Times they are a changing... Vietnam!

 Ho Chi Minh City  - we had a lovely four days of screaming hot weather - walking the pavement in 39 degree heat is exhausting... fortunately we had a great apartment with a pool and exercise room. We really enjoyed these facilities. 

Revisited some old haunts... the Post Office downtown. 

It is the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the War against the French, followed by the war against the Americans and 75 years of communism. The streets are decorated to celebrate. 

Did I mention it was hot? 

Old and the news: crazy apartment buildings with the skyscrapers behind. 

So we are now in Hanoi. We were here November 7th 2009 and find us here again December 7th 2018. The city has seen some really big changes. The bridge and highway has cut the drive in from the airport by an hour and 20 minutes. The cranes dot the horizon as skyscrapers are being built everywhere. The scooters are still very present but now there are many cars. Neon signs are everywhere as well. 

We had a laugh the other day in Ho Chi Minh, as we came to a crosswalk where two Brits were waiting to cross. When you cross the road, you must watch carefully for cars (they weren't an issue 9 years ago) as they don't stop for pedestrians but keep a steady pace and just walk into traffic. The scooters move around you. Anyway, we crossed like veterans and I heard one Brit say to the other " let's go with them...(us)" and the other replied... "no, I am just not ready." You need steely nerves. 

Vietnam also has added some traffic lights. We saw a t-shirt that said... Traffic lights in Vietnam - green - I can go; yellow - I can go; red - I can still go.... 

When they do have a pedestrian light, they usually have only one pedestrian cross light per intersection. The light doesn't mean it is safe to cross, just safer.. the cars might stop if they aren't turning right. The scooters still go. If there is a light, you may have to look behind you, across, in the other direction just to find it. Crazy really. 

Scooters and shops. 

Nine years ago, the bridge was empty ---- lots and lots of tourist here now. 

Typical traffic... cross that!

Kate in Hanoi, 2018 and Kate in Hanoi, 2009. :) 

Good-bye Taiwan and Hello Vietnam

We have arrived in Ho Chi Minh. It is hot... very hot and humid. Today it hit 39 with the humidity... Yes we are sweaty. 

Kate enjoying a much deserved mocktail after hours of walking around Ho Chi Minh!

Since I last wrote, we have hiked and biked in Hualien and the Taroka Mountains in Taiwan. The hiking was hit and miss... we rely on public transport so this can be challenging. In the mountains, we endured an very twisty road only to be dropped off on the side of a very narrow road. We walked to the trailhead avoiding cars and bus (and their mirrors), only to find it was closed 200 metres in.... ha. 

Taiwan's tourism brochures tend to exaggerate some... we have  biked on the "Most Scenic Bike trail in the world" and the "Longest Wooded Bike Trail" ... don't believe everything you read. 

Biking in the rain in style. 

Hiking in Taroka, Taiwan... 

Bright lights, Flowers and Ice rink? in Taipei

On our last day in Taiwan, we decided to get some exercise so we hiked the stairs for a second time (I wrote about them already) to Elephant Mountain in Taipei. This is the one... straight up and straight down by tons of stairs. It was hot... not Vietnam hot but hot enough. We climbed the stairs to the tunes of ... well everything. The Taiwanese love to hang speakers off their backpacks and we get to enjoy the tunes... I climbed to WHAM! - whole album and this weird electronic elevator music that is very popular over here! 

So it is time for me to talk about LOST IN TRANSLATION... I have been photographing signs that make me smile. This segment starts because we recently booked a room in Taipei that was "4 stars" but we selected the "room without a view" to save some cash. Frankly, most of the views from our hotel windows are usually the windows or walls of the next building so not loss.... right? Wrong. This time it meant NO WINDOWS! The four stars? Well, it had bunk beds... enough said. 

Here goes... enjoy. 

Japanese have rules for everything... this would not fly in Vietnam where there is stuff everywhere and no pedestrian rights at all!

Bus lockers... :) 

Bus sign - reads no birds, no food, no smoking and no anti-sexual behaviour. 

Sign at beginning of the hike... 

This sign was posted at a construction site in Vietnam...

Some sights from Ho Chi Minh

We all got cleaned up with haircuts in the big city. 

Love to all. s

Taichung.... and points further south 

 

A few nights ago, we arrived in Taichung, a city down the west coast of Taiwan.  We didn't fall in love with Taichung but it had some redeeming qualities... The city is full of art in green spaces. The canals are lined with flowers and lights at night. The metro system in general is definitely noisier than Japan - folks speak loudly (sounds like yelling to the untrained ear) but it is still clean and reliable. The buses? They need some serious TLC and a good cleaning... they run on a mysterious schedule which mostly forced us to wait forever or elect to walk a few extra kilometres when we needed to get somewhere. 

Canals... lots of turtles here in Taiwan and of course Koi fish... Good thing there aren't any otters here (see CBC Vancouver article). 

Art in Taichung... Kate with a huge Frenchie... (left) and Dome of Light (right) 

I wrote a blurb about dogs in Japan and now for my observations on Dogs in Taiwan... I think there are only two kinds of dogs here in Taiwan. The mongrel type pooch that lays in the street, in the door way, or on the sidewalk. They mostly seem well fed yet ignored. They may or may not have all of their appendages. They can be found in packs (we try to avoid these ones) and generally they are everywhere. The other type is a small poodle. They are almost always apricot in colour and trimmed in true poodle fashion. They are worshipped and adored. They don't walk - must be bred out of them. They ride on scooters (see below), in strollers and even the back of baby strollers but don't walk... 

Canal at night. 

We eat a LOT OF NOODLES but yesterday we came upon a grocery store and they had apples.... from Canada. Gift from home. 

The island of Cijin is just a short ferry ride away. We didn't walk long before the siren call of the ocean pulled Kate into the waves...

Lotus Pond or Lake depending on which map you look at.... 

Paul has suggested a working theory for Taiwan. Because personal space here is so much closer than in North America.... line ups, talking to one another, sitting beside someone etc.... he has theorized that 'where there is space, it should be filled'. This is true here... the Lotus Pond has temples, statues, bridges, lights... the space is filled. 

Kate's sand creations.

Cross walk sign in Taiwan are so much fun. In Taipei and Taichung, you have the typical red standing fellow for a stop but for green, you see an animated walking stick figure. It starts out sauntering, with a numbered count down. When the count down gets to around 20, the figure speeds up and at 10, it jogs. Here in Kenting, they have two red figures facing each other with a heart between them. The one figure knees every so often. When it turns green, the two figures take their hands and walk/job across the screen. Cute. 

All for now. cheers, s