good early morning Vietnam

By 5.30am Hanoi was very much alive and buzzing. The Vietnamese were out doing their morning exercises (walking, tai chi, badminton) and the markets were full of people
Here are a couple of pics from different very early mornings in Hanoi

Vietnam - the first 24 hours!

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Hanoi to Halong City

After a relatively good flight from Australia we arrived in Hanoi, and right from the airport the adventure began. We decided to take the airport bus into the city (only $2), while we were waiting to leave a taxi nearly reversed into the bus – the bus driver and some official looking dude (maybe a police man) gave the taxi driver a good clip around the ear! Once the bus was jammed packed we headed into the city.

And sure enough, just as it says in the Lonely Planet the bus dropped us off at the “Spring Hotel”. Unfortunately the Spring Hotel had no vacancies, lucky for us the hotel owner has another very nice hotel just around the corner – determined not to get conned we politely declined their offer and set off trying to find the actual Spring Hotel.

When we did find the Spring Hotel it wasn’t the best, but we were hot and bothered and just wanted to put our bags down and have a shower!

The plan for the rest of the afternoon was to find the train station and buy tickets for the next morning to go to Halong Bay . . . . . . well that was the plan anyway. For two hours we walked around in circles trying to find the station and eventually gave up and headed off to have some dinner. The dramas of the day actually added to the excitement of the evening – Reid proposed over dinner, it was very romantic! We were exhausted and pleased to be sitting down having a cold beer when Reid popped the question, suddenly the troubles of the day were forgotten and the rest of the evening involved lots of smiles and gazing lovingly at each other :p

The next morning we attempted to get the 6am train to Hai Phong. But we ended up at the wrong train station so wrangled a ride on a trailer on the back of a motorbike at high speed to the right station – only to have missed the train by at least 10 minutes!!

We caught our breath and had a huge bowl of Pho Bo (beef noodles) for breakfast.

Sitting at the little café eating breakfast we noticed loads of buses pulling out of a nearby street - with signs saying Halong Bay! We’re in luck! As we headed in the direction of the bus station a mini bus pulled over and a guy leapt out yelling “Halong Bay, Halong Bay”. There were a few other western tourists on the bus so on we hopped! Finally we were on our way ☺

Turns out we were just the first in a LONG line of passengers to be scooped up off the street and jammed onto the bus!

As the bus speed along the motorway, swerving amongst the traffic a guy at the front of the bus was learning out the door yelling at every person standing or walking anywhere near the road, what we can only assume was something like “where are you going”?? After a particularly long negotiation a woman with two young kids got on the bus – both the kids screamed for a good half hour, before they eventually got their own seat at the back of the bus. Not long after one of the kids puked all over the seat and all over Reid’s bag!! What a treat!

On the bright side, we did meet Chris and Jo (from England). It was nice to share the trip with someone and it took the stress out of the experience – when we finally got off the bus we didn’t feel too pressured to rush into the next thing, we just all sat down, had a beer, and relaxed for a while.

typhoon peipah

good news everyone!!! there is a typhoon approaching Vietnam and we are smack bang in the middle of its path! we'll be keeping an eye on the weather forecast for the next few days -eek!

vietnam

so I'm not going to write much now, I'm trying to keep decent notes so I can write something coherent when I get home

One week down and two weeks to go - everything is such an adventure, but it's getting easier now.

I'm still not sure when I say "Xin Chào" if I'm actually saying "hello" or "rice pudding" and or when I say "Cảm on" I'm saying "thank you" or "shut up". But a smile usually seems to clear things up!!

We've done so much, at the end of everyday it feels like we have had two days!!
We started in Ha Noi and then headed out to Halong Bay and stayed on Cat Ba Island, then back to Ha Noi and up to Sa Pa. We had a brilliant guide in Sa Pa - Tan - he totally made the whole trip.

ok, need to be out exploring instead of in an internet cafe!

until next time :)

Tạm Biệt

holy sh*t

so slightly delayed announcement, but Reid and I are now engaged!!!

It was very romantic, after a very long day hot day in Ha Noi Reid popped the question and the rest is history!! We were eating dinner in a very western (but welcome) restaurant called Cyclo - straight from the Lonely Planet. We managed to almost get conned into a hotel we didn't want to stay at, dropped on the wrong side of town and then walked into the wrong part of the Old Quarter. PLUS couldn't find the Ha Noi train station even after nearly two hours of searching!

no other plans so far tho - still need to get the ring sorted!

:)

singapore

so it's been a while!!

Reid and I are off to Vietnam for THREE fabulous weeks!!!

Reid is attempting to blog his every moment, by the time we were on the plane ready for take off from Melbourne he had already created three posts! So I thought I might make an effort too!

so here we are in Singapore airport killing time before our connection to Hanoi . . . . . . I'm a little sleepy and riding on excitement!

Wilson's Prom

Over Easter Reid and I headed down to Wilson's Prom. The weather was perfect, the scenery beautiful, and we had a great relaxing time!!

We walked to the top of Mt Oberon for a great view (and saw an ant that was at least an inch long!!)

