The relaxation continued

Adelaide was the next stop on my travels, and it was nice to enjoy catching up with friends and family as well the delights of the city and surrounding areas in full health. But, it was COLD! 2 degrees on some mornings, but with beautiful clear skies so it was stunning. Open fires, red wine and plenty of lamb were also the order of the day, so there was no complaining about that. Shopping (including a new camera), movies, tv (football and cricket) watching, art galleries, reading and completing a First Aid course also kept me busy. So a fine couple of weeks were had.

It was nice however, to return to Saigon and enjoy the buzz of the city whilst feeling refreshed and without the demands of school. During this time, I did a fabulous afternoon photo walk with my friend and colleague, Amber.
An afternoon walk

         

I also caught the train to Phan Thiet to have one final relaxing stint by the beach before work began. I was fascinated by the extraordinary number of fishing boats and coracles plying the seas, and it is such hard work! It was also nice to hear the constant sound of the waves, and I enjoyed my time by the pool, overlooking the sea, but you did not want to look too closely at the rubbish on this stretch of beach. Luckily, the hotel owner lent me her motor scooter and I headed up the coast a little to see the famous sand dunes and some wild stretches of beach. This was much more impressive.

  

Now, it is time to prepare for the new school year. Wish me luck!

Time to relax in Cambodia

I can confirm that the aim of the first part of my summer holiday was achieved - to relax. I had a good two weeks in Cambodia taking in Phnom Penh once again, as well as the coastal areas of Sihnaoukville, Kampot, and Kep and then made my way back to Saigon via the Mekong Delta.

I think I got to know Cambodia a little better - at times it felt like a wild frontier and the differences to Vietnam were stark. It seems to be poorer, runs at a much slower pace, is far less regulated, has much more rubbish on the streets, and is hotter than Saigon at this time of year!!

In Phnom Penh I really enjoyed doing a self-guided Architecture walking tour Architecture info- the range of French villas, Khmer buildings, 1960's apartments, and Art Deco buildings was fascinating. Such a shame most are in a state of disrepair. Another highlight was watching the people enjoy a Sunday evening in one of the main squares - dancing, playing soccer, walking, eating and just generally enjoying each others company.

I then head to Otres Beach at Sihanoukville. This was a lovely spot, but it literally rained for the entire two days that I was there. And, I don't mean drizzle - it was full on downpours and electrical storms. However, this didn't really worry me as my plan was to do very little anyway. It just sat and read and watched the ocean and the waves of rain from inside the beach side cafe instead of on a lounge.



Kampot was the next stop, and this an interesting little riverside town adjacent to a National Park. I was amazed by the number of westerners living here and running business. It would be great to renovate one of the beautiful old buildings, but I think I would go stir crazy after a while! I did a tuk-tuk tour of the countryside and enjoyed the smiles of the people in their very basic homes and visiting one of the famous pepper plantations. Watching the parade of fishing boats on the river was also a daily ritual.

I then moved on to the even more sleepy hillside town of Kep. This town is famous for its fresh crab, but I gave them a miss on the advice of the locals; they are so small now, because of the over-fishing, that it is just not worth the hard work of getting to the meat! I did, however, enjoy listening to the birds and watching the squirrels whilst chilling in the hammock on my balcony and walking around the National Park with the views of the bay.
It was tough!

The final section of the trip was in Vietnam and consisted of a memorable 6 hour local bus trip from Ha Tien, at the border to Can Tho. Unfortunately, there was no air conditioning and very little padding in the seats, so the stop-start routine became very wearing. You can imagine how  much I appreciated the air-conditioned hotel room and warm shower on my arrival. But, it was nice to get back to the buzz of Vietnam and the familiarity of the food and the way of life.

Overall, it was a great trip exploring more of the area on my doorstep and a chance to relax and unwind.

More photos of Cambodia

Another school year ends

How quickly they fly by, and like all others, this has been a big year for me. I have learned a great deal about leading and managing people and even if I do say so myself, I think I have done a pretty good job.

Naturally, I was busy until the end, with transition activities, creating lists and planning new programs and I am sure 2015 -16 will be bigger and better.

A highlight of the term was the culmination of our fundraising efforts to support the Loreto Children's Charity. The 85,000,000VND raised throughout the year was used to purchase books, bookshelves, games and other resources to kit out a school deep in the Mekong Delta; Thanh My Village in Tra Vinh Province. Very early one Saturday morning, a group of 21 students and several staff set off for the official opening. It was a long day, as it was a 4 hour commute each way, but the 2 hours spent there were well worth it.

The children had not had access to the library as its windows had been covered and to see them barge their way in and their sheer delight was absolutely priceless. To then receive a sandwich and their final school report for the year, meant it was a big day for them too. Details of our project

Of course, it was also nice to get out of the city and see those magnificent rice fields and a big blue sky.
My photos of the Loreto Library Project

In contrast, a downside of the term was saying goodbye to friends who are leaving and in particular my recent partner in ... adventures, Liz. We have shared many a conversation, laugh, drink and meal and I will miss her company enormously.

For now, bring on the holidays and a great deal of rest and relaxation.

Commemorations and Con Dao

Another big week has been had, and it was a particularly good one, as I was on holidays.
It has been our final break before Term 4, which is a short six weeks, but also a busy one as the external exams begin tomorrow and their organisation are my domain.

The week began with Anzac Day, and I attended a very nice service here in Saigon at a campus of RMIT university (the site of the original AIS). The service was well attended and focussed not only on the past but also the current unrest worldwide. There were refreshments too - mini sausage rolls and lamingtons, yum.

The city has also been ablaze with posters and celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of Victory Day - the fall of Saigon, which ended The Vietnam War. I was away on the actual day, but did see some of the floats from the parade rehearsal and I was fascinated by the posters. They remain in the old style of the propaganda posters with their bold colours and strong images.  

