Other Photographer's Work

Some additional links have been added (right hand side of the blog, below the blog entry index). I've included them here for anyone who wants to easily check them out now.

The first is by a professional photographer who's studio Ros and I visited in Nha Trang, on the Vietnamese coast. Long Thanh has received awards for several of his photos across various international competitions. He has some amazing photos depicting everyday life in Vietnam (rural Vietnam mostly):
http://www.longthanhart.com

The second one is a site maintained by another traveller that I met in Laos, Kyle Lamy. He's got some great photos from India, Asia and NZ:
http://kylelamyphoto.com

Another month, another shave

So another month has passed, and therefore time again for a street side shave session. This time: Phnom Phen, on a wide street that, while it allowed traffic to pass, was actually shave central.

After selecting the middle chair, I met my barber and tried to coax him into a smile for the obligatory before shot:

Reserved he remained at the beginning, an artist perhaps still in thought in preparation for his work on a canvas that also doubles as my face. But a splendid job he did, and in recognition he allows a broad smile as the moment is recorded.

For the record, this one cost 3000 Riel, approximately 80 cents AUD

Introducing... DUDEness

This is me with one of the finest examples of "Dudeness" we found in Vietnam.

After seeing lots of similarly presented elder statesmen of the Vietnamese community, we came upon the moniker of "Dudness". It's more than the clothes: the daytime pyjamas, the scarf, and usually a fedora; more than than the vocation: wandering the streets amiably; it's also about the attitude: the calm facial expressions, the strong overtones of confidence, and a large dose of charisma that make Dudness a special highlight when traveling through this long country of 80+ million.

Upon reflection it seems all the more astounding that the most calm and content Vietnamese appear those of the "Dudness" collective as they are the ones most likely to have seen the worst of Vietnam's troubled and violent history.

If I'm a patch on this guy at 80 (his age), I'll be a very happy man. Have a closer look:

Monk Party

I should start off by mentioning that I'm about to tell a tale that occured several months ago in Sukaithai, Thailand. Ros and I only recently realised that neither of us had recorded this amazing evening - so here it is.
It is very quickly learned in Asia that good food can be found outside of the main streets - especially good CHEAP food. And so it was that Ros and I diverted our course from the main street of Sukathai into what looked like a busy side street. We found plenty of tables, an abundance of food, and surprisingly an abundance of rum also (surprising as most Thai's can't afford to drink liberally).

To our surprise a lady came to us immediately, guided us to a table, placed a full bottle of rum in front of us. Food then promptly arrived, and our new host directed our attention to a large stage where a male singer was performing before 5 stunning dancers who were making some very suggesting pelvic thrusts as part of their dancing routine. A little perplexed we reviewed our environs more closely and realised that we had stumbled upon a private party, and the host had, in the best Buddhist tradition, welcomed us to join them and share in their lavish celebrations.
We also spotted a very nervous looking novice monk (maybe 15 years), and with some effort learned that the party was to celebrate his commencement as a monk (all males in Thailand spend some time as a monk, usually in their teen years). So what better way to celebrate the start of abstinence, celibacy and modesty than by watching about 150 of your extended family go on an eating, drinking and dancing binge, with the hottest babes in town thrusting their groin everywhich way they can?

He was certainly nervous, and so watched from a quiet corner where he was not able nor tempted to look at the stage.

After having a beer in acceptance of their kindness (we couldn't refuse their offers, but it was too much for us to accept a full bottle of rum knowing that it cost them more that it would to feed someone for a week), we were encouraged onto the dance floor...
Suitably embarrassed (both us and the monk), we boogied for about 15 minutes, blessed the monk, and made a speedy exit. We felt sorry for the monk. It was a party in his honour, but there was not one part of it in which he could participate. Not only that, but a few random farang had just hijacked the interest of all the other attendees...

Texture (4)

There's texture everywhere!!!

Bricks awaiting their destiny... Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

What was, I'm sure, a stunning flower display before they all died. Cholon markets, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Spices in the outdoor markets in Cholon (Chinatown). Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Bananas for sale!!! Street vendor in a restaurant alley in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ornamental beach wall at the snazzy, designer hotel next to the cheaper place where we were staying...

Doc Let Beach, Vietnam

Mossy roof at "Crazy House", an architectural marvel in Dalat, Vietnam.

