Vietnam 2009

March 13 - April 13, 2009 Hue, our favourite city We were beginning to feel the effects of the heat in Cambodia and southern Laos – droopy, wilted and decidedly lacklustre. So when we neared the Vietnamese border, up in the mountains that separate Vietnam from Laos, we welcomed the cool cloudy weather, and even the spitting rain. It was a relief. We went directly to Hue, our favourite town in Vietnam, where we now have 'family' and friends. Our hotel welcomed us with open arms. When we went to our favourite restaurant, the Sai Gon Pho, for our first dinner, Hang, the owner was so happy to see us that she gave us our meals on the house. “You're family!” she exclaimed. And the next day, when we went to the market to see our favourite vendor, Xinh, she plied us with all sorts of treats, from jellied shrimps and hot sauce to sweet yellow-bean-paste stuffed dough-balls in sweet coconut milk soup. She couldn't stop smiling. We felt like we'd come home. Hanoi – visiting mu...

April 10, 2009 For the last two weeks we've been here on Phu Quoc Island, not far off the south-western shore of Vietnam. It's actually closer to Cambodia, and Cambodia does 'claim' it, but Vietnam's got the bigger army, so Vietnam's it is.   In a word, for us, it's perfect. A tropical island with golden sand, dark aquamarine waters, hot sunny days – but very little humidity, and almost always a freshening breeze. Graceful palms and thatch-topped palapas that look like toadstools line the beach. The nights are warm enough to be sleeveless for dinner, then just cool enough to sleep without a fan.  We are happily ensconced in a little bungalow about 100 yards from the beach. There's no development in front of us: we look out over a field of sedge grass and a placid lily pond to the open waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Most days a small herd of cows – two of whom have new-born calves – roam the grassy verge alongside the beach. A guy and his wife come with ...

April 9, 2009 Searching for Son We came back to Sa Pa at the end of March, hoping it would be warmer than it was in mid-December, when we stayed only three bitterly cold days, made colder by the lack of central heating and the locals' insistence on keeping doors wide open. They're a hardy people, but they also wear ski jackets and scarves all the time, indoors and out. We came back to Sa Pa partly because we were anyway on our way north to China, and it was only a minor diversion, but mostly to look for Son. Son is a petite Hmong woman with whom we'd become friends. We'd walked and talked with her, as much as her limited English would permit, and she'd given me a metal bracelet to remember her by – as if I could forget! We arrived in Sa Pa in the early morning, exhausted from a sleepless night on the overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai. After a quick nap we headed to the market, and to the table in the corner where the women from Son's village eat their lunch....