Cam Kim

Little did we know when we set off on our bike tour this morning that we would witness an exorcism and an exhumation!

The bike tour was organised by the hotel, complimentary for all guests staying more than 3 days. Our lovely guide Nih led us across the footbridge to the island of Cam Kim, home to about 5000 villagers. The footbridge has only been in existence for a few months; before this the villagers used a ferry to get across to work and shop in Hoi an. We were joined on the tour by four young blokes from Sydney, so we made quite a procession with Taine trying to keep pace with the boys up the front and me wobbling along at the back. I was relatively proud that I managed to stay upright the whole way and didn't get off to walk at all, although the narrow pathways along side the river were a little hairy and I kept expecting to get cleaned up by a moto every time we came to a cross road.

Once across the bridge we were in rural Vietnam- rice paddies and market gardens. We stopped at the boat builders and the carvers to see their craftmanship. The carvers reminded me of Te Puia in Rotorua, a carving school where the master carver was teaching the next generation the skills required to turn wood into works of art. The master told us it is becoming increasingly difficult to find boys who have the patience and persistence to learn; they would rather cross the river to work in hospitality. I guess the issue of 'grit' in young people is a global one.

For morning tea we stopped at the local market, a very casual collection of tables covered in raw meat, trays of fish and vegetables ready for the local trade. We were given rice flour and tumeric pancakes which we wrapped in rice paper and dipped in peanut sauce, all washed down with raw sugar cane juice.

The next stop was at the noodle makers and that was where the totally unexpected occurred. The husband of the noodle maker was described as the man who 'looks after the dead people'. Nih explained that according to the local religion, dead people are allowed to return to their houses for one hour on the anniversary of their passing. Because the afterlife is a boring and lonely place, the family prepare gifts for their departed loved one and it is these gifts that the man makes. They are large cardboard reproductions of things the dead person might like to take with them, like toys or clothes or, for young single men, a girlfriend or an iPhone. The family buy these gifts from the gift maker, display them in their home on the anniversary of the death and then, when the hour is up, they burn them!

Gifts for the dead

Digging up the kitchen floor

We were fascinated by this most unusual occupation but our attention was a bit distracted because in the room beside us there was a clearly distressed little girl and a man who appeared to be yelling at her. Nih explained that the girl had been showing signs of being 'possessed' and a fortune teller had been bought in to see what the issue was. He had decided that there was an unsettled spirit in the kitchen and so while he exorcised the demon from the little girl in the lounge room, the grandfather was in the kitchen digging up the floor to look for bodies! Given the war torn history of the region there are makeshift graves all over the place and the fortune teller is in high demand to make sure houses are not built over the to of them. We were very worried that we were intruding on what was clearly a family trauma but the grandmother assured us it was ok and went on with her noodle making demonstration. To add just one more bizarre element, our friends from Sydney had a bit of a holiday dare going to see how many gross things they could eat, so Nih rustled up some sauce that had been fermenting with dead fish for 3 months and they dipped their noodles in that. As they were throwing up, a man came from the kitchen to whisper that the body had been found. It was a good time for us to hop back on our bikes and head home.

A delicious lunch of local beer and spring rolls by the pool helped us recuperate enough to head into town to check on the progress of our tailors. Whereas yesterday was hot and rainy, today was just hot. Mad hot. Geoff struggled to try on his suit and I actually had sweat dripping off my nose faster than I could catch it. The local people seemed totally unfazed by it and in fact many of them were wearing hoodies and jeans. Sophie picked up a playsuit she'd had made from a photo and we were so impressed with how well it was made that we all ended up with tape measures wrapped around our different bits. Who knows what we've actually ordered in our befuddled heat haze. I guess we'll find out when we go back tomorrow.

It's raining, it's pouring!

It rained in Hoi an today. Not just a shower or a cloud burst but torrential, tropical, tumultuous rain that fell from the sky in giant, splashing drops (please forgive all the alliteration- the rain was seriously intense!)

