All New Adventures

The roller coaster of life

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:30:00 +0000

It was not unexpected per se, but it was still shocking none the less. When the doctor is standing there and telling us they will not resuscitate if something happens, well that pretty much sums up where things are at. What can we do now? What can we say? A whole lot of nothing as we stood around my aunt's hospital bed and listened intently as the doctor that looked like he's only made it past puberty speak the words we did not want to hear; "perhaps", "two", "weeks", and "hopefully" were used. I wasn't sure whether they made up a complete sentence or just fragments of the conversation I could hear as I was covering my laughing child's mouth who thought everything was all of a sudden hilarious. Of course! Timing is everything and my son certainly doesn't have it.

~~~~~

The morning was perfectly still and a little misty. It was crisp, and after Kien polished off 1 slice of toast with Vegemite and another with honey I bundled him up into the buggy and headed to playgroup. I told him if he was really good this morning and did not complain or whinge about anything that I would give him a star.

He was a star that morning.

~~~~~

Of course it is sort of funny that we've known for months and months this was to happen sooner rather than later, and yet when the news came we all looked shell shocked and dumbfounded. The doctor kept asking my aunt whether she understood, and she kept saying yes. I think at that point it really sunk in the finality of it all. When the doctor left we couldn't help but all burst into tears. Far out, man, cancer is #%€*!•<@ awful.

~~~~~

Kien didn't cry or whinge at all yesterday morning. In fact he was in such a happy mood. He played in the garden for ages - running back and forth collecting rocks from the other end of the garden so he could gather them all in a pile on the table. It's one of those things he likes to do.

If only every day was like this.

~~~~~

I had a really hard time shutting my brain off to go to sleep last night, and when I finally got some shut eye at around 2am I was awoken by Kien screaming for me at 3:30am. I grabbed my pillows and his milk and crashed out in his bed.

I woke up in the morning and head to the office where I shuffled some e-mails around, organised some people to do some testing for one project, and did a presentation and multi system demo for my team. Life continues like it always does, and I hoped the nurses gave my aunt a good dosage of relaxants so when I visit her in the evening she will not be weeping. Life is short regardless of how long you've been here.

The sun in amongst the rain

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Thu, 09 May 2013 11:50:00 +0000

No doubt about it, parenting is likened to a marathon and not a sprint. A good friend of mine told me that the other day. Teaching your child about the world and all the good, the bad and the ugly takes a lot of effort and a lot of time. Also a lot of patience. A lot! A LOT!

So guess who decided as soon as we got to playgroup on Tuesday that he would rather sit in the buggy than run around? Then 20 minutes later he asked to go home. "Mummy, I want to go home".

10 seconds later, "Mummy, I want to go home".

5 seconds later, "Mummy, I want to go home".

1 second later, "Mummy, I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home".

We went home. No delaying tactics worked, and wait - isn't playgroup supposed to be somewhere the child wants to be? We went home and we mucked around on technology for a bit and then we went shopping.

I am definitely not a lover of shopping, but boy did we have fun shopping! We ran around the big red shed and browsed every isle and contemplated purchasing lots of things but in the end walked away with 2 books, 2 drawer organisers, and a pair of "Spiderman" gumboots (they just have spiders on them but he calls them Spiderman gumboots which is great because I didn't have to pay for the royalties).

It was such a beautiful day weather wise - the one day this whole week when the rain went away and the sun graced us with its presence, and perfect for going to a park and running around. But I didn't want to be brow beaten by a demanding 3 year old at a big park with lots of contraptions that I really did not want to participate in and on. So we went to one of my favourite little spots in the city - Browns St reserve.

It's tucked away a few doors down from Ponsonby Rd and spans the width between Richmond Rd and Brown St. The playground consists of 2 swings - that's it. 2 swings, a pathway, some benches, lush lawn, and enclosed with white picket fences, agapanthus and lavender bushes. The shrubbery is seasonal and well maintained, hence every time I'm here I feel like we are in someone's private little garden.

Kien had a great time on the swing, and here's a video to prove it.

Here is a link to the HD version: Swings At Browns Street Reserve from Lien on Vimeo.

After that we just did a lot of running back and forth from one end of the reserve to the other. He'd say, "Let's race", and I would agree, and then he'd say, "Ready, steady, go!" and take off squealing with delight. He'd always want to win, so he would give me instructions, like, "Mummy, I'm going to win. Okay?" or, "Mummy, I want to win!" Luckily for him he's playing with his mother, or rather he's my son so I'm not about to get all competitive or anything.

We ran and giggled and jumped over bags and shoes while the afternoon slowly came to a close, and it was magical.

He picked daisies for both his mum and his dad, mostly for his dad.

I took a photo of him giving Jef the flowers he picked. "These are for my daddy.", he said.

It goes to show we can get sun amongst the rain, and when it shines it beams.

Catching up

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:42:00 +0000

Its hard to settle back into the routines of everyday life as it seems like we've been away for a really long time. I guess 3 and 1/2 weeks is a really long time being away from regular habits, schedules, normalcy, especially for a three year old. There is so much to catch up on, especially at work, but it all still feels a bit surreal. I know I'm back home, but it feels strange, and when I wake up in the middle of the night (or rather 3am) I think I'm in a hotel somewhere in Southeast Asia. Kien's body clock is scrambled too. He isn't tired until 23:30, and for the first 3 days he slept in until well past midday. The last couple of days we've had to wake him for daycare. I've put him to bed every night at 21:30 since we've been home, and oh boy, have there been dramas! I'm hoping that with being back at daycare he will just click back into his regular routines again.

