WazzaSof - Warren & Sofie McAree

Xin chau from Saigon!

We have been away since September 2005 and are now putting down roots here in Vietnam. To commemorate this I've just added about 50 limited edition photos to our gallery - Absolutely Free!.

P L E A S E T A K E A L O O K !

We've passed through India, Nepal, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and, finally, Vietnam on our travels. To quote the Mighty Boosh:

"If I see a boundary, I eat a boundary. And wash it down with a hot steaming cup of rules."

Enter our world.

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Joined on: March 5th 2005
Last Login: May 13th 2008

Blog Entries: 29
Photos: 701

TB Code: [blogger=2253]
Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by WazzaSof, order by Date newest first.

By WazzaSof
February 15th 2008

Chinese New Year in Thailand

Asia » Thailand » East » Ko Chang

All that glimmers is..
Stupa at Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Thailand's holiest of holies.

Panic Tet (or Chinese New Year to those outside Vietnam) approaches. Panic! The dates on the Lunar calendar lurch this way like some distant (but notorious) relative that Mother has warned you not to get to close to - we decided to get ourselves away the hell out of Saigon. Sofie and myself will fly to Bangkok and meet Kelly there for a couple of days of shopping, eating and wandering. First: I have to get off my chest how p***ed off I was with Thai Customs officials who stamped their little stamp all over my final passport page thereby denying [View Full Entry]

Spiral Tribe Klong Prao Beach - Ko Chang

By WazzaSof
November 20th 2007

They really know how to look after their teachers..!

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City

Kid's drawing
So this is how the kids see me

National Teachers' Day Vietnam It’s a sign of a good school if they look after you well on Teachers’ Day. Today my school proved this by having a half day and treating us to a staff lunch! On my way to school I saw almost every child and every family on their motorbikes with baskets of flowers and bags full of gifts. Vietnamese culture prescribes a high level of respect towards teachers and the education system, and unlike at home, when you tell people you are a teacher they are really delighted for you. In a lot of the local schools [View Full Entry]

By WazzaSof
October 30th 2007

Con Dao -

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Con Dao

Shackles

Hello! Well, despite numerous warnings about the place (formerly best known as prison camp hellhole) I arrived in Con Dao. The 50 minute flight whisked me over the Mekong Delta and into the heart of the South China Sea for a glorious week. I stayed in a comfortable but good value villa with great sea views at the Con Dao Resort just west of the main town. This meant that I was able to enjoy the solitude of the UNESCO site in extremis. When I arrived I was surprised to be one of only two guests at the hotel. The staff [View Full Entry]

By WazzaSof
September 22nd 2007

Chau Doc

Asia » Vietnam » Mekong River Delta » Chau Doc

Confluence

It's been one whole year since Sofie and I had our marriage ceremony in Hoi An and we decided to get out of Dodge and head into the wild Mekong Delta, as far as the bustling Cambodian town of Chau Doc. Chau Doc was a real breath of fresh air in more ways than one. For one, the people are friendly, happy. They're border people like just like me (Warren). It's a long way from here to Monaghan but something in the ordinariness of the place hit home. It's not a tourist town except for the pilgrims who flock to nearby [View Full Entry]

By WazzaSof
August 20th 2007

Ecosse, France, et Irlande

Europe

In Bloom

Ahhhh, Scotlun'! When will we see your likes agin? Well, on 14th July as it goes and as we touched down on the tar MacAdam of Turnhouse just to the West of Edinburgh thoughts were not on Bastille Day celebrations in France nor were they on my own birthday. Instead I was thinking about the beautiful flight down the Firth of Forth past the volcanic beaches of Gullane and the sleepy villages of Fife and towards and clearing the magnificence of the Forth rail bridge. we were back after almost 2 years. We quickly cleared all formalities and were met by [View Full Entry]

By WazzaSof
March 17th 2007

If Saint Patrick Rode a Cyclo

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City

Cyclo
This cyclo is one of the few carrying a passenger (admittedly a tiny passenger).

Sport and the Scoundrel Saint Patrick's Day, 2007. Memories? A sickening last minute heart-breaking try by France against Scotland in Paris to deny the Irish a first rugby Grand Slam in over fifty years. On the same day the Irish cricket team was sending Pakistan out of the Cricket World Cup in the West Indies. At the same time my old alma mater, Saint Macartan's, Monaghan, was gearing up for a McGrory Cup Final with a chance to take a senior title for the first time in over a half a century. They went on to lose in injury time [View Full Entry]

By WazzaSof
February 22nd 2007

Relaxation, Thai style

Asia » Thailand » Central » Bangkok

Down to work

After all the romantic views of the Angkor temples, I decided to have time on my own in Bangkok and do the things a girl loves most - shopping and massage! Last year I was at the Wat Po Thai massage school for the General massage course which works on the whole body. This time I went back specifically to learn the Foot massage technique. This course is also 5 days at the famous Wat Pho massage school. It's a great way to meet people and learn a new skill. There was a group of around 20 in our class - [View Full Entry]

By WazzaSof
February 22nd 2007

Escaping to Cambodia

Asia » Cambodia

A Rare Smile - Angkor Thom

I think I'll just to stick to the pictures of our short 10 day trip to Cambodia this time which for Sof and I took in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat). When Sofie headed off to Bangkok to do her massage course I went deeper into the Heart of Darkness by taking the slow boat to Battambang but the photo evidence on this trip is limited. I came back to PP and then HCMC and the whole journey seemed some kind of beautiful dream carved out of variously hued stone, faces staring out of the early morning mists, monks [View Full Entry]

By WazzaSof
December 4th 2006

A Weekend Away - Nha Trang

Asia » Vietnam » South Central Coast » Nha Trang

Reclining Buddha, Nha Trang
This Reclining Buddha has beautiful glass orbs in the third eye position and also on the top of the head. Really exquisite,

Just back from a lovely weekend in the beach resort of Nha Trang. We just missed the tail-end of the Typhoon Durian which cost many lives in the Philipines. Even a couple of days before the storm was due, waves were battering the coast. Spectacular waves stopped us having too much water fun. It's hard to gauge but I suppose the waves would have been 3 or 4 metres high. Our friend, Chris, has the friction burns to prove it! Anyway, how refreshing it is to get out of Saigon again. So easy too. A Friday night train at 11pm and [View Full Entry]

By WazzaSof
November 26th 2006

Warren - Saigon Daze

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City

Saigon Temple
Lovely Giac Lam Pagoda in West Central Saigon.

Guess who’s back? We have been meaning to blog Saigon for ages. We are living here now and people are curious about our lives in Vietnam. We have plenty of photos below from the city, our schools, our flat, our friends and various other stuff too. There are also a couple of short videos just to the left of this text (if you take the time to download them). They will give you some more insight into where we are living right now and how things are for us.. So.. George W, Angelina & Brad have all been and gone. It [View Full Entry]

TravelBlog » WazzaSof

WazzaSof | Warren & Sofie McAree | Travel Blog

WazzaSof - Warren & Sofie McAree

Blogs & Travel Journals

Chinese New Year in Thailand

They really know how to look after their teachers..!

Con Dao -

Chau Doc

Ecosse, France, et Irlande

If Saint Patrick Rode a Cyclo

Relaxation, Thai style

Escaping to Cambodia

A Weekend Away - Nha Trang

Warren - Saigon Daze