Talking quilt

Hi Diana. I am sure you will really enjoy this place - lots of colour and plenty of stictches! Definitely a must see when you get over here.

The shop is just a block or so away from the main drag, so it is easy to get to. There is another place called Saigon Quilts a few doors down, which we leave to you to explore.

We spoke to an assistant and she told us about the town where this business was started, Duc Linh. It is a small town and apparently us westerners have to get police permission to go there. Small. And not on the well-worn tourist route. Probably be kinda fun to see, and you could talk Quilt (that crazy hand-waving language) with the locals. Goodness knows they won't understand anything else you try to say!


(V4A btw: Vietnam Quilts is a sub-project within a French NGO, called Vietnam Plus. They have helped establish a cottage industry for local women in two villages, supplying training, fair wages and conditions and a retail outlet.)


(click photo to read easier)
Each time I have been past the shop, there have been people selecting quilts, so ... business looks good. The queen-size bed spreads we saw were around $100 to $150 US.

Not so squeezy - please!

After today, Hilly certainly owes us all a full report on her trip with the girls down the Mekong River. However, I could not resist jumping in with this scaley pre-empt.

No doubt a day full of sights, sounds, smells and tastes, but who would have guessed that H would have put the interests of our favourite blogsters well above her own personal safety? She assures me that it was only the thought of 'V4A' that convinced her to agree to this little feat.




And that look on her face - pure fear. And he's loving it!

A night out with Russell

Hey Mom, hope you don't mind this extract from the latest email being posted to the www:

I had the boss here last week and we spent about three days working through the busines plan and related stuff. Good for me, but not real exciting stuff for you! But on the second night, Hilly and I took Russell to a place called Si Hoang which is a 'famous' fashion house here in HCM. The owner exclusively designs and crafts the silk Ao Dai (pronounced something like Ou Yeah) which is the long flowing traditional gown worn by local women. Today you do see waitresses in classey restaurants, women in banks, and other places wearing them They seem to be the uniform of choice for up-market establishments. (Actually, I threatened young Hoang with making them mandatory for all our female staff, and she thought it was a great idea!) Definitely popular at weddings, parties and other formal affairs, and well suited to the (usually) slim Vietnamese frame.

Well the 2 hr show was full of traditional music and singing and of course fashion. We had both men and women parading the beautiful hand-painted silks of Si Hoang - quite a spectacle! Unfortunately I did not think of taking the camera, so I tried to capture the moment with my camera phone. But to add injury to insult, I could not work out how to turn on the flash while sitting in the dark, so the moment I truly did NOT capture.

So I am now hoping that we will soon have other visitors that we can take along to the show - at least I can then replace these weak images!










PS - I'm pretty sure Russell enjoyed the night off as well.

Ladies of the street

Going for a walk will always bring delights in this city - there is always something interesting or intriguing happening. But mostly what you find is a lot of real life people just making their way through the day - and lots of others helping them along the way.

The street sellers are always there, offering fruit or drink or trinkets or ...... how about a hair cut! And you need to know how much to pay, otherwise you will be learning the hard way. But even the hard way is not too bad.



And today's mystery photo? This was a little something that came as a sheet, bought in a pack with several other sheets, from a nice lady in pink who was cooking them on the spot. Tasted good, even though it looked like wood........



Three words: Fashion! Fashion! Fashion!


And the faces tell all sorts of stories. I hope that one day we might be able to listen a bit better, but for now we try to take away a little bit of friendliness and mirth. In Australia, if you smile at someone on the street, they are not sure which way to look. Here, I have not yet been refused a nod and a smile in return.



Oops, and here's our mystery woman selling her packets of fried bananas.

Sun and the city

Sunrise has looked pretty much like this each morning, unless its cloudy - which has not been very often yet.
But it is at this time of the day when the pollution is most obvious. It really doesn't seem too bad at other times...........

When Hilly got here (two weeks ago now!), she agreed that having the balcony doors and windows open was great. The rooms were breezey and nice, and the aircon was not necessary. But that only lasted a few days - first it was the noise (particularly in the morning since it it is hard to sleep past about 5:30am!) and then the air.

No doubt we are breathing in too much extra stuff just walking around town. All the people wearing masks while riding on their scooters obviously agree! Anyway, limiting our in-take is probably a good plan. So sadly, our doors are now closed more often.

But you will still find us outside a lot!