I've tried to regularly post while we've been away, and since we've crammed in so much I haven't been able to keep up with blogging everything. Now that we are back it seems silly to pick up where I left with the last blog post. So much has happened since then! For instance, the day we got on the train from Danang heading back to Nha Trang my dad felt terribly sick. He went to the doctor who said it was just a viral thing. We were in Nha Trang for 3 days and he didn't feel better so when we got to Saigon we took him to the hospital. It turns out he was inflicted with Dengue Fever. This basically put a halt to any further travel plans until we sorted him out. He was hospitalised for 5 days, and I had to arrange all insurance coverage for him, and speak with doctors back in NZ, and relay messages back and forth to my dad. The scariest part was if his platelet count dropped in the middle of the night when we weren't around and my dad couldn't tell them that under no circumstances were they to give him a blood transfusion. But that didn't happen, much to everyone's relief.

When everything was under control and all looked good we left my aunt, Pauline and my dad in Saigon to recuperate and Jef, Kien and I jumped on a plane for Cà Mau to join my stepmother with her family. The last time we were in Vietnam we spent quite a bit of time with them, and they welcomed us like family. It was no different this time around.

Hanging around home

We did a lot of hanging around and not doing much at all. It was great! It also rained for a few days, so we couldn't really go anywhere anyway. When it rains it pours - heavily.

We were fed - oh boy were we fed by the family. No sooner had we finished a meal and they are already asking whether we are hungry, or even worse is when they serve up yet another course as a "snack" or they've sent someone off on the scooter to buy more food. It was hard work keeping up with all the eating, and I'm not even being sarcastic either.

Sea snails - they are so so good!

The crab that jumped around inside the pot as it was being boiled to death shocked my westernised heart when I walked into the kitchen. I asked why they don't boil the water first and drop the thing in to kill it quickly. They all looked at me like I was an alien. I guess I am in this place. Life is cheap after all, and when there are starving people littering every street outside why the hell would anyone blink at creatures that are going to be served up at your next meal. I told them I felt sorry for the crab, and they laughed and said it will die soon enough. Then they pointed at the thing in the pot and said, "See, it's dead now." It was dead, and then I ate it 10 minutes later.

We ate it dipped in salt, pepper, fresh crushed chilli, and lime juice. We had some cockles to compliment our snack.

I got over the so called "cruelty to creatures" thing pretty quickly. It's just the way of life here, and that's that. Here Thanh was grilling a type of creature that was a cross between an eel and a mullet. Those things were still writhing when she stuck a chopstick down its throat and chucked it on the grill. Yes, it's just the way of life here.

