sight seeing in Vietnam

first of all I guess I should show you where we stayed in Saigon:

The Hotel Equatorial, which, according to our travel agent was 4 star but in reality it was 5! It was divine.. the only thing that I could pick at was people are allowed to smoke in the lounge area, something that is not allowed here. Being a non-smoker, I did find it hard to deal with as I sat and read while having coffee.

The Opera House is in the centre of the city and we made this our pick-up point. Each time we wanted to go into town, the shuttle bus that was supplied by the Hotel, would weave its way in the traffic to various points, dropping off and picking up. The Opera House was one block away from the markets.. one of the contrasts that I mentioned. Even though this is in the middle of the city, there are still women wearing the coolie hats and women selling their food that they cook in the little pots. I loved that part of it!

one of the tours we did was a full day to the Mekong Delta.. unfortunately the floating markets weren't available due to the low tide of the water.
feeling very much like Katherine Hepburn on the African Queen, we crossed the Mekong to visit a group of islands....

funny thing is, in the photo I think I look very much like my great-grandmother Viola:


our first stop was to visit some cottage industries...

where they made coconut candy.. using the coconut meat and milk to make the candy and the coconut shell for fire 'wood'.. nothing is wasted. We got to taste it too, it was really delish, so we ended up buying 10 packets. Then we visited a bee farm and were served Honey tea.. black tea with copious amounts of honey stirred into it and a dash of lime juice. It was served hot and the islanders drink this every morning and night. I liked the taste of it and am planning on making it for myself here.. I even bought a little teapot and cup so that it will feel authentic. One thing I did notice as we travelled along the water ways was how many dragonflies there were. Not one or two, but millions. Truly! they were everywhere. I felt like i was surrounded by faeries.

along the canal....

to the next stop where we were served lunch. We were served Elephant ear fish.. a local delicacy.. the cook it over open fire and serve it wrapped in rice sheets with mint leaves and chilli sauce. It was quite delicious! We also had a curry, salad and soup and for dessert...

we were served a variety of local fruits, which grew wild on the islands... pineapple, papaya, lychees and jack fruit (which I didn't like alot).. these were served with a mix of coconut, salt and sugar with a dash of chilli powder. You dipped the fruit into the mix and as odd as the mix may sound it was really quite tasty.. something I think I will remember for those hot summer nights... and of course to finish.. a cup of tea.

then back to Ho Chi Minh city late in the afternoon. I love seeing how the people live.. it is very interesting. They live simply, farming their land. Fishing the water for their families, not for profit.

so there is another glimpse into my time away...

what is it like in Woodford today?
Brisk... I will light a fire later and today I am going to tidy & clean my kitchen.. and hope to harvest some more lavender to hang to dry.