After a truly amazing breakfast we had planned to walk into Hoi an to check out the shopping but because of the rain we relented and took the shuttle. Luckily we also borrowed umbrellas because by the time we reached the first stop the rain had intensified, the road was flooded and the usual dodge the motorbike game had levelled up to become dodge the traffic while wading through ankle deep water!
The downpour certainly didn't stop the main business of Hoi an which is to sell the tourists lots of things that the tourists didn't previously know they needed. Like plastic ponchos. Out of nowhere appeared an army of poncho sellers- on foot, on push bikes, on motos, out of alley ways. Even once Geoff and Taine had relented and bought one, we were constantly 'encouraged' to upgrade to another colour or better quality. It was pretty funny, especially since the head openings weren't designed for big Kiwi heads and wearing the full length plastic actually turned you into a mobile sauna. At least Geoff had had the sense to wear his jandals, I don't think my new Sketchers will ever dry.

Our first shop stop was the tailors to get Geoff a suit. 10 minutes of consultation and measuring and a couple of million dong (Viet currency) later and we were assured that the suit will be ready to try on tomorrow. There are literally hundreds of tailors in Hoi an, making any item of clothing you desire.

I was out voted on the flowers

We waded our way up and down the streets, bartered for and bought T shirts and jewellery and leather belts, all the while politely shaking our heads at the constant stream of ladies who ask, "Where you going?", "What you looking for?", "What you want to see?"
Mostly, the street vendors and their lookouts, while insistent are not threatening like some we've encountered in places like New Orleans or Paris. We did end up paying an exorbitant amount for a bag of soggy bananas after I was foolish enough to ask one of the fruit sellers if I could take her photo. Next thing I knew Geoff and I both had fruit poles slung over our shoulders (for the record they are very heavy), the fruit lady had my iPhone in her hand and other sellers were appearing from everywhere to get in the photo and to then be paid 100,000 Dng for the bananas - EACH! Those bananas cost more than our dinner last night. Well played ladies!

By the time we sloshed home through the puddles, the rain had stopped and we took advantage of the empty pool at the hotel for a swim.

For dinner we took Trip Advisor's tip and made the short walk to Tam Phuc's where we pigged out on spring rolls, baked chicken in bamboo leaves and other delicacies, accompanied by 2 for the price of 1 cocktails.

Won tons

Afterwards we were too full to do anything but sleep.

Risotto to Lemon Grass

Ho Chi Minh City is a hot, sticky risotto.
Our hotel had amazing sound proof windows and despite the never ceasing traffic outside, we slept like babies till about 5am when our body clocks demanded food. This was a great time to be up and about because the heat wasn't too intense.

Taxi refuelling, 6am.

A Vietnamese buffet breakfast is an interesting combination of rice, pho and fruit. Concessions to the western tourist trade include bacon and pancakes, making the plate look very interesting. The coffee is thick and intense. We let Taine have two cups and 12 hours later he's still pinging!

Out on the street by 7.30 we ran the gauntlet of street vendors to check out the food stall end of the Ben Tahn markets. I cannot describe the mixture of morbid fascination and revulsion evoked by the tightly packed bundles of live frogs and crabs systematically being gutted, chopped and filleted in front of us. The gutters ran red with blood as the vendors calmly went about their business, eating their morning pho with one hand while chopping up offal with the other.

Outside the market, the street paths were alive with people eating breakfast, sleeping on their motorbikes, cooking, playing cards, washing dishes in buckets, smoking, eyeing off pretty girls (a group of boys in school uniform were very excited to see Sophie walk past) and generally going about their daily business.

By 8.30am it was already unbearably hot. The smog is very thick and breathing is difficult. We'd planned to walk a bit further to the Reunification Palace but I was struggling to get to the end of the street! The humidity was so intense my camera refused to cooperate. We took refuge in the air conditioned Saigon Centre where we drank more coffee and flower tea. The shops there were like shops in any big shopping complex anywhere in the world. It was boring but cool.

Back through the markets we finally stopped to make a few purchases before heading back to the hotel to have a shower before our transit flight to Hoi an. Visiting HCMC was an unmissable experience but we were all exhausted by our 24 hrs there.

We'd been warned that domestic flights in Vietnam are sometimes unreliable and often delayed but our trip with Jetstar Pacific went without a hitch. The plane was new and comfortable and the trip to Da Nang a quick 90 minutes. What a contrast it was to walk out of the Da Nang airport and into the waiting vehicle of our Hoi an transport. There even seems to be a respected road management system in Da Nang and although there were still a lot of motorbikes and horn pressing, it was lower key and without the imminent feeling of certain death that had accompanied every minute in HCMC.