Also a way of life here is to eat anything and everything. I'm pretty sure these guys have eaten pretty much anything that moves. They asked us if we wanted to try a dish of dog or cat which we promptly declined. Everyone here thinks dog flesh is very good for them, and delicious. They persuaded us to try it and see. I saw one BBQ'ed at the markets. No, I didn't take a photo. It made me feel nauseous. Same with rats, and yes, they eat those too. We saw a lady who had cages of live rats for sale at the river, and she would prepare and cook rat for us right there and then. No, I didn't take a photo of that either.

~~~~~

The last time we were here we tried fresh banana liquor, and it was divine. So An went and got us 2 types - machine pressed (in the bottle) and hand pressed (in the bag). Both were great, but the hand pressed definitely tasted better. Funny that, it was more expensive (if you call a few cents to us expensive).

Meals are served on the floor. There is just no room for dining tables and chairs. All meals are served with lots of vegetables. They all love vegetables, and so lucky that the greens are completely fresh and straight from the market. As there are hardly any storage spaces in their homes they go to the market often. Good thing the markets are really close. I remember my grandmother doing exactly the same thing. She would go to the markets every day at noon while we were napping.

Out and about

Speaking of markets, they are bustling and lively, where people can ride straight up to the stalls on scooters and purchase fresh produce for their next meal.

Also just down the road is an amusement park. We took Kien and his next door neighbour friend a couple of times.

We also went out for "snacks" a few times, mainly after we've gone somewhere (like the amusement park or just riding around on scooters for fun), and usually after dinner. I know, like I said, they are either eating their breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or pre breakfast, lunch, or dinner snacks, or post breakfast, lunch, or dinner snacks.

That's a frog's leg, and I ate it.

On the river

Cà Mau is surrounded by rivers. These rivers snake all around the south as part of the Mekong Delta. We took a boat out to observe life on the water.

These peoples' lives depend on these rivers (or is that just a consequence of living here?). It is so interesting to watch as they go about their business; women (some men, but mostly women) row passengers back and forth across the river, and produce being transported and sold.

The young guy helming the boat we were on is the son of this man. This man has so much expression written all over his face and I just want to cry looking at him.

I took so many photos of our river ride I can't post them all on this blog, so I picked out a few more which I've put into the below slideshow. If you are receiving this blog post via e-mail and are interested in seeing some images of reclaimed land, giant engines, life in/on/around the river, fuelling on the river - come to this blog post online.

1. Just like roads on land forking out these are forks on the water.
2. We pulled up here to refuel. I had to pay for their services at this point since they had no cash - $VND300,000.00
3. The river bank that has been filled in.
4. Engine repair shop - there were some giant engines inside that place. The mechanic casually smoking a cigarette while working.
5. A boat being powered by a giant engine. It was fast.
6. Swimming in the murky water. I didn't even want any of it to splash on me let alone bathe in it.
7. Day to day tasks, like doing the dishes.
8. A beautiful entranceway.
9. A little girl fishing for something in the water.
10. Propellers in the sky.
11. Getting ready to pull up to the river bank to let his customers off.

We enjoyed our river boating experience very much.

Exploring Đà Nẵng

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:42:00 +0000

We got a taxi and told the driver to just drive - we will tell him where to stop. So we drove along the coast and saw a small place off the beaten track so we told him to stop there. "Don't you want to go somewhere else? This place isn't for tourists.", he said. I told him it was where we wanted to be, and he gave me his number to call when we need a ride back. That's what all taxi drivers do here; they all want your business and are willing to wait around for you all day if need be. They'd probably make more money from our one single fare than to drive around trying to find people looking for rides.

So here we are. This is "China Beach", but not as you know it. Jef and I needed to see some real life, not how it's presented for tourists. This place we stopped at was pretty real, and awesome in its realness.

This is a fishing village, where the locals go out, get their daily catch to (hopefully) feed their families. Where we stopped was a place on the street opposite where they live. There are some block buildings, but mainly there are shacks and makeshift housing.

The young dude who ran this place was so laid back it was ridiculous. We got some warm beers, and sat under the shade of the tent. He went off into his little storeroom and came out with some watermelon which he offered to Kien and a cigarette which he offered to Jef. We thanked him and took the watermelon piece.

He was selling live seafood there, and he went down to the beach and brought up fresh seawater occasionally.

After a few beers we decided to head off. We tried giving him a tip but he wouldn't accept it! So we left it on the counter instead. It's funny, I noticed that everywhere we've been people have accepted tips, except for Danang.

The young dude and his friend called a taxi for us, and this place is so off the beaten track that even the taxi driver had a hard time finding us.

We were finally in a cab and asked the driver to take us along the coast for a bit. We then decided to go back into town. He drove us over the dragon bridge and stopped so we could take photos. Can you imagine doing that on the Auckland Harbour bridge?

We were feeling pretty hungry at this point so we asked to be dropped off at the river. We walked down one of the side roads to find a place that sold rice. That was Kien's lunch sorted.

Then we walked up the road and I saw a place that sold some traditional Vietnamese dishes.

Bánh Nậm

These are flat rice flour dumplings with shrimp and spring onions, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. They are delicious.

Bánh Bèo

A variety of small steamed rice cake usually filled with chopped dried shrimp, spring onions, mung bean paste, crispy fried shallots, and eaten with blended fish sauce and fresh chilli. These are one of my childhood favourites.

Bánh Bột Lọc

Translucent shrimp dumplings - these are a speciality of the central region, specifically Đà Nẵng and Huế.

Doesn't the food look great? I can't help but take lots of photos of food on this trip!

The not so sleepy village called Hoi An

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 05:49:00 +0000

I had heard such wonderful things about this place. A lot of people I've spoken to that visited here fell in love with this village and said it was their favourite destination in Vietnam.

Undoubtedly the Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries buildings that display a unique blend of local and foreign influences is absolutely beautiful, and for that alone this town was worth a visit.

I just wished that it was a quiet, sleepy, undiscovered riverside village that it definitely should be, because the charm and history of this place was largely lost on me due to the overwhelming catering for tourists dominating this area. Tourist trap central! There were more tourists here than anywhere I have been in Vietnam, to the point where I could hardly even take a photograph without having a tourist photo bombing - yes, there were that many here!

But still, both Jef and I managed to get some shots of this beautiful village despite the tourists.

We wandered the old streets that now no longer served as residential dwellings, but rather storefronts selling anything from souvenirs to knock off label bags and shoes. But this place is famous for its textiles and cheap tailored clothing, usually made to order. I got myself a sling to use for the rest of this trip. I had to describe what I wanted, because they had no idea what a sling was (which really surprised me).

We sat and relaxed at a cafe and enjoyed the pristine conditions, which is so unlike the Vietnam I know. I wasn't complaining, it was a nice break from the reality of this country. Oh, and what's more they even had NZ ice cream on offer.

We strolled along the river, and I imagined how much I would have loved this place before they kicked out the residents and moved in the tourist operators.

There was an area called Old Town where the streets are lined with lanterns. It was very pretty and probably even prettier during the evenings.

We also went into a large department store full of beautiful (and expensive) clothes. There is no bartering at this place, which was unique given that everywhere else it was expected. They had silkworms here, and we were able to touch and hold them. They looked and felt like caterpillars.

It was a fun outing, and certainly an experience.

Danang and the Marble Mountains

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:07:00 +0000

Where has the time gone? I guess when you're on holiday time has a tendency to slip through your relaxed fingers, although I must admit we've not really had a chance to "relax", as it were. We've been on the go pretty much the whole time during this adventure - so many places to see, so little time!

Training it to Danang

So we hopped on a train again over a week ago, this time bound for Danang. It was a 4:30am start waiting outside our hotel for a taxi to the train station.

We got to the station and waited some more. My poor son was very tired, and he needed lots of cuddling.

The scenery heading north was beautiful and varied. We were on the coast for a bit of the journey, looking out to the South China Sea.

Then we were inland seeing the countryside, mountains, rivers and people.

This is why I wanted to ride the trains as we get to see more of the country and the contrast between big city Vietnam and small towns.