Fishing at BT's

The market in Saigon is a massive, under-roof, very hot, mass of live and mostly un-live produce and products. You can buy just about anything you want. It is called Ben Thanh Market, or "Benny Tan's" in Glen's worst aussie vernacular. Apparently it has been at this spot on Le Loi Street for over a hundred years and it kinda looks like it. But its a lot of fun!

Only thing that we have not been successful in finding at BT's so far? A clothes horse. Glen ended up drawing pictures (as most engineers would) and having lots of fun trying to explain by actions just what one was used for - must've been humorous for the stall ladies! Anyway, it was resolved that such a contraption could only be found at another market. Hmmm...probably called Clothes Horse Market.
Hill's claim to fame at BT's is that she got a live (and it was "thiiiiiis big") fish dropped on her foot! Wish we had a photograph of that little awkward moment....

We floated through today and bought herbs, bay leaves, a strainer and some plastics hooks. But we could have bought toys, hygenic stuff (which seems a bit out of place), glassware, T-shirts ("I have your size"), flowers, squirming things, handbags, dishwashing detergent,.......its a market.

And yes - a trip through the market can be a bit tiring!

(Answers to todays mystery photo competition:
1. cramped crabs looking for a way out (ps click on this photo!)
2. fat ends of chop sticks on sale)

Home sweet home.....sort of

Welcome to the Norfolk, 17 Le Tu Trung St, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City!

Although it was built several years ago now, it is still quite nice and has a relaxed feel about it. With 3 blocks to the city centre and three blocks to Glen's work, its location, location, location.



The area around us is very diverse, but more about that later.....


The foyer is like a refrigerator, but very welcoming after a stroll!

There are not too many things inside the room yet that make it ours, but it won't be long before Hill's influence is felt.

So for the moment it is comfy and easy to live in.

More often than not, we have the sliding doors and the windows behind the dining table (which open to the internal courtyard) wide open, so the room is warm but breezey.



The Gustav Klimt on this wall is about the only art Hill likes that is in here, so there is likely to be some additions to the collection in store.

Considering our determination to walk as much as possible (.....maybe the Vespa one day!........) and the temperature of this city, the pool is much appreciated.

Glen is trying to relearn to swim, with sister Karen and d'girls sending tips via email. Could this become the new routine to replace his now distant cycling pastime?

Our Neighborhood - Chu Manh Trinh Street

Just a couple of pictures of the little market street around the corner from our place.

Glen walks to work up this road every day and says hello to several of the ladies - they all seem to nod and wonder why he doesn't stop to buy some vegies.

And the sidewalks around here always (yes, always) double as parking lots for all those scooters. The parking attendant usually scribbles a number in chalk on the seat of the bike - time left perhaps? Must look good on the black skirt later on!

The rear window

There are three balconies at this place; one outside two of the three bedrooms and of course one outside the living room.

These images are looking out from the living room, down along Le Thanh Ton Street and out towards the Saigon River.

One of those places reminds me of Sammy Newman's along Cantebury Street - I wonder why........

Hilly's first weekend

And Hilly arrived in Nam on the 2nd of March, after battling through the airports and flights all on her lonesome.

Pretty easy really for a seasoned air traveller - but now she has to work out how to make a living selling groceries on the street!

First few weeks

So the fun begins.

Glen's first day in Ho town was pretty much Australia Day 2007. Should have been riding the Alpine Classic, but these things we do............... Instead it was a quick day in the office followed by a weekend of discovering the new neighbourhood. And after several days of trying to readjust the internal compass to 'north', it was time to just give in and just go with the flow.

And flow it does.

First impressions? All the usual stuff re people, motorbikes, noise and heat. But an overarching reaction to the incredible friendliness of these people. I have said it before and I will say it again: I reckon that I could stand in the middle of a road, physically (even violently) stop a vespa rider and then proceed to have a nice conversation with them! Well, if I could speak enough Vietnamese to say what a lovely bike!

So the Tet holiday was upon the city in no time and there was an outbreak of colour and festivity that was so fun to experience. And a real potter on display - instead of the pot turning for the potter, the potter rotates around this traditional pot!

The view of the fireworks that heralded in the year of the (cute little) pig were not too bad from the sixth floor balcony!

Generally good timing to have the chance to see stuff and relax during these six days or so in February. And it was a perfect time for a visit from Liz - the first visitor received by the Norfolk get-away. A quick snap near Notre Dame Cathedral, having a bit of breakfast at one of the many Highlanders.