Hung out at the beach

Went on a bike ride

Checked out the local craft market . . . . . doh!

Watched the sunset

I wonder - if John Howard can deny the existence of climate change, then farmers probably could make a good argument not to stick to water restrictions???
On our bike ride we came across this lone sprinkler watering what appears to be a small circle of grass . . . . . clearly very important

do as i say . . . . or do

I'm not sure what the dude is trying to say in this (ever so credible) USA Today article.

"Gore isn't quite as green as he's led the world to believe"

His book is entitled "Do as I say (Not as I do)" - in this case do as I say is nit pick for the sake of publication . . . . . or is that what he does

no one likes a tattle tale!

if I was a celebrity

just because it is heavily celebrity endorsed doesn't make it a bad thing . . . . . if I was a celebrity I would get involved!

www.global-cool.com

A Tonne Of Cool is a clever cocktail of environmental goodness that invests in energy reduction projects, alternative energy projects, allows you to spare the world at least one tonne of CO2 and helps us to put on more shows (carbon neutral of course) and make more programmes to make a bigger noise to get more people to do their bit to save the planet.

Great Ocean Road II

Over Australia Day weekend Reid and I headed down the Great Ocean Road. Here are a few snap shots from the trip

Traffic was pretty heavy on the way down so we stopped a plenty of lookouts to stretch our legs

We also visited the Otway Fly. I have been there before with Mum and Dad but it was pouring with rain and that created quite a different atmosphere - this time the trees didn't seem to capture my attention quite the same



We completed one section of the Great Ocean Walk. I was prepared for an all day adventure - however we completed the return trip in a little over two and a half hours.

Here we are at the car park


The view at the start of the walk was pretty good (Great Ocean-y)

But most of the time it was just scrub


and very windy!


Here we are at the end of the walk


We visited the 12 Apostles and Thunder Cave - again the weather was very calm so not quite as exciting as the last trip

May 2006

January 2007

but spectacular nonetheless


and of course it's not a trip in Oz without creepy crawlies

We stayed at a pretty daggy motel in Port Campbell. It had a kettle and toaster - but no cutlery, so if we hadn't bought our own we'd have had trouble buttering our toast!! And the jug was too big to fit under the tap in the sink so we had to fill it up in the bath!! Funny!

It was a nice trip - great to get out and see more of Australia

it's raining

WOOHOO

It's raining in Melbourne for the second day in a row!!! I never thought I'd be pleased to see rain!

Apparently rain isn't falling in the water catchment areas, but many bush fires have received a good dousing!

Here's a pic of the rain radar at 5.55pm

off to a good start

How's this for a brilliant start to a New Years resolution!

So far this year we have seen three movies - The Queen, The Pursuit of Happiness, and Clerks II (at the moonlight cinema). It was a bit windy at the moonlight cinema and the screen nearly blew over a couple of times - but it added to the atmosphere :)

We went to the Tenacious D concert last night - which was brilliant, they put on a great show and were very entertaining! It must have been 50 degrees inside the venue and we came out totally covered in sweat! GROSS!

Next weekend we are off down the Great Ocean Road to Port Campbell - hopefully we'll do the Princetown to Glenample hike, which is a section of the Great Ocean Walk.

The Queen

Reid and went to see The Queen (the movie).

For both of us the film reminded us of how we felt at the time of Princess Diana's death - for me it was sad, for Reid on the other hand he thought it was all a bit much.

I think this event highlighted that as a society we can still unite and that we do depend on those around us to help shape our thoughts and actions (geez, that's all a bit deep). But really, I think in this instance it was comforting to see that others were struggling to deal with situation of Princes Diana's death.

Whether or not the movie reflects any reality I think it does highlight how the values and morals of our society have changed - perhaps for the worse (maybe if this happened in Queen Vic's time - she would have held firm and garnered more support for her unwavering strength and resolve than for bowing to the whims of the few.

Or maybe it is just a valuable demonstration in the power of the press . . . . .

either way, interesting film, brilliant acting from Helen Mirrim

fresh

West Coast - NZ

Reid and I spent two weeks in NZ over xmas.
I spent the first week travelling down the West Coast of the South Island with Mum and Dad - which was absolutely spectacular - here's a quick summary:

Green as far as the eye can see - green hills, green fields, green rivers (in contrast to Australia which is brown/red as far as the eye can see). For New Zealand, 2006 was the year of rain, flooding, and landslides - this TVNZ news article summarises the year of bad weather in NZ over the past year.

weatherboard homes - esp in lime green



blue and yellow letter boxes - EVERYONE has one!












it was a very quiet trip, with lots of stops to take in the view - here are a few snap shots:


















A few people pics





















A little local humour



















Local tourism promotion



















Local wildlife



















Mt Cook (Aoraki) & Tasman



Sunrise at Fox



Fox Glacier



Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks)



Lake Paringa



The End of the Road - Jackson Bay

resolutions

I would summarise 2006 as the year of telly.

Working part time meant no money to do anything fun so Reid and I stayed home and watched hours and hours of telly. Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with that, but there is more to life . . . . .

so I have named 2007 the year of activities. My goals are pretty simple - do more stuff and see more of Australia. With any luck we might squeeze in an overseas holiday too - I think my first preference will be Vietnam - but we'll see how we go!

