DCDayTripper: June 2012

30 June 2012 ~ HCMC Night Views ~ Part 1

Listening to: Atmosphere ~ Freefallin'

Upon arrival in HCMC we went walking to see the sights near the hotel.

The weather was much cooler than in HK. It is the rainy season here, so it rains every day between 3 and 7pm, and it rains hard! However, the days are still humid.

This is Notre Dame Cathedral. It was built between 1871 and 1883, with red brick, neo-Romanesque syle and two 40-metre-high square steeples. In front of the cathedral is an idol of the Virgin Mary. Lots of women outside lighting candles and leaving flower offerings.

This is the Hochiminh City People's Committee building. In French style (the French invaded in 1846), the city hall is modeled after Paris' own Hotel de Villie. Nowadays the building is used for the city administration in daily working and meeting occasions. Nice famiy portrait.

This is the Opera House. Built in 1897 by French architect Ferret Eugene, the magnificent building was a classical opera house to entertain French colonishts. The 3 story interior houses 1800 seats.

29 June 2012 ~ Good Morning, Vietnam!

Listening to: Days of the New ~ What's Left For Me?

I am currently in Ho Chi Mihn City, formerly known as Saigon, for a work meeting.

This is the view from my hotel window.

HCMC has a population of 6.8 million people.

Here is a view of the Saigon River, with a school yard in the forefront, that used to be part of a church.

My customer colleagues took us out to lunch at a traditional Vietnamese restaurant for lunch.

The interior was fantastic.

We had crispy spring rolls, fried chicken drumettes, asparagus/chicken soup, clear noodles with crab, and crispy vegatables with vermicelli. Fantasic!!

28 June 2012 ~ HK Art Museum

Listening to: 4 Non Blondes ~ What's Up (Bigger, Better, Faster, More!)

I went to the Hong Kong Art Museum last Sudnay. There was an interactive display on the Secret Garden of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) during the Qing dynasty.

The other cool display was animals in art.

I didn't get to take any pictures inside. But there was also an exhibit on a cartoonist from the 1940s who depicted every day life and tried to portray that art is a reflection of life, and all creatures / human life is to be respected.

After the museums, I stopped along the waterfront at Beer 'n' Deck for a coctail and finished reading my book, "The Harbour", about a woman journalist in Hong Kong during the Japenese invastion.

On the walk back towards home I came across a military band show. The Turkish band was playing.

Caught some video.
http://youtu.be/WmDe3RPRKd4

And then the Chinese military band played.
http://youtu.be/FvNm9O4X8yg

And there was a singer at the music stand.

http://youtu.be/bZ0CbYtmeTM

23 June 2012 ~ Tuen Ng Festival

Listening to: Talking Heads ~ What A Day It Was (8/3/1983)

Today is Tuen Ng Festival, or Dragon Boat Festival, held on the 5th day of the 5th moon. This ancient event commemorates the death of a popular Chinese national hero, Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the Mi Lo River over 2,000 years ago to protest against the corrupt rulers. Legend has it that as townspeople attempted to rescue Qu Yuan, they beat drums to scare fish away and threw dumplings into the sea to keep the fish from eating his body.

Today, festival activities recall this legendary event. People eat rice-and-meat dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves, swimming or even simply dipping their hands in the water, and of course Dragon Boat races.

It was held at Stanley Beach, on the south side of Hong Kong Island.

My co-workers from Accenture had a boat in the race so I went to provide my support and check out the scene. I work with the woman in the blue and the pink hat, and the 2 guys in the front row.

The boats are have a dragon head and tail.

And there is a head row master that beats the drum.

Some teams really get into the spirit of it with lively costumes.

There was even a team "Neumann".

Speed-o's on the other hand...definitely not a good look.

Another beach view.

I'm including a video of one of the races (there were 65 races throughout the day) so you have an idea.

http://youtu.be/oFS9LYLoeM8

And here they are coming into the finish line.

http://youtu.be/r213PqT_VIU

22 June 2012 ~ A Thai Family Reunion - The Food

Listening to: Sandy Rothman ~ Flying South (The Old Road To Home)

I had the fabulous opportunity of being welcomed as an honorary family member for the Thai family reunion.

I woke up at 7am to find that most of the shopping had already been completed and the grill was being started.

Cousin Biu was already starting to peel the carrots for various food dishes.

While sitting down to keep her company, I felt something crawling on my neck, like a fly, but lo and behold, this was my new friend.

For breakfast with coffee, we had warm Thai donuts. These are very similar to the Turkish fried doughs I am familiar with, which would be eaten with white cheese and/or tomatoes and scallions. But the Thai eat them plain.

I tried a new piece of fruit. It tasted like a cross between a pear and a plum.

The whole family gets involved in the food preparation.

And we feast all day long as the various dishes are ready. There is no formal sit down to a meal, we basically ate all day long!

Spring Rolls, Ant Larvae Salad, Mixed Vegetables, Beef Salad, Fish, Green Beans.... Delicious!

The whole fish was superb!

18 June 2012 ~ Grand Palace on Buddha's Birthday

Listening to: David Crosby ~ Music Is Love

On the way to work Friday I came across this poster advertising a night of Reggae on Saturday night at Pier 7, in Central, which is about a 20 minute walk from my flat.

I was extremely excited.

But much to my dismay, when I got there at 10:30, there was no activity. So I went to a nearby bar for a drink, came back at 11:30, and still no one was there! A group of 4 people also had just arrived, and we were quite disappointed. Not sure why there wasn't any music playing at least....

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I just happened to be at the Grand Palace on Buddha's Birthday, 28 April. Cannot believe how time is flying.

There was lots of activity.

The first video is the scene while I was sitting in the shade taking a break.

http://youtu.be/dleYgl5rrKM

The second video is outside a prayer hall.

http://youtu.be/TRgjhOTR3Sw

Here is my co-worker's aunt with the guard.

16 June 2012 ~ Grand Palace

Listening to: Paul Pena ~ New Train

The Grand Palace complex in Bangkok was established in 1782 and consists of the royal residence and a number of government offices.

Sentries are always on duty.

At the upper terrace, one of the main monuments is a reliquary [shrine] in the shape of a golden chedi [mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics].

Outside the Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha is a bowl of water that people will dip a lotus flower in and then drip the water onto their heads for a blessing.

The Emerald Buddha is enshrined on a golden traditional Thai-style throne made of gilded-carved wood, known as a Busabok. The sacred image is clad with one of three seasonal costumes, and changed in a ceremony presided over by His Majesty the King.

The Emerald Buddha is in fact carved from a block of green jade and was first discovered in 1434.

13 June 2012 ~ Grand Palace Galleries

Listening to: Eric Clapton ~ Someday After Awhile (11/8/1994 Fillmore, San Francisco, CA)

The Grounds of the Royal Monastery at the Grand Palace in Bangkok are encompassed by galleries.

The walls are painted with scenes from the Ramakien, first painted during the reign of King Rama I (late 1700s).

I don't know if the scenes below are representing the order, they just happen to be the photos I liked.

The first scene of the story is the a depiction of the initial stages of the Phra Wiharn Yod war waged by Rama to rescue his wife, Sita, who had been abducted by Thotsakan, King of Longka.

Further on there are a number of other episodes from the story, including the Magician who took the sleeping Rama to the underworld and other battles.

The detail is amazing.

The below picture I actually have from my first trip here, but I offered up a challenge to my co-travelers to see if they could find the "monkeys" playing backgammon, drinking and smoking behind the rocks and yes, one of them did just as we were about to leave!