent in the war. 

Like summer at home

    
  
    

Wednesday 17th Dec

The weather is really disappointing here; just like a regular damp summer at home! Still, it's not too hot and not too cold, so that's something. The light has a strange quality, rather like looking through a dirty filter. After breakfast with the girls we'd planned to take a motorbike ride to the beach, which I've heard is the best in VN. I went back to my hotel to don swimming things just in case I was tempted into the sea, but now it's raining again, so there's nothing to do but sit in a cafe or surf the net.

Hoi An is renowned for making quality clothes at high speed, (above: that's just one of the many tailoring shops) so the girls ordered smart business suits and shirts to take home. However, in the picture Maria isn't too happy with those trousers, so they made her another pair to go with her skirt and jacket the evening before they were due to leave! 

I've been having trouble with my camera and the new 2 Gb memory stick says it's full, even though I've deleted everything after downloading to my portable hard drive, which is brilliant! So now it's at a local Photography shop being reformatted. Hope it works! There's always someone who can fix things, but I don't know if it's just VN; if anything can go wrong with technical stuff, it does!

Tomorrow I take the bus to Hue, which was the ancient capital of VN, then after a day and a half of sightseeing I'll be on the train back to Bien Hoa. I've managed to book a seat but not a sleeper and it takes 20 hours, arriving on Sunday morning. These are not fast trains, but have to be better than the bus! I'd downloaded information from the Railway website, which must be a year out of date. Some trains no longer run and other trains run in their place. At the Travel Agents Office I was first told that no trains go to Bien Hoa as their is no train station there and if I hadn't known betterI'd have had to book to Saigon. At my insistence that not only is there a station, but that I've used it to travel to Saigon, lo and behold, they discovered that one train does stop there!

The prices have also increased by 50%, so my soft seat costs the same as the sleeper I'd budgetted for. The global recession is now hitting the tourist industry here and prices seem to be rising everywhere to compensate.

I don't know if I'll get online again before I return to using my own laptop. Love to everyone and thanks for your comments, which let me know I'm not talking to myself!

Relaxing in Hoi An

Tuesday 16th Dec

I've been in Hoi An since Sunday when Uncle Wing (I started calling him that because he was looking after me so well) found me a small hotel right in the centre of this small town. We had a coffee in the cafe opposite while I tried to drum up a passenger for his return journey, but to no avail. He had to get going as it would take him the best part of three days to get home. I'm just sorry I couldn't keep him longer!

The Cafe is popular with tourists and no sooner had Wing gone than the two Irish girls turned up and we resumed our chatter. They're great company and we met again for dinner along with a couple and their friend from London. Yesterday we just meandered around the town and I bought a silk sleeping bag for just over 2 pounds. The girls, being more afluent (they are business women though you wouldn't believe it) had themselves fitted for new clothes. This is the centre of smart fashionable clothes and shoes, all very inexpensive but not cheap enough for me! After a lunch of fruit in their room, at their invitation I introduced them to EFT and they were so amazed they paid me, which is a very welcome addition to my dwindling funds!

Hoi An is an ancient trading port at the mouth of a river, so it's very quaint with interesting old buildings. The weather's been cool with some rain since Sunday, which is OK for me although I'd like to find the beach, which is 4 Kms away. I've decided to stay till Thursday, when I'll move north to Hue, an ancient city. The girls move on then to China and the end of their three month trip but we will keep in touch.

Although this country is long and narrow I'm only just beginning to realise how big it is. We travelled 872 Kilometers in five and a half days, which is over 500 miles, through the backbone of highlands and mountains that separate Viet Nam from Cambodia and Laos.

Unfortunately, as I can't download my pics here, they'll have to wait till I get back next week.

On The Road

   
 
Friday 12th Dec.

At last I'm online again! My journey started on Monday morning with a 7 hour bus ride to Da Lat and although the Peace Hotel did have Internet, I didn't find the time to write.
Mr Wing of the Easy Riders was waiting for me there and took me on his bike to show off his very nice new house on the outskirts of town. We discussed the options for a good trip and settled on a 6-day tour of the central highlands, ending on the coast at Hoi An. His prices have gone up recently from $50 to $65, but we settled on 1 million VN Dong a day to include accommodation and admission charges but not food. That's about 40 Pounds a day. As he will be my personal guide for the duration I reckon that's a good deal.

So I put myself completely in his hands and he hasn't disappointed. For the first time ever, I've been travelling without a map, although I had been looking over Mark's map before I left, which I should have brought with me, so I do have a fair idea of where we are, but not the names of places. Mr Wing makes the journey varied and interesting. Every so often he stops to let me stretch my legs and walk a short way, where he waits for me. What with that and the effort of mounting and dismounting (it's like getting on and off a horse!) I'm getting more exercise than I've had for some time.

The first two days we travelled with Fiona and Maria from Dublin and their Riders, Tom and Nam. We were really getting to know each other when they left on the third day to continue on to Nha Trang, a resort on the coast. However, they'll be in Hoi An by the time I get there so we'll meet up again there on Monday. My camera battery ran out on the second day and they took all the pictures of the silkworm farm and me climbing down a precipitous path to see a waterfall!

