Vietnam Encompassed

Here it is!

2007-09-15T22:01:00.001+10:00

Reunion Photo Gallery by Rosie

2007-02-13T19:17:00.000+11:00

Rosie had a ball running around with the camera practising her portraiture over the re union weekend...these are her results.... Apart from a bit of cropping on some of them they are as she took them. I think she is preparing herself for a trip in the future.....

Despite the heat, the weekend was a lot of fun and it was a great way to catch up with everyone's photos, DVDs, books etc of the Vietnam trip.
For those of us that are traveling to Morocco later this year - there is another blog. Check out www.coloursofmorocco.blogspot.com
for travel tips and other interesting facts and figures. Please post any relevant information you encounter in your own research into this fascinating country. Everyone is welcome to join this blog as well..

Time for a get together??

2006-12-31T10:06:00.000+11:00

Hello everyone and all the best for the New Year of 2007!

My how the time flies when you are having fun [or struggling with a new job]! It is now three months since our return from our adventure in Vietnam and it has been great to see the interaction on this site. What a great way to share each others thoughts and photos and generally keep the memories alive.
It must be time we actually got together in person now. How about a weekend in sunny [and very thirsty] Bendigo?
Below is a list of suggested dates, if everyone could indicate which date suits best hopefully we can come up with one that is convenient for all.

Jan 20/21
Jan26/27/28 Long weekend
Feb 3/4
Feb 10/11
Accommodation is not a problem - I can take up to 6 people between spare rooms and the caravan.
Alternatively we could book a facility like a scout/youth camp where we can all stay together. I have no idea of cost for these places but if there is interest in this idea I will investigate.
I look forward to your replies.

Meanwhile some more shots of Hoi An, a few of its colourful characters and the amazing coracle boats at China beach

Another young Vietnamese

2006-12-29T10:41:00.000+11:00

Mother and son, met on a
street in Hoi An. She had
stopped to feed him a bowl
of mashed bananas, and
was happy to have him
photographed.

Girl at Hanoi Station

2006-12-21T22:01:00.000+11:00

Mark..........here's my close-up of the little girl
at Hanoi Station you photographed with Boyd.

Crafty People

2006-12-19T21:36:00.000+11:00

A few random photos

2006-12-05T09:34:00.000+11:00

I'm back! Been a bit busy at work for the last couple of weeks.

In a pigsear

2006-11-29T09:47:00.000+11:00

These little pigs should have stayed at home

THOSE RELUCTANT PIGS

2006-11-26T11:23:00.000+11:00

Another view of Vietnamese
country life, as the pigs are
herded down the main street
of Sapa.

THOSE RELUCTANT PIGS

By the light of the lanterns....

2006-11-18T20:32:00.000+11:00

This is my take on the beautiful lanterns - I regret not bringing one, or more home! Perhaps I could have added them to the Italian inspired courtyard I created after returning from Italy last year ...

Icons, colours and textures

2006-11-18T20:24:00.000+11:00

Who could forget those wonderful icons, colours and textures of Vietnam!

Vietnamese Kids

2006-11-17T21:08:00.000+11:00

I was fascinated by how forward some of the kids were. I guess they were trained at an early age to take advantage of tourists.

Bikes

2006-11-17T14:57:00.000+11:00

Vicki and Graeme.......your 'bike' photos
are excellent. Unfortunately I wan't quick
enough (nor was my camera) for those
split-second shots. This one (slightly out
of focus) at Hue was one of the few.

Speaking of Hoi An.........

2006-11-13T17:32:00.000+11:00

To have people fishing right in front of you was magic. AS fishing was a main indulgence in Vietnam I took several related shots.

MAGIC LANTERN SHOW AT HOI AN

2006-11-13T11:18:00.000+11:00

Did anyone else take lantern shots ?

Love those bikes

2006-11-12T22:35:00.000+11:00

Good on you Vicki.Once again you have captured the essence of the Vietnamese in fine style.I am sure your book is a work of art. Mark's one is very professional.

Those amazing men and their magnificent motor bikes!

