25 Oct 2013
by catandgary
in Vietnam
Tags: advice on TEFL, English teachers, Hanoi
We have now been in Hanoi for ten days and are getting to know our way about. We have also secured part-time work as English teachers and are beginning to develop a portfolio of posts at language schools and as private tutors. The Vietnamese government are working to ensure that the majority of students use English in their daily communication and studies by 2020 and so there is an abundance of work in this developing country.
Being measured up for a shirt…
However, securing the work is stressful and certainly not easy. What with the interviews, demonstration lessons, charging around in taxis, being measured up for clothes and waiting on responses to emails…and we thought we were on a holiday! Perhaps the most bizarre experience was on the three occasions we found ourselves shortlisted for the same job!
…stuck in traffic on the way to an interview…
However, the students are proving fun and the teaching enjoyable…we’ll report in on progress and give more detail in a later post.
We both love Hanoi as much as we always did. However we are still living in hotels and so the next challenge will be securing an apartment on a short-term lease…
Finally, if anyone wants advice on securing TEFL positions in Hanoi please post a comment and we’ll respond…
See you soon…
catandgary 🙂
15 Oct 2013
by catandgary
in Vietnam
Tags: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Starbucks
We are at the point in our travels when we are seeking a place to settle for a while; a place to lay our flip flops and set up ‘home’. We have stayed in 11 hotels in 5 weeks and it’s time to assimilate into a community and immerse ourselves properly in a different culture. And we believe Vietnam is the country in which we want to do that; but do we settle in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi…
Vietnamese coffee…tastes equally good in HCMC and Hanoi…
We spent a few days exploring Ho Chi Minh City. Granted, only really District One – the central area – but we think we’ve seen enough. It is a vibrant metropolis; the engine room that seems to drive this young country. It is a dizzying mix of old and new with skyscrapers existing alongside temples, dark alleys and ramshackle wooden shacks: modern bars alongside traditional coffee shops and street vendors of some years continue to ply their trade alongside swanky shopping malls. Indeed, we met Tam who has sold photocopied paperbacks in the backpacker district for 14 years now and spoke of the many changes she has seen in that time.
HCMC Starbucks. The first in Vietnam and one of the best in the world…
Even an evening out with our friends Makc and Irina, who we met in Ha Long Bay didn’t swing things. Or our friendship with the hotel manager who we assisted with English lessons…
And so it’s goodbye HCMC… for now…
Ho Chi Minh is a city that will appeal to many with its wide boulevards, excellent shops and bars and its big city feel – and it is very definitely ‘Vietnamese”! But it doesn’t feel like a place we can call home; it is sprawling and anonymous and fails to appeal as Hanoi does. So, after many coffees and conversations we’ve decided to fly back to Hanoi and the charm of the Old Quarter; and to a city with which we have developed a rapport and a friendship…
catandgary 🙂
14 Oct 2013
by catandgary
in Vietnam
Tags: Cu Chi, Kim Phuc, Viet Cong, Vietnam War
Today we travelled 40 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City to the underground tunnels of Cu Chi. The tunnels are an elaborate network that total a staggering 250 km in length.
They were constructed with simple tools and bare hands during the French occupation of Vietnam in the 1940s and were later expanded in the 1960s during the Vietnam War.
The tunnels provided a refuge for the Viet Cong and also a place from which they could plan their attacks.
Our guide for the day was a man who referred to himself as Jackie due to his self proclaimed likeness to Jackie Chan! A survivor of the Vietnam War, he gave a first-hand account of this horrific period and the suffering that resulted on both sides. He showed us Vietnamese booby traps and weapons and gave a soldier’s account of the fierce battles that took place and of the destruction caused by the chemical weapon attacks by the Americans.
We were invited to venture into an original tunnel and were pleased once we had finally conquered our fears and crawled in the pitch black on hands and knees for 50 metres. This experience left us with some appreciation of what life must have been like for the men, women and children who existed in the tunnels.
The day was thought provoking and left us with a desire to read more about the horrors of the Vietnam War.
On the journey back to Ho Chi Minh City, Jackie showed us where Kim Phuc had lived and the road she ran down following an American air attack. She was the young girl who featured in the iconic photograph running down the road naked and screaming after being burnt in the napalm attack on her village.
Thought provoking indeed…
catandgary 😦
12 Oct 2013
by catandgary
in Vietnam
Tags: Ho Chi Minh City
As we intended, we are enjoying making friends with the local people as we continue on our journey across the globe…
Cat gives an impromptu English lesson to our hotel manager…
And Gary takes a turn…
A local entrepreneur…
So sad…but she was very sweet…
And our beautiful friend Tam who has generously offered us a room in her home…
catandgary 🙂
09 Oct 2013
by catandgary
in Vietnam
Tags: Galaxy Premium Cruises, Ho Chi Minh, junk, kayaking, sea eagle, UNESCO, World Heritage Site
After four days in Hanoi, we planned a trip to Ha Long Bay with Galaxy Premium Cruises. Ha Long Bay was named as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994 and is an archipelago of 1500 sq km out of which 1,969 – surprisingly also the date of Ho Chi Minh‘s death – limestone islands dramatically climb from an emerald sea.
