Food and ..... Green Tea Festival - Viet Nam Style

"Let's go for a little walk Josh", I said last night.  Ok I had an ulterior motive - yesterday morning when I was leaving the gym I noticed all these tents set up outside the local mall - so I really wanted someone to investigate it with me.  It was a really nice evening for a walk and Josh volunteered to come with me - well there was only him and I here so I think he felt obligated!

Food Display

If you have ever been to a food and wine festival, (for Sydneyites the Darling Harbour one) this was a little the same.  Emphasis on the little though.  There were Vietnamese food treats, of course wrapped in banana leaves and banh xeo to name a few.
Josh reluctantly agreed to try something, he had what looked tasted a little like waffles (it was nice) and I had a coconut thing which looked like a curry puff but was most certainly sweet. (not so nice).
We then tried a banh xeo, a rice pancake with prawns and meat, which we both really like and it was really delicious.  So yes we sampled food just like any other food festival except this one cost us 70,000 vnd, about 3.50 AUD.
When we left home in the early evening we just popped our shoes on and headed off - if only we had known that we would be interviewed by the 2 biggest TV stations in Vietnam maybe Josh would have chosen to wear a t-shirt without holes and I might have at least done my hair!!

Watermelon

Josh's waffle - no maple syrup though

Whilst we were



wandering around a lady approached us with a notebook with questions in English, then pointed to the camera, before we knew it, the camera's were on and we had a microphone in front of us and if being the only Western people around created attention - being filmed certainly had us as the centre of attention.

Cooking Bahn Xeo

Banh Xeo

Josh eating Banh Xeo

After we had given our views of the food festival and walked away Josh informed me that that had been VTV the second biggest TV station in Vietnam.  We then just continued walking around only to be approached by another TV station, I  explained that we had already been interviewed, well tried to explain and they got the idea because they thanked us and walked away, only to come back and tell us that they were from a different TV station, this time is was HTV the biggest TV station in Vietnam.  This time there was an English speaking interviewer asking us what we thought of the food festival.  I now have empathy for people who are interviewed on the spot it's really hard to think of something slightly intelligent to say while a big light is shining in your eyes, a microphone is in your face and people are staring at you - I don't think I will ever be a famous person.
Josh and I wonder if on some Vietnamese channel one night our moment of fame will be broadcast for all of Vietnam to see - I some how doubt it but it certainly gave me something to blog about.

Bali for Fall Break

We arrived back in Ho Chi Minh City last night after a wonderful week in Bali.  After a week of sunshine, sand and sea we are all a little down this morning, we still have the sun - it's a hot 32 degrees today  ( it is only 9am,) but there is no beach for us to go to.  Holidaying in Bali made us all remember just how much we miss the beach.  There are beaches here but with little to no surf most of the time, and the sand is just not the right color it is just not the same.
But back to Bali.  I went to Bali 30 years ago and there is nothing I remember it has moved way beyond the sleepy seaside towns that I remember - it's all hustle and bustle now.  We had plans to do different things like go to Ubud but we couldn't drag ourselves away from the beach.

So our days went something like this -
1. Breakfast - what to have was always a problem too much to choose from.
2. Beach - surfing, swimming,
3. Back to the pool for a swim and a late lunch
4. Siesta - sometimes a nap, sometimes just a shower
5. Sunset Bar - watching the sun go down over the ocean with a glass of wine, beer, sprite
6. Dinner - A different restaurant every night
7. Bed

Looking back over this, I guess it would appear a bit boring for some but it was exactly what we wanted.  We did do a little shopping but only a little for when you live in an Asian country market shopping is just not that exciting, - and store shopping is so expensive compared to here.
The only day we ventured further then the beach was the day we went over to Nusa Dua to scuba dive.  So much fun.

Josh surfing

Josh found it so easy

Bella decided join Josh

The surfies

Bella Surfing

No, Josh you can't take the board home with you

At the Pool

Sunset over Legian Beach

The wettest Wet Season

This is our third wet season here and it has been the wettest season we have experienced.  It has rained and rained and rained for weeks now.  I can't remember going to work in the rain as often as we have of late.  Then it rains again during the day and then promptly at 3 the skies darken again and torrential rain sets in for a few more hours.  Locals have said that this is the wettest Wet Season in 10 years but they have assured us that on the 10th month of the Chinese calender the rain will stop - roll on November.

I took these photos on the way home

Flower Market

We have lived here in Saigon for over 2 years now and I guess we have gotten a little lax in exploring the tourist sites.  So Saturday we decided to explore Ho Thi Ky  flower markets in District 3.  It is a collection of flower vendors and as what happens so much here there are stalls of vendors all  selling the exact same thing but it was lovely just meandering amongst all the beautiful flowers.  Apparently we need to go back between 9-10pm because that's when the trucks arrive from Dalat to deliver the flowers, so we have put that on the To Do List.  Wandering around a few back streets we were approached twice by different families asking us to take photos of their children - well that's what we think they said.  Just as we were leaving the markets we noticed the butcher lady selling her wares - I guess even flower markets need to buy meat!

An efficient way to move things

Gorgeous little girl

He was not going to smile

The Flower Market Butcher Lady