2006-11-12T21:28:00.000+11:00

I'm sure most of you have many more similar shots to these - share them with us all!

Hardcover Photo Book

2006-11-06T09:03:00.000+11:00

My photo book is now at the printers, I should have it by the end of the month. Below is a preview of the layout. I have had to reduce the size to fit in the available area. Click on the cover page to open the book and browse through each page.

If you haven't seen the Momento books, the quality is excellent. I have two other books I have done for work (links to students & Oaks Day), and Vicki produces wedding albums this way.

If you don't see the book preview above you will need to go to www.macromedia.com and click on the 'Get Adobe Flash Player' button, and follow the instructions.

Here's my Water Buffalo photo

2006-11-05T13:58:00.000+11:00

A good portrait is when you can clearly see the subjects eyes...

Two Mother-and-child shots

2006-11-05T13:10:00.000+11:00

Vietnam's 'gentle giants'.

More Magical Halong Bay

2006-11-05T10:10:00.000+11:00

This is definitley one of those places I really woud love to go back and visit again. No trip to Vietnam would be complete without the little bit of Halong Bay luxury and serenity at the end!
Actually, I could happily spend a lot more time in Vietnam anytime soon - especially at the bargain basement prices. I have been looking at destinations for another trip in the near future but nothing compares to Vietnam in the value for dollar department.

Halong Bay 2

2006-11-03T15:00:00.000+11:00

Halong Bay

2006-11-01T19:59:00.000+11:00

I have'nt seen any of your Halong Bay shots. Let,s see some as it was soooo visually great.The laid back chap was our "driver"on the Bay.Ouch!

A MAGIC MOMENT

2006-10-31T21:02:00.000+11:00

A delightful (French-speaking) character I met and spoke with on a street in Hoi An. He asked lots of questions, and told me he moved into town after his village was destroyed during the war. What a great and unexpected experience to have met him, and to have understood most of what he said. Thankfully he spoke slowly !

What wonderful subjects

2006-10-30T17:21:00.000+11:00

It is not often as a photographer that we are faced with such a great array of interesting subjects at every corner - Vietnam is almost a photographer's paradise with loads of great landscape opportunities [weather permitting] as well.

2006-10-30T15:21:00.000+11:00

Here I am again. Far too much time on my hands. I guess if you have photos you might as well share them. Let's have some more Vicki and all.

2006-10-29T21:18:00.000+11:00

I'm getting to like this site. I have a couple of shots taken in the mountains.Loved those hill people.
Love those city streets also. Lots of interesting subjects.

2006-10-29T17:43:00.000+11:00

Hi Guys
Yes...it's my very first blog also. Marilyn and me are slow little bloggers.I like all your photos and comments. Wow...what a trip. I have just completed an article and sent it to Qantas Airways as they advised me to do before the trip.Keeping fingers crossed that they accept it.
I have included a couple of my photos. Catch up soon
Graeme

2006-10-29T16:31:00.000+11:00

At last my first blog! Sorry it's taken a while to get into this.
This is a photo of baskets that I took with my video camera, I didn't thing they were too bad for a less than 2 megapixel video still. Not terribly exciting shots though. Can you upload video to a blog as well?(Marilyn)

McCAINS' CRINKLE-CUT CHIPS

2006-10-25T11:16:00.000+10:00

After the long trek, those garlic chips at our homestay went down well. ......marvellous what can be achieved (including warming the cat) with a large wok and a few sticks of bamboo, making our kitchen look rather over-furnished.

The Photos say it all.

2006-10-24T12:02:00.000+10:00

ELECTRICAL NIGHTMARE

2006-10-23T14:06:00.000+10:00

I showed this to an electician and he just about collapsed on the spot. However, we didn't seem to come across any power failures along the way..........though I can't help thinking what might happen in a typhoon !

2006-10-21T12:29:00.000+10:00

Fun out on the town for a young
family on a warm night in Ho Chi
Minh City.......check out the dad's
T-shirt !

