Tet

Chuc mung nam moi - Happy New Year

 Tet Nguyen Dan or Vietnamese New Year follows the same lunar calendar as Chinese new year. This year it falls on Feb. 10. The official holiday lasts 3 days, but most schools are closed for 2 weeks beginning Feb. 4. Many businesses also close for an entire week, beginning or ending Feb. 10.

Tet is the year's most important festival in Vietnam. During the weeks leading up to Tet, Vietnamese people try to get rid of bad fortune by cleaning, paying debts, buying new clothes and giving to those less fortunate. At CIS, each class has been collecting small items like toothbrushes, T-shirts and other clothing, crayons, markers etc. for several weeks.

A home in Phu My Hung decorated for Tet

They will prepare a basket that will be delivered to a near by orphanage. Each student is expected to bring something to put in the basket.

Like Christmas in Canada, Vietnamese families exchange gifts and visit friends and family. They will have a huge celebratory meal together, usually on New Year's Day.
Red sticky rice (red being a lucky colour) is traditionally included at the meal, as well as lucky fruits such as watermelon, coconuts and oranges.

Tet decorations

 Everyone needs to be a little more careful in the days leading up to and during Tet. An older Vietnamese woman motioned me to hold my backpack tighter and closer when Paul and I were at the Ben Thanh on Saturday. And last week, Paul's driver was stopped by the police for no apparent reason, and wasn't allowed to leave until he had paid $300000 VND ( about $15). On Saturday, when I was coming home with groceries, the cab driver wanted $50000 VND for a normally $30000 VND ride. He pretended not to understand when I complained, but I had to pay because he had locked the doors and wouldn't let me out !!

2013 is the Year of the Snake. Those born in a Snake year usually have an enthusiastic temperament and have sympathy for others. They like luxury and hate to fail. They prefer a quiet, calm atmosphere but although they look calm on the outside, underneath they can be very intense. They are sometimes jealous and suspicious and can be headstrong. They tend to have doubts about the judgement of others and prefer to do things their way. Women snakes are apparently good housekeepers but can be irritable. David and I were both born in Snake years and I don't see any characteristics described above in either of us . . . However, if you are a Snake, then you will enjoy luck yourself in 2013 and also bring luck to the house.

Year of the Snake

Fruit

Dragonfruit

pomelo

Don"t worry Richard Parker! It is just a fruit - a dragonfruit.

This is my new favourite fruit. I'm sure you've seen it in grocery stores in Ontario. To eat it you slice it in half and scoop out the white flesh and the tiny black seeds. Be careful to ensure that none of the rubbery red skin is still attached, because that is not good for you. It has a juicy, sweet taste, but it is very bland. But it is a nutrition power-house!. It is very low calorie and fat free, but the seeds are packed with Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids. It is also high in fibre, contains B and C vitamins, calcium, lycopene and antioxidants.





The pomelo is the largest member of the citrus family. It can have yellow or pink flesh. Personally, I think the pink is sweeter. It has a mild grapefruit-like taste. It is the one fruit, besides bananas that Paul eats the most.

Jackfruit

Jackfruit is kind of peach-like. The skin is covered with thorns. The seeds are also edible and are roasted or boiled and eaten as snacks.

Mangosteen

Mangosteen is the size of a tennis ball. It has a sweet/sour taste.

Mango and Mother's milk

Mother's milk is very sweet and mushy in texture. It is called Vu Sua in Vietnamese,  which translates literally as 'fruit of the breast'. It is eaten like a kiwi, but many people 'squish' the fruit (skin on) so the juice and flesh mix resulting in a thick, sticky liquid. When you eat this fruit, it leaves a sticky residue on your lips which is, apparently, some kind of sap. You have to wipe it off.

Inside Mother's milk

Longan

 

Rambutan

Longan is sweet and juicy when eaten fresh, but it is commonly used in soups, desserts and sweet/sour foods. It is believed to be good for the skin of women and the prostate of men.





Mature Rambutan fruit  hairy, red spikes and are about the size of a pingpong ball. The transparent, white flesh surrounds a seed that is edible, but not usually eaten because it is bitter.

Durian

Durian is a strange fruit. It has a very strong, unpleasant smell that Paul describes as similar to limburger cheese. Some Asian airlines have banned it on-board because it 'stinks'! Paul refuses to have it around, so I have not tried it, but it is considered somewhat of a delicacy.





Recipe: Fruit salad dressing

1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp. brown sugar

Fruit: Most of which you can get in Ontario: papaya, pineapple, banana, dragonfruit, mango, strawberries and/or blueberries, melon, persimmon. I also used pomelo and kiwi would probably be good too!

Scooters

Scooter parking outside the gym.

Everyone in HCMC, including most Westerners, male or female, travels by scooter. In fact, more than 90% of vehicles are scooters. People transport everything by scooter, including several family members, animals, boxes, goods - I recently saw a passenger on 1 scooter carrying a huge pane of glass! Parking is organized to accommodate scooters. Outside the mall in our neighbourhood (Phu My Hung), there is a large scooter parking lot, like any car lot you'd find in Ontario, but no cars allowed. There are parking attendants and entry/exit gates  and tickets on entry - only it is free to park. There are hundreds of scooters parked there on a busy weekend. Notice the parking area surface. These are lockstone pavers with open squares which allow the grass to grow through. I remember when I was studying Landscape Architecture and these pavers were a very popular choice for use in public spaces. But interest quickly died because they didn't really work in northern climates. The grass just had too hard a time growing. And the pavers couldn't hold up to the weight of an automobile. The climate in Vietnam, however, is perfect for allowing the grass to establish itself. These pavers are used everywhere with great effect.