We've booked in a few events so far - a couple of moonlight cinema sessions and the Tenacious D concert. So I guess we're off to a good start (although we have spent today hungover and in front of the telly!!)

the glaciers

I'm in the midst of a little research and will report my findings back here shortly, but in the meantime I'm going to pop up a link about global warming.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute has started an ad campaign for CO2. What was I just saying about spin-doctors??? I'm not sure if the adverts actually made it onto US telly, but they are on You Tube so they may as well be. The first time I watched the video I thought it was a joke! A skit you see on those comedy shows, but no it seems to be for real.

There are 2 adverts - one that the glaciers aren't melting and one that suggests energy from fossil fuels isn't a problem!

MOFOs!

Funny that today I read a headline in the Age "As evidence of climate change mounts, wild weather patterns pose major challenges and risks for industry"

If its going to effect the economy. . . . .

thank you for smoking

When I hear the word lobbyist I automatically think dodgy. I'm sure there are plenty of organisations or industries who lobby the government for the purposes of good, but the World Wildlife Fund wouldn't be the first thing to spring to mind if someone were to ask what does a lobbyist do??

My first thought is someone who works in the oil, tobacco, gun, or fast food industries – industries with vast amounts of money to throw around to ensure the long-term survival of their business. There's nothing wrong with wanting to make a buck and certainly nothing at all wrong with fighting for something that you have poured your heart and soul into (especially if it has provided you with a very comfortable lifestyle in return). I know I wouldn't let that go without a fight.

Thank You For Smoking is a light-hearted political satire taking a brief glimpse into the life of the number one lobbyist for big tobacco in the US. The money aside, I'm puzzled as to why someone would want such a job? What drives a person to get up there and not just support, but fight for a side that these days is seen as evil. Sure you're morals might need to be a little flexible but to rise to this challenge and come away convincing people your product is not only not bad, but actually might be good and worth buying – “if you can do tobacco you can do anything!”

What impressed me the most about this film was despite the title I didn’t come away feeling that the film was for or against smoking! This was a film about politics not about smoking!

All of that aside at the end of the day they are still spin-doctors, they still have a product that causes harm to people and worst of all they succeed – governments accept their money, people turn a blind eye, the little person loses out, and the fat cats get fatter.

This film wasn’t deep, there was nothing profound, it isn’t going down in history – but its message was clear and simple.

very enjoyable

new job

after weeks (that feel like months) I've landed myself a new job.

and now that I look back it has been exactly 2 months to the day that one of the managers at work asked if I was interested in a job in his department.

The irony doesn't stop there - this morning I attended a training session on the new online recruitment system the university has implemented! It spells the end of paper forms, hand signatures, and internal mail delays - in fact the two week process of getting a job advertised has now been reduced to a mere 48 hours!!!!!

oh my god what am I saying - am I a whinger or what!!! yeah yeah yeah, I got a cool new job today and I'm friggin wrapped!!!

Its the start of a new career and a full time salary!!!

if I ever think of going back to study I'll need to save a butt load more money so I can actually have a life!!

YAY for me :)

crushing

the All Blacks had a crushing defeat last night. South African won 21/20 with a penalty in the dying minutes. devastating!!!

This was the All Blacks final tri nations game for the season and despite already securing the Bledisloe Cup and the Tri Nations cup it would have been nice to go through the season undefeated.

All that aside the game was fantastic, the All Blacks played well with plenty brilliant moments.

The ref was pretty good too - albeit whistle happy! He seemed to read the game pretty well (could have played advantage a little longer sometimes) and explained clearly every call. There was no sneaking anything past him - he knew every little cheat and trick.

I also admire the way he always had the safety of players in mind with several comments of "watch you heads" and he was very particular setting the scrum.

This is one area where I think rugby outshines AFL - the safety and well being of players is not only considered but paramount. Areas of the game that put players at risk are quickly identified and rules put in place to prevent injury. No one likes to see a player stretchered off the field - in contrast the crashing injuries in AFL all seem to be part of the spectacle.

What's more the ref in rugby makes sure it's a clean game - sure certain players might get targeted, but its all above board, none of the off the ball antics you see in AFL. It seems some AFL players are only on the team for their knack at giving the sly punch to the kidneys!!!

OK Go

OK Go's music video for their latest single Here We Go Again is brilliant.

The band have choreographed a routine for the whole song on a series of treadmills.

how do people come up with these sorts of ideas! neat :)

OK Go - Here We Go Again

faith

faith - the biped dog!

this is a pretty tough call, until now Namo (my Mum's guide dog) has held the title for me of worlds most amazing dog - now I think he may have a competitor. A women in the US has a dog with only two hind legs, and she has taught it to hop and walk. You can download the video off her website - so amazing. I watch the video with the sound off tho - she is very churchy and God has given her this miracle. But all that aside I think the positive vibe that she takes from the dog and shares with everyone is a good thing, and if people want to do good things then you wont see me complaining about their method.

as for the contest - after careful consideration Namo wins hands down