2006-10-21T11:59:00.000+10:00

OODLES AND OODLES OF NOODLES.......There were definitely no rednecks in this group......in fact, everyone's manners were absolutely impeccable......well, sort of !!!

2006-10-20T13:49:00.000+10:00

I guess everyone managed to take this shot of preparing the rice fields for another crop while still harvesting the last.....like looking at a page from a primary school history book for those of 'a certain age' !

buyfromebuyfromebuyfromebuyfromebuyfrome

2006-10-20T13:35:00.000+10:00

Turning Vietnamese.....

2006-10-18T20:46:00.000+10:00

Obviously the H'mong ladies take great pride in their traditional dress - First there's the hairstyles, then the ear jewellery, followed by the indigo dress and last of all the footwear.....

Despite the facial expression, the hat and Judith's discerning supervision - Boyd [aka Happy Buddha] did not quite get the look right!

recycled ponchos

2006-10-18T09:46:00.000+10:00

Vietnam the country that recycles everything.Mark must have felt that his rain poncho had been there and done that on a number of other occasions

SERIOUS shoppers

2006-10-17T13:06:00.000+10:00

There is always at least one in every group.

shoppers

2006-10-17T13:04:00.000+10:00

Those amazing terraces

2006-10-16T21:20:00.000+10:00

I love the patterns created by these rice terraces we walked through on the longer track to the homestay. Unfortunately although the rice was ready for harvesting, the fields were deserted due to the rainy weather.

..my finger went right through..

2006-10-16T13:15:00.000+10:00

Happy Buddha needs one of these waterproof toilet roll holders....or perhaps not to share with someone who had a problem with the showerhead on the junk.

Ask Boyd about the details, some of the words can't be repeated here.

Lady of the House

2006-10-15T16:56:00.000+10:00

What a lovely gentle face - love the ever present gold tooth

Would the building inspector pass this!

2006-10-15T16:31:00.000+10:00

Don't you just love the workmanship that put this roof together..............

Painstaking work - would you do it?

2006-10-15T16:06:00.000+10:00

In Sapa there was a field of roses being grown it was someones job to go through all the blooming buds and cover them with - it looked like newspaper and this was to protect the bloom until picked and sent to the markets. You'll notice the string at the bottom ever so neatly tide.

Nothing goes to waste

2006-10-15T15:26:00.000+10:00

On our bike ride around Hoi An we came across this bridge , Mark courageously put his hand up (or was it that push that got him on it.....) and said he would cross the bridge so we could get a photo. When you look closer what seems to be holding parts of the bridge together are old car tyres - nothing goes to waste. By the way - well done Mark.

Not Bad For A Newcomer

2006-10-14T12:23:00.000+10:00

Cao Dai Temple (taken without a flash...)

Blooming Lotus

2006-10-14T11:57:00.000+10:00

Found this Lotus on our push bike trip in Hoi An.

How to post a Blog

2006-10-13T07:50:00.000+10:00

It seems some peole are experiencing problems trying to post a Blog on this site, so here are a few basic tips; it will be good to see contributions flowing after you read these basic instructions- the site is getting lots of hits, so we know you are all out there somewhere.....
There are 2 parts to a blogsite; the page you see here and the "Dashboard" where you post your blog from.
To get to the Dashboard, click on the little Blogger icon you see in the top left hand corner of this page and wait for the Dashboard page to open. Then you need to sign in; on the top right hand side is a box asking for a sign in name and a password. This is the one you used when you accepted the invitation email and got your name on the site as a member. If you cannot remember what that was, you will nedd to create a new account [ do not click on "create a blog" - well not until you are ready to make one of your own]

Best to tick "remember me" if you are prone to forget these minor details.

When you have successfully logged on, you will see the blog Vietnam Encompassed in the middle of the screen. Click in the green thingy that says "New post" and lo and behold the text screen will open!

Add your text as usual and click on the little picture on the toolbar to add a photo and another window will open. Although it indicates that you can load up to 5 photos at a time, I find this does not work very well these days - well not with a dial up internet connection anyway.

