Saturday, August 06, 2005
Vietnam continued
From Mui Ne I took the bus along the winding road up the mountains to Dalat. On the bus I met a Canadian living in Hanoi who was working on updating the new Insight Guide to Vietnam so I got to read the newer than new edition hand written on a photocopy of the old one... She also gave me a few travel tips including don't believe everything you read in guide books - which I'd already discovered for myself.
On the bus I also met Milka from Lapland and ended up sharing a room with her in Dalat. I felt very old when I found out she was only 19! I got over that quickly and we did some fun things together like have 20 glasses of Dalat red wine each. Well... we bought a bottle and the local restaurant we went to gave us micro mini glasses to drink the wine from. We also did a great 17km hike with a lovely guide through minority villages, coffee plantations and across scary long suspension bridges.
Dalat is very different to any other South-East Asian city I've been to so far. Everyone in the streets wore beenies and the markets sold only parkas! (It wasn't even that cold...). It's also unique because instead of the usual cry of 'you want motorbike' or something similar the drivers in Dalat cruise up stealthily beside you and almost whisper 'I'm an easy rider'. There are apparently many impostors but the real easy riders have caps with their names embroidered on and have a good reputation for motorbike tours around Dalat.
So one day, I hopped on the back of Nguyen's bike and off we went. One of the most interesting stops was at Dragon Pagoda, so nick-named because of the 40-odd metre long mosaic dragon made mostly out of BGI Beer bottles which I found strange in a Buddhist temple. Incidentally, Nguyen told me BGI is now owned by Fosters.
I also was fortunate enough to be in Dalat for the festival to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the embroidery workshop. Exciting, no? The festival involved 'important' people such as a visiting artist from Hawaii, the head monk from somewhere's brother and a few others being called to the stage and presented with their own image embroidered onto fabric and framed. The 'ceremony' was quite dull but it was great to see the whole of Dalat out enjoying themselves in the street. I can't imagine an embroidery festival being so popular anywhere else.
From Dalat I headed back down the mountain to the hedonism of Nha Trang. For 5 days, I lay on the beach reading and getting massages, swam and did some diving and exploring. The dives were not that spectacular. Apparently all the big stuff has been eaten over the years by the locals.
One day I did the 4 islands 'party boat' tour which started with some snorkelling - but only by me because I brought my own mask and the ones handed out on the boat leaked. I had carried my mask and snorkel for weeks from Phnom Penh through the non-snorkelling regions of the Mekong Delta, Saigon and Dalat so I wasn't going to have carried it for nothing! The snorkelling was followed by a kind of international karaoke where our Vietnamese host, Dat and his boy band of guitars and pots and pans encouraged everyone to sing along with him a song from their country. I was the only Australian and sang along to Dat's special rendition of 'Watching Matilda'! Surprisingly all this singing happened before the 'floating bar' where free sweet red wine was poured into our cups while we bobbed about on various flotation devices.
Prior to that boat cruise I had dined on my own a couple of night and was starting to feel a bit lonely but met lots of people on the boat, one of whom, Wina from Quebec, I have been travelling with since! After a fun messy mud bath to complete my time in Nha Trang, Wina and I went north to Hoi An (gorgeous buildings, too many tailor shops) and Hue (interesting old royal palaces and tombs) then across the muddy border into lovely relaxed Lao!
On the bus I also met Milka from Lapland and ended up sharing a room with her in Dalat. I felt very old when I found out she was only 19! I got over that quickly and we did some fun things together like have 20 glasses of Dalat red wine each. Well... we bought a bottle and the local restaurant we went to gave us micro mini glasses to drink the wine from. We also did a great 17km hike with a lovely guide through minority villages, coffee plantations and across scary long suspension bridges.
Dalat is very different to any other South-East Asian city I've been to so far. Everyone in the streets wore beenies and the markets sold only parkas! (It wasn't even that cold...). It's also unique because instead of the usual cry of 'you want motorbike' or something similar the drivers in Dalat cruise up stealthily beside you and almost whisper 'I'm an easy rider'. There are apparently many impostors but the real easy riders have caps with their names embroidered on and have a good reputation for motorbike tours around Dalat.
So one day, I hopped on the back of Nguyen's bike and off we went. One of the most interesting stops was at Dragon Pagoda, so nick-named because of the 40-odd metre long mosaic dragon made mostly out of BGI Beer bottles which I found strange in a Buddhist temple. Incidentally, Nguyen told me BGI is now owned by Fosters.