The coastal road to Hoi an is a contrast of cultures and lifestyles. Swanky, exclusive resort complexes populate the beach front, their backs and manicured lawns firmly turned on the shanty like local houses behind them on the roadside. We have no concept of how it is to live at either end of the financial spectrum, so we just drove down the middle with our mouths agape.

Closer to Hoi an we got a glimpse of rural Vietnam with people in conical hats tending the fields and roaming water buffalo (that Google tells me are only here for the tourist trade). We're staying at Hoi an Rivertown, a new hotel on the river and close to the Old Town. The welcome here was delightful- fresh fruit and nuts and juice drunk through a lemon grass straw. Our room overlooks the river and an interesting motorbike bridge whose slippery, rubber surface already has us jumping up every 5 minutes to check out the latest crash!

From the balcony we watched the rain sweep in from further up the coast and waited it out by having an excellent dinner in the hotel restaurant. A wander through the night markets and a swim reminded us that we've come here to relax, something we don't do a lot of at home.

What takes you to Vietnam?

Given my aversion to noodle soup, humidity and (ever since I dislocated my knee playing netball),
squat toilets, South East Asia has never really been at the top of my travel list and yet, here I am, relaxing in an air conditioned hotel room in Ho Chi Minh City, recuperating from a fairly long travel day.
Several times lately, I've been asked why we chose Vietnam as a holiday destination, most recently by the dude at the car parking place last night-
" So, what takes you to Vietnam?"
With a red eye departure of midnight, I'd already had a long day so I gave the obvious answer of,
"A plane, I reckon!"
but it did give me cause to reflect on our decision making process.

It was actually a series of unfortunate events that led to this trip. Usually September is reserved for domestic travel but this year our spring vacation travel buddies are out of action while Maddy has chemo and it didn't feel right to be exploring other parts of Aus without them so we started exploring reasonably close, off shore options. Back in January, Sophie had a trip to Vietnam planned but a nasty injury to her partner put that trip on hold. And then, in serendipitous fashion, I was googling possible birthday gifts one afternoon just before Sophie's birthday and a super flight deal to Vietnam appeared in a pop up ad. Lots of people hate how the internet tracks their clicks and anticipates their every need but I quite like the way it tells me what I need before I even think of it. Killing two birds with one stone I sorted our September holidays and Soph's birthday present all in one. Of course by the time I paid for visas and vaccinations (not to mention baggage and food on the plane), it wasn't quite the bargain basement deal I started with, but c'est la vie.

We almost didn't make it onto the plane because coming through duty free we were offered a whiskey tasting. Never one to decline a free drink, I knocked back the minuscule shot in one go and in my greedy haste it caught in my throat. A coughing fit ensued and then something worse. It felt like a boa constrictor had hold of my neck. I couldn't breathe and just for a second I actually thought I might die. Luckily I had my own personal footy trainer with me and eventually some air trickled it's way back into my lungs. Dr Google tells me I suffered a laryngeal spasm. It's put me off whiskey until at least the end of this holiday!

Our flights were with Air Asia and the amount of raised eyebrows I got when I mentioned that to people had me a little worried but, apart from some general grottiness and an unfortunate incident with an unlocked toilet door, our flights today were on time and stress free. We were even lucky enough to have empty seats around us on both legs, giving us the luxury of a little more space.
A 5 1/2 hour stopover in Kuala Lumpur was tiresome but not the end of the world.

Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City in the middle of the day in the wet season is like being thrown into a maelstrom of rain and car horns and motorbikes. It's a jaw dropping experience to travel through the streets in a taxi surrounded by hundreds of motorcycles, all traveling seemingly in different directions with no actual rules as to who gives way to whom. If we thought the roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe was madness, this is a whole new level.

Because of the heavy rain, all the motorcyclist were wearing ponchos in a kaleidoscope of colours and patterns. Sometimes there were two people under the poncho, one driving and the other just sheltering, blindly oblivious to the chaos around them. We even saw the a pretty little pink sandalled foot poking out the side of one poncho, evidence of the toddler wedged between mum & dad on the bike.

Ho Chi Minh power grid !

We stayed at the Paradise Saigon in downtown District 1. Like most hotels in HCMC, it has its own day spa so a massage seemed like a great idea. Half an hour later, lying face down and naked with a complete stranger walking on my back, I wasn't so sure but having survived the hour long pummelling I have to admit I feel fantastic.

