Phu Quoc - Forgotten Pic

This is one of the rare pics of me with Linh, her mother (Thuy) & brother (Hoang aka Long). The pic was taken by Phan tu thi. (Linh's grandfather) during our Phu Quoc jungle trek.

Btw & fyi - after much trial & error, I have decided to use my Blackberry for most blog pics because they are much higher resolution & a larger format than those taken with my Nikon camera. The above pic was NOT taken using my Blackberry.

Saigon Ladies

I make new friends almost everyday. I met these ladies today. They were taking a survey about Vietnamese cuisine as part of their English class. They commented on how friendly I was to them & they took many pics of me with them. So - I decided to ask them to take a pic of me with them! That is the Saigon Opera House in the background - built by the French in the late-19th-century. It was great fun talking to these ladies!

Phu Quoc Traditional Home

I explored this deserted home, located right on the beach. It was probably built in the 1950s. I found its old architecture, superb location & porch/interior tile-work incredibly appealing.

Phu Quoc Jungle

Linh's grandfather, Phan tu thi, took the entire family & me to a national type park noted for its large, cold-water stream & water falls located in a preserved jungle area. The above pics were taken by him.
First pic is of me, Linh, her brother & father hiking up trail next to jungle stream. Other pic is of me, Linh & her brother eating BBQ'd corn-on-the-cob drenched with a mixture of hot peanut oil/garlic/green onions <- perfect snake after long, hot jungle hike!?
Too bad it is the dry season because there was no water in stream & therefore no water falls!

Phu Quoc Beach

Here are some Phu Quoc beach pics that many of you have requested. These pics were taken on the beach in front of my hotel looking north & south. The island has many different beaches - this one is supposed to be one of the best & the longest - about 4 kilometers (2.4 mi) which I walked daily. Note that beach is empty - not sure why - but has been that way since I arrived.!? High season = Nov to Feb - low (rainy) season begins mid-Jun. Appears I hit the in-between season. But I have met some really nice European & Australian ladies - most world travelers with whom I enjoy sharing travel stories.
I was told the diving here stunk - but 2 ladies (English & Australian) convinced me to go snorkeling with them. I was pleasantly surprised to discover some coral! Visibility = poor (10-20 feet). Not many fish but lots of sea urchins (one of my favorite seafoods).. Snorkeling convinced me that a diving expedition probably wasn't worth the cost.
I return to Saigon tomorrow - Saturday, May 29. Immediately after landing in Saigon, I have been invited to the Linh's house for their annual feast honoring her father's ancestors. This is a major cultural. & family event that I am honored to have been invited to attend.

Phu Quoc Puppy

This is a pic of a 3-month-old Phu Quoc puppy that resides at a beach restaurant where I have had many banana & mango shakes. His ears are still floppy but will perk-up as his ear cartilage hardens (at about 6-8 mos). I hope there is enough resolution in the pic for you to see the hair ridge down his back!?

Phu Quoc Dog

Phu Quoc is renowned for a specific breed of dog known, of course, as the Phu Quoc dog - Google search says it is 1 of the 3 rarest dogs in the world. This medium-sized, short-haired, slight-build dog with naturally pointed (NOT cropped) ears is distinguished by a ridge of hair along their backs - like those found on Rhodesian Ridgebacks (aka African Lion Dog) that look very similar (except they have floppy ears) to the Phu Quoc breed. The Phu Quoc dog comes in many colors - black to light tan to spotted. They are very friendly and great family dogs. They are fearless & very protective of their human "families". They are also known for their agility - which includes their ability to climb trees as shown in the above pic <- taken by Phan tu thi (Linh's grandfather who owns 7 Phu Quoc dogs). As most of you know, I love critters of all types & I very much enjoyed the time I spent playing with these dogs.

Phu Quoc Lunch

Pic is of Linh (left) & her mother (Thuy on right) preparing a traditional Vietnamese "Hot Pot". The restaurant presents a "hot pot" full of a broth .served on top of a burner. To ensure the freshness & quality of the hot pot's ingredients - fresh vegetables (I only recognized lettuce & tomatoes but there were many other "unknown" types) and, in this case, fresh, raw seafood (shrimp, squid & fish) are served on the side - normally also with pre-cooked wheat noodles. The female(s) @ the table prepare the food by shredding, breaking up vegetables, and putting them & seafood all into the "hot pot". - where they simmer until cooked & are then served (of course - by the females) in small bowls.