We arrived at our destination at dusk.

From our hotel room we got a great view of the city and two of the bridges over the river.

The Marble Mountains (Ngũ Hành Sơn; "Five elements mountains")

The following day we hired a van (driver included) and headed for Hoi An. We stopped at the Marble Mountains, a cluster of five marble and limestone hills that are named after the five elements (Ngũ Hành) of the ancient oriental philosophy; Kim Sơn (mountain of metal), Mộc Sơn (Mountain of Wood), Thuỷ Sơn (Mountain of Water), Hoả Sơn (Mountain of Fire), and Thổ Sơn (Mountain of Earth).

There are a number of caves, grottos and Buddhist temples on the mountains with natural entrances and tunnels. We took the elevator up the Thuỷ Sơn with the spectacular views to all 4 mountains and the Danang coastline.

There was a beautiful pagoda up here, dating from the seventeenth century.

One cavernous cave housed an entire temple, with Buddhas carved out of the cave's rock. Rays of sunlight streamed from mossy ceiling openings far above and always with the air wafting with the smell of incense. Everything joined with steps of marble amid trees and fluttering butterflies.

This was such a magical place, and the cool mountain breeze was a welcome relief from the heat of the day.

Long Sơn Pagoda

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 01:29:00 +0000

Sure it's a tourist attraction with a giant white Buddha that looms large high on a hill and one has to climb 152 odd steps to see it. If you've seen one pagoda you've seen them all, right?

From my grandparents house (which was confiscated by the government when they left Vietnam) the Buddha was clearly visible up on this will, and a constant reminder of my family's personal loss as a result of the infamous Tết Offensive in 1968.

Tết is a huge festival; new year, new moon, first day of Spring, optimism. It's also a time when the Viet Cong knew everyone would be in celebration mode and vulnerable, and a period when no attacks were supposed to take place due to a prior agreement to "cease fire". My uncle, my dad's eldest brother, went to the Long Sơn Pagoda that night in 1968 and never came home. My grandmother sent my dad up to the temple the following afternoon, and this was where my dad found him.

He had been kneeling and praying in front of the Buddha, and unbeknownst to him and other worshippers the Viet Cong were hiding inside the base, waiting to ambush. My dad found his body, slumped over but still in the kneeling position. My father was 20 years old, and he peeled his brother off the stone floor, put him on the back of his scooter and took him home. My dad was now the eldest child, and the responsibilities for the entire family rested on his shoulders from that point on.

Po Ngar Cham Towers

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 05:08:00 +0000

The Po Nagar Tower is the name of the main temple in a complex of Cham towers on a knoll at the river-mouth of the Cai River, 2km north of Nha Trang city. This holy place remains revered by locals, and an interesting look back into a time of the Cham people.

Hindu Philosophy believes that the world is the manifestation of God. A building like a temple is not just the house of the deity but it is the body of the deity. Hence the brick work and design of these towers are synonymous to other archeological Hindu religious structures.

The pediment above the entrance to the temple depicts the four-armed goddess, Durga, holding a hatchet, a lotus and a club, and standing on a buffalo.

The Po Nagar complex is situated on Cù Lao Mountain. We climbed the stairs, and at the top the outlook over the Cai River was spectacular.

Lots of relics up here for sale as well. I liked this carving of the water buffalo, but what am I going to do with a water buffalo?

I was beautiful up here.

It's rare for Kien to hang out with my dad somewhere other than the restaurant back home, so it's good to them interacting and enjoying each others company.

Birds in cages - everywhere you go you will find a bird in a cage, and only ever one bird per cage.

I love how colourful the river looks with all the boats and markets down there.

Life in Nha Trang

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 04:10:00 +0000

My dad used to tell me what it was like to live here back in the old days. Some of the stories sounded so idyllic, and he speaks about his daily rituals with such nostalgia it's hard to imagine that we were also in the midst of a war.

Life here still has remnants of past times. Even I can remember what it was like living here, and I was only 5 years old when we left. This is a snapshot of daily life.

Street stalls being set up at the crack of dawn.

When I was a little girl living here my grandmother used to take my sister and I up to the corner street stall for breakfast every morning. I have vivid memories of those priceless experiences.

Freshly baked baguettes.

These are everywhere, and they are crunchy and delicious.

Vietnamese coffee.

Thick, sweet, strong!

Fresh fruit sold on the street.

Have you ever had a durian? It is the most interesting fruit, and described by many as having a putrid odour and a texture similar to snot. Even Anthony Bourdain can't stomach this fruit, and that guy can eat anything - well, almost anything. I personally love eating this fruit - such a delicacy.

Delicious food.

I've taken lots of photos of food! Maybe I should do a post just about traditional dishes. We'll see. In the meantime this was our breakfast the other day.

Bánh cuốn (literally "rolled cake")

Trứng gà ốp la (sunny side up eggs, usually eaten with soya sauce, fresh chillies and baguette)

Busy Phở shop.

All this place sells are steaming hot bowls of noodle soup, any style of meat and/or offal.

Escaping the sun.

It seems all activity comes to a grinding halt between 2-4pm. It's hot, too hot to do anything, so most people find some shade and sleeps. You see it all over the city - life has paused for a bit.

And what do holiday makers do?

Health and safety.

What's that in this place?

Busy streets outside town.

On the outskirts of town we experienced a traffic jam.

Quiet streets inside town.

I'm not even kidding when I say that this isn't considered busy.

Watching the world go by.

What laid back looks like.

Nha Trang bound

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 13:45:00 +0000

We caught the 6:25am train out of Saigon station (Ga Saigon) on Wednesday bound for Nha Trang. We had tickets for 2 soft sleepers in a four berth compartment.

Despite the trains being a tad old and rundown the sleepers were not too bad. They even had power sockets for us to charge our devices which was a bonus.

They also had carts selling food and drinks coming through regularly, and we purchased some hard boiled eggs which were still steaming hot.

For the majority of our train ride we shared our room with a young mother and her little girl who is only 2 months older than Kien. Man, if we thought Kien was feisty this little girl can sure give him a run for his money. Also when she saw Kien's koala she just wanted it, and after borrowing it for a few minutes to hold she didn't look like she had any intentions of giving it back. Kien couldn't handle seeing someone else with koala, so he went over to her to get it back. There's something cute and morbidly funny about 2 kids who don't speak the same language trying to talk to each other; one saying, "I want my koala back", in Engligh, while the other says, "I want this bear", in Vietnamese, and then since neither can understand each other they resort to pushing and there is a tug of war, and then a smile from one child who proudly exclaims, "I got him! I got koala", and wailing from the other child. Her mother waved a lollipop at Kien and pointed at koala, Kien did the exchange, and all was peaceful for half an hour. Then he decided he wanted koala back, and so he went to get it. The girl sobbed for forty five minutes, and I could hear her getting told off by other people on the train. But once the koala episode was over they were both fine with each other.

It was an interesting journey; seeing the countryside from a different perspective, and the contrast between towns where some have lush patty fields while others are bone dry.

7 hours later we were in Nha Trang. We caught a taxi to my great aunt's place. This is where we met up with my family.

At the front of her house is a little shop, similar to a convenience store, and she sells anything and everything, from lollies and chips to nappies and beer, cigarettes by the carton or packet or individually if you like, and water, juice, and petrol for scooters. Here she is measuring out a litre of fuel for the guy to put in his scooter.

Nha Trang is the same as how I remember it, and of course different at the same time. It's weird being here with my family; this is the first time I've been back to Vietnam with my dad since we jumped on a boat and escaped this place so many moons ago.

Heading for Vietnam

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:02:00 +0000

We spent the following morning exploring a bit of Hong Kong in daylight prior to checking out of our room. We wandered the streets and observed the familiar scenes; offerings to the gods for business success and prosperity, dried seafood delicacies, and empty streets with no remnants of last night's bustling markets or atmosphere.

We found the building where a highway runs through it, and around these parts that isn't too unusual, I suppose.

Even though it was wet Kien still got a chance to play at the playground. We are not afraid of some light rain.

We then went to a park close by and walked up the hill hoping to find something worthwhile to see. Unfortunately there wasn't anything except a weather station that didn't allow public access, so we made our way back down the hill.

At the bottom of the park we could hear something that sounded like knocking, and some shrill voices. We went to investigate what the sound was and discovered a group of people singing. Here's a little clip I took of it. Such a strange, interestingly weird sound, so totally unfamiliar to our ears.

Chinese opera at Hong Kong park - link if you can't see the video here.

