Back from Vietnam...

...and all I can say is that the country is truly wonderful. Funny, we've tried to plan this trip three times over the past ten years, but for some reason we always ended up going somewhere else instead. So, we are very happy that we finally made it!

We had no idea what exactly to expect, particularly because of the War (known there as the "American War"), but we were thrilled with what we found. We avoided trips to the "Hanoi Hilton", Cu Chi Tunnels, and all of the other popular war memorial sites, so perhaps we missed a big part of the recent history that has formed today's Vietnam, but as far as I can tell, the Vietnamese seem to have put the war behind them. I was also surprised, as I was during our brief stop in China, that the usual icons of capitalism (McDonald's, Starbucks, Coca Cola) have pervaded the socialist landscape, making all of the fighting that has been waged over conflicting ideologies seem particularly meaningless. The transcendent desire to "buy stuff" seems to have led nearly all the world's people to arrive at the same place anyway...  

Our trip started in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), and although our stop was brief, we did get a chance to soak up the atmosphere of the city. The streets are well-labeled and easy to navigate, with beautiful colonial buildings and lovely green city parks. Although we heard lots of talk of corruption, and I am aware that there are gangs of homeless kids that roam the streets of Saigon, we didn't witness any of this; instead we met friendly locals and teenagers in school uniforms, eager to practice their English with us.

After only a couple of days in Saigon, we moved to the central part of the country, to the town of Hoi An (near Danang). Hoi An is an old trading port dating to the 15th century, which managed to avoid being damaged during the war. On the full moon of each month, the lights are turned off along the riverfront, and everything is lit by lanterns. Although touristy, it was absolutely beautiful, like a dream. Southeast Asia at its most romantic:) We took a fantastic cooking class, ate the most amazing food, and spent a day at a nearby beach.

After four days in Hoi An, we headed north. We cruised Halong Bay on a Chinese-style junk for two nights, gliding past karst formations and hanging out with some really interesting people. One of the highlights was dinner in a cave (which was not nearly as corny as it sounds), which came to an abrupt end because a storm had hit. Making our way down 99 steps (Isabel counted) from the mouth of the cave to the dinghy, then crossing the bay in the dark, with the rain coming down sideways, wind gusts rocking the boat back and forth, lightning and thunder in the background, and an obviously near-panicked young crew, was more than a bit exhilerating, albeit the tiniest bit terrifying:)

We spent the last few days of our Vietnam adventure in Hanoi. A totally frenetic and atmospheric place, I think Hanoi is my favorite city of all that we've visited in Southeast Asia. Scams are aplenty (there was a slight altercation between Chad and a shoe-shine guy (actually, almost any scam that we've ever been involved in has had to do with a shoe-shine guy...) and we had a rigged meter in one of the taxis that we took), but I guess that's all part of the excitement.

Hanoi has fabulous museums (we visited the Women's museum and the Museum of Ethnology), restaurants, old temples, and a fun water puppet theatre. In the Old Quarter, women carry baskets of chickens, prawns, fruits and vegetables, selling their goods to cooks at street foodstalls, which people crowd around on tiny little plastic stools slurping up bowls of phở and drinking down bia hoi (fresh beer). Shops selling herbal medicines, headstones, tools, toys, really everything, line streets crowded with motorcycles and people moving in every direction. One of the most fun things to do there is to grab a table at a cafe and watch it all. I think that I could spend a month in Hanoi and not get bored...

Back here in Singapore, things are well. Recently we went to the Chingay Parade, an annual event  held in conjunction with the Chinese New Year festivities. This year's theme was "fire and snow" --  and really, how could it not have been great when fire was part of the theme? It was truly impressive, and a great evening out for the three of us.