Phu Quoc View from Villa

This is the view from our villas in Phu Quoc <-- not bad for $25/night & the rooms have a/c & color cable TV (but no phones!?). The waves are large enough to do some pretty good body surfing. Water clarity is NOT Caribbean - equivalent to that of NJ/DE beaches. But unlike NJ/DE beaches - the sand is almost white. Water temp is quite warm - mid- to high-70s. Air temp = mid-90s daily - but a constant breeze makes heat easy to tolerate.

Phu Quoc Reunion

Linh' grandfather (mother's father) lives near the ocean on Phu Quoc island. He is a fairly well known photo-journalist - during Vietnam war he worked as a photo-journalist for South Vietnam gov't & he loves American journalist with whom he worked for 10+ years. It had been almost a year since Linh's family had seen her grandfather - so a reunion while here was a must. This is a pic of all of us together (except Linh's mother who took pic) in front of his house (that he shares with 2 ladies (a writer in pic & dancer not in pic). That is the grandfather to my right holding dog - he is over 80 years old, healthy as an ox, and still a professional photographer (like postcards)!!

Phu Quoc Villas

I arrived on Phu Quoc Island (area about the size of Saigon) yesterday with Linh & her family (father, mother & brother) - Linh's family will stay 3 days & I will stay a week. Phu Quoc island is located in extreme southwest corner of Vietnam - just 3 miles from Myramar (Burma).. Mostly undeveloped, it has the best beaches in Vietnam.
The above pics show what our villas look like & us on the porch of my "villas" <- Linh's family has an identical villa. We are right on the beach! Constant breeze & clean air is a nice respite from Saigon.

CORRECTIONS & Clarification

My friend has corrected what I said above & provided additional/interesting info as follows:

Ca Phe Sua Da: Sua = milk, Da = ice

Com Tam: rice is milled to remove the hull, during which it may be crushed or broken into smaller pieces. This "broken rice" is what is served with the BBQ'd pork.

3 Saigon Food/Drink Favorites - Breakfast

Many of you have asked about my favorite Vietnamese foods, eating/drinking habits and food costs while in Saigon. So - hear is some basic info.
Breakfast is included in my hotel costs - and I start each day with it!. There are 2 breakfast choices daily (always the same) - a "breakfast stew" or "fried eggs". I always get the "fried eggs" as pictured above. This IS a Vietnamese breakfast comprised of 2/always hard-fried eggs, a few sliced fresh vegetables, & a large/fresh/toasted bagette.
Unlike the Vietnamese who normally make a very common carry-with-you-breakfast-sandwich by putting the eggs & vegetables on the bagette & adding fish sauce, I eat eggs with fish sauce and bagette separately - putting butter & jelly (normally provided to westerners) on the bagette. It's a hardy breakfast that I look forward to consuming each day!

Saigon Food/Drink Favorites - Com Tam

One of my favorite Vietnamese foods, found throughout the country, is Com Tam = BBQ'd pork served with something like a "shredded" rice <- difficult to explain - but taste like any rice - just a different texture. A very traditional Vietnamese dish, it is eaten throughout the day - even for breakfast. The above pics show com tam pork being grilled by a street vendor (w an entrance to Saigon's central market in distant background) & com tam in its final serving/presentation form (as served in one of my favorite a/c restaurants). In addition to the "shredded rice", Com Tam is always served with a tasty, warm, melon soup, and a delicious spicy-hot, sweet/sour sauce. Cost at an air-conditioned restaurant = US$1.73 or about the same as a ca phe sua da in a coffee shop. Com tam from a street vendor cost about US$1..

NOTE: above pics taken w BB - all others in this update were taken w Nikon - which are better?

Saigon Food/Drink Favorites - Ca Phe Sua Da

In the US, iced tea is my favorite year-round drink - but it is difficult to find in Vietnam. Sans availability of iced tea, Ca Phe Sua Da* has always been my favorite Vietnamese drink. I drink it @ breakfast & often throughout the day. It is an iced coffee made of very, very strong, fresh-ground-slow-brewed Vietnamese coffee & condensed milk. It is very popular in Vietnam year-round. It is presented in both traditional & "modern" versions (both versions are shown in above pics). In a traditional coffee house, the drink is served in a "brewer" which drips hot water thru coffee grinds into a small glass containing the condensed milk. When coffee has brewed (which can take some time), you stir the coffee/milk and pour it into a glass of ice. Cost about 60 cents. In a modern, air-conditioned coffee house such as the very popular Highland Coffee shops, they are served already mixed on ice w/straw, and cost about US$1.72. Both versions are always served with ice water (modern version) or weak, iced green tea (traditional) chasers.

