Devastating Drought

In parts of Australia, particularly the states of New South Wales and Queensland, the sheep are thin, so too are the cattle and farmers are incredibly worried about the survival of their stock. In many places no rain has fallen for over a year.

It’s shocking to see.

When I first arrived in New South Wales I travelled up the New England Highway and saw the parched land.  That was in early June and the general public (I guess I mean city folk) seemed oblivious to the plight. Some two and half months later the TV channels have reports on each news bulletin and public appeals are pulling in millions to buy food for farming families and hay for the stock.

My Passion

Aside from travelling, netball is my other big passion. When I'm able to combine two of my passions, you can probably imagine how excited I am to be going to the World Netball Cup which is on in Singapore in now.

The New Zealand Silver Ferns are ranked number one in the world with our arch rivals Australia number two. Whenever these two teams play one another it's an exciting but tight encounter. Of course, its not a foregone conclusion that they will both be in the finals as the teams from England and Jamaica could be strong enough to make it all the way through the draw.

I've had tickets to the last three days of play for many months now and I'll be in Singapore in a day or two.

Singapore is a great city with lots to do and quirky architecture. When I was there for a few days a month or so ago, I was lucky enough to see a show - The Lion King. It was held in the amazing Marina Bay Sands which is a complex that wouldn't look out of place in Las Vegas! What a treat it was to see this show again, the first time being in Sydney.

This time, my visit will be primarily for that wonderful sport of Netball with some shopping and dining out when the game schedule permits me to leave the stadium.

Oh, I am a lucky traveller.


I'm loving ........ all the travel I've been able to do from my base here in Vietnam. Laos for a second time, Singapore, The Mekong Delta and soon Kuala Lumpur and Bali.

I'm missing....... home! I've been away too long.

I'm reading....... Destination Saigon by Walter Mason. I've finished it but this man is a wonderful writer who writes perceptive comments about life in Vietnam.

A New Type of Beach Experience! Travel Vietnam

The beach looked inviting; very inviting and so we carefully selected our place in the shade.

White sand stretched out before us and we lay down to relax on the quiet beach. Although Hai Phong is a really pretty city and a nice place to be, it felt so good to be away from the pollution, noise and daily activity in Hai Phong.

The sea looked inviting and clean.

Swimming here was more like taking a tepid bath but nonetheless refreshing.

There were only two other people swimming at the time. The lounge chairs languished unused on the white sandy stretch of beach.

Tall limestone cliffs behind us created a unique snug feel to this beach with the uninspiring name of Number Two Beach.

We could see many islands off the coast of Cat Ba Island, on the perimeter of Halong Bay. It's a really idyllic spot.

Then, as if a switch had been turned on people arrived. First they came in twos, threes and fours but then they came in groups of twenty.

They came with equipment too. They came with games to play and staked out huge areas of the beach right beside our spot. They had baskets of supplies - balloons, ribbons (to mark out the area claimed), rope (for the tug o war) and this is truly shocking - megaphones! I saw at least three bright yellow megaphones!

The newcomers turned this peaceful haven into a fair ground! I was so shocked I didn't even get a photograph of the megaphones or the person in charge of it who shouted into it non-stop for about one hour before we escaped. It was like being at a fairground except noisier.

Suddenly anyone swimming (my friend braved it but I didn't) had to fight for elbow room in the sea. The sole man guarding the beach with a flag and a whistle walked up and down like a crazy man trying to marshal the swimmers into a narrow strip of the beach inside the marker buoys.

It's hard to believe the marked changes on the beaches depending upon the time of day you go there.

Here is Cat Ba Number 1 Beach before the crowds and after the crowds came rollicking in. It was taken at about 5p.m. Vietnam time. You get to Number 1 Beach before Number 2 beach.

This time last year....

It's amazing to think that this time last year I was in Mexico City after spending a month in Cuba.

This life on the road just seems to fly by and I'm often amazed at where this journey has, or is, taking me. As I indulge in a very short reflection.

I really enjoyed my time in Cuba. Its a country full of contrasts and I am constantly amazed at how happy they appear despite a lot of hardship in many instances. It really is worth going there before it changes.

Since this time last year, I've lived in Australia, Malaysia and now Vietnam. Phew! The thought of packing up and getting to a place, sorting out phones, where to buy supplies in multiple countries even exhausts me. If I let myself think of it!

I've also spent time in New Zealand (a couple of visits) and Singapore which I thoroughly enjoyed. I always enjoy getting back to New Zealand and the time there always seems so very short.

I'm enjoying Vietnam again even though its for work, I'm getting out and about again mixing with locals and eating in authentic cafes and restaurants.

Best coffee........Highland Coffee. It's locally grown and very very good.