Another wonderful concrete facade juxtaposed to a leafy tree. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Up to now a rare sight - a flowering palm. Ho chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Reunification Palace, Ho Chi Minh City

Reunification Palace is so named as this is the place where the governments of northern and southern Vietnam officially agreed to the establishment of a single Vietnamese country in 1975. A fairly striking building, in a central park enclosed location in Ho Chi Minh City, Ros and I found ourselves taking quite a few photos, some of which are below. Note the various influences: communist concrete, modernist simplicity and even "Get smart"!

The palace from the front. What you see are the reception halls and offices for the (former Saigon) prime minister and his wife, with a danceflor on the roof (seriously), with the main reception hall and prime minister's residence behind.

Ho Chi Minh himslef (well a bronze cast anayway) looking magnificent on the stge in the reception hall

Halways adjoining the smaller reception halls at the front of the building.

Gambling room (yes I'm serious again).

The Prime Minister's Wife's formal office

I did say "Get Smart" didn't I? This is a communications room in the basement

Another "Get Smart" style office in the basement.

An Amzing Ride

1,400 Kms, 21 days, 11 cities, 1,000,000 rice paddies and 2 very sore bottoms later, and the bike has been returned without a hitch!

Special Bathroom Bonus

When you check into a guest house, it's wise to check out the bathroom, to be certain that it is at least somewhat clean, determine the hot water status, and to find out if you get free stuff like toilet paper, toothbrushes or even a comb.
During a recent inspection, chaparoned by a middle age lady (of surprisingly mild disposition for a Vietnamese), in a quiet, unassuming guest house on the Vietnamese coast, I spotted a couple of posters as depicted featuring 80s-esq bikini babes as shown. What could be more surprising than that? The fact that they weren't posters. These are tiles - a permanent feature of the establishment!

You'll Never Walk Alone...

It's seems to be the fashionable thing to do these days, which makes me the follower, and people such as Dan and Charlie the pioneers (at least in my knowledge)...


Yes, I'm talking about the phenomenon that is going to a major football (soccer) match in the land of your travels, and cheering as though you have the team's song tattooed across your chest. In my case, it was a game between Vietnam and Indonesia as part of the Olympic qualifying rounds. What's that I hear you ask? Yes, granted, not superpowers in the world game, but on a cold and raining night in Hanoi, that's not what the 40,000 odd supporters thought!


As with most adventures, there's a good story to go with it: and yes, it's true that unplanned events always end up more interesting, and this is a fine example. We learned of the game on the morning of match day, and so headed off in search of tickets. Luckily we were able to get some scalped tickets at only marginally above face value - so the stage was set. Keeping the best interests of fellow travellers in mind, we'd purchased 6 tickets - two for Ros and I, two for some Kiwis we'd been travelling with for a few days, and two with the hope that we'd run into other similar minded travelling fans eager for a bit of impromptu sporting madness.

Alas we arrived at the ground without allocating the last ticket, so we had to try and scalp it at the gate - a challenge given that we had competition from about 20 other scalpers who had the advantage of actually being able to speak Vietnamese. After some interesting negotiations (which generally consisted of us holding out our ticket, and someone asking something of us in their native tongue before walking of in an amused state), we hit paydirt, and cleared the ticket at a negligible loss. And so off to the game.

It's fair to say that the Vietnamese shat all over the Indonesians who were persistent and scored an equaliser in the 88th minute in response to an early goal from the home team. The stage was set for a hero, and so extra time arrived with an anxious crowd on the edge of their seat.

But then A MOMENT OF GLORY. A chip to the top corner of the net and in response two waves of emotion rush from the stands to the pitch in celebration of a victory well deserved, but almost passed....

One side of the grandstand, seated under "Uncle Ho (Chi Mihn)"

Ros in her "Vietnam Victorious" head band, and me in my Vietnam shirt

Barber Session (Hanoi)

Does this look like a reputable place to get a shave with a cut-throat razor?
Yeah, I thought so too.
What you see is the entirety of this barber shop, or "Hot Toc" in Vietnamese. This is fairly common - virtually all of them are like this - a cute roadside establishment with a single chirpy guy who does the deed.
So, now for the before photo:

I particularly like the little girl in the bottom right of this photo. Clearly she's quite intrigued by these two happy folks...