*ca phe = coffee, sua = iced & da = milk) - pronounced ca-fe-sooo-ah-dah

New Malaysian Friends

I met 2 very attractive, intelligent & nice Malayasian ladies staying at my
hotel - Jin (shorter hair) and Juliana. Jin has a MBA (UK) and has been conducting an eclectic mix of businesses (e.g., beauty products, Wellness, & Wealth Management) in Vietnam for a few years. We all enjoyed discussing Vietnam's political & economic state of affairs as well as less serious topics such as Vietnamese food and its ancient Champa history.

NOTE: This is my first attempt to do a blog update with 2 (vs just 1) pic attachments. So - I apologize for any formatting problems!

Changing Saigon Skyline 1

Many of the familiar historical buildings are still standing in Saigon - reminders of Vietnam's French colonial days when Vietnam was "French Indochina". One of these is the Saigon Post Office - it has been in continuous use as Saigon's main post office since it was built by the French in 1886.

Changing Saigon Skyline 2

Another familiar French colonial structure is Saigon's "City Hall" that was built by the French over an 8-year period (1900-1908).

Changing Saigon Skyline 3

Regrettably, many of the French art deco style buildings in Saigon have disappeared - making room for mega-structures such as this 68-story office building being constructed. on the Saigon River - it will be (is) the tallest building in Saigon. It was not there when I left Saigon 1 year ago. What was there were several beautiful art deco style, 3-4 story homes/apartments. Now - they are all gone & I really regret that I did take pics of them when they & I were there at the same time.

Saigon Reunion #1 Continues

After more than an hour at the ice cream parlor, the 5 of us mounted 3
motorbikes and went to a restaurant specializing in "Hanoi" cuisine - that's all of us in the above pic. We spent 2+ hours there enjoying a terrific meal (@ < $2/meal), catching up on news/lives, and making plans for near-future get togethers. Vinh (Linh's dad) will pick me up tomorrow for another of what was our "ritual" 2+ hour coffee discussions/debates - which I am very much looking forward to "attending".

Saigon Reunion #1

I was anxious to see "old friends" in Saigon. Foremost of these, was to
reunite with Linh and her family: father (Vinh), mother (Thuy), and brother
(Hoang aka Dragon Boy & Gangster because his favority food is spaghetti)-
above pic is of me with Pham family taken soon after we reunited.
Although I had told Linh that I was returning to Saigon, I asked her not to
tell her family because I wanted to surprise them Yesterday (Thursday)
afternoon, Linh arranged to meet her family at an ice cream parlor where I
"sudddenly appeared". They were indeed very surprised! The initial shock
was immediately followed by hugs, laughs, and even a few tears.

May 11, 2010 - Back to Saigon

12,000+ miles & 33 hours of travel time got me from DC back to Vietnam!
My first flight was 5.5-hour flight fr DC to L.A. The above is a bad pic of the Grand Canyon taken during this travel segment <-- strange yet appropriate first pic of this journey.
I was supposed to have a 45-minute connect time in L.A. - however, because of delays in DC, I had only 8 minutes to connect to a 6900+-mile, 11,5+ hours flight from L.A.. to Narita airport in Tokyo - where I had no BB data services - hence no email updates from there!?
I had a 1.5-hour layover in Tokyo followed by a 6.5-hour flight to Saigon. Made it to Saigon aka Ho Chi Minh City aka HCMC on schedule. Unfortunately, my 1 checked suitcase with my iced insulin in it did not make it. But I have enuf meds with me to last 1+ weeks. Hopefully my "lost luggage" will be delivered way before that!
I miss the cool nights I just left (was 26F or about -4C Monday AM.. It will be in the mid-90s everyday here!
I will NOT miss the oak pollen & my allergies! No oak pollens in the tropics!

Meds Made It Too!

4 hours after arriving at my hotel in Saigon - American Airlines delivered my "lost suitcase"! Insulin vials were stilled chilled - so no problems!
I am still drained & exhausted - trying to recoup from travel & adjust to time change/lost day!

Travels Begin Again

As all know, I have not been traveling for the past year. During the first 6 months of this period, I fell in love with a beautiful girl and experienced the most wonderful 6 months of my entire life. That relationship ended about 6 months ago - which have been the worse 6 months of my life.
I have also sold my townhouse in Olde Towne Alexandria.
Given the events of the last 6 months, I have decided to begin my world travels again - starting Monday, May 11th.
Because of flexible visa requirements, I will once again use Vietnam as my "base camp". My first sojourn from there will be White Beach on Boracay Island in the Philippines. So - watch this blog for my travel updates!
Good-bye & best wishes to the 6+ feet of snows I experienced at my cabin (see pic) - where I was stranded for 3 days with no power!