Market time in Rach Gia

Ahhh the food chain!



I am sure that there are several links of the food chain that I do not want to know about. But this market, situated in the far southern town of Rach Gia (kinda pronounced Rock yaah), is an absolute hoot! Its called the 'Old Market' and certainly has a lot more character and excitement than the New Market.



The market is situated along the river, and the boats pull up to the dock to unload their produce. The men drive the boats and I reckon the women do just about everything else from there!



Wonderful wooden boats...



...carrying an amazing range of vegetables. (The meats were more disturbing than amazing, so I haven't posted those shots.)



I may not be wild about spring onions, but somehow this image makes me want to dive in and get amongst it all!



And for those of you that recall my 'Boy in Pot' shot, this is the second in the series - 'Boy in Bucket'. A few differences from the 1988 version, but importantly, this boy is not my son - promise!



I spent two days in this province and honestly did not see another westerner, except for the two colleagues I was with. Roaming through the market on my own for an hour or so was just a terrific experience. Everyone said hello, smiled...or at least stared. Many wanted me to sit or take their picture. Proud mothers with their children were my favourite, but it was all good. You need to watch your step, unless you want to end up in a bucket of eels or a table of livers.

And the smells of the market - guess you'll just have to come down to Rach Gia and find out!

PS - these are very clickable photos.

Our Neon Madonna

We took a stroll down to Notre Dame Cathedral a few weeks ago. Hilly had not been through it yet and of course I am always keen to be positioned for religious intervention - so in we went.

It is an old building, apparently being constructed between 1877 and 1883 using bricks and stained-glass imported from France.


Mary, looking rather statuesque and certainly beautiful, stands outside the cathedral in her own garden. Her gaze is trained steadily down Dong Khoi Street, one of the main city streets.

As you can imagine, the things this mother has seen over the years has turned her quite pale!
The inside is ringed with statues and alters - you have many opportunities to place burning candles to pay respect to people long time passed, but their thoughts kept bright. A quiet island of solemnity, sobreity and great religious currency within a country predominately Buddist.

So imagine our surprise at what was to be seen at the front of the Cathedral - Mary with a neon halo! Seemed a little wrong, but it certainly brought a smile or two.

Dear Mom and Fritz:
We hope you have a wonderful Mothers Day today! And as far as we are concerned, your respective halos are still burning very bright indeed!

(Note: picture credits due and found on the comments page)

Vespa heaven

Hey Simon - this one is definitely for you!

In a period of two days, I could have taken pictures of 30 or 40 Vespas, in varying condition. So, here's some examples of those seen parked or cruising around town.






Have to admit, despite the oldies being quite cute, the new ones are kinda cool. Hilly has started to talk more and more positively - so maybe one day soon we too will be spotted in amongst the mobile crowd.

And the price: You can get a new one for somewhere around $6500 - $7500US and oldies start at about $1000 and work up to about the same price as new!