~~~~~

We were on Vietnam Airlines for our flight to Saigon mid afternoon.

I found something called "Kinder Joy" at a convenience store close to our guesthouse, so I promised Kien he could open it once we were in the air if he behaved. He was so good and patient. The anticipation was so much better than what was actually inside - we really didn't know what to expect because the packaging only had Chinese characters.

Good bye Hong Kong airport.

Jef took some pictures of atolls he saw from the air so he could look for them on Google Earth. I like this one; it looks so remote and I can just imagine it being like the island on "Lost".

The flight path took us over Nha Trang, which looks pretty from up here.

Two and a half hours later we flew into Saigon.

By the time we got to our hotel it was getting dark. We still had to make our way to the train station to purchase our tickets for the following day, and luckily the walk there was closer than what we had anticipated. So after a long wait at the station I had our train tickets in hand.

Kien was too exhausted to go out for dinner, so I left the boys at the hotel while I wandered the streets looking for food. I took this photo a block down from our hotel so that if I got lost I would have a reference point.

I purchased some rice with grilled pork for Kien, and I went for something a little more exotic from this lovely lady's street stall. There she is cooking my snails, and they were divine!

Hello, Vietnam! Good to see you again.

Hong Kong for a night

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 22:11:00 +0000

Flying at midnight with a child at any age let alone a 3 year old is downright hard. We had been telling Kien he was going to sleep on the plane to Hong Kong, so he tried really hard to keep awake until we boarded. But alas he could not keep his eyes from closing and by the time we had gone through the departure area he conked out. We got on the plane and he was completely out for the count.

He remained asleep for about 5 hours, although extremely restless for the last couple of hours. During the dinner service though we had some peace and quiet.

Once he was awake he just wanted to make noise and talk and laugh. So I put the "Cars" movie on to keep him amused. This is the first time a movie has held his interest until at least half way. The headphones were too big so I had to be creative.

6am - we arrived in Hong Kong and breezed through immigration and customs quickly - the fastest I've ever experienced. This is such an amazing airport; well organised and easy. We knew we had time to kill as it was so early - too early for checking in to our hotel. So we hung around at the airport and used their free wifi for a bit.

We jumped on the Airport Express train that took us to Kowloon station, and from there we caught the K1 (route) shuttle bus to our hotel. Actually it wasn't to our hotel exactly, but to the 5 star joint close by. We walked a couple of blocks to our flash hotel.

It's actually termed a guesthouse/inn, and all I was looking for when I booked was a) that it was clean and b) close to the action. I can concur it is both, and budget (and I already knew that). This place definitely feels authentic and real.

We also get a cool view out of our window on the 11th floor.

It took ages for Kien to wind down, and finally at 12:30pm local time (6:30pm NZ time) he passed out.

Six or so hours later we finally headed out to explore the city.

We stopped at the playground across the street.

Across from that is the famous Temple Street night markets. There is an interesting array of stuff you don't need and cheap knock offs of stuff you would like, and no price tags on anything so you need to batter well or be taken for a ride.

After wandering rows after rows of vendors we got to the "main" drag of eateries; by day they are normal roads and by night they are street diners. We found a place we liked the look of and stopped for dinner.

Kien was being his spritely little self and decided to wash his chopstick in my beer, but of course he was just compelled to drop it in the process.

It was such a good meal which came to only $1HKD154 (~$NZD23).

We then headed down Nathan Road, one of the more expensive areas of town - a strikingly high contrast of wealth compared to the parallel and side streets we were just in. We came across a seafood restaurant that attracted many tourists looking for photo ops with all their lovely creatures up for sale.

This guy will cost you $NZD305 served up on a plate.

We wandered the Hong Kong streets in the light rain and enjoyed the experience of being in a different city for one night.

Preparations

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:48:00 +0000

It doesn't feel like we are going to fly out on Sunday or Monday night for a month away from here. Yes, that's right, I haven't made up my mind as yet which flight to take, so I haven't booked. If we fly on Sunday night that means we get to spend practically 2 days plus one night in Hong Kong. Yes, that's right, that also means I haven't booked a hotel in Hong Kong either. Oh, and when we get to Saigon on Tuesday afternoon we are more than likely just going to wing it with our hotel for the night - maybe, unless I have a total panic attack on Sunday and book everything. It just doesn't feel real yet, you know? Jef's been working his butt off and I've hardly seen him these last couple of weeks as he's been working some mighty odd hours. I've been kinda busy at work too, but it's been so hard to stay motivated. But I've had 2 project test plans to complete and people to train for various IT tools - bla bla bla, wah wah wah, so I've had to stay somewhat focused.

Anyway, some pleasant distractions along the way in the meantime, including a kids dinner with my Plunket coffee group friends last Friday.

The kids had a great time, as per usual. It only just occurred to me that there are so many of them! They ran around and played outside until dusk and then migrated indoors to play with toys and watch movies, and iPads.

