Hot Christmas + Vietnam is a building site.

Christmas was spent on holiday with mum, dad, sister and of course Chi and Louisa here in Vietnam. To start, we visited Hoi An via Da Nang airport, Chi and I returning for the first time since our honeymoon back in November 2006, where I posted the pictures here (some of my favourites from Vietnam). The old town, as you'd expect, hasn't changed much.





Even the restaurants seemed to be the same bar an additional posh wine bar. What really struck me was the development on the coast road from Da Nang heading south. From leaving Da Nang city until Marble Mountain there are numerous big name resort developments under way. Kilometre after Kilometre of fenced off beach front, earth movers and concrete foundations strutting out of the ground splaying steel cable everywhere give a sense of awe at the sheer scale of what is going on down there. The weather by the way, was miserable - rained constantly.

Moving south to Nha Trang, again a first visit there for what must be two years, not a lot changed really. A nice new terminal at the Cam Ranh airport making baggage collection a non-stressful experience. The only other thing of mention would be, again, the development along Tran Phu. The new Sheraton building, I have to say, looks awesome. I love the design. It stands with unobstructed views, and the 360 degree shaped thing on the top has to be bar...what a view that place will have.





It's not such good news for the Yasaka, which has a huge shopping/office center being built right next to it which has blatantly obstructed the view from some of it's rooms at the back...!



The old concrete shell/pillar has finally been replaced (it was an unfinished something standing on the edge of the public square on the beach front) - replaced with a..flower or a mosque - I'm not sure which.



One thing about Nha Trang never changes...walks along a beautiful beach!



Heading south again now, a 3.5 hour car journey to Mui Ne. The kite-surfing season is really getting going now but the winds remain calm until mid-morning. 7.00 am on the beach with sun already high, no wind and a gorgeous ocean convinced me that Mui Ne really is the place to be. Sun, sand, swimming and plenty of restaurants to choose from.







An interesting sidenote, possibly, I picked up a very old copy of Huck Finn from a second hand book store. The book has a stamp entitled 'Vietnamese American ****** (can't read), 55 Mac Dinh Chi, Saigon. BOOK SHOP For Students, Teachers, Members'. It has a name written in biro in the top, Pham Van But, and a date, 08-12-70. Obviously this book shop was there during the war years and stocked English language literature.

A fantastic trip overall, and Vietnam just keeps developing.

To London and Back

Well the trip did include London, and it sounds better in the title than 'To Bournemouth and back'. Back to cool, cool Saigon weather, temperatures hovering between 20 and 28 degrees centigrade. A far cry from the -1 that was the ground temp when we landed. Actually I kind of enjoyed it and was pleased to remember that it isn't the cold that's the problem, it is the combination of cold with wind and rain that causes the abject misery.

Roads and space. That's what we have. Miles and miles of smooth, silent motorways. Yes, there's a lot of countryside in Vietnam, but it just seems so inhospitable. Too hot to enjoy it. England has gorgeous walks, public footpaths dissect through farmland, access is for all. From twig cracking to sunbathing, all seasons are outdoor friendly, on a nice day. People have such space down in Bournemouth -- houses laid out neatly with front garden and back. Birds twitter in the trees, and the off the main roads the streets are deserted. Where are all the people! The noise as well, is deathly quiet. Sit round the table with a hot cup of tea and all you can hear from outside is the clock ticking and the boiler creaking. You could hear a squirrel fart. Hardly HCMC. Cars drive in odd markings called lanes, and wait at red lights even when nobody is crossing. Why? Cause that's just what you do. People are so polite. Even a man with tattoes across knuckles, neck and skull would apologise profusely if he got in your way in the shop...listen in a British department store and you will hear Please, Thankyou and Sorry, within a few seconds. I guarantee it.

People call Britain the 'nanny state', because they feel the government does too much for the people. All I can do is to repeat the first loud speaker announcement I heard upon arrival at Gatwick airport - 'Please be advised that in the interests of safety children are not allowed to ride on the baggage trolleys. Thank you'. Totally random, I thought.

Some shots of the beauty of Dorset coming up.

Looking back towards Bournemouth and seven miles of beaches across the bay from Hengistbury Head

Christchurch Priory

Part of the UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast, right on my doorstep. This is Old Harry Rocks.

More Jurassic Coast.

Corfe Castle from the gardens of the Banks Arms pub.

Old pub on historic Poole Quay. According to www.poolequay.com, the Quay has a history of ships docking and trading goods since the 16th century. Many of the original buildings still stand along the waterfront, as well as the beautiful old town.

The customs house in Poole, built in the 18th century.

The 'other half' enjoys the wildlife in Poole Park.