So browse and find your photo [jpg format] on your hard drive then click on "Load photo" near the bottom of the screen and wait while your pic uploads - this will be quite awhile if you use a high resolution camera. As the web does not need high res photos it is best to duplicate/copy and then resize the pic first in photoshop or similar software [in the resize menu make the longest side of the pic say 6oo pixels with the restrain proportions box ticked and save to a convenient folder for web posting.] DO NOT RESIZE YOUR ORIGINAL PRIZE WINNING PIC !! When the DONE window pops up you can finish your post and now just click on "Publish post" and you are done

If this does not help, perhaps I can "walk" you through it on the phone sometime.

Same child, different day and town..

2006-10-12T20:51:00.000+10:00

Until this week, I did not realise this was one and the same little girl. The photo with the pink hat was taken at the roadside stop [where the locals were selling the walking poles] on our trek to the homestay and the second was taken the following day in Sapa while we were trying to enjoy a coffee by the window at the Hill Sation Cafe. Obviously these children cover many miles on foot with their mothers each day. [It was the same dress not the sad, dirty little face that I recognised]

Hoi An

2006-10-12T11:01:00.000+10:00

No problem with my 'triplod' that night, although the following night it would have been a bit of a challenge.

Vietnam Railways

2006-10-10T10:19:00.000+10:00

Catherine demonstrates the technologically advanced safety equipment on the Vietnam Railways.

Load the video (6mb) to preview the demonstration...and we all felt much safer after we were aware that no expense was spared for our safety.

Sapa Trek

2006-10-09T21:06:00.000+10:00

I have been sifting through my photos and found that I have a nice collection of children from the villages we passed through on our trek to the homestay - but only a few boys - and they were playing not selling ! Obviously the ladies are the socialites up there!
I bought bracelets off the four little girls in this pic - they reminded me so much of my own grandaughters of similar ages. Our girls have enjoyed the story behind their bracelets and maybe they now appreciate a little bit more just how lucky they are...

An undisciplined group

2006-10-05T14:22:00.000+10:00

Drew looks quite happy in this photo as it was one of the few occasions he had us all together.

...and Vicki looks totally enthralled with the detail of his history lesson.