We all had a great time. This was actually the first one where partners came along too, so it was really nice to meet everyone's significant others. It was our way of including them, because last month they were at home with the kids while we did this:

Thanks, Dads. Us girls do need a bit of time out of the house occasionally :-)

~~~~~

We got Kien jabbed on Monday - Hep A in one arm and Typhoid in the other. He was so brave about it, more so than I was, and I wasn't the one getting a needle in my arm(s)! He winced and said ow but didn't shed a tear. I gave him a Kinder Surprise as reward and he was happy about that. I was so grateful Jef was there at the appointment to hold Kien. I was so nervous and was basically useless.

He wanted to show you his band-aid he got for the injection site, however that wasn't where is jab was located. Oh well, "Cars" band-aids are cool was all he was trying to say.

~~~~~

On Tuesday it rained, and we walked to playgroup. It was also cold, much to my surprise. What is going on? It's like overnight we went from scorching summer to autumn conditions in one foul swoop. Oh, if it wasn't for us going to a tropical climate I would be in mourning for our long hot summer.

The activity was for the kids to plant seedlings to take home. But Kien refused to do it. He watched as I did it for him, and then he said he didn't want to take it home. But I knew better! I left it on the bench along with the other plants, and as we were getting ready to go home Kien reminded me that we had to take HIS plant home.

~~~~~

Breakfast at daycare. Wonderful!

Surprises of the kinder variety

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:05:00 +0000

I never thought it would happen, but it has. Helicopters, aeroplanes, radio control cars, diggers and gliders have been all he ever talks about and all he ever wants to watch either on TV or the iPad, but now, Kien, my son, currently has a new obsession.

For the past few weeks I've seen him watching youtube videos of random people unwrapping these little surprises to reveal what is inside the pods inside the chocolate.

OMG, they are such painful clips to watch - worse than nails scratching a blackboard. But the boy has a bunch of them in his history links, and he freaks if he can't find them (and I have been so tempted to delete them all, believe me!).

But you know what? One great advantage of this new obsession is, firstly, they are $2.09 worth each, but more importantly, this:

That's a star chart if you couldn't work it out, and although it is fully covered by stickers and there are no stars on it that you can see doesn't mean Kien doesn't remember how many stars he has earned. At the moment 3 stars are worth 1 egg, and Kien can earn stars in various ways; going to the toilet before we leave the house, getting into the bath without any fuss, getting his shoes on and being ready to go out when I ask - that type of thing. This method has been working well for us, mainly because it has been easy for him to understand and easy for us to implement. "Do you want to earn a star? Yes/No." "How many stars have you got? Wow, you are so close to getting an egg." And when all fails and he is being a pain he gets a punishment, and then the talk afterwards goes something like, "did you enjoy your punishment? Wouldn't it be easier and better if you were good instead, and then you would have gotten a star".

Today I went to a different supermarket, all because I wanted to get him a different selection of surprises because the batch at our local isn't any good - such boring toys (not that Kien cares). Kien was so good tonight. He didn't fight to get into the bath, he didn't fight because he didn't like his dinner, he didn't whine because of whatever he choses to whine about. So I asked him how many stars he had already, and he told me he already had 2 stars. I told him I was very happy with his behaviour and so I was giving him a star, so how many did he have now? He said 3, and then he said, "3 means I get an egg! I'll get an egg the next time we go to the shop". Then I revealed the egg, and the look of delight and the smile on his face was beautiful. He was supposed to save his chocolate for tomorrow, but no chance of that despite his good intentions of putting it into a container and the fridge. The bi-flavoured chocolate shell was just to tempting.

Delightfully three

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:55:00 +0000

Well I guess at some point things were going to have to settle down and improve with the three year old in this household, and this week we saw an upturn. I think we are finally reaping the benefits of all our hard work. The kid has just been so pleasant to be around; witty, playful, thoughtful, chatty, joking, laughing, and best of all - obedient. That doesn't mean to say we haven't had down moments where we've had to threaten him with punishment, but all round he has chosen to do the right thing (what we asked him to do) instead of waiting for or choosing punishment first. Long may this deliciously delightful behaviour last!

Here he is this afternoon when we stopped briefly at the playground on our walk home from his daycare.

Oh, Son, you are one amazing little creature. I see your developing personality, and you sure have a lot of spunk. Mama loves you very much.

I've booked our next adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:01:00 +0000

Yes, it all came about at the beginning of this week when my dad sprung it on me that he had already purchased tickets. So we are all heading to Vietnam at the end of this month!

Vietnam - my birth place. I remember the last time we were there way back in 2007. That just seems like a lifetime ago, just like the time before that when my family and I left that country all those many moons ago. Our trip to Vietnam in 2007 felt like a whirlwind holiday because we were rushing here, rushing there, rushing everywhere. We had met up with my brother, stepmother, and her family, so therefore our schedule fit in with theirs, which meant driving to lots of places all around the south of Vietnam to see many sites and towns. It was fun, but much of the time we just wanted to chill out and relax.

We were in Nha Trang for only a couple of days. Nha Trang was my home town, so we really wanted to hang out there for a while. We did get to go out to one of the islands, where I got to do some paragliding.

Then we sat down to succulent, freshly grilled fish.

The other highlight of that trip was going down to my stepmother's home town, Ca Mau, and there we got to hang out with the family and the locals for an entire week. It was awesome.

Jef got to eat frog.

We went to the very bottom of the country to a little tourist area where we were the only tourists.

That was such a memorable and fun trip. Although its a little stressful getting everything organised at such last minute, it is exciting, and I'm really looking forward to going back.

Sunday quickie

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 10:27:00 +0000

The rain came this morning, albeit briefly, and we thought our plans for sailing were dashed. "Lets just put on our wet weather gear and go", I said to Jef. He agreed, so I packed our gears for the afternoon and we were away sailing by 1pm - and wouldn't you know it, the rain clouds went away and the sun beamed heavily on us. Also, as it turned out, the 10-15 southwester forecasted was definitely not evident when we got out into the Waitemata Harbour. The water was glassy and calm and still. So we had to motor out to the channel hoping for wind, and there was. Yay!

I got some sailing practice in zig-zagging to McKenzie Bay at Rangitoto. Once there we anchored up, jumped into our dingy and went ashore.

We didn't stay for long - just long enough for Kien to decide he didn't need any bathing gear.

He was actually hunting for these adorable creatures. He just loves looking for them.

It's great to do a quickie sail when time is against us. It feels like we've been out all weekend, not only a few hours. Kien said he enjoyed himself.

Into the wind to Rakino Island

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:33:00 +0000

What a fabulous weekend of sailing we've just had! I have had way too much sun and am looking way too over roasted. I can't help it, that sun has just been gracing us here this summer and I'm loving the heat so much! I'm sure we've purchased a truckload and a half of sunscreen this summer.

Both sails went up - this was the first time for us sailing on Cariere where we've put the mainsail up and had the genoa unfurled. It was fabulous sailing.

We raced Luna Rossa.

Hahaha, I wish! They came zooming past and some crew waved at us.