At work, I'm keeping busy editing the Singapore Botanic Gardens' magazine, as well as some book manuscripts that NParks will soon be publishing. Things are going well for Chad, too, at Gardens by the Bay, and he'll be going to the UK next month to visit the Eden Project and attend the Chelsea Flower Show. Isabel's back at school today after two weeks off for spring break. She's really flourishing these days, and she continually makes us proud. She recently played her guitar in the school talent show, wrote and read an incredible poem on stage at the school's "Poetry Cafe" evening, and has a role in the school's upcoming Seussical musical (she's playing a Wickersham Brother).

Till next time, take care everyone. Enjoy the slideshow...
             

February update

Wow, it's been a really long time since I've written. Although I've had good intentions to write over the many months (I guess six of them now) since my last post, too many things have come up to distract me...trips, sicknesses, work, annoying children, etc...

So we've now been in Singapore long enough to experience the major holidays and other annual events a second-time around, and even though they may not be as new, they've been fun and exciting nevertheless. Sadly, we've also already been around long enough to say goodbye to new friends that we've made here.

Since my last post, Isabel celebrated her birthday with an art party with her best girlfriends, we went sari-shopping for Deepavali, and pushed our way through throngs of people to score Halloween candy. More recently, we've enjoyed hearing the sounds of drums accompanying the lion dances being held all over the island to bring in the Year of the Snake. Coincidentally, we actually saw a snake while hiking a couple of weeks ago, which I'm hoping means more good things to come for us this year!

Last October we visited Yogyakarta, on the island of Java (Indonesia). The town is about 3 hours from Jakarta, and is the arts and cultural centre of Java. What I loved most about the town was the lovely maze-like neighborhoods hidden just beyond the major streets - although you can't really see them from the road, you can explore them via half-hidden footpaths that wind between the houses and shops. We learned how to make batiks in one of these wonderful neighborhoods. The other big draw to the area are the temples of Borobudor (a Buddhist temple) and the Prambanan (a Hindu complex), both of which are UNESCO sites. One of the highlights for us was an open-air Ramayana dance competition - held at night and back-lit by the Prambanan - which ended with much of the stage being set on fire!    

Another great trip for us was our visit home for Christmas. It's funny, but in some ways "home" seemed almost as foreign as Yogyakarta. The streets outside our house in Phoenix, which we drove on for over seven years, seemed unusally wide, and the people everywhere seemed exceptionally lively. It's truly amazing how much your frame of reference can shape your perceptions:) It was really great to see friends and family, although our visits with them were far too short, and there were too many people that we didn't get a chance to see. We were heartened to see how much the "buy local" movement is growing in Phoenix, which seems (at least to me) to be playing a big part in the improving economy. We were soooo happy to eat our fill of Mexican food, too:) Visiting Isabel's old school, shopping at the Farmer's Market, and running into friends around town reminded us that we're still part of a wonderful community there, one  in which we're proud to have roots.

Visiting friends and family in the Quad Cities was also great, despite our short time there. One highlight was ice skating with our niece Elaina, nephew Jack, and Grandpa Jim (who enjoyed the fun safely from the sidelines). Isabel's parting from her cousins was tearful, although she was somewhat consoled by the knowledge that they'll be coming to visit us in Singapore for the entire month of July - which we couldn't be more excited for.  

We also had a mini-adventure on the way back to Singapore. During our 10-hour layover in Beijing, we visited the Great Wall of China! We were tired, freezing, and jet-lagged, but it was absolutely amazing. We got there at sunrise, and either because of the time of day, or the frigid temperature (it was seriously cold), we had nearly the entire section of the Wall to ourselves. Truly incredible:)  

Our trip home marked the half-way point for us here in Singapore, as Chad's contract is up in June of next year. It also provided us an opportunity to reflect a bit on where we've come from, where we are now, and where we may be going next. We don't know if we'll stay in Singapore longer or what our next move may be, but we're definitely aware of the potentially diminishing amount of time left for us to explore this part of the world. We're doing as much as we can, both in Singapore and around the region, and are still loving every bit of our adventures here. Until my next post, take care...