another short vid

video from "the game"

More vids from the day

more vids from the day

video from before and durinfg the

Quarter finals

The big part of coming to London in Oct was to see the All Blacks hopefully bring home the World Cup.
Not since 1987 had we managed to do it, and this year looked like the time.
I went to Cardiff and met up with Zane, we had a great beginning to the day as we watched the brits defeat the Aussies (working on the assumption that playing Aussie in the Semi was harder than the Brits, you know what they say about making assumptions...... you make an ass out of u and mption)



The city was incredibly filled with thousands of French and Kiwi supporters all making noise and chanting, the streets closed to traffic as the punters all made there way towards the Millenium Stadium.
I had always thought the Caketin was well placed for the Wellington public to access, but the stadium in Cardiff is superb, it is an easy walk from almost any part of the city and is amazing to sit in.
The atmosphere and noise inside the stadium was incredible. `the roof fully closes and the sound reverberates back and forth.

I was sitting almost at the halfway, about two metres from the all black subs! Surrounded by crazy French chanting "Alle le Bleu"
The game is a blur, you watched the action almost like it was on super slo motion, the unravelling of the plan, the missed tackles, the mistakes. It was as if it didnt matter what the AB's tried nothing could deny the French today.
In the end a very sad end to the World Cup for our team, a sad evening in Wales on what should have been a step towards something greater.

Now to support anyone against England!!!!!

How many days has it been?

I can only say sorry if you have been to this site over the last month hoping to hear/see where ive been next.
Im not going to bore you with the reasons why i havent updated it but i will give a precis of what has gone on.
Phew
Since Sept 9th
I stayed in PP until the 14th Sept (leaving was much harder than i had thought it would be and Cambodia is very present inmy thinking each day)
I arrived in Bangkok on the 15thg after a crazy 13hr ride on a clapped out bus! (you would have assumed after travelling all over SE Asia for nearly six months i would have understood the difficulties in bussing from PP to Bangkok, but no!)
The flight which was available $100 compared to the bus$15 seemed any easy choice at the end of travelling, but..... the flight took 40 minutes! something i didnt think to hard over! Doh!
With no small bills (in the provinces $20 US is a note that causes problems when you try to but water and food!)
So i was on a bus for too many hours, tired and sore as we rolled into Bangkok in the middle of a tropical monsoon.
Spent 4 days in Bangkok
Have to say i enjoyed the city more this time (culture shock seems to have wiped me out when i arrived here at the start of my trip!)
Bartered for clothes, got staunch with a tuktuk as he tried to rip me off,it ws all fun as i approached the next part of my trip....So on the 18th i left and caught a longhaul flight to `london........and the World Cup

Its a photo of me!

Meeting the real Cambodia

Went with my friend to visit her family, her mother lives in Phnom Penh with the extended family, her father stays in the family village in Kompong Khan Province working on their fields.

The difference between the rich and the poor in Cambodia is at times really hard to deal with, to visit the family we took a Tuktuk (motorbike taxi that has a covered trailer on the back) down one of the main roads in Phnom Penh, we drove down a dirt rode for a cpl of minutes then turned down an old railroad line, the rail isnt used anymore so families have built shanty towns along the tracks. (the buildings are really basic, but because they are on public land the families can live there. These families couldnt afford to live in a city apartment.)

I was welcomed in and met both her son and his cousins, the kids were really excited to have a visitor with a camera and had fun posing for pics all around the house.

The hospitality was lovely but couldnt hide the fact that poverty was pretty close to the surface. The water to drink has to be boiled (there isnt running water) and the ice slabs used to cool it is sold by a guy who delivers them on the back of a cart. We shared the glasses that they had as we ate a meal of beef soup, cockles (collected from the local river which is incredibly polluted), frogs deep fried and rice.

The reason we had come to visit was to give David, Amum's son a present. He had been asking for a Kong (bike) for a long time and so we bought one at the local store. The look on his face as he saw it was fantastic. He rode around the inside of the main room with his cousin jumping on and off the back (the area out the front of the house is too bumpy to ride on)

We took the camera down to the local photoshop and blew up 10 of the pics into A4 colour images for $15 (believe me, there is a crazy difference in price between NZ and here!)

We then went to the local Khmer market and got some wooden frames which we took back to the house and sat with the family as they all put the pictures into frames. Each kid had at least one photo of themselves.

I know how much the kids at school used to love seeing themselves in video or photo and they were from a culture rich in media, the look on the Khmer kids faces as they carried a big portrait of themselves around was very very rewarding.

So Cambodia again!

