I keep my blog as a personal record of what I'm up to, which might be seen as working towards "An elegant sufficiency, content, retirement, rural quiet, friendship, books, ease and alternate labour, useful life"

I'm certainly not there yet.  There is quite some way to go!

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Entries from August 1, 2008 - August 31, 2008

Sunday
Aug172008

Dripping

It was actually quite a nice day when we set out this morning, headed for the Mekong Delta. Mark spent the day with Tra and the orchestra at the rehearsal for tonight's concert, so Edward and I took the opportunity to drive out into the country and do a similar trip to the one we did last year. As the ladies in the paddy fields stopped for a breather, we knew from the expression on their faces that this is indeed back breaking work.

 

Jumping on a small boat in Ben Tre, we enjoyed the ride over the river and were immediately struck by those typically Vietnamese colours of emerald green, cobalt blue, white and scarlet.

 

Fruit at the fruit farm was delicious though the recommended salt and peppery "Ying" to the sweet fruit "Yang" took us both by surprise..perhaps we shouldn't have been quite so eager to dunk that piece of pineapple!

 

As for the elephant fish for lunch...well, we enjoyed watching the making of the spring roll, anyway!

As we rode back over the river on the longtail boat the heavens opened and oh my goodness, did we get wet. To The Skin.

It was still raining when we arrived back in Saigon. Never mind. We are British. We can Do Rain.

Sunday
Aug172008

Xin Chao!

Bangkok was so rainy that it felt quite like home...

 

Our flight to Ho Chi Minh was hardly busy - you might say we had plenty of room!


It was a tiring day, though, and the travelling companions felt totally whacked.

It's good to be back!

Saturday
Aug162008

Several hours later

 



 

 

A brief stop in Bangkok where the Thai welcome is as warm as ever! We'll be back next week sometime. Till then...
 
 

 

 

Nadine, I made some of those cookies a couple of days before we left...took some to Maggie for the Dodger meet on Thursday. They are absolutely yummy!!

Friday
Aug152008

Ready?


We're off on our travels again. See you in Saigon tomorrow.

Sunday
Aug102008

By the way

the cake turned out very well indeed, in spite of the small hiccup.