Good Afternoon Vietnam!

31 Jan 09
Dear Readers, its been a long time but after just a few hours in Hanoi I felt compelled to kick start the blog!
After an easy time in my mostly familiar haunts in Thailand, Vietnam has come like an electric shock to the trip. It feels like the real Asia.....flying in over paddy fields being worked by coolies with water buffaloes, and touching down on an old concrete runway was a far cry from arriving in Singapore or Bangkok.

The taxi ride from the airport was hilarious, especially once we were in amongst the traffic - my cab had a reverb effect on the horn - especially effective in narrow streets when we were inches from the nearest scooter.

Hanoi's Old Quarter is a bunch of iggledy-piggledy old streets, each one historically occupied by one or more trades. For example, there's a street selling mostly household goods, another with blacksmith's shops selling all sorts of metalware, others with herbs and spices, headstone engravers(!), clothing, shoes etc etc.
Its the first time in 4 months of travelling that I felt like I WANTED to buy some souvenirs - there's all sorts of interesting things available, probably for very little money.

The local currency is the Dong. US Dollars are also widely used. 1 USD = 17000Dong, so you get a lot of Dong for your pound sterling!!

The old streets lead down to the Hoan Kiem Lake - a focal point for social interaction, especially as its the end of the Tet Festival holidays (Vietnam's equivalent of Chinese New Year). It was crazy busy with youngsters on scooters, all sorts of vendors, and families enjoying the warm winter sunshine. There's a quaint little temple on an island - 3000 Dong entry fee - 12pence!

Some pictures here....http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/HanoiDay1?feat=directlink

If this is a foretaste of Vietnam, I'm really looking forward to the coming days and weeks.

Sydney to Parramatta

19 Dec 08
Parramatta was the site of the original Government House in the late 1700s. The settlers (convicts and their guards, led by Governor Phillip) had brought limited food with them and the land at Sydney Cove, the original settlement, wasn't very productive for growing spuds and cabbages. Parramatta had more fertile ground so the focal point of efforts to establish the colony moved up river.
Today, Parramatta is a pretty anonymous commercial centre but the 1 hour boat trip from Sydney is great. Good views of the Harbour Bridge, luxury waterfront residences and other historical buildings.
The Government House building is the main point of interest in Parramatta. It was extended by successive Governors and later became a private school before falling into disrepair. Its now managed by the National Trust which offers guided tours of what's probably the oldest colonial building in Oz..?

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/FerryToParramatta?feat=directlink

Aussie Icons....Kylie!

The opportunity to see Kylie on stage in Sydney was too good to pass up. With ticket prices equivalent to 5 nights in a YHA, it was a bargain...!?

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/KylieInSydney?feat=directlink

Great Australian wildlife

Happy New Year!

Just 48 hours to go Down Under - better get the blog up to date...

Here's an Aussie wildlife selection...pics taken along the way, some more wild than others!

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/OzWildlife?feat=directlink