Got into Phnom Penh a very tired boy (picked up the nastiest snot virus in Saigon, tmi but hey)
Met a Cambodian friend who i first saw last time I was here in Cambodia and after talking for a while i found out she had not seen the temples at Angkor, so I've now been twice to Angkor Wat and to tell the truth i could go again, they are so amazing.
I have another few days left in Cambodia before heading off to Nthn Thailand for a week or two and the this part of my trip is over!? eek
Off to the UK for a cpl of games in the world cup and then head down and saving /working like crazy.
I will do another update in a few hours but its time to go have brekkie and hope the rain finally stops (im not sure why but really rainy weather at the beach just seems so pointless)
Great.... the pics i wanted to upload arnt. well that seals it.
See you all later

Well, i was having a look on YouTube and ...

the ride across

This is what im talking about!

Funny, funny things were happening at the Theme Park, from the Mickey Mouse like greeter to the rocks playing music, to the empty ammusement arcade. I did feel a bit like i was the odd one out for most of the day.

The ride to the ride!

Getting to the fair

The computer im using has crashed 4 times as i have tried uploading images and video, so im getting a bit twitchy! lol
Im now doing only one thing at a time on it (so it doesnt have anymore tantys)
The next video is of the cable car ride to the island of Vin peal (advertising name only) it is the worlds longest cable car at over 4 kms and about 80 metres high.
It was quite a ride out and one i wouldnt be keen on in a storm!

Fun Fair in Vin Pearl Land

Hmm, out of order Hoi An, Nha Trang and Dalat

The following few posts will be out of order for the simple reason that im uploading images and video out of sequence!( Im bidding online in the final minutes of an auction for two tickets to the 1/4 finals in the world cup so im not totally focussed.
lol

Have been travelling down the coast of Vietnam from Hue to Hoi An to Nha Trand then inland to Dalat (where it is chilly as hell and rainy)

First stop was Hoi An (you here this town talked about all over Asia as the place to get clothes made for you.
So..... Matt went to town, i tried to be sensible but the costs were just crazy and the people are very cool to deal with, the city is tiny with little cobbled streets and yummy seafood restaurants all over the place YUMM
so what did i get?

1. A Navy Blue suit (Italian cashmere wool)
2. A charcoal gray pinstriped suit
3. A casual jacket
4. 5 business shirts
5. 1 military shirt
6. 1 pair brown suede shoes
7. 1 pair black leather chelsea boots
8. 1 pair black leather business shoes

It seems a lot when you add it up like that!

lol

No pics sorry, i packed up and shipped it all to the UK.

another video? or same same.

Another video you say?

this could be a repeat, im multi tasking doh!

DMZ

Im not posting all my pics tonite as im hungry and want to go find a dinner!

LOL just being truthful.

You could see over the whole district from here

I went to Dong Ha this morning which is the last town in the south before the DMZ,from there i went to visit some of the old fire bases that the Americans used and also visited one of the many sad cemeteries that dot the countryside here from the war.

I also went over to the North to go into the tunnels that were constructed from 1967-1972 to keep the town of Vinh Moc safe during the constant bombing that occured as the US tried to keep the DMZ clear of Viet Cong.

The tunnels were amazing, deep (up to 4 stories underground!) all made by hand and they stayed completely hidden from the US for the entire war!

They were next to the ocean and i can only imagine what it must have been like to be stuck in them for days on end as the surf pounded gently against the sandy beach only metres from your place of hiding.

lol, ive forgotten what this is!

Pagodas in Hue

Went for a motor tour of Hue, visited several temples and watched the novice monks learning to do calligraphy.

It was surreal to see them practicing while a million tourists (mostly asian) watched, took photos and generally made the peace and quiet of the temple fade into the background.

The haircuts were interesting, the atmosphere at some of the more distant temples was just beautiful.

Nothing beats the tranquility of the trees, ponds and sound of chanting that you find in some of the temples, hopefully the video i took conveys some of it.

Im getting better at being able to do "all the right things' when in a temple, youi watch and follow most of the time, although the folding your feet under you is still quite hard (old bones i think)

Some of the pagodas are amazing, untouched from any of the wars that Vietnam suffered, others were flattened.

Last of the Rowing!

Ninh Binh part 2

Rowing for Gold

Ninh Binh

Stayed in Ninh Binh for a couple of days, went to the Halong Bay of the Central plains,.
Was shown around an amazing landscape of likestone/Karst cliffs and rivers by a lady rowing with her feet!

It was a surreal thing to watch, as she did and eggbeater kind of motion and propelled us through the water.