I also was fortunate enough to be in Dalat for the festival to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the embroidery workshop. Exciting, no? The festival involved 'important' people such as a visiting artist from Hawaii, the head monk from somewhere's brother and a few others being called to the stage and presented with their own image embroidered onto fabric and framed. The 'ceremony' was quite dull but it was great to see the whole of Dalat out enjoying themselves in the street. I can't imagine an embroidery festival being so popular anywhere else.
From Dalat I headed back down the mountain to the hedonism of Nha Trang. For 5 days, I lay on the beach reading and getting massages, swam and did some diving and exploring. The dives were not that spectacular. Apparently all the big stuff has been eaten over the years by the locals.
One day I did the 4 islands 'party boat' tour which started with some snorkelling - but only by me because I brought my own mask and the ones handed out on the boat leaked. I had carried my mask and snorkel for weeks from Phnom Penh through the non-snorkelling regions of the Mekong Delta, Saigon and Dalat so I wasn't going to have carried it for nothing! The snorkelling was followed by a kind of international karaoke where our Vietnamese host, Dat and his boy band of guitars and pots and pans encouraged everyone to sing along with him a song from their country. I was the only Australian and sang along to Dat's special rendition of 'Watching Matilda'! Surprisingly all this singing happened before the 'floating bar' where free sweet red wine was poured into our cups while we bobbed about on various flotation devices.
Prior to that boat cruise I had dined on my own a couple of night and was starting to feel a bit lonely but met lots of people on the boat, one of whom, Wina from Quebec, I have been travelling with since! After a fun messy mud bath to complete my time in Nha Trang, Wina and I went north to Hoi An (gorgeous buildings, too many tailor shops) and Hue (interesting old royal palaces and tombs) then across the muddy border into lovely relaxed Lao!
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im visiting dalat soon and i wanted to know how you know if the "easy riders" have motorbike insurance? not that im paranoid but i would hope to recoup something should i be involved in an accident whilest easy ridin'
What kind of bikes do they take you on? i reckon they would require some form of classic bike insurance...
What kind of bikes do they take you on? i reckon they would require some form of classic bike insurance...
# posted by 
: 9:11 pm
: 9:11 pm
The Modern Western Style House
There is a Taiwanese-American house for a newly couple, trustworthy construction in Cambodia construction materials highlighted.
By this side the house with Western style is not exotic, but it is stylish and elegant. One more thing this house was created with simple clean lines, white, beige that is grayish tonality for color baseline.
One more thing it will be without decoration if it is not for the breaking point of the iron blue wall. Indeed the wall certainly gets the leading role of the space and the interesting glassy such as metal, sliding door that is a solution for dividing the living from dining areas.
Anyway it is also used the color like the grass-green wire frame which makes visual division of the space and act as the elegant floor.
There is a Taiwanese-American house for a newly couple, trustworthy construction in Cambodia construction materials highlighted.
By this side the house with Western style is not exotic, but it is stylish and elegant. One more thing this house was created with simple clean lines, white, beige that is grayish tonality for color baseline.
One more thing it will be without decoration if it is not for the breaking point of the iron blue wall. Indeed the wall certainly gets the leading role of the space and the interesting glassy such as metal, sliding door that is a solution for dividing the living from dining areas.
Anyway it is also used the color like the grass-green wire frame which makes visual division of the space and act as the elegant floor.
Breaching the norm by Mal Corboy
Conventionally, most designs of kitchens are white and neutral hues. However, designer Mal Corboy said the norm is not his ideal. Hence, using his passion towards color palettes and patterns, Corboy created the featured kitchen project with a chic and luxurious appearance.
"Because we renovated the entire house at the same time, continuity was essential. We specified white oak floors throughout the living area, and for the steps and landing. Similarly, we picked up the American oak for the open shelving and a table top in the new kitchen."
"We have definite blocks of color in the kitchen, but this is a big space that can handle it well," spoke the designer, as successful furniture shop in Cambodia construction materials
informed.
"As the kitchen is large, we kept the layout simple, so several people can be working at any one time and not trip over each other," added Corboy. "There is plenty of room to move."
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Conventionally, most designs of kitchens are white and neutral hues. However, designer Mal Corboy said the norm is not his ideal. Hence, using his passion towards color palettes and patterns, Corboy created the featured kitchen project with a chic and luxurious appearance.
"Because we renovated the entire house at the same time, continuity was essential. We specified white oak floors throughout the living area, and for the steps and landing. Similarly, we picked up the American oak for the open shelving and a table top in the new kitchen."
"We have definite blocks of color in the kitchen, but this is a big space that can handle it well," spoke the designer, as successful furniture shop in Cambodia construction materials
informed.
"As the kitchen is large, we kept the layout simple, so several people can be working at any one time and not trip over each other," added Corboy. "There is plenty of room to move."
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