Debbie’s Blog

…I have been missing for a while, just busy and I didnt find my home town too exciting to talk about to be honest.  I was in the Rockies and that was something to talk about , had I have had a signal on my laptop ….and when I did ,  something was always happening .  For instance all the electric was knocked out in our hotel because someone had crashed through the electricity pole , didnt help that it was raining in torrents outside, no restaurants could cook because , hey , no electric…..so all my clients went to bed cold, hungry and with no electric , great holiday eh ? , but you know it all adds to the adventure of the whole trip , was a different story in the morning.  The Rockies are without a doubt , wonderful ,  a picture postcard on every corner , we ended up in Vancouver, a city I have visited many times , I used to work for Princess cruises and we used to sail in and out of Canada Place all the time .  The dalai lamai says its the most balanced city in the world ,  feng shui at its best, oh oh I hope I got that right and didnt name a shushi dish !

Check out Granville Island , its wonderful, with its market, little water taxi to get there .  Go down to Hornby Street and get to the little pier for the water taxi , which will take you across for a dollar or two , wonderful stuff,  the little taxi , weaves in and out of the boats and arrives about 2 mins later , take in the atmosphere, street entertainers , grab some fish and sit outside, or better still do what I did and eat at the Sandbar, amazing seafood ,  I had fresh tuna with salad , and had a seat outside,  with a glass of wonderful wine, just went down a treat .  I even chatted with a couple from Hong Kong , who shared their ribs with me ….well you know their dish of ribs.  …A glad to be alive day, you know the ones we have here in dear old blighty when the sun doth shine….

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

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 .