We visited the Lung Tam Co-operative where Hemp is woven on traditional looms. Batik is used to create the intricate patterns that the group are recognised by. Having collected some pieces myself of traditional Hmong textiles in Vietnam and Laos, I was delighted to witness their creative skills. A 95 year old lady meticulously draws her patterns in hot wax with the steadiness of hand I could only wish to have myself.
Read Moretravelogue
Room with a view - Ha Giang Province, Vietnam.
When Eating Chew Well, Think Before Speaking - Vietnamese Proverb. Ha Giang. Vietnam
We were so sad to leave Luang Prabang, one of the most enigmatic places I’ve visited and a place I would love to return to. An impromptu decision saw us heading to the northern mountains of Vietnam. I felt that our trip would not be complete without a visit to the mountains and explore some of the lives and culture of the ethnic minority villages. We had no idea how this was going to pan out.
Read MoreYou Know, You Teach. You Do Not Know, You Learn - Laotian Proverb. Luang Prabang. Laos
At 5:30 AM, the sound of a gong echoes in the distance and dawn starts to break. Shortly afterwards, the first monks appear In the silent backstreets of Luang Prabang. I could just make out the rhythmical padding of feet. Gravel crunching beneath the bare soles. Over 200 Bhuddist monks form a solemn processional line.
Read MoreYou Can’t Claim Heaven as Your Own if You're Just Going to Sit Under It - Cambodian Proverb. Siam Reap.
As we walked around the atmosphere was not great. Not many people were around because of the midday heat, but those that were, many just stared straight through us. few people engaged with us. I got the impression they don’t like tourists, and who can blame them. it became clear this is not a village that is benefitting from the high ticket prices. Quite the opposite, they are Cambodia’s forgotten people with other people making money out of them.
Read MoreFor News of the Heart Ask the Face - Cambodian Proverb. Siam Reap. Cambodia
Our first view of Angkor Wat is very impressive but of course we didnt beat the crowds - thousands of people marching, gathering, jostling for the best spot to capture a photo. It was in fact the public holiday for the ancestors festival as well as a 10 year anniversary of the death of their old king - we couldn’t have chosen a busier time. Oh yes we could - sunset or sunrise.
Read MoreDon't Let an Angry Man Wash Dishes; Don't Let a Hungry Man Guard Rice - Cambodian Proverb. Cambodia.
So our experience of Phnom Penh took quite a different turn. We didn’t think to check up on festivals so we found ourselves at the beginning of a major national holiday -Pchum Ben - Ancestors Festival or Hungry Ghosts Festival.
Read MoreFortune Favours the Brave - Vietnamese Proverb. Chau Doc. Vietnam.
Chau Doc in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam is close to the river border of Vietnam and Cambodia. Which is exactly why we are here. This is where we catch a high speed boat to Phnom Penh. The Cambodian Border is only about 1 hour away, then after border control we travel on a further 4 hours by boat.
Read MoreA Miss is as Good as a Smile - Vietnamese Proverb. Can Tho. Vietnam.
So the reality is actually quite different. Our guide kept insisting that it was the biggest market, Yes it was getting smaller but it’s the best and biggest. Well there were not many active merchant boats or sampans, no bustling, no music and no atmosphere. It felt as though it was well past its sell by date.
Read MoreA Fair Face May Hide a Fool’s Heart - Vietnamese Proverb. Ben Tre. Vietnam.
Ben Tre provides a large number of coconuts for exporting to countries like Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, India and China.
The ecolodge we are staying at provided us with a boat and guide, so off we chugged to explore the land of the coconuts.
Read MoreNever Offer To Teach Fish To Swim - Vietnamese Proverb. Saigon
The market is primarily a food market for locals that sells Chinese and Vietnamese produce. It feels like an indoor market but it’s anything but. The roof is a patchwork of umbrellas which can only be fully appreciated when you venture up the into the residential walkways of the apartments above and look down over the scene below.
Read MoreRoom with a view - Saigon.
