Debbie’s Blog

I sit here, saturday morning, all is normal, as it should be , I feel like Im in a different world , this is my home, this is North Wales.  I have left Vietnam behind me , but not in my heart I havent.  Thankyou all of you for your comments, Im never quite sure If anyone out there is reading my blog , until I recieve your feedback, thankyou for taking the time out (you know who you are !) .  Oh sorry for my punctuation and errors along the way, but I am just writing as I go…….and sometimes that is snatched minutes on a coach in some obscure place.

I forgot to mention Saigon, and really I dont know how I could , well I mentioned it from Hung my guides aspect.  But I really love Saigon , there is the influence of the French for sure, and the wonderful buildings, Opera House , Cathedral, Post Office ,they have some great restaurants in Saigon , real lovely and intimate, the food good , excellent in fact,  on the down side there is the War museum, which really is not for the faint hearted ! , the photographs are awful , and leave a lasting impression .

I sat in the four star Caravella hotel, next door to the Opera House, a lovely hotel,  having a drink in the bar on the roof , looking down into Saigon….lovely ! , I escaped the group for a few hours “me” time .  I look over and I can see the place were the Helicopter landed to pick up the Americans , that lasting film reel, it hasnt changed in 30 years , still the same, below me is the rex hotel,  a place were the journalists hung out and reported from , from that time .  That time , a moment in time ,  Vietnam will change , the developers will see to that !  but it will never take away the scars and the tears that have been left behind, scratch the surface and you will see.  Trust me ! .

I am in the process of organising a culinary delight to vietnam for next year ladies , watch out on the website, I have a brand new web designer and we will both be working on it . So comon all you budding chefs out there ….join me , you will not be dissapointed . !

Look out for my next trip in two weeks,  Rockies and Vancouver ……(bit of a difference , I know )

keep smiling you all out there !

xx me

Its 6.45 in the morning, and already its steaming hot ! …its drained the energy out of us, the heat , the humidity is a killer ! .  We have reached Can Tho on the Mekong Delta,  this morning we are going to the floating market, all the traders going about their business, selling the wares, iinteresting to see the river life, living on the river has been a way of life for this people for years……we weave in and out of their boats , they are up since four in the morning , now they are resting….The tour is drawing to a close, tommorow we fly back to dear old blighty , visions of  vietnam , I ponder for a moment ,  its the kindness of the guides that has left a mark in me this time , the unrelenting way they want to please me , and make everything good .  I am now the proud owner of a harmonica, my guide hung, went out to buy me one and presented it to me with BOTH HANDS a sign of respect in their country, he plays well, and wants me to too…I am not bad already , i have two notes of moon river , but he is an inspiration,  his tales and stories of when the war was, and the way it was when communism was here, will always be with me,  he remembers the day the helicopters came to take away the last of the americans stilll remaining in saigon , all that day he could not understand why on the radio, im dreaming of a white christmas kept on and on playing and playing …this was in fact april, above he could hear the helicopters in the distance, something was going on and he never knew quite what, until it was evident the next day ….It was the signal for all the americans to get out of saigon, the last remaining , the song was the signal to go ….and they did, some of the most famous of photographs and films is of that scene where they are climbing to the top of the building to get to the helicopter to get out…and get out they did , leaving the people to the hands of the Viet cong , and communisism, where there was brutality , no food, people murdered.  “iM DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS WILL NEVER MEAN THE SAME TO ME ANYMORE ” ! ….and on we go to the end of the tour….

I love Vietnam ,  colourful , exciting, vibrant….these are words I might use to describe it , the people ever lovely, gentle and gracious …

We tramp the tourist trail, a pagoda here, a monument there , photo , photo ….snap , snap !  We look with our eyes , but we do not see …oh its a great country , vietnam, you should go , our rep was great , the food was , well okay ,  very cheap,  great rate to the pound .  But we dont see , we dont look , and do we really care.?
Do we really see the scars and the tears that were left behind, do we hear the tales of its people and their suffering ?  I shed a silent tear with my guide, when he tells me his story ….his eyes cannot hide his pain, and I feel it too ……”you think you might ask for some chips at dinner tonight “? …photo , Photo ,  snap , snap !

The basis of every religion in the world should be kindness, there is not enough of it , or so I thought until I met someone who does not really know me , but did me the kindest deed , without hesitation , or reward or gain, we have much to learn from the East .

I am in dalat in the mountains , the air is wonderful and the cool temperature, a welcome relief from the soaring heat ……My guides on this tour have been wonderful and so friendly and helpful , they are gentle and love to laugh and have fun .