I've filled my camera's memory stick twice over, but today it stopped working just as we were visiting an ethnic minority village with amazing architecture! Mr Wing couldn't have been more concerned and put himself out to find a solution. We went back into town, where we'd already booked into a hotel and found a camera shop to get it checked out. It seems that my memory stick had got corrupted and eventually we found a man who reformatted it for me. I decided to buy another one as a safeguard and ended up getting a 2-gig for more cash than I meant to spend, but I won't have to worry about taking too many pics in future.

Tomorrow we visit another ethnic village with more photo opportunities. The people are all so friendly and are used to these strange foreign tourists visiting their homes and taking pictures. They seem to love it and want to see the results on the camera. Mr Wing takes a bag of sweets for the children and they all know him. However, it does seem strange when peering inside the woven bamboo dwelling of a longhouse to find the family crowded round a TV, now they have electric.

The travelling is great when the road is smooth and bumpy when its not. In some areas the road disappears altogether for a stretch before resurfacing. Mr Wing is such an experienced rider that I can relax completely, prevented from sliding off the back by my pack, which wrapped in plastic and secured at the back makes a good backrest. He knows these roads and sometimes, when travelling through the mountains, he'll cut off the engine at the top of a long hill and freewheel gently down to the bottom.

I had no idea when I came to Viet Nam how beautiful the country is. I though it would be just jungle, but now most of the original forest is gone, cut down to make way for a new, modern economy. Life has changed dramatically in the past thirty years for these friendly people who are really no different from people anywhere who want a better life for themselves and their children.
I have so much to say and pictures to download, but sleep beckons and we'll have another full day tomorrow, so Goodnight.

New Horizons

Tomorrow I'm off on an adventure to see the rest of VietNam in 10 days. Early in the morning the bus will take me to Da Lat again, where I'll meet Mr Wing (his real name is Nguyen, which sounds much like Wing or even Wynne!) See http://realtravel.com/dalat-journals-j3441285.html

He's a mature Easy Rider and has offered to take me as far as Sapa, the mountains in the far north, if I want. That's quite a journey... at least 1500 km. which is about 1000 miles, I think.  If I can get to Hanoi, where I can get the train back, a two day journey, I'll be happy. I must be back here by Xmas, when I'll be setting off on the next leg of my journey to meet up with Richard. 

When I've worked out the trip with Mr Wing tomorrow at the Peace Cafe, I'll be able to tell you more.  Although I'm not taking my laptop with me (it's too heavy) there are usually free internet computers in the hotels.  So hopefully I'll be writing fairly regularly. 

Xmas is coming...

It's December and even here in Communist Viet Nam, Christmas is raising its tinselled head! Of course, a large percentage of the population are Catholics, having been ruled by the French for a hundred years, so it's understandable. However, here it's not the same materialistic orgy that proliferates in the western world; nothing shuts for Xmas as far as I know and life goes on as normal. The really big festival here as in all Asia, is the New Year, in Jan-Feb according to the phase of the moon. This is the time for giving presents, especially to children. Everything shuts for a day or so, the schools close and most people take two weeks' holiday off work. Those that can afford it go on holiday, or at least visit relatives who may live in other parts of the country.

This Xmas tree just appeared outside Co-op Mart.

KTV will be closed, which will give Mark the opportunity to relax and write his novel, or go off travelling on his bike... whichever is cheaper! However, if I want to see this I'll have to come back next year as I'll be in Australia or New Zealand by then. Plans are coming together and I've been talking to Rich and Julie, who's looking forward to our travels together. I've also heard from our lovely Cathy, my granddaughter, who's very keen to join us in NZ. The more the merrier, I say!

Busy doing nothing

It's been a funny day! I feel as though I've been busy doing nothing, working the whole day through, trying to find lots of things not to do! (Remember the song? If you do you must be as old as I am!)



Mark's private students came here this morning especially for Mark's favourite English Breakfast; their lesson for the day. They're still learning vocabulary and this week is all about food and the kitchen. So he cooked them bacon and eggs with tomatoes and toast although we had no mushrooms or baked beans. They enjoyed it anyway.



Meanwhile, I was at my laptop, which has been acting up, applying programmes to clean up and delete unnecessary files etc. All these things take up so much time! Most of the morning if you can believe that. However, now it does seem to be running faster.

As I had no classes to prepare I did some downloading for Mark. He wants images for his classes of things like... a bottle of beer, a can of beans, a cup of tea... you get the drift. That took most of the afternoon.

I had intended going out for a bike ride but as the sun came out the day hotted up and I was loathe to get all hot and sweaty, so the day just petered out until Mark went to school and I retired to the comfort of his bedroom to watch a film on DVD with the AC on. The film had just finished when Mark came back with a student friend and they went out again.

So now I'm in my bedroom anticipating a call from Julie on Skype. The funeral music has started again... this is the third night... and loud yet again! Last night it was very loud and interspersed with voices that sounded like tributes to the dear departed. I don't know what time it finished but I had to close the windows and doors again.

