Vietnam 2014, The 'Bears Winter Sojourn
#1
04-27-2014, 09:25 PM
Vietnam 2014, The 'Bears Winter Sojourn
Ok, Crappy title..............Woof can you please come up with a snappy one that perhaps involves Bears, Vietnam and Ural? 
There will be a competition as from our arrival at the Phong Nha Farmstay, but at the moment were amassing the goods needed for a stay of more than a few weeks. Linen, towels, etc.
We leave Saigon on the 1st of May for a short flight to Dong Hoi, then off to the Farmstay. I did not take the camera yesterday but Mrs SB took some pictures when we were out last night and I'll post them a little later.
I will say, Saigon Beer is the perfect 'tonic' for sweltering nights and too much chilli with dinner
Cheers, SB
There will be a competition as from our arrival at the Phong Nha Farmstay, but at the moment were amassing the goods needed for a stay of more than a few weeks. Linen, towels, etc.
We leave Saigon on the 1st of May for a short flight to Dong Hoi, then off to the Farmstay. I did not take the camera yesterday but Mrs SB took some pictures when we were out last night and I'll post them a little later.
I will say, Saigon Beer is the perfect 'tonic' for sweltering nights and too much chilli with dinner
Cheers, SB
#2
04-28-2014, 10:39 AM
Day 2 Saigon 28th April
Busy day yesterday getting all our little ducks in a row for our extended stay at Phong Nha. Bought shoes, thongs, clothes and many other sundries for our time in the sticks.
Finally remembered to take a camera with us when we left the hotel.
Isn't every one new?
The heat in Saigon is astounding with the near 100% humidity and thunderstorms threatening each afternoon making sure we know we are no longer in the Adelaide Hills.
Still lots to see and do but a few interesting things noted on our walks.
New scooters partially uncrated and waiting for that lucky new purchaser. I don't think they hang around long.
You can see the scooters with flags - that was a posse of Vespas that were riding around Saigon all day advertising the 'new' Vespa model. Yippee
Somehow we found ourselves transported to a real world Hurricane Saloon with bikes tied up to the hitchin' rails outside..............
Found a delightful park on our walk out to Fullface Viet - to get me a helmet - where, in the park is apparently a small Indian temple replica. It certainly looked old.
Outside the park was this neat little older styled Mobylette.
The sky was becoming very, very leaden and threatening on the way back to the hotel and the traffic did it's usual late afternoon crazy.
I just love the feeling of barely contained chaos - it's like watching a vitamiser.
A few Saigon beers, then our first Phó for the trip - and they were just fan-feckin-tastic.
Now this isn't what you think............
Well, may be it is and we weren't let in on the secret. Mrs SB was buying some shirts at the night market from this rather cheeky lady. She was checking that the new shirt would fit........
On the way back to the hotel we saw a strange sight......
A man holding his prize ****
Also got a new cheap phone and prepaid calls for the time here, a helmet and lots of clothes in the afternoon.
Hopefully a bit of sightseeing tomorrow.
Cheers, The travelling 'Bears
Finally remembered to take a camera with us when we left the hotel.
Isn't every one new?
The heat in Saigon is astounding with the near 100% humidity and thunderstorms threatening each afternoon making sure we know we are no longer in the Adelaide Hills.
Still lots to see and do but a few interesting things noted on our walks.
New scooters partially uncrated and waiting for that lucky new purchaser. I don't think they hang around long.
You can see the scooters with flags - that was a posse of Vespas that were riding around Saigon all day advertising the 'new' Vespa model. Yippee
Somehow we found ourselves transported to a real world Hurricane Saloon with bikes tied up to the hitchin' rails outside..............
Found a delightful park on our walk out to Fullface Viet - to get me a helmet - where, in the park is apparently a small Indian temple replica. It certainly looked old.
Outside the park was this neat little older styled Mobylette.
The sky was becoming very, very leaden and threatening on the way back to the hotel and the traffic did it's usual late afternoon crazy.
I just love the feeling of barely contained chaos - it's like watching a vitamiser.
A few Saigon beers, then our first Phó for the trip - and they were just fan-feckin-tastic.
Now this isn't what you think............
Well, may be it is and we weren't let in on the secret. Mrs SB was buying some shirts at the night market from this rather cheeky lady. She was checking that the new shirt would fit........