The bicycle used to be the preferred mode of transport, but now you see very few bikes. It's too hot and bikes are too slow in such a big city. In a country where the average age is 28, scooters have given freedom to the people. There are not very many traffic lights in HCMC, and even when there are, the scooters tend to ignore them.

Paul along the river in Phu My Hung.

District 1 HCMC (downtown)

In Phu My Hung, where our apartment is, there have recently been segregated scooter lanes built, which makes navigating the roads a little less hectic. Drivers use their horns to indicate their presence and when you want to turn left, you must ease your way over to the left hand side of the road and then kind of weave your way through on-coming traffic and crossing pedestrians. The scooters are usually low horsepower, so no-one (with the exception of Paul) is going too fast and the chaos does seem to work. I, however, am not likely to be driving a scooter anytime soon. It is enough for me to take my life in my hands when I cross the street! I'm enjoying being a passenger on Paul's scooter.

You'll notice that I am wearing a mask in my picture. Most Vietnamese people, particularly women, wear masks. Not because of pollution necessarily, although there are fumes and dirt when you ride through the streets - that is why I where it. The women wear the masks, and, in fact usually completely cover their bodies, because they do not want to get a tan. That is because it is the peasants who work and/or live outside who are tanned, and most Vietnamese women do not want to look poor.

The Rex Hotel

From L. Paul, Mark (head of CIS), his wife Kathy, Harry
(Principal-Elementary), Melanie (VP Elementary)

View from roof-top bar

 Last Friday, we went downtown and started with drinks at the Rex Hotel. You may remember the name. The hotel was originally built in 1927 during the French occupation as an auto dealership. Later, in the late 50's, it was renovated into a hotel. The first guests were U.S. army soldiers in 1961. It was made famous during the Vietnam War when it hosted the U.S. military command's 5 p.m. daily press conferences. These press briefings seldom contained any factual information and rarely reflected what was actually happening in the battlefields, and the cynical press dubbed them 'the five o'clock follies'. The rooftop bar, where these pictures were taken, was a well-know hangout for military and press personnel. The hotel itself has been featured in several Hollywood movies about the Vietnam War.

The Apartment

  

Richard Parker is admiring the garden by the pool.

The Riverside Apartments are located in the Phu My Hung district of HCMC. This is kind of an upscale suburb, with lots of new construction and modern architecture. There are several 12 story buildings in the complex, a very nice pool, 2 tennis courts, a fitness facility with stationary bikes, treadmills and elliptical machines. The grounds are very lush and well maintained. The apartment itself has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathroom, but 1 of the bathrooms is in the laundry room and is for use by the maid. The kitchen is very modern with an island and marble counter tops (very common here), but has no stove or dishwasher. Above the sink there is a dish drying wrack. The kitchen and bathrooms are build for Vietnamese people - ie all the counters and sinks are low and I have to bend quite a bit to do dishes. The view from the bedrooms is west and we have seen several spectacular sunsets. 

 Richard Parker is looking at the pool.

We have 2 TV's and the air conditioning is individually controlled in each room. It is a great location and very comfortable. Paul keeps his scooter in the basement parking garage which is controlled entry. Wardens are stationed at entrance and exit points and you must show your pass when entering and exiting. 

  

The grounds around the apartment complex are very well kept.

There is a very comfortable couch in the living room.

Mani/Pedi/Facial

What do you think Richard Parker? Vietnam is well-known for its 'spa' industry. Last week I had a manicure and pedicure for $6.00. It wasn't quite like Ontario however, although the service was excellent. But in Vietnam, the foot massage and heel scrub is separate. Still, you can get the whole package for under $20. The best thing was the facial. That cost $12. It was 75 minutes. At first I wondered what they could be doing for 75 minutes, but when Tao whispered 'I'm finished, Madam' I was really sorry it was over. Besides a very thorough skin cleaning and massage, I got a shoulder, neck, arm and head massage. The staff were very polite and pleasant.

The River

Be Careful Richard Parker! You don't want to fall looking at the view of a branch/canal of the Saigon River.  The river is 225 km long and polluted although recent attempts have been made to clean it up and reintroduce native fish species. The branches and canals are less polluted and daily, fishing boats with nets can be seen along this branch, well into and throughout the night. The branch Richard Parker is looking at is affected by tides, even though it is quite far from the mouth of the river.
The port itself is 83 km from the sea and is the most important port in SE Asia. it is navigable to ships with drafts up to 9 m.

Traveling There

Richard Parker remained very calm during the 13 hour flight from Toronto to Incheon Airport in Seoul, Korea. What an amazing, modern place! The secure area is like a huge shopping mall with outlets for every designer label you can think of as well as Starbucks and Burger King, but no Tim Horton's. The toilet seat in the women's washroom had a kind-of cellophane wrapping. When you press a button on top of the tank, the whole wrapping rotates until there is a new clean covering. Very civilized. Paul is an amazing traveller and is able to remain calm and upbeat even with so little sleep. Korean Air is an excellent carrier - efficient and polite. From Seoul, we flew 5 hours to HCMC.

.

This is Richard Parker

He is traveling throughout SE Asia with his Canadian friend.