Constant Dripping Hollows Out the Stone - Vietnamese Proverb. Saigon
As soon as we arrived on a hot wet grey day, I immediately fell in love with Saigon. It’s big, it’s friendly, it’s full of orderly traffic, it’s a cosmopolitan city with a mix of old and new and it’s developing rapidly. Skyscrapers are emerging across the skyline. I wouldn’t say it was a particularly attractive city and it certainly doesn’t have a huge list of tourist attractions but it has bags of local life, intriguing quarters made up of webs of alleyways and bags of friendliness and no hassle.
Read MoreHoi An - Room with a view.
If you Run After Two Hares, You’ll Catch Neither - Vietnamese Proverb. Hoi An. Vietnam.
I thought it might be like Venice and be a little emptier and quieter once the tourist coaches had left and the cycle buggies had stopped wheeling people around but no - the crowds of people are just more condensed to the river area. The river is crammed full of boat rides and the bank on the opposite side has a horrible tourist night market that sells nothing more than the tat you’ve seen in the shops.
Read MoreYou Can Catch More Flies With Honey Than With Vinegar - Vietnamese Proverb. Hue. Vietnam
Our visit coincided with the the full moon lantern festival which was unique and fun to see the trees lit up with beautiful lights as well as yellow and red dragons dancing clumsily through restaurants getting tangled up in ceiling fans and wires. We unfortunately brought the rain with us, not ideal for a lantern festival.
Read MoreOne Drop of Poison Infects the Whole Tun of Wine - Vietnamese Proverb. Hue. Vietnam
Wishing for something completely different, we located Hue Abandoned Water Park. It sounded interesting on-line but wasn’t quite the secret it was made out to be. Once a bustling aquatic playground, nestled amidst the pine hills of Hue, this water park spans an area of 50 hectares.
Read MoreRoom with a view.
Make Hay While the Sun Shines - Vietnamese Proverb. Trang An. Ninh Binh.
Our homestay comprised of a group of bungalows on stilts nestled into the rock face. There were animals everywhere. It is very beautiful, but very, very wet.
Read MoreA Swallow Doesn’t Make a Spring - Vietnamese Proverb. Hanoi.
I really like the Non La - the cone hats, they look so simple but are beautifully made. We tried to locate a hat maker, it took forever - asking everyone who passed us as well as negotiating a big car down teeny tiny lanes. It was mad… Our driver did so well and the next thing we knew we were both riding pillion on a hat-maker’s motorbike and arrived at a little square.
Read MoreThe guarded section of Train Street
Adversity is the Mother of Wisdom - Vietnamese Proverb. Hanoi
It then became one of Hanoi’s most visited places. Now, having been closed for a while following a near accident', the main entrances are guarded and limited people are allowed in. Many of the coffee shops have closed due to the Government’s clamp down as well as the lack of tourists. We were not allowed onto the tracks at a couple of guarded sections so we quickly hopped onto another section just in time…
Read MoreHanoi 4.45AM
When Eating a Fruit, Think of the Person Who Planted the Tree - Vietnamese proverb.
Getting up at 4.20 AM was no laughing matter, but needs must. By 4.50 we were on our way to witness Hanoi both waking up and finishing its night shift.
Our first stop was Long Bien Bridge and then onto Long Bien market. They are located next to each other and both unique in their own way.
Read MoreA Day of Travelling Will Bring a Basket Full of Learning - Vietnamese Proverb
We learnt pretty fast that you just go with the flow - when you cross the street, you walk like an elephant - slow and steady, don’t stop, look forward, keep moving, and trust that scooters and cars will either stop or move around you. Except Buses - they don’t Stop. You run.
Read MoreRoom with a view - Seoul.
Soul in Seoul - Popular Music and K-pop, book title. Seoul. South Korea.
…when out of the blue came an almighty roar. Deafening shouting through a loudspeaker shattered the peacefulness that we had become so accustomed to. We thought it was an over zealous preacher in the nearby church. We went in search of this noisy rhetoric. It wasn’t coming from the church, it was out on the main wide streets - a very, very loud political demonstration. I had to chase it down…
Read More