It took us 4 hours of hard sailing to get to Rakino Island. We got there, anchored up near the Three Sisters at 36°43′27″S 174°56′32″E, and went for a swim.

We boiled up some water and gave Kien a bath when he got out of the sea.

Jef sizzled up some dinner for us. Delicious, even more so out here!

Caught a beautiful sunset and moonrise over the island.

After breakfast we got into the dingy and went on shore.

We had a snack and hung around at the beach for a bit.

We explored the amazing rock pools on this island. They were so full of life - Hermit crabs, small and giant periwinkle, oysters, mussels and tiny shrimp.

Kien wanted us to climb to the top of the island. He demonstrated his climbing ability to tell us he was serious.

It was way too steep to climb up there, so we told him we will come back soon and next time we will definitely have a wander up and around the island. We enticed him with a swim instead.

Then we jumped back in the dingy and motored to the Three Sisters for a quick look around.

Ah, it was such a satisfying weekend away.

I'm so glad to have done my sailing course because now I kinda know what I'm doing, although I do need a lot more practice. This weekend's sailing was perfect for that. We had variable wind both going out and coming back, so I trimmed the sails accordingly. We sailed on a broad reach pretty much all the way from Rakino to the Rangitoto channel, and we got home in about 3 hours so that was pretty good going. Looking forward to my next sailing expedition.

Gliding outside

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 23:12:00 +0000

It took two days of rest and relaxation at home and Kien was back in full spring. Just as well, because when Kien is sick I hardly get any sleep, and it's truly exhausting parenting (or functioning as a normal human being) on lack of sleep! So I was glad to see that on Wednesday morning Kien was bubbly, smiling and really happy when he woke up.

We are making the most of the summer weather. Last night we spent a bit of time playing outside.

This is a new addition to our collection of flying objects in this household. Jef got it for Kien this week, and this thing sure can fly. No surprise that Kien loves playing with it.

He chased it all around the garden, throwing it, scampering after it, flinging it by the wing, screaming in delight as it soars and then bunts into the ground.

I'm wondering how long this glider will last?! It already has a few dents, and of course Kien wants to modify and stick thing to it. He said to me this morning, "Mummy, I want to put ailerons on the wings". He told a neighbour who stopped to admire the glider, "I'm going to glue another wing to this fuselage", as he points and demonstrates where it will go. Yeah, these are the types of conversations that go on in my house between my two construction captivated, radio control loving boys. I usually just nod and say, "Really? That's cool. You get your daddy to help you with that", because this vocabulary that my three year old has is like a foreign language I'm having to learn if I want to understand what he and Jef are doing at any given time.

Times like these

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 23:10:00 +0000

It was only midnight, and he was calling for me. It started as a whimper and turned into a plead. I always know when something is not quite right with him when he is having difficulties transitioning into another sleep cycle before 2am. I went into his room and gave his back a rub. He seemed warm, but he wasn't sweating. He fell back asleep.

Half an hour later and I was awoken by his calls again. I went to give him some milk, and he didn't want any. I stroked his cheek, and he was hot...and thus began a LONG night. I'm certain I may have been up and down 540,789 times that night. That was Sunday night/Monday morning. Yeah, I did end up in his bed at 5am when I realised I might squeeze in a bit of sleep if I didn't have to get up another 1024 times.

I still forced myself to get up at 6:15am to pack and get to boot camp in time - and when I walked up to this sight I knew I should have stayed in bed, because really, as if life before 7am isn't tough enough!

I wondered how Jef was getting on, and I got this text from him.

And this pic of him ready for daycare - he looks fine, a little puffy, but fine.

9am - I was in the middle of my first coffee and I got the call from Tineke from daycare, "He's got a temperature of 39.5 degrees. You need to come and take him home"...and thus began a LONG day. Actually, it wasn't too bad when we got home - besides the throwing up all over me and his bed, that is. But after his marathon sleep of 4 hours(!) he was looking better, and he asked to go outside to lay in the grass.

He looked so wonderfully contemplative, even if he's just thinking to himself "Mummy, just give it a rest will ya? Can't you see I'm sick? Get that iPhone out of my face!"

I lay down next to him on the grass, under the big shady tree outside our apartment, the sun rays filtering through the variegated leaves, the sounds of crickets chirping on this warm and glorious summer day, and it was so peaceful and beautiful.

It is times like these that reminds me how parenthood can be so hard and yet so wonderful all at once.

Small moments

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 01:35:00 +0000

This morning:

Tuesday morning:

The other night:

Three years ago:

Sailing to Motuihe

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 10:50:00 +0000

It seems we've been on the go go go since the start of this year. It's great being busy and having fun, but also very exhausting. I've finally sat down and processed our photos from a couple of weekends ago when we took off to Motuihe Island on the boat. I love taking the boat out at any opportunity. It makes me feel like we live a wild and adventurous life - out of the ordinary, a little bit different. This is why we've spent every Friday night sleeping on the boat since we've brought it to Westhaven marina - because we can.

I am getting better at manoeuvring the boat and keeping it on course. I am looking forward to doing my sailing course.

We anchored Saturday evening at Waihaorangatahi Bay.

Kien wanted to try his hand at catching something, so we threw the bait catcher overboard. Nothing caught, but the anticipation on his little face and the excitement was pretty cool none the less.

We watched the beautiful sunset with the backdrop of Auckland city in the distance. I am so grateful we have this opportunity to witness such spectacular sunsets.

The following morning the ducks decided to drop by for some breakfast, much to Kien's delight. Luckily we had lots of bread for him to throw to them.

I had a fantastic swim before we got into our dingy and went ashore.

This is the first time I've actually been for a wander around Motuihe.

We walked over to the other side of the island to Takutairaroa Bay - it was a beautiful sandy beach, and we found ourselves all alone. It was wonderful.

I love having the beach all to ourselves - free to run around and do whatever we please on what feels like our own private island.

Happy to share with these guys though.

Then we crossed back over the island to the bay where all the boats are anchored. It was a popular spot.

It was a fabulous sail back home. We had the wind behind us, and were able to relax and take it easy with just the headsail.

I love this view - the sprawling city ahead, and Bean Rock to avoid.

We are hoping to take the boat out tomorrow night. Fingers crossed for low winds!

Extended long weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:31:00 +0000

Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta

Fabulous weather we've been having! After spending a couple of days on the boat (blog post pending) we decided it was a good idea to be a spectator on land rather than on the water - it was anticipated to be mayhem out there! So we went for a mid morning stroll to the Viaduct Harbour instead.

Yes, it was pretty busy out there in the Waitemata Harbour.

Tugboats - they are such agile vessels. This one was demonstrating its sideways manoeuvrability.

The classic yachts were out there racing, and they certainly are beautiful. Jef's friend has a classic yacht, and we were trying to spot it out there. We couldn't recognise the boat out there, but this one came up really close and got a massive cheer from the crowd.

We then had a spot of lunch at Jack Tar, right next to the activities.

Kien watched this guy making his puppet sing for ages. He grooved along to the music, and this would have been a perfect picture of that moment had it not been for the photobomb.

Walking back home we stopped into my work so I could show Kien the planes on display. He certainly enjoyed that.