Beautiful Ha Long Bay…
stunning…
We chose Galaxy Premium Cruises on the recommendation of our hotel manager, after scouring TripAdvisor and chatting to local tour operators – there are plenty to choose from in Hanoi! If you are looking for a company to sail the bay with we recommend you look no further than Galaxy Premium…
Table set for dinner…
delicious food…
Gary chatting to Hui, our excellent guide…
A resident of Ha Long bay…
The two days and one night we spent on board our Vietnamese ‘junk’ were memorable to say the least and the full itinerary had obviously been well thought through. The junk was beautiful and our private cabin was perfect…trip highlights included – the food and excellent service, kayaking to caves and a floating village, night fishing for squid, waking at 5.45 to watch the sunrise, the people we met – especially our lovely new Russian friends Max and Irina, who were great company and the excellent Vietnamese guide, Hui – and watching the sea eagles glide on the thermals above us whilst we cruised the bay in beautiful sunshine on our impressive junk…perfect.
Our sunrise…
Cat and Gary go kayaking…
Max and Irina on the journey back to Hanoi..
Ha Long Bay is beautiful and an overnight cruise is relaxing and possibly the best way to see it. Make this trip!
catandgary 🙂
06 Oct 2013
by catandgary
in Vietnam
Tags: coffee shop, Confucius, Hanoi, Hanoi Hilton, Hoa Lo Prison, John McCain, Old Quarter, Temple of Literature, Vietnamese coffee
We are still in Hanoi and enjoying every minute. The pace of life is fast, and frequent coffee/tea stops are called for but we still love it here…
Hanoi Hilton
Today we visited Hoa Lo Prison which has incarcerated political prisoners since the nineteenth century. More recently, American airmen shot down in North Vietnamese airspace during the Vietnam War were held there and it was they who nicknamed it the ‘Hanoi Hilton’. Its most famous captive was John McCain – the 2008 Republican presidential nominee – who spent part of his five years in Vietnam as a POW there.
The Hanoi Hilton…
In 1945 over 100 political prisoners squeezed through this sewer and escaped…
It’s a fascinating place to visit and gives a graphic impression of what life was like for Hoa Lo’s inmates.
Temple of Literature
We then moved on to the Temple of Literature. It is one of several temples in Vietnam dedicated to Confucius. Built in 1070, and housed in beautiful gardens, it is divided into five courtyards, each of interest and providing an area to explore and relax away from the busy life outside. Definitely worth a visit.
An evening in the Old Quarter
And we enjoyed another evening in the Old Quarter…
Just look at the photos! This area is the very heart of Hanoi and our favourite part of the city to hangout. Day and night we found ourselves attracted to its narrow streets, tiny shops, busy bars and engaging people. It is a fascinating place and we have spent hours sitting enjoying Vietnamese coffee or beer and watching life tear past us at a million miles an hour. Amazing!
catandgary 🙂
04 Oct 2013
by catandgary
in Vietnam
Tags: crossing the road in Hanoi, Hanoi, Hoan Kiem lake, Huc Bridge, Ngoc Son Temple, scooters, Thap Rua
We’ve had a fabulous day in Hanoi…
After an early morning run with the locals around Hoan Kiem Lake, we returned to stroll at a gentler pace! The city of Hanoi revolves around this wonderful lake and it is the heart of this magical place.
Hoan Kiem Lake and Thap Rua…
The Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple…
Strolling the beautiful lakeside boulevards…
Happy times…
All the time in the world…
Flowers as they should be displayed…
And as day turns to evening in Hanoi, everyone makes for their scooters. It must be seen to be believed and it’s impossible to capture the madness on camera. Bikes come from all directions (including the pavements!) with horns blaring as people hurry about their business. However, crossing these roads on foot is surprisingly easy! We were advised to just step calmly into the road and keep going. First time we tried it our hearts were in our mouths…but like Moses and the Red Sea the bikes moved aside as they swerved to get round us, allowing a safe route to the other side. Crazy!
Mayhem!
catandgary 🙂
03 Oct 2013
by catandgary
in Thailand
Tags: Bangkok, Cafe Bicycle, Cha by the Park, Charlotte, river taxi, skytrain, The Emporium, The Jim Thompson House, tuk tuk
Bangkok was fun!
We loved much about this city – the ‘bustle’, the parks, the river taxis, the sky train, the shopping malls – especially the classy Emporium – and the outdoor lifestyle.
We also really enjoyed The Jim Thompson House – well worth a visit, and the coffee shops, the street vendors and the many wonderful and bizarre things Bangkok has to offer.
Here are a few highlights from our days in this very busy city…
The people…
The wonderful parks…
River taxis – more than just a means of transport, and our crazy tuk tuk ride…
Khaosan Road…
Our two favourite coffee shops have to be: Cha by the Park – swing music and coffee – a peaceful haven in an otherwise hectic city, and Cafe Bicycle – next to Charlotte’s former workplace – who serve the biggest and best almond croissants in the world!
The Jim Thompson House – fascinating and beautiful and highly recommended. A peaceful retreat of charm and elegance.
Temples – a must see (at least one…or two!)
(There’s another side to Bangkok too but that’s not for our blog).
catandgary 🙂
02 Oct 2013
by catandgary
in Thailand
Tags: Bangkok, food court, green tea, gym, jogging, keep fit, Lumpini Park, street food, The Bangkok Gym
In 1979 a group of like-minded people came together and began what is now fondly referred to as The Bangkok Gym.
Nothing more than rusting weights and simple cardio machines under a few pieces of tarpaulin stretched between trees, this open air gym is incredible. And the views across the park and the lake provide motivation enough to push that bit harder…
We visited a few times and were warmly greeted by the regulars who served us green tea from an enormous teapot. Working out alongside these friendly locals was the nearest we came to feeling a part of the Bangkok community.
You really must try this place if you’re a gym monkey…and if you’re not, try jogging around the park with the locals, early morning or evening. You could even join them afterwards in the outdoor version of a shopping mall food court!
Nothing beats exercising outdoors, especially in such warm surroundings – that’s the weather and the people!
catandgary 🙂
catandgary 
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