I will upload some video of it soon!

The river goes through 3 or 4 limestone caves that have been cut out of the rock by the water!

There are always the ladies in sampans selling you a coke or fruit or anything you can think of (imagine your local dairy/supermarket on a small boat) very useful at times

Most of the people on the river were Vietnamese as it is the summer holiday season, so i stood out like a sore thumb

Along the shore there were rice paddies and farmers working hard to make a very poor living. I think many people in Vietnam are at this level (just getting by and no more, there are certainly a wealthy middle class but the poor are a majority.

As we came around a corner i saw two young boys neck deep in the muddy water, with a floating basket attached to their hats, they were hunting for the tini snails that are all over the paddies and rivers and are roasted with spices and sold on the street, alot of hard work for a very little $, but i think this is how it is.

hmmm, will this work?

After the final penalty

Aussies before the game part 2

Aussies in full cry ......before the game

A good day at the Office

Back in Hanoi

Arrived in time to get a place to stay, get some lunch and watch the Kiwis beat the Ausies in an Irish bar packed with Socceroo supporters!

A very sweet experience.

Give them their due, they were a very humourous group and their massed drunken singing would have made any "true Blue ocker" proud

I then followed them on a hair raising moto drive thru the streets of Hanoi to the Olympic stadium to

watch the Japn vs Aussie quarter final. A strange feeling knowing that most of the crowd assumed you were an Ocker (kind of felt like i should be wearing the silver fern somewhere)

The game was so-so, but the penalty shoot out was a thing of beauty, seeing the aussie boys bottle it was enough to make the brits an i sing out loud.

The police seemed more into the game than into policing but hey, who cared.

Today, went for a wander through the city and saw that the last Harry Potter book had just been released.... so forked out an immense ammount of cash and have just started it (yes i know, i should be still reading it but the free internet here made me put it down and come downstairs..all 6 floors of them)

Gulity admission no 1:

Walked past my first fast food outlet today and crumbled like an Italian backline, the photo is of my KFC lunch (i cant lie, it was same same but same) left me feeling greasy and blah but was YUMMY at the time. Doh

Not so gulilty admission no 1:

Walked past a 100% Kiwi ice cream shop and felt all warm and funny (ive so gotta get some pineapple lumps!) lol

in case it didnmt load b4

Halong Bay Pics

The following pics are from the trip into Halong Bay
The Boat was chartered for $60 between 4 of us (im not sure how they make money on that!!)
We had a lovely seafood lunch and swam, kayaked and generally had a blast on the water from 9am till 5.30.
A very tiring day but rewarding.
Im off to have some fresh king Prawns and go to bed in a very comfy (but expensive bed for the night)
:)

it seems the gods have decided not to let me upload pics (so i will do it in Hanoi)
Sorry

Thats gotta smart! Part 2

Thats gotta smart! Part 2

Thats gotta smart!

Some more video from Hanoi Street Party

Halong Bay Video 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC9r7J1AxVM

Halong Bay

Some Video from todays trip into Halong Bay.
Im burnt, tired from swimming but enjoyed every last second!
For once the hype was all true, what a fantastic place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ls1jKKo__A

Thats gotta smart part 2 (watch part 1 first)

The joys of IT

Wow, if i had a rage meter it would have blown in the last hour and a half!
Sitting in an internet cafe in Cat ba witha selection of computers that all have different illnesses, some wont see a memory card but will open blogger, others open blogger but not you tube, others just take a day and a half to then tell you they cant do anything, its a million degrees and becaiuse its Vietnam holidays im surrounded by kids playing Counter strike, which for some odd reason goes perfectly!?
I may join them and shoot things for an hour (i'd get more done!)

Here is a moment of pain but also humour from last nights celebration in the inner city of Hanoi.
Watch for the guy standing on his mates motorbike playing the trumpet for charge!

Thats gotta smart

Vietnam wins even when they lose!

Market colours

Just incase you thought i'd let mself go completely.....

Here is my new haircut (done under sign language in a back street in Hanoi)

And yes those are "real" Ray Bans. lol

The rest of the pics are from the local food market.

The amount of dried goods on sale is just huge ( i wonder what a supermarket would be like to see now)

From huge pieces of Cinnamon, to dried seafood (shudder)

To a multitude of rice, all in huge whicker baskets.

Buying Pressies in Hanoi

Found a street full of Stamp makers (in the old quarter the streets traditionally had one occupation or craft in them, and this continues today)

Made a deal with the guy (read i got stung when i thought i was showing my stunning bargaining skills-not)

The speed with which he made the stamps was amazing (his knuckles showed the signs that he wasnt always as fast or as skilled!)

