BITS AND PIECES

FLOODING AND FLOATING

Received email today from Jen and Rich – they enjoyed the blog about the floating villages and compared them to the current horrendous flooding in the Somerset Levels!

We saw the levels of floods that they had in Hoi San in various recent years – the markers up the wall show where the water came to.  As the river does this every year they are of course better adjusted than us – they have an upstairs room that they use to carry all the furniture up and have solid marble and hardwood bases that last years.  We read Dave and Carole’s blog from their visit in 2011 (I think) in the rainy season in December and they were wading around – your year is only the second marker up!!!  Nothing!

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Fortunately, we are in the dry season and haven’t seen a raindrop yet – bit hot and sticky on occasions, but nothing like their summer when it hits 40C+ and high humidity.

OLD GITS

Another hairy ride to rival tuk-tuks and bamboo trains – afraid we just look like a line-up of wrinklies in their bath chairs!  Usual dodging traffic and no stopping for red lights – not as restful as it looks



GRAHAM’S NIGHTMARE

Everywhere we go we are surrounded by people selling “stuff” – hard to say no (but its so cheap! and so ethnic when made in front of our eyes by village crafts people) but luggage space and the knowledge that it will look rubbish once we get home and will be at the charity shop in a couple of years time, has stopped us so far.  But when we stopped at 9am at this emporium, with ghastly carved marble buddhas and fountain spouting ladies outside and endless aisles of “stuff” with eager ladies wanting you to buy – Graham bowed out and had a nap on the bus!!






BIKES AND MORE BIKES

Probably mentioned bikes before –but can’t get away from them – in Vietnam they are the main sort of transport.  Our guide has 7 at his house, as he lives with his wife, child, brother and parents, and has to take them all into his living room at night in case they get nicked –he often watches TV sat on a bike!  Crossing the roads are a nightmare as they come from all directions and this is a great T-shirt – “Vietnam traffic light laws”




You can see how close they drive and this is what they wear on their feet! At least in Vietnam they have to wear helmets – but not in Cambodia.




Most of them also wear masks to filter out the fumes and pollution (and maybe to protect others if you have a cold) – but quite a few ladies walk around like this –
keeps their skin whiter as that is a sign of wealth and is considered more beautiful.  Weathered skin is a sign of working in the fields – but it does look a bit daft and must be amazingly hot.







SILK

Hoi An is famous for tailoring and making clothes to your design and fit, in a day or a few hours – several of our group bought suits and jackets.  Graham had this lovely headdress specially made (not) – please note I was not there to check his attire – I would have just let his neck burn!



We just watched these silk worms growing up and then how they pull the thread into strands – am sure the silk in the hundreds of shops is just mass produced in huge warehouses somewhere in the country - but interesting all the same, especially as Mum worked in Macclesfield designing silk.



All those who didn’t already have them, bought silk sleeping bag liners for the train sleepers!  Paid around $6 and then we got to Hue (next city) and they were $40!  We bought ours in Nepal for a couple of dollars and I saw ones in Ambleside for £40!!  Taking orders if you want them – or we could try selling them on ebay when we get home.

MASSAGE

This was the massage shower at the mud baths – brilliant
















TENNIS CLUB INVESTMENT

For any Heversham with Milnthorpe Tennis Cliub (HMTC) members who have made it this far – your ex-chairman has just purchased this building with his payoff