~~~~~

Life's a beach

Lucky me, an extra long weekend! While most people went back to work today I headed to the beach with Rod and Grandma Gun.

After a large and very filling lunch at the local Maraetai Bach'n Cafe, we went outside to enjoy the beautiful day.

Kien had a great time skimming rocks with Rod.

It was a perfect day for being in the water. Unfortunately none of us had togs. No matter for the boy.

I could have stayed here all day! I so very much want to live at the beach. I've added that to my plan :-)

Cariere is home

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 21:00:00 +0000

Goodbye Half Moon Bay marina. It's been a pleasure to be here.

In some ways it's bittersweet because this place has been Cariere's home for so long, and the fact that its been our first experience being at a marina, and the fact we fell in love with this boat here, and the fact that we met her lovely ex-owners here - well, you get what I'm saying. I am so full of sentimentality.

We caught the ferry over here on Saturday morning, and wandered down to the pier for the last time.

~~~~~

The noise of the city sounds different. The hum is different. As I sat there at 23:00 on a Saturday night I could hear Green Day belting out Boulevard of Broken Dreams in the distance. I'm not unaccustomed to this hum; it feels familiar as I am used to the noise of the city. But this is certainly different to Half Moon Bay, where all you hear is...not much, actually. Half Moon Bay is a relatively quiet marina, although we always had someone watching our every move since we were directly opposite the cafes and strategically placed benches for onlookers.

There is definitely a part of me that wanted to run toward the noise and dance the night away. But there is also the quieter me; the one that relishes in piece and tranquility.

It was certainly quiet on the marina at dusk. Most of the other boats that were not here when we arrived were now safety nestled in their berth.

We witnessed a beautifully dramatic sunset that evening. The sun had a bright orange/red glow, and as the clouds drifted across the sky the patterns and colours were spectacular.

Jef and Kien floated the boat in the water. This sight is what I envisaged when we came down here to check out the pier the other week to see if we wanted to rent this marina berth.

Kien running back and forth along the utility pier - his hair so wild and his smile so wide.

It feels so nice to be here; just hanging out, chilling.

We had our first visitors here within the first hour of arriving; Jef's friend and sailing buddy Dan, with his wife and son. They had been sailing in front of us, and we were going to meet up at Mckenzie Bay over on Rangitoto, but it was pretty rough out there on the water, and we saw them heading back before we passed the lighthouse. So they came over to say hello to us at our new marina mooring instead.

It's good to have our boat here in the city. Cariere is home.

Art and strawberry fields forever

noreply@blogger.com (Lien - all new adventures) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 08:46:00 +0000

Wow, I love having action packed Tuesdays, and oh boy, what a day we've had. It was a bit of a slow start in the morning when I couldn't decide our mode of transportation due to the weather. Walk or bus into town? Well we did neither as it rained every time we got up to leave. So the car it was.

First stop - Albert Park for an early picnic lunch. It wasn't raining!

Kien tore around there, and I was hoping he would wear himself out before our next activity.

He also did his strange little dance which I've never been able to catch on video. It's an awfully cute jiggle.

Here is a photo Kien took with his camera (in amongst the hundreds of thumbs, feet, and ground shots).

~~~~~

Our next stop was the Auckland Art Gallery.

I had hoped to see Who Shot Rock & Roll exhibition, but I knew my time here was going to be limited with Kien being in his fine, noisy and energetic form. So we wandered around and enjoyed finding interesting nooks and crannies.

He said, "Look, Mummy. There is a drain", and when he followed it he said he was on a ladder.

~~~~~

Last activity of the day - strawberry picking.

The advantage of going to a strawberry field and picking your own is that you are also encouraged to eat as much as possible out in the field. That's right, the woman actually told us to make sure we fill our bellies up before coming in to weigh the bucket.

Kien loves strawberries (as do I); fruit so succulent and inviting to be eaten.

I love seeing rows upon rows of these beautiful plants. Strawberry fields, forever - too right, Paul.