Sophie had read great reviews of the Cyclo Resto restaurant so we dodged the traffic, the street vendors and a couple of cat sized rats to find the little alleyway that is the Cyclo's home. There we ate, for $45 AU for the four of us, a 6 course traditional Vietnamese dinner that started with a prawn spring rolls and ended with egg coffee.

Full as googs we braved the traffic again to check out the night markets. I was once caught in a human traffic jam in Times Square on Christmas Eve - that had nothing on this swarming mass of humanity! Crossing the road is a russian roulette of mammoth proportions. You step onto the road, look straight ahead and move with purpose. Mostly the traffic then goes around you. I can't believe I have lived this long without seeing this sight before. It's like another dimension, a world I never knew existed.

I'm so glad we came.

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Try Time

Every couple of trips the Super 16 Rugby fixture coincides with our camp, giving Geoff a chance to watch his beloved Chiefs in action and giving the kids an opportunity to see a different code of footy.

So, on Friday we made it an all day excursion to Hamilton, stopping first at the Hamilton Gardens to check out their beautiful, enclosed theme gardens.  Herb, kitchen, camellia, Renaissance, Japanese, rose, Maori, tropical – a beautiful expanse of green and floral splendor in the middle of a big city.

From the gardens we drove to Claudelands to the Waikato Show, which sounded exciting on the website but was actually a watered down version of any country show at home. There were lots of promotional stalls, that apart from the ones offering free samples, failed to inspire any joy in the kids. Eventually they found a stall making identity bracelets that suddenly became ‘a thing’ and a few sad looking and expensive rides. We cut our visit short and went to Chartwell Square for an afternoon shopping browse.

Then it was on to the rugby. The boys (and a few girls) had a warm up practice in the park near the stadium while they devoured 20 pizzas before we found our seats in the Fanzone. Kids are well catered for at the rugby, with free supporters flags and packs for everyone, face painting and photo opportunities. This put everyone in the right frame of mind to support the Chiefs or the Auckland Blues or, like Lachie, display your national pride by wearing your Wallabies gear (brave man!)

Interest waned a bit during the stoppages in the first half but then at the start of the second half the Blues ran in a couple of tries and suddenly everyone was on their feet cheering and becoming part of the crowd swell for their respective team.

It was a long drive home in the dark and there was no trouble getting the kids to bed!

Yesterday we had a well deserved sleep in and a leisurely breakfast before driving into town to the Kuirau markets. The market isn’t big but it had an interesting array of local and international food to choose from. Hayley even got to do some work experience when the man running the popcorn stall asked her to mind the shop for him while he went to the toilet. The Kuirau location also gave us a chance to check out the thermal activity in the park. This is a great, free of charge experience, with steam vents and boiling mud pools scattered around the walking tracks.

After lunch we went to the Paradise Valley Wildlife Park. They keep a big cage of lions there. Go figure! The park wends its way around the Ngongotaha Stream which is full of trout at different stages of development. There’s also a NZ bird aviary and some very fat kune pigs, along with assorted geese, ducks, sheep etc. At 2.30 they throw chunks of horse meat to the poor caged lions. They fight over it and roar a lot. I think the kids enjoyed it. Personally I was glad to get away to do the shopping for dinner.

After dinner we went to the Rotorua Mini Golf. This was an fun, if a little bizarre, experience. It was raining pretty steadily and apart from the 80’s disco lights and laser displays (WT?) there wasn’t a great deal of lighting so it was a bit hard to see the course. Despite our booking being confirmed weeks ago, there were lots of other people playing and another large school group behind us. Consequently there weren’t enough clubs so we had to share, the other kids kept trying to play through even though the course was backed up to the gate, throw in several large, pet rabbits hopping aimlessly amongst the golfers, fake fog and two continually running bubble machines and you have a recipe for chaos! It was also a recipe for hilarity and since the score cards were too soggy to read, no on cared who won.

Today we took a road trip to Mount Maunganui. This is always a nostalgic journey for Geoff & me because it’s his ‘home’ beach and the place we were married many moons ago. Last night’s rain was still persisting when we got to our first stop, the obligatory 'Giant Kiwifruit' photo and then it was on to Kaiate Falls. The rain had the benefit of increasing the volume of the falls but it also increased the slipperiness of the track so it was a fairly cautious walk down. The cold water and rain didn’t deter everyone and quite a few of them stripped off for a wade at the base.