Et voila. Smooth as a baby's bottom, with both customer and the eradicator of facial follicles beaming like a couple of school kids on excursion...

note: I'm a little late in posting this one - this was almost 4 weeks ago whan I this occured, so I'm about due for another - I think Cambodia this time... I'll keep you posted.

Texture (3)

Yes, back for another fabulous installment from the world of Asian texture...

Moss outside the former prince of Laos' Tomb. Vieng Xai, Northern Laos.

Foliage outside the former prince of Laos' Tomb. Vieng Xai, Northern Laos.

Collection of chopsticks in a Beer Hoi alley. Hanoi, Vietnam.

Detail in a temple ornament at the Temple of Literature. Hanoi, Vietnam.

Roof detail, Hang Sung Sot cave. Halong Bay, Vietnam.

Roof detail, Hang Sung Sot cave. Halong Bay, Vietnam.

Rice paddies near Sapa, Vietnam.

Rice paddies near Sapa, Vietnam.

Temple wall detail in the Citadel. Hue, Vietnam

Sign Language

When riding along a highway in a foreign country, one has to take particular attention to the signs that are posted along the way to ensure appropriate riding behaviour, and to maximise the safety of both those on the motorbike, and the general population at large. (Note, this blog entry will make more sense if read after the one immediately below, that introduces the reader to the motorbiking experience on Highway 1A).

In some cases this has proven a little challenging, and I'll show you why.

Example 1
Pedestrian Crossing. Simple enough really, just an image two children on their way to school.

Example 2
Pedestrian Crossing. Apparently I need to look out for kids who have their heads attached. Good that they cleared that one up.

Example 3
Pedestrian Crossing. In this case I need to look out for particularly skinny kids.
Do they have to survey each town to decide which sign is the most appropriate? If so, I feel pretty bad for the village where the kids have detached heads.

Example 4
Pedestrian Crossing. Okay, something different. In this case I need to look out for running skinny Dad and daughter. Dad will have his breif case with him.

Example 5

Pedestrian Crossing. Okay, in this case I need to look out for the same father/daughter combination, but in this case Dad is going to work first. They really are getting quite specific aren't they? (oh and the people in this village don't have feet, so watch out, they might be moving slowly)

Example 6
Warning (?) Sign. It's a little difficult to determine the meaning of this one. At first I thought it meant "Oh Shit" or "Watch out, danger ahead" and therefore paid special attention to the road around me - seems like a pretty logical way to act, doesn't it?

Example 6 (from further back)
Warning (?) Sign. So if this sign is supposed to indicate a warning, can anyone explain why it was used in this instance? A perfectly straight road, no side streets, very little traffic and excellent visibility. You might suggest the small pile of rubble, but I can assure you that this is nothing. Every village (and at many places in between) you see things drying out on the road: Chilli, salt, rice cakes. And I don't mean beside the road, I mean on the road - so no, I don't think this little pile of rubble constitutes a hazard in the Vietnamese sense. So I have no conclusion as to what this sign is supposed to mean. All I pray for is that I don't see another sign down the road that simply states "?".

Example 7

No floating cars alowed?

Driving Highway 1A

There were many people who declared that Ros and I were crazy to take on 1,000 kms of Highway 1A on a motorbike. Highway 1A is the main road linking the north and south of Vietnam via virtually every other city of note in this country. People would shake their heads; they'd say "you be careful" and "very dangerous" - and these were just the Vietnamese! I can only think of what some other people back home might have thought (no comment required Mum).
But we were excited, and decided to take on the trek, starting in Hue, about half way between Hanoi and Ho Chi Mihn City (HCMC).
Let me desccribe the road to you. Firstly there is the sound: the wind wipping across your ears, the constant honking of horns as vehicles of all shapes and sizes remind you that they are actually the most important vehicle on the road, and that it is in fact you who should watch out...
And watch our for what? The road provides a smorgasboard of traffic to consider: a few cars, many motorbikes, occasional rickshaws and pedestrians, and a frequent smattering of both buses and trucks. Are you starting to get the image?
If you're having some difficulty getting this picture, then let me assist with one more visual signpost: Frogger.
Yes, that's what I decided driving on Highway 1A was like. It's not all together bad, really. There is the excitement of the arcade game challenge, coupled with the chance of getting a new high score and getting your name into the record books...
So if you want to share in this experience (or just like to play Frogger - George Costanza style) then I suggest you check out this freeware site: http://www.neave.com/games/frogger/
Oh, and the scenery is magical too!