Victory Day Posters

The highlight for me however, was a trip to Con Dao Island, a relatively untouched oasis at just a 45 minute flight from Saigon. The island has an interesting past, as it was the penal colony from French colonial times and continued its operation until 1975.

A visit to the prison was quite confronting as it was a place of horrendous torture, reminiscent of S21 in Phnom Penh. The cemetery now houses many of the thousands who died there and it was a good location to wander and reflect on the hurts that people have endured. This was particularly poignant in a week that was focussed on commemorating wars, as well as the event of the Nepalese earthquake.

In contrast, the natural beauty of the island was nothing short of spectacular and the lack of overbearing tourist infrastructure was also refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed wandering the wide tree-lined streets of Con Son town with its many French colonial buildings, albeit a little dilapidated, and eating at local restaurants.


A day of snorkelling off one of the smaller islands was a real treat. The number and variety of vibrantly coloured fish was fantastic and the coral was also impressive. Perhaps not as good as in Fiji 35 years ago, but age could be tainting that view. The only downside was the sunburn to the back of my legs and arms! Ouch!!

Hiring a motor scooter to drive on empty roads with jungle covered mountains on one side and beautiful clear water on the other was a rare but welcomed way to travel. Lizards and monkeys were spotted and there was plenty of bird life too. But the pinnacle experience was clean deserted beaches with white sand and refreshing water. It was so nice to just be able to park your bike and go for a swim without any worries of your bike being nicked and to enjoy the lack of other human presence.

But did I mention that it was hot? VERY HOT!

Con Dao - a few more photos
                                                         

Never a dull moment

Two weeks ago my luck with Apple devices took another blow as my iPhone was snatched from   hand whilst enjoying a relaxing Friday night glass of red wine.

How could this happen, I hear you say .. well here in Vietnam it is unfortunately a regular occurrence and when my guard was down I too became a victim.

I was comfortably seated at a new street-side cafe/wine bar and the cunning thief drove his motorbike along the pavement and with one swoop, my phone was gone and heading down the street!

I was speechless!!

The first reaction was to finish my glass of wine (which was on the house) and then off home to track my phone, but no luck so then began the task of changing all the passwords.  
With the very kind help of my real estate agent, I spent two hours of Saturday morning at the police station, as with a police report I could claim the loss on my household insurance. But would the policeman give me a report with a stamp ... No. We had to return on Monday with a different form. However,  the police man became unavailable to meet or even answer a phone call. Humph!! Hopefully, my sob story to the insurance company will be rewarded.
In the meantime, I am now the protective owner of  new iPhone 6. It was time to upgrade anyway!!

Last weekend was a little more relaxing, as Liz and I took to the island of Phu Quoc for some quality sun, sand, seawater and seafood. I refrain from using the word surf as there was hardly a ripple like true Adelaide style but it was so nice to swim in the ocean, read and snooze the weekend away. Plus, BBQ'd prawns, squid and cold beer with your feet in the sand is never a bad dinner option.

Yesterday, I joined a group of students and staff from school attempting to ride the distance from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi on static bikes, all in the name of charity. Mission was accomplished! And, a great view of the lunar eclipse was had whilst enjoying dinner at a new Danish restaurant.

Today, I acted as support crew for a group of staff doing the Dragon Dash - the Vietnamese equivalent of Tough Mudder (but with a monumental lack of any safety standards)!! All was going well, with lots of laughs and struggles but great comradery until one of the final obstacles, when one shoulder was dislocated. Thus, my support crew role really kicked in and a few extra hours at the hospital were spent!

Luckily, the weekend closed off in a relaxing manner with cocktails at The Deck!

Happy Easter!!

A trip to Myanmar

Over the last few days, I have been reflecting on my trip to Myanmar during the Vietnamese New Year break, and I am still processing all that I saw.

The bottom line is that even though Liz and I had a good time, learned an incredible amount, saw some amazing things, met some lovely people and ate some great food, we did not love it!

Firstly, what we did enjoy:

Shwedagon Pagoda is an amazing and imposing structure in Yangon (although, the gems built in to the structure could solve a few of the countries problems!!

Stumbling across the Rangoon Tea House for an almost decent coffee.
The modern luxury coach and the divided expressway for our overnight bus trip to Mandalay.
The temples in Mandalay.
The expanse of the temples and stupas in Bagan. The absolutely incredible displays of workmanship are so difficult to describe. Everywhere you look are stupas and the local people continue to live their lives amongst them.
The sunsets over the stupas and the Irrawaddy river.
The duck, cauliflower and indigenous herb salads at the family-run Mothers Choice restaurant in New Bagan. We only ate their three times!
Myanmar beer.
                               
Viewing the simplicity but hardships of everyday life as we traveled the countryside.
Seeing the leg rowers on Inle Lake and their abundant vegetable gardens. 
The colourful local produce markets.Talking to our guides and learning more of the complex history of the country.
The smiles of the people.



The challenging aspects:

The traffic in Yangon. No motorbikes are permitted therefore the traffic is horrendous.
The state of decay of the beautiful colonial buildings in Yangon. Who will be able to afford to restore them?
The betel nut chewing, YouTube watching,  restaurant eating Buddhist monks. How can the poor of the country keep supporting these religious icons?
The poverty and lack of street lights.
Women working to make or repair the roads by hand.
The dust.
The endless construction.
The feeling of despair for the people - how will this country lift its standard of living in a fair and just way.

Obviously, I have been in these types of environments before and I know that other people have loved their time in Myanmar, but my experience did not leave me with a positive and uplifting sense that this country is heading in the right direction. Hopefully I am wrong and that in 10-20 years it will be the vibrant and go-ahead country that is Vietnam.

More photos of Myanmar