Joe and Nate have a stamp each on the way, as does Yvonne (got to the international post office today to send 3 parcels across the world)

His work area was a doorway, his desk one of the many multi use plastic seats that make you bend like a contortionist each time you sit at one!

Hanoi Images

I thought it looked too ordered to be graffitti, Its the names and numbers of plasterers on some of the cities plastered walls.

One of the many Cyclos that play their way around the Old Quarter, i havent been on one yet (not sure if its a "you look like the Sahib being taken on a ride to see the natives" sort of thing or i just dont dig slow moving transport)

A giant fruit at the temple, like a massive bright green orange!?

hehe, i got to watch the All Blacks on the tele in my room! (not the best game but.... it lines up next week for a cracker!)

Fruit Boy

More Hanoi vids

Hanoi Pagoda visit

Bumping into the French guy and his Vietnamese partner in Sa Pa was one thing, bumping into them, in Hanoi quite another!

They took me to see her village and the beautiful Pagoda there

The place was very peaceful and yet different to the temples i have visited in Laos and Cambodia (a case of Same same but different!)

We gave offerings in the temple and i followed his lead as best i could, it seemed to make sense and no-one gave us a second look which was a relief.

After the visit i caught a cpl of buses back into the city (feeling very clever and "like a local" i didnt think anything of the crush around me as rush hour caught me. Unfortuantely i must have seemed like any easy target because the cellphone in my front pocket got taken without me feeling a thing :(

I have emailed Vodaphone but strangely they havent rushed back a reply!? lol

Electric storm Hanoi

Hanoi

Some of the posters from the Propoganda Store

My last day in Hanoi

Im going to be making my own way to Halong Bay (No tours for me, im not sure why the "road less travelled" seems better than the "road led by tour guides")

I will upload some video taken in Hanoi

So where to begin?!

Its been a long time!

My scars are healing (cut the stitches out myself in Dien Bien Phu), not as rugged as it sounds.

Crossed over the border from Laos which was slightly surreal (misty mountains, erie quiet, friendly Lao, Super Tense Vietnamese border guards

The visit to DBP was awesome, a very quiet town with a fairly interesting history. Met lots of locals, bought the T-shirt, etc etc

One of the knocked out tanks from the battle at Dien Bien phu

So after a few days there i travelled down to Sapa

Sapa is a hill town that looks like something out out of the Alps

It is populated by a heap of hill tribes who come to the town to sell their cloting, jewellery, and meet the tourists.

The first you usually meet are the Hmong, the Black Hmong are the most forward, the kids (usually girls in their early teens come up and give you grief unless you buy one of their trinkets)

It is a very funny experience watching new tourists blown away by these kids but not so funny if they set their sights on you!

The most ornate are the Red Dao (pronounced Zao), the headresses are amazing and the whole town square is filled with up to 6 tribes all dressed traditionally (the funny thing is t see the younger kids at the end of the day, they are often changed into modern clothes)

Ok, you might be asking why these images look kinda like i went to Google and typed in Sapa, well my clever viewers it is because i did!

Having no camera other than my phone meant my photo memories of the last month hhavent been great, but wait it gets worse!

All te images, videos etc that i did have on my phone are now the property of the person who pick pocketed me in Hanoi today! Oh yeah!!

It was on a crowded bus, blah blah blah, never felt a thing.

Im gutted cos of the pics ive lost but....... and now having to email Vodaphone to see just how they might "help" a loyal customer in these circumstances.

You can just see it now, i have to go to the local police, get a form they cant read to then be scanned or mailed! to NZ, damn thieves.

So, to sum up.

Back streets Hanoi- The Old Quarter

Im happy in Hanoi, i have got a new camera! (evidence to follow) my visa is being sorted and i will soon be off to Halong Bay, oh and i met a French man who has marred a Vietnamese girl who i saw in Sapa in the street today and i went to visit his new home village, very cool.

So now here are the pics i took today, it feels weird having a camera again but it is great to be collecting images.

Images from the Military Museum

If it feels weird seeing a huey in Hanoi, try seeing it with a class of Vietnamese kids (yep it was field trip day today!)

I had a giggle watching the kids do what kids do, play tag on the machines, chat to each other during the video sessions etc etc (same same but same)

The long arm of the law doesnt allow Dad and Junior to climb the trees for a photo op in Hanoi!

I will post more pics tomorrow, im off to email Voadfone now :(