So I'm busy going nowhere, isn't it just a crime? I'd like to be unhappy but, I never do have the time! Tra-la... la-la-la-la... la-la-la-la-la-la... la-la-la-la.

B........ ! Would you believe it? Julie phoned and my sound system cut out. When this happens I have to shut down the laptop and restart, then its OK again! So that's OK... but then Skype won't open up. So I'm stuck! Julie if you read this you'll know what's happening, but I'm going to shut down again now and start again... hope for the best!

WEDDING SUNDAY, slightly revised

No, not Mark's... I think he's been put off weddings for life. What a performance! Weddings usually are but this was a performance to rival any wedding I've previously endured.

Today was the Wedding of Judy's brother Dung to his lovely Thuan, to which we were invited even though her father doesn't approve of her relationship with this foreign white giant. However, we were seated with older members of her family and were made to feel very welcome. One of her father's brothers, Uncle Albert (who bears a striking resemblance to General Eisenhower in my opinion), speaks a little English as his company exports abroad and we got on fine with him and his other brothers. His sister, on the other hand, showed no interest in us and she and her haughty daughter avoided making any contact with us at all, but on Judy's mother's side, including her Grandparents who were also seated at our table were more gracious and generally we were shown the friendly interest we usually receive, especially when I began taking photos of everyone.





We weren't present at the actual wedding ceremony, which I think took place in either the Bride's or Groom's family home, with the giving of traditional gifts earlier in the morning. We went over to Judy's family Restaurant at 9.30am to to be taken with other family members by minibus to the Reception in another part of the city. Naturally we had to wait some time for everyone to arrive and didn't get to the Wedding Restaurant till a good two hours later. We'd had no breakfast and had to wait even longer for food!

These special Restaurants cater only for Weddings. This one was quite big, with four separate sections so that four receptions can be going on at the same time and everything is organised with military precision, allowing two hours for each one. As usual, the Bride and Groom stand at the entrance to welcome their guests, which must have numbered several hundred. Naturally they are the stars of the show and have a gruelling two hours performance. When everyone was eventually seated they made their grand entrance, and then came the Cabaret, heralded by an unusually Spanish fanfare of 'Granada' ! A professional compere introduced dancers dressed in traditional red costumes, followed by a young man and a woman, singing no doubt passionate love songs very loudly.



After that it was time for the happy couple to take centre stage and pose for the official photos, pour the champagne, which was red for some reason and accompanied by dry ice to look like smoke, which is a very popular effect in Restaurants, and finally cut the cake. Then while the guests were being served with food they were obliged to visit every table and have their picture and video taken with everyone. I doubt they had time to eat anything.

That's Judy and her mother.



All this time waiting we'd had to make do with peanuts and Beer, not such a good idea on an empty stomach at midday, until the feast was eventually served. I have to say, the food was good if not always to my taste. The first course was Pig's cheek on a large platter, very tasty if you could get any meat off it! As soon as the plate was emptied it was cleared away for the next course, a plate of whole shrimps with lettuce leaves; what we'd call prawns, large and juicy. These were especially good, with a creamy coconut sauce. Then came a dish of beef with carrots and onions served with bread rolls and while I couldn't manage the meat, the veges and gravy were delicious. Most meat here is just chopped into pieces, bones and all to be cooked in a variety of ways and everyone seems to enjoy gnawing on everything but the hardest bones.



Immediately after that the gas stoves appeared. Little did I know, when I bought a small portable gas ring for emergency cooking, how essential they are here in Asia. Every feast requires one for the soup, which is cooked at the table. These soups vary, but are usually mildly spicy and this soup was very good; a variation of fish soup with pineapple, it was simply seafood with clams, octopus and prawns. My favourite! The vegetables added to this one included some large yellow flowers that I've not seen before.



When everything was cleared away we had grapes to finish. Then we were glad to take the remains of our beer and get out into the fresh air as the constant loud music was very wearing.
I started taking pictures of the children and guests and soon they were queing up to be photographed! The men mostly wear white shirts and dark trousers but the ladies dress beautifully. While Judy and other young people favour modern clothes, all the older ladies wear the traditional Ao Dai. This outfit consists of silk trousers and fitted long tunic and comes in many different colours, often with elaborate embroidery and are very beautiful.



I really liked Uncle Albert and Judy's Grandparents. We met Judy's Mother for the first time and seemed to hit it off. Her Father just didn't want to know us, but he's not a happy man and his wife and children have problems with him. Judy was very upset over his behaviour yesterday but soon realised it was due to the stress of the occasion, accepting that it's his problem anyway, not hers.

Soon it was time to return in the minibus with the family, who'd been very quiet on the way there but now for some reason were very merry! (Apart from the Aunt and daughter of course.) Some of the men were keen to show off their limited English and one began to sing a song in English from way back, very nicely. At one point I think we were in danger of being hauled off to a Karaoke Bar, but mercifully the beer kicked in; I fell asleep and maybe they did too.

We were glad to get home and I went to bed for a couple of hours. One reason I was so tired was that last night we were kept awake most of the night by loud traditional music somewhere in the street at the back. We're told that it could be for a death, something like a wake maybe, that goes on for three days and nights. I just hope it doesn't go on tonight as well!