After enjoying the beauty of my local area, Christmas Day loomed, and with it some fantastic food, gifts, and a warm fireplace.

The table is set

Xmas Dinner waiting for gravy...

In the Lounge

After stuffing our faces, catching up with old (for me) and new (for Chi) friends, it was off to Londres, better known as Old London Town, the capital of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We did the Eye.

Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey from the London Eye.

Westminster Abbey,
location of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the marriage of Diana and Charles, and Princess Diana's funeral. Amongst many other things. Kings and Queens of England are entombed inside the Abbey including Edward the Confessor who died in 1066, Edward III and Charles II. Many other famous people are buried here, people such as Sir Issac Newton, Charles Dickens, Dr Samuel Johnson, Chaucer, Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, and Tennyson. Admission is 10 English pounds, or 320,651.47 Vietnam Dong.

The River Thames

The London Skyline - modest.

Crowds at Buckingham Palace - and I mean CROWDS. Forget it in the summer!

The famous entrance lobby of the Natural History Museum.

The Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the National Gallery are all FREE. Incredible really for three fantastic attractions. The Museums can be found near Kensington just down the road from Harrods. The National Gallery is in Trafalgar Square. It has paintings by Da Vinci, Van Gogh, Michaelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Rubens, Rembrandt, Constable, Turner, Renoir and Monet, amongst many others. Worth a stroll for free entry I tells you, and Chi was mesmerized with it all. It's all in London -- history, culture and food (we had a damn good Chinese for lunch one day)...

So all in all, a very satisfying, warm (yet chilly), comfortable yet hectic, fascinating yet familiar trip home. It's easy to see why sometimes life in Vietnam leaves me yearning for England.

5 Christmases

Finally, this evening, not only do I get a break from AIS and from HCMC, I return home for Christmas for the first time since 2001. The last five of Jesus's birthdays have been spent abroad, in various locations, and here for the sake of god knows what, I will recall them briefly.

2002 - Sydney, Australia

Fresh out of University, traveling the world with three friends, Sydney is the stereotypical British backpackers Christmas - you can tell that by the 20,000 other people in Union Jack swimming trunks, and that's not even mentioning the Irish population around Bondi. Christmas Eve we hit the town in Kings Cross, Syndey's notorious backpacker/red light district (strange how those two always go together...). Here's a pic from that hazy night.

Yes, that's me in the middle being strangled by a Vodka drink. Xmas Day and it was off to the beach -- not joining the barmy army down at Bondi for the predictable embarrassment of a nation (the Brits abroad), we opted for a much more low key affair at nearby Bronte Beach.

2003 - Seoul, South Korea

The picture has nothing to do with Christmas, so tough. But it is in Seoul.


After getting the train into Seoul, this was a much frostier affair where Christmas Eve was spent fruitlessly looking for a dorm room on the campus of a huge city University (our accommodation via a friend) -- eventually giving up at 10.30pm and heading to the bars of Hongdae. Rolling out of the clubs at 4.00am we were lucky to be saved from sleeping under a bridge by a friend, who invited us back to her house. We enjoyed a traditional Christmas breakfast of rice, soup, fish and kimchi, sat cross-legged on the floor.

2004 - Koh Lanta, Thailand


Christmas here was uneventful, a holiday where I followed my family's Explore package holiday around. Unfortunately, Boxing Day was the most memorable for us, it was the morning of the 2004 Boxing Day Asian Tsunami, but that is another story altogether.

2005 - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam


This time the parents visited Vietnam, and Chi entertained us at her mother's house with a wonderful Christmas dinner.

2006 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia


This picture was taken inside the KLCC.

KL was alive and kicking on Xmas Eve, with what seemed like a million people thronging the city center around the Bukit Bintang area. Streamers, silly string and foam were flying through the air, rowdy groups of teenagers spraying passers by, and everyone was in the spirit. In the festive melee poor old Chi and I got separated -- she turned up three hours later at the hotel, around 1am...! Still in one piece however.

2007 - Bournemouth, England

Coming Soon.

Xmas

A few pics of HCMC around the Chritmas season -- most of the hotels and shopping centers have done a good job in creating that festive atmosphere. For me, it'll never be Christmas here -- it's not cold enough.

The Caravelle

The Sheraton

Parkson

Dong Khoi Street

In Cong Vien Van Hoa Park, a traditional Christmas scene has been erected -- very popular with kids and their parents to stop on the way past and snap some pics for the family album.

However, I am slightly concerned that these kids will grow up confused. They may come away thinking that Santa's slay was pulled by vicious dogs, that panda bears accompanied Santa on his magical journey, and that the guitar is a festive instrument.