On the way back to the hotel we saw a strange sight......
A man holding his prize ****
Also got a new cheap phone and prepaid calls for the time here, a helmet and lots of clothes in the afternoon.
Hopefully a bit of sightseeing tomorrow.
Cheers, The travelling 'Bears
Last edited by Sebastionbear1; 04-29-2014 at 08:20 AM.
#4
04-28-2014, 04:07 PM
#5
04-28-2014, 06:04 PM
#6
04-29-2014, 09:15 AM
Day 3 Saigon Tuesday 29th of April
Another beautiful day in southern Vietnam.
The sparky's were up early and up the posts bundling some of the wiring amid noisy shouts and a complete disregard for personal safety!
The cobbler's were making boots - very special boots!
Worker's scooters were neatly parked as far as the eye could see and
I was creating weird images with the panorama function on the camera.
This is the Bitexco Financial Tower peeking from behind some Government buildings along the riverside.
At 262 meters the Bitexco Financial Tower is Saigon's tallest building.
I should like to ride one these one day, a KTM Duke.
Mrs SB and I continued our shopping marathon for all those little things you need over here - rain poncho's, thongs, Bombay Sapphire...........
Can't buy these though as I'd be arrested at the Australian Border check.
Took a few images late in the day walking back to a pavement restaurant we spotted earlier in the day.
We so under utilise our bikes!
Sweeping the water from the front of a butcher shop - It was starting to rain and rained steadily from that point until we returned to the hotel after dinner.
The egg lady. She would not smile as I tried to take a photo of her behind her mountains of eggs - I managed to get her to giggle eventually
You just know the food you eat at the road side stalls is fresh when you see this.
We decided against an icecream.........
The rain had pretty well settled in before we had dinner, so after a very tasty - and entertaining meal we walked back to our hotel, passing these two
Never, and I mean never let a bit of a downpour get in the way of a good game of checkers
We could hear some action in the large park near our hotel and on investigation found rehearsals for an upcoming celebration.
On the 7th of May 1954 a significant battle with the French was won by the Viet Minh in the north of the as yet undivided Vietnam.
It was the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and the Viet Minh fighting for independence from the French, under Ho Chi Minh's flag - led by the brilliant battlefield leader General Giap, encircled the French garrison. The battle lasted 55 days and the French were bled white only obtaining support from the air, and that too withered in the last few days of the battle. 1,500 French soldiers and legionnaires were killed and another 11,000 captured. Of these only about 3,500 were to return to France.
It is coming up to 60 years since that battle was won by Uncle Ho and General Giap's troops. This is part of a long series of posters in preparations of celebration of the 60th anniversary of the victory
The war ended shortly after the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and the signing of the 1954 Geneva Accords. France agreed to withdraw its forces from all its colonies in French Indochina, while stipulating that Vietnam would be temporarily divided at the 17th parallel, with control of the north given to the Viet Minh as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh, and the south becoming the State of Vietnam nominally under Emperor Bao Dai, preventing Ho Chi Minh from gaining control of the entire country.
The refusal of Ngo Dinh Diem to allow elections in 1956, as had been stipulated by the Geneva Conference, would eventually lead to the first phase of the Second Indochina War, better known as the Vietnam War.
You know what happened then!
You just cannot avoid the war history in Vietnam because many of the wars were sequential with one colonist power attempting to take control after the failure - or overthrow - of the previous aggressor. Even when the USA pulled out, there were later wars and border scuffles with Cambodia and China. Always General Giap at the fore repelling the invaders - from wherever thay came, as Uncle Ho had died in 1969 before the Vietnam/USA war had ended.
The convolutions and collusions of allies has been phenomenal with the USA being initially a supporter of the Ho Chi Minh led Viet Minh against the Japanese prior to the second world war, to facing off against them when the French were defeated in 1954.
Post second world war, the USA and British asked the French to return to Indochina, but left the Japanese armed to keep the peace while French re-colonisation occurred. When the Japanese army left, the French took a hard line against the Viet Minh which led to insurgencies and eventual war with the French. The USA at this time had some advisers in the field and as the red menace was the most feared 'enemy' at the time, now supported the French against the Russian supplied Viet Minh. The USA were trying to minimise the communist influence in Vietnam and as we know that escalated from a few hundred advisors in the late 50's to half a million men in the field the mid 1960s.