Beer Hoi

Every visitor to Vietnam should find themselves ending the day (or starting) with a few glasses of "Beer Hoi" ("beer of the day"). Beer Hoi is a Pilsner that is brewed and drunk on the same day. The fact that you have to drink it on the same day only increases the fun in my book. So what's so good about Beer Hoi?

• It's cheap (around 15c to 30c AUD). Let put this into context shall we? It's CHEAPER THAN WATER PEOPLE!!!!
  
• It's delicious


• It's refreshing


• You generally get to drink it in small shop fronts or lane ways with a collection of interesting locals


• You're helping the local economy


• When they run out, they just tap another keg, and if you're lucky you'll see someone head off on the motorbike with anywhere from 1 - 7 kegs to grab some more. (Yes, we've actually seen a motorbike with 7 kegs on it)

Need I say more?

Midnight Bus Trip Down the Hume Highway

You'd never see a blog entry with a title like the one above, would you? "Hey everyone, just done this amazing 10 hour trip down this straight 3 lane highway from Sydney to Melbourne. Man it was unforgettable: Trucks, road, more trucks. The scenery was never ending..."

But you should see a blog entry with the title:
Midnight Bus trip to Vieng Xai
We found ourselves stranded in a two bit town where the highlight was the school kids playing some exuberant football; needing to get on a bus at midnight for the 6 hour trip to Vieng Xai -traversing across the mountainous north of Laos. After a quick two hours of sleep our host awoke us so we could rush onto the waiting bus; and so we headed into thick forest... By chance we had a full moon, that bathed us and the landscape in light softened by the heavy silver fog that consumed us. We wound around and up and down, spotting munching bovines and small thatched villages as we headed deeper into Tiger territory. Periodically we would find ourselves cresting mountainous peaks to see the valley below, partially obstructed by a lake of fog that would be our blanket half an hour hence.



So yes it was a beautiful journey, and well worthy of the blog entry. In fact I worked out much of what I would right above early into the trip, where the only distraction was an insipid stench of rotten fish - but it didn't really seem in keeping with the tone of the above description to include that detail there. But the truth is that as the trip continued, my enthusiasm wained. See, I'm not good with night travel as I can't sleep in anything other than a bed. And once we got to about 5 hours into the trip, I was extremely uncomfortable and wanted to get it over with. Quick. So you can imagine how miserable I was by the 10th hour (yes, the Lonely Planet and several information sources in Luang Prabang all underestimated the trip by a mere 4 hours). Perhaps if our water bottle hadn't emptied itself from a leak about 3 hours into the trip I may have been in a better mood? Who knows... suffice to say that I'm not signing up to any more night bus trips - even if it's possible to guarantee that it will be rotton fish free! Luckily we don't need to rush the remaining several thousand kms we have to go...

So how do I conclude this? It's a few days on now, so I can say that the trip was indeed beautiful, but also drained me of all life energy for 30+ hours, and therefore still qualifies as painful, and best avoided again. Perhaps if you find yourself in northern Laos - what would I recommend? The answer is up to you, but if you can sleep - do it! You'll love the moments when you are awake...

BBQ

Is there anything better than a cook at your table BBQ? This entry is a shout out to the many people who have shared a Korean BBQ, Shabu-Shabu or Sukiyaki with me over the years...

This is a Laos BBQ with Buffalo. The Buffalo, which is like a sweeter version of beef, and therefore perfectly suited to the BBQ, is cooked on the open grill at the top, Korean BBQ style, and the veggies are cooked in the broth, Shabu-Shabu style. YUM. In fact, I think I'll have this again tonight!

Flowers

A simple pleasure that is easily shared over the web. Note that there are more flower photos in the texture entry below this also (both blog entries were done at the same time).

Droplet on a flower in one of Chiang Mai's many Wats. Northern Thailand

Frangipani in Phuket. Southern Thailand

Lotus buds for gifting to people or Buddha. Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand

I don't know what this one is, but many of these in different shades in Laos...

Okay - this isn't a flower, but the arrangement allowed me to include in this blog entry. This is a side salad, from a restaurant in Phuket, Southern Thailand