Trip Report for Bendigo Camera Club Newsletter

2006-10-04T14:46:00.000+10:00

Vietnam Encompassed

Four members of the Bendigo Camera Club were recently joined by eight other photographers, family or friends for a fun filled adventure exploring the delights of Vietnam..
Our journey began very early [12.15am] on Saturday September 16th when we departed Tullamarine airport and flew to Ho Chi Minh City [aka Saigon] with a short stopover in Kuala Lumpur. We were met at the airport by the first of our local guides Quoc, and spent the day sightseeing. The heat and humidity were the first obstacles to overcome and added to the lack of sleep on the overnight flight we had all had enough by about 4pm and very happily checked into our hotel for a shower and some quality time under the air conditioner. We ventured out later that evening and quickly learnt to deal with the four million motorbikes that scoot around the city day and night. The locals transport anything and everything on their motorbikes – from their elderly grandparents, up to three small children [often peacefully sleeping and with no restraint whatsoever], a refrigerator, a wardrobe, a widescreen television, several large sacks of rice or even a live goat! Their theory seems to be “If it is portable, you can carry it on a motorbike”!
Tourists attempting to cross the busy roads were almost on a suicide mission for the first 24 hours after which time one learnt that the motorbikes would do their best to dodge you provided you walked directly across and did not hesitate or change your mind.
Next day we visited the remarkable Cu Chi Tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the war. Some of us crawled through a section of them and marveled at the lack of space, light and fresh air. Many of their booby traps were still in situ and the adjacent rifle range really added to the atmosphere with continual gunshots. A visit to the huge Cao Dai temple was next and we were fortunate enough to be present during a very solemn ceremony. Photography was permitted but after one over enthusiastic traveler almost blinded the worshippers with his big flash gun we were restricted to available light only.
A boat trip on the Mekong Delta followed the next day. It was a lovely hot day when we set out past the floating market of Cai Rang but a storm blew up for the last part of our journey across the wide river and we had to don the infamous “single use raincoats” favored by the locals. They are so fragile some of us did not even get into them before they disintegrated and others were inflated by the wind making the occupants look like Michelin man balloons.
We left Saigon behind catching an early flight to Danang and met out next guide, Dru. He took us by mini van to the beautiful old colonial city of Hoi An and then escorted us on a walking tour of the many sights of this unique place. Hoi An is reknown for its tailor made clothes so most of the ladies in the group headed off after lunch to check them out. After being measured from every angle and then some, you choose your fabric from the huge range on offer, then select the garment style from a pattern book and return after approximately 5 or 6 hours for a fitting. The garments are practically complete at this stage – any minor alterations are noted and your completed garments are ready for collection next morning. We bought pant suits in 100% cashmere wool and silk fabrics for $65US and shirts for $12US - all fitted perfectly. Some of the group virtually shopped till they dropped and were on first name terms with practically every shop owner in Hoi An by the time we moved on to Hue two days later.
Hue was the original capital and had many historic mausoleums and temples to view; being photographers we were more interested in photographing them and caused Dru a bit of grief because he thought we were “a
very undisciplined group not really interested in his presentations”. Two days later we boarded the train for our first overnight trip arriving in Hanoi 12 hours later. The soft sleeper trains were surprisingly comfortable and were frequented by tourists and locals alike. One of our cabins was visited by a very friendly local girl who despite not speaking a word of English made very good friends with our very own “Happy Buddha” Boyd. She entertained us for some time and even sang to him!
We arrived at 5am and had fun finding our guide Djin and the bus in the throng at Hanoi station but were soon on our way to Halong Bay and the “Jewel of the Bay” boat which was to be home for 24 short hours. What a time we had on the beautuful bay; we swam, we fished for squid, we feasted on seafood, we drank cold beer, we laughed a lot, we walked through remarkable caves, we climbed the limestone peaks, we sea kayaked, we drank and swam some more at all hours of the day and night …and all too soon we were back on the bus returning to Hanoi and another overnight train trip to the northern hill town of Sapa. After a sumptuous breakfast of pancakes, honey and bananas at a local hotel we set off on our trek to visit the villages of the minority races of H’mong and Dzao tribes. All along the way we were accompanied by the ladies and girls of these tribes endeavouring to sell us their handcrafts. These ladies are a hundred times more persistent than any telemarketer and very soon knew your name, age, marital status and extracted a promise to purchase from them and them alone. Some of our group took the short route of 9kms and some walked the longer 14kms track all arriving at our destination village homestay about the same time. Our host family provided us with a great five course meal and we slept on mattresses on the second level of their traditional Vietnamese home. Soon after breakfast next morning the ladies in the marketing department returned with more wares to sell although I felt their enthusiasm was beginning to wane a little – perhaps they could sense we were not in shopping mode. After another overnight train back to Hanoi the shoppers in the group cut loose for a last minute frenzy in the quaint shops of the old quarter. Vietnam’s economy could well be feeling the pinch this week after our departure, so good were the bargains…….

Check out our trip blogspot at www.vietnamencompassed.blogspot.com
Vietnam was a great experience and lots of fun so next year’s OS excursion is already in the planning stage.

Watch this space for more details.

Happy Buddha makes a new friend.

2006-09-30T10:00:00.000+10:00

Our first overnight train journey, we were in our bunks with the light off when we had a visitor. She turned on the lights, sat down and started talking, although she didn't speak any english 'Happy Buddha' was able to communicate, sort of.

Low-res video clip available here. (28Mb file)

Oi Troi Oi !!!

2006-09-29T20:26:00.000+10:00

Oh My God ! Our twelve fun filled days in Vietnam have been and gone already so now we will continue to enjoy them by sharing photos and tales via this blogspot.
If you are experiencing problems logging onto the blog and posting your photos etc, send me an email and I will sort it out for you. It's really very easy once you have mastered it!