I am putting together a tour to vietnam for the chefs amongst us , wondering how many of you ladies out there would be interested ! .  The morning glory restaurant is run by miss vy and is a culinary delight , situated in old hoi an , you would not be disspointed .  She runs a cookery school based on street food , her mother and grandmothers recipes , a renowned chef through out vietnam .  We could do a programme based on going early to the market to pick up the local produce as she explains the ying and yang of the food, also the medicinal qualities of the herbs that vietnamese use throughout their cooking.  Vietnam cooking is the mixture of sweet , sour, texture , balance , herbs and passion …..come join me ladies ?  we will cook our own lunch, learn how to cook things like banana flower salad, three friends spring rolls….

It seems I havent been able to get a signal …I am in the most wonderful of places within vietnam….hoi an ! .  So old , quaint and the surrounding areas are stunningly beautiful .  The food is also the best in the land , aside from Saigon (ho chi minh city ).  We all took a bicycle ride in the country it is the most amazing experience , locals going about their business ,  I was coming up the rear end so to speak , when all of a sudden I heard a scream , in front of me one of the ladies had fallen headlong into the bushes, it could have been more serious , but thank heaven it wasnt , to be honest it was hard not to laugh, all was hurt was her pride. !! ..Stretcher party to the scene (thats me ) some Iodine and a plaster did the trick , all was well. Its very hard not to be moved by the Vietnamese people, all my guides have a tale to tell,  and communism and the war has effected them all in some way.  From being so poor , sharing shoes with your sister  for school, your father being sent to a correction centres and not seeing them for years on end and they return broken men , many were sent by their parents to the country to work the land to avoid communism .  Hoi an was bombarded by artilery from the Viet cong , many people died and suffered injuries .  We dont know the half of the situation .  And I count my blessings I grew up without fear , or hatred in my heart .

OOPS ! ….THE GUIDE SLIPPED UP ,  HE DIDNT REALISE THAT WE COULDNT VIEW HO CHI MINH TODAY AS THEY DECIDED TO CLOSE FOR TWO DAYS OF THE WEEK NOW, INSTEAD OF ONE…..NOT TO WORRY ,  AFTER THE CYCLO EXPERIENCE AROUND THE OLD FRENCH QUARTER , WHICH IS ONE NOT TO BE MISSED I THINK THE CLIENTS HAVENT GIVEN IT TOO MUCH OF A THOUGHT….AND QUITE HONESTLY ARE TIRED OUT ….UP AND OUT TOMMOROW TO HALONG BAY , ONE OF THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD, IM NOT GOING TO SAY 8TH , BECAUSE EVERY WHERE YOU GO IN THE WORLD , SOMETHING ALWAYS IS AN 8TH WONDER……BUT IT IS TRULY AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE TO CRUISE IN AND AMONG THE HUGE LIMESTONE PILLARS THAT JUT OUT OF THE CLEAR GULF OF TONKIN .  A BEAUTIFUL SEAFOOD LUNCH ON BOARD WHILST WE CRUISE , AND LOL ABOUT ON THE TOP DECK IN WONDERMENT OF THE WHOLE THING….LOCAL PEOPLE COME TO TRY AND SELL THINGS ALONGSIDE THE VESSEL,  WE PASS OUR MONEY, AND THEY SAIL AWAY WITHOUT GIVING US WHAT WE WERE PAYING FOR….GOTCHA !  THEY USE THE CHILDREN TO EXPLOIT WESTERNERS AS THEY ARE SO PHOTOGENIC, AND WE ARE LULLED INTO A SENSE OF SECURITY …AND THEN  THE STING COMES…A SHAME , BUT HEY WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD ….

Hi from Hanoi,

After a long and tedious journey , what seemed around the woods and trees , we eventually arrived here in Hanoi….

We had all been travelling for around about 24 hours , so all done in ! . Though it is surprising what a shower and dinner can do , and we seemed to revive a little slightly.  Its good to be back in the Far East once again , the smells the vibe of the place .. I do love it so much.

This morning we are all off on a mission ! a visit to Uncle Ho , to see the man himself lying in sate, my guide said sometimes when there is a technical difficulty they swap the body for a  wax one, I wonder what the technical difficulty  could possibly be ?? I mean he is just lying there, as we all shuffle around him, not much technical difficulty in that one would have thought ! I will have to warn the clients not to speak or whisper the guards get funny , and we could all end up in the Hanoi Hilton….oh my !

Onward we go with the Adventure !