Even now it is an uneasy peace with some of the border countries.
Today's history lesson was brought to you by the colour camouflage and the number AK-47............
Cheers, The Travelling 'Bears
The sparky's were up early and up the posts bundling some of the wiring amid noisy shouts and a complete disregard for personal safety!
The cobbler's were making boots - very special boots!
Worker's scooters were neatly parked as far as the eye could see and
I was creating weird images with the panorama function on the camera.
This is the Bitexco Financial Tower peeking from behind some Government buildings along the riverside.
At 262 meters the Bitexco Financial Tower is Saigon's tallest building.
I should like to ride one these one day, a KTM Duke.
Mrs SB and I continued our shopping marathon for all those little things you need over here - rain poncho's, thongs, Bombay Sapphire...........
Can't buy these though as I'd be arrested at the Australian Border check.
Took a few images late in the day walking back to a pavement restaurant we spotted earlier in the day.
We so under utilise our bikes!
Sweeping the water from the front of a butcher shop - It was starting to rain and rained steadily from that point until we returned to the hotel after dinner.
The egg lady. She would not smile as I tried to take a photo of her behind her mountains of eggs - I managed to get her to giggle eventually
You just know the food you eat at the road side stalls is fresh when you see this.
We decided against an icecream.........
The rain had pretty well settled in before we had dinner, so after a very tasty - and entertaining meal we walked back to our hotel, passing these two
Never, and I mean never let a bit of a downpour get in the way of a good game of checkers
We could hear some action in the large park near our hotel and on investigation found rehearsals for an upcoming celebration.
On the 7th of May 1954 a significant battle with the French was won by the Viet Minh in the north of the as yet undivided Vietnam.
It was the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and the Viet Minh fighting for independence from the French, under Ho Chi Minh's flag - led by the brilliant battlefield leader General Giap, encircled the French garrison. The battle lasted 55 days and the French were bled white only obtaining support from the air, and that too withered in the last few days of the battle. 1,500 French soldiers and legionnaires were killed and another 11,000 captured. Of these only about 3,500 were to return to France.
It is coming up to 60 years since that battle was won by Uncle Ho and General Giap's troops. This is part of a long series of posters in preparations of celebration of the 60th anniversary of the victory
The war ended shortly after the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and the signing of the 1954 Geneva Accords. France agreed to withdraw its forces from all its colonies in French Indochina, while stipulating that Vietnam would be temporarily divided at the 17th parallel, with control of the north given to the Viet Minh as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh, and the south becoming the State of Vietnam nominally under Emperor Bao Dai, preventing Ho Chi Minh from gaining control of the entire country.
The refusal of Ngo Dinh Diem to allow elections in 1956, as had been stipulated by the Geneva Conference, would eventually lead to the first phase of the Second Indochina War, better known as the Vietnam War.
You know what happened then!
You just cannot avoid the war history in Vietnam because many of the wars were sequential with one colonist power attempting to take control after the failure - or overthrow - of the previous aggressor. Even when the USA pulled out, there were later wars and border scuffles with Cambodia and China. Always General Giap at the fore repelling the invaders - from wherever thay came, as Uncle Ho had died in 1969 before the Vietnam/USA war had ended.
The convolutions and collusions of allies has been phenomenal with the USA being initially a supporter of the Ho Chi Minh led Viet Minh against the Japanese prior to the second world war, to facing off against them when the French were defeated in 1954.
Post second world war, the USA and British asked the French to return to Indochina, but left the Japanese armed to keep the peace while French re-colonisation occurred. When the Japanese army left, the French took a hard line against the Viet Minh which led to insurgencies and eventual war with the French. The USA at this time had some advisers in the field and as the red menace was the most feared 'enemy' at the time, now supported the French against the Russian supplied Viet Minh. The USA were trying to minimise the communist influence in Vietnam and as we know that escalated from a few hundred advisors in the late 50's to half a million men in the field the mid 1960s.
Even now it is an uneasy peace with some of the border countries.
Today's history lesson was brought to you by the colour camouflage and the number AK-47............
Cheers, The Travelling 'Bears
Last edited by Sebastionbear1; 04-29-2014 at 09:58 AM.
