We hired a couple of push bikes after breakfast and headed off towards the little fishing village about 6km from our hotel, it was hot and humid and within a couple of minutes I was a soggy mess, I have no idea how Gem remains so glamorous looking and I look like I've just got out of bed fully clothed and had a bucket of water thrown over me!!
We rode along taking in the sights, answering hello to pretty much every kid who saw us and shouted 'hello how are you what's your name'. There is certainly a distinctive smell! We managed to get a little bit lost, but not too lost and after an hour or so we decided to head back which involved going down a massive hill and I hope that I can get the video clip off our camera as it was a case of it being funny at first, then you have that sudden realisation your doing about 20 miles an hour on a push bike with one hand and you have no idea how good the brakes are!
We dropped the bikes back at the hotel and quickly got changed and freshened up before getting the bus into Phan Thiet, getting the bus in Vietnam is no mean feat as there were no seats left so we had to stand and hold the hand rail while this tiny little bus bounced around all over the place.
One thing we learned early on is that moon cake is horrible!! The orange bit in the middle is not dried apricot, it's actually dehydrated egg yolk... Can you say MINGING!
Gem:
I thought I would give one of these a try as they looked nice, sweet and über calorific so I brought one. Big mistake, I was nearly sick. Horrid! I am sure the other flavours maybe nicer but I think they all have the so called 'moon' in them anyway. Personally, I would try it if you get the chance, it is a Vietnamese delicacy, just one I didn't like.
Even though it was a Sunday the kids were at school, I don't know about the school week as I haven't been able to understand the answer when I've asked. I'm assuming it was Sunday school as most weren't in uniform. They were all laden with their lanterns and looked very cute.
It's our holiday ritual to have photos by a lamppost!! And of course any food we eat, or wine!!
Shortly after this shot was taken I encountered what could have been my first time in a Vietnamese prison! We were walking past a building and phill pointed out that there were two 8 shaped tracks on the floor and then went on to explain that he had seen on top gear that the Vietnamese just have to demonstrate that they can navigate around them on their moped and they pass their test. I knew Blake would be interested so I went to take a photo. The next minute I had armed guards shouting at me and so I gestured to them from about ten metres away that I didn't know and turned around and walked away. Ten seconds later phill turned his head to see five armed guards following us. Sugar!! We walked quicker and I put my camera away as I thought they may confiscate it and they got bored and turned around. Phew!
These were large concrete boulders near the port in phan Thiet. They were full of kids (some we believe may have been street kids) sitting in them, on them, draped over them. They had become a playground for them so we hung out there for a bit teaching the kids how to say 'I am fine thank you' 'my name is' and 'take care'. The kids were great, but there were alot of them and they weren't at school so it made me think that maybe only the wealthy kids go to sunday school.As it was good enough for them I shoved phill in one for a quick snap before wandering on.
I could have spent a whole day on my own around the harbour in phan Thiet just taking photos of people, it's a really good spot for people watching and unlike morocco the Vietnamese don't mind you taking pictures although I used my longer lens most of the time so as not be be intrusive.
I think this maybe my new fave holiday snap above.
This was ingenious!! These people were using plastic bottles with the top cut off them filled with beef juice (well we asked a Vietnamese lady and that's what we thought she said, we are using a bit of Vietnamese here and there but my pronunciation is rubbish) and then thrown into the water on a bit of fishing wire and then reeled in and hey presto you have caught a fish about the size of a mini mackerel or large sardine. I loved it.
This young man was bashing the water to scare the fish as he had just laid out a large fishing net.
The boats are lovely, really colourful and very photogenic. But then as people will know from previous holiday snaps, I'm partial to a boat picture.
Gem :
After an afternoon walking a fair few miles around phan Thiet, getting lost, wandering around the tiny non touristy backstreets whilst every kid said hello, we decided to get the bus back to mui Ne to watch the procession of the mid autumn festival. The getting back part was interesting to say the least!! We were on a bus that should sit 24 people and no joke there were 65 people on it.....for nearly an hour of me and phill stood up holding onto one another for dear life, my bum in some ladies face, two chickens on the floor nearby, a very high (drugs)man trying to steal my cheap primark yellow ring (odd how he liked that one so much and not the thousands of pounds of white gold on the other hand....thankfully!!) then trying to trade some dried stinky squid for it...odd! and the entire bus at one point seemingly taking the Micky out of us, we finally got back safe and sound to the bus stop near our guesthouse. The festival had just begun and so we got some pics albeit hard to capture as the motorbike lights prevented it. Omg my work would have had a field day yesterday at the festival, the road wasn't cordoned off but simply a few police on motorbikes, naturally! Stopped some of the traffic coming right at the hundreds of kids, now and then. The rest of the time the kids walked among the hundreds of mopeds. It's weird though coz I would bet some pennies that accidents are pretty rare on the roads here. It would be interesting to find out. Although sometimes the mopeds hold four or five people at a time, (kind of like one of those banana boat things at the beach we all went on) often have tiny babies being carried on them, tv's on the back of them, you name it! They generally move out of each others way and there is an air of understanding and respect. I like it, it's kind of like morocco in the madness, the constant hum of the horns and the interweaving down the street, not to mention the impatience at traffic lights, but nonetheless, it's kind of mesmerising when it's rush hour.
Phill.......
Yesterday was a national holiday called Tet Trungh otherwise known as the Autumn Moon Festival and I'm pretty sure it marks the change in the Lunar Chinese Calendar, Phan Thiet has sort of become the national centre for the festivities as it boasts the largest lantern parade in the whole country. All of the school kids of a certain age (think there was a few different age groups as they were 8ish year olds, 14 ish, and about 18ish) make lanterns that they put on long sticks and carry like a banner above their heads, there are also floats that are all lit up and dragon dancers at the front of the procession.
Phan Thiet has a big parade and then all the smaller communities and villages have their own parades.
Location:Phan Thiet & Mui Ne
No comments:
Post a Comment