I'm missing.....marmite. I had a goodie parcel posted from New Zealand over six weeks ago with a supply of marmite in it but unfortunately its gone missing!

I'm reading.......a very nice novel. The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes. It's the second novel I've read by her and this one is equally as good as the first which was The Ship of Brides.

I'm loving......being amongst all of things (well most anyway) foreign and just being out there doing it!

Friendly Hai Phong

Going to a city to live for a few months is always an interesting exercise as you ponder questions such as what will the food be like? Before you arrive you have no real idea of what to expect and so we all stocked up on a few basics in Hanoi! After all, I reasoned to myself as I carried overloaded supermarket bags back to my Hanoi Hotel, "I'm not sure if I'll be able to get muesli there"!

However, we (I'd roped the other two teachers into my supermarket frenzy) had no need to worry at all because Hai Phong has several excellent supermarkets selling local

goods. There is also a limited supply of western food so all is well!

Most of the teachers here stay at the one hotel - even those who are on one year contracts. It's a great life as I go to work and when I come back (home?), my bed has been made and I have fresh towels hanging on the bathroom rail. What more could a gal ask for?

The longer standing teachers have also given us many tips of where to eat which has been really great and I now have a few "favs". One restaurant is on the 12th floor of a bank building. You would never know its there as there is no sign outside and even when you get into the lift there is nothing to indicate which floor. It has a marvellous view of Hai Phong and excellent food - Western and Vietnamese.

Here are a few photos taken from my hotel balcony. It's an ever changing and most interesting view. I spend hours watching the street scene unfold before me. Notice my wonderful world map coffee mug (bought in Singapore) sitting on the rail.

I've also posted a couple of articles on

HubPages. This first one is on Vietnamese food.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Vietnam-Travel-Vietnamese-Food-Ideas-for-Travelers

The second one is a favourite of mine - The Old Quarter in Hanoi where the 1000 year old streets still have some of the ancient trades doing business there. Its a really fascinating wander through this area. I hope you enjoy it.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Old-Quarter-Hanoi

Frenetic Hanoi

Here's the latest wanderings from Hanoi. I'd quite forgotten just how frenetic the traffic is here in Hanoi. Going out onto the street, one is assailed by the "sounds" of this city - horns honking, motor scooters revving and construction!

The city seems to be in a rebuilding phase with workers crawling over building sites all over the city. Even the Old Quarter has been spruced up since my last visit here. I'll write about the Old Quarter in a separate article.

The scooters continue to amaze me. There are so many and they are often overloaded with people, and goods being delivered. Heck, I even saw a massive flat screen television being transported on the back of a scooter and it wasn't tied on. How they manage to weave through the congested traffic to safely deliver it is completely beyond me.

I'm loving......the vibrant city.

I'm missing....morning breakfast television. Oh and of course good coffee. It was excellent in Singapore but here I haven't found a really good one yet.

I'm reading....nothing at the moment. I'm too busy sightseeing!

It's Vietnam Time!

My last message said that I was on the move again and heading for Malaysia. Yet just two months after that - I am on the move yet again!

I had planned a one year stay in Malaysia but that wasn't to be. As I write this, I am in Singapore but I leave here for Vietnam tomorrow.

The experience in Malaysia was good but not what was promised so that's why I'm on the road again.

I have a three month contract to teach in Haiphong which is 100kms north of Hanoi. I haven't been to this city before but its on the doorstep of amazing Halong Bay which I visited last time I was in Vietnam. During the next month I'll try to secure a one year contract somewhere.

Kuala Lumpur was an interesting mix. In the area where I stayed, the locals used the street as one big rubbish tip. It was disgusting. I used to walk on the road because the footpath was littered with dropped rubbish or plastic bags of rubbish piled up. The photo of the rubbish is taken just outside of the condo. It didn't look any different any day of the week.

I stayed in a lovely condo with a really nice pool (photo) and I swam every day, sometimes twice. It was lovely to cool off in the evening before I went to bed.

The shopping malls were amazing and there are many of them. The Suria Mall, just below the Petronas Towers is glitzy and nice for browsing and shopping.

I'm missing...........coffee. I just couldn't find any good coffee aside from Starbucks and Gloria Jeans and you all know my snobbish reaction to these chains. However, I frequented them when I could!

I'm loving...........being in Singapore at the moment. This is one cool city!

I'm reading.........A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. Actually I read it a few years ago. I love the detail and descriptive narrative. A fine work - excuse the pun.

I've enjoyed.......the swimming pool at my condo. I also enjoyed the Wednesday night markets. Its reputed to be the longest market in Malaysia. Great food and bargains to be had - but you take your chances!

Next time.....I'll write from Vietnam