 From there we drove to Main Beach where most of us (including me) made an assault on the summit of the Mount. It’s not a terribly difficult walk but I was glad I’ve been step counting for the last few months. The view from the top, across Pilot Bay to Tauranga and down the coast as far as White Island is most certainly worth it.

We were planning fish and chips at the beach for dinner but it was a bit chilly so we stopped at Papamoa Beach for a quick swim and a beach comb and then came back to Ngongotaha for our fish & chips in the kitchen instead. This was also an inspired decision because it meant we drove home in the daylight and witnessed a magnificent sunset on the lake.

Action Time

I knew I was ambitious thinking I’d blog this trip every day but I had forgotten just how full on it is to travel with 34 other people! From the time our day starts (this morning it was with someone singing in the shower next door at 6.30am), until the last child is asleep at about 10.30pm, it’s a solid routine of preparing food, driving, having fun, more driving, shopping, preparing food and cleaning up. There’s not a lot of downtime for writing!

Tuesday was our second day of adventure tourism with a trip across the gorge and Pyes Pa Rd to Tauranga and the Waimarino Activity Centre. This is a great complex set on the Wairoa River and is the training home of lots of NZ’s finest kayakers.

With our delightful guide Amy, we spent the morning out on the river in kayaks, learning the finer points of paddling. The water at Waimarino is not ‘cold’ or ‘freezing’ – use of these words is forbidden! Rather, it is ‘refreshingly chilly’, as many of the kids found when they fell out. It was a fun filled and hilarious morning with hoots of laughter after every splash and lots of fantastic team work displayed getting each other back into the kayaks.

After lunch it was time to push a few personal fears while jumping, sliding , diving and catapulting into the river from various high structures. The water slide was popular, as was the high diving board. I never get tired of seeing the look of terror at the top being replaced by the grin of achievement at the bottom.

New safety rules on the Blob- a giant pillow that acts as a catapult when someone else jumps on the other end- meant that no one quite reached the stratospheric heights of previous trips, but it was fun nevertheless.

On Wednesday we headed out to Agroventures, home of the Swoop, Agrojet and Freefall. Again, this was about controlled risk and personal challenge. The Swoop is a bungy like structure about 40 metres high. 3 people are strapped together in sleeping bags and dropped from the top. The weight of the riders causes the cord to ‘swoop’ down to the ground and then out across the paddock. For some this is just great fun, for others it is gut wrenchingly terrifying. No one begged for their life at the top this year but there were enough blood curdling screams to keep the observers entertained all morning.

The Agrojet was also popular- 100 km and hr around a very narrow waterway with spectacular 360 turns and lots of water spray. Phil and Lochie even got extra bang for their bucks when their boat hit a bank and when a few of the boys got a bit too close to the ‘splash zone’ we got some more entertainment for free!

The Freefall is a simulated parachute experience where you lie face down over a giant wind turbine thingy and your face looks like a dog’s does when it puts its head out the window of the ute. It was ok.

At lunchtime we managed some souvenir shopping in Rotorua Central and then headed back to the Agrodome for the sheep show. Here we were introduced to 19 different breeds of sheep, a cow and some gorgeous NZ huntaway sheep dogs. For farm kids like ours the show is mildly amusing and confusing at the same time (like, who has trained sheep?) but it does provide an insight into the contrast between NZ and Australian farms and the clever way NZ has harnessed agriculture as a tourist attraction.

Back at Waiteti the kids had time for a swim and a fish. They spent a lot of time getting wet while they tried to push Geoff in the water. Unfortunately none of our fishermen have been successful yet but persistence pays and I’m hopeful of some fresh trout before the trip is over.

We have mainly younger kids in this group so evening entertainment has become important. Very few of them have their electronic devices with them which is fantastic but it does mean that once the sun goes down we need things to do. Cards and chess have made an appearance and we have a quiz each night on the day’s happenings, followed by a couple of concert items. On Tuesday the kids doing Les Mis this year sang a few of their songs and last night Sophie & Zoee kept us mesmerized with their songs from an upcoming choir performance.

Today we’re off to Hamilton to the gardens, the Waikato Show and then to Waikato Stadium to see the rugby.

Go Chiefs!