Blogs from Hoi An, Quảng Nam, South Central Coast, Vietnam, Asia - page 11

Well, that's Christmas and New Year done and dusted and now everyone in Hoi An and Vietnam for that matter is preparing for Tet. This is their most important day of the year. It is the same day as Chinese New Year and occurs on the first day of the first month on the Vietnamese calender on a new moon, usually late January, early February. This year it starts on 30th January. Hoi An is abuzz with preparations for this festival. Houses and shops are being repainted (straight over the top of the mould) and special foods are being prepared, schallots being one of them, would you believe? Dog is another but a local expat from Australia assures me that the family pet isn't devoured but they have special restaurants where you can consume this "delicacy". ... read more

I can't believe I left out the photos of Mai (boy)! I'll learn to blog correctly yet if it kills me! Anyway here are the pics of my friend, Mai! As promised, I like to promote one of the "makers" now and again and this time it's Mai boy (as opposed to Mai, the female maker). "Mai was born with Cerebral Palsy which has mainly affected his lower body. He also suffers from eyesight and back problems. His mother passed away when he was two months old and his father left soon after. Mai grew up on Cam Kim, an island near Hoi An and was raised by his very poor aunty and grandmother. He was never afforded the opportunity to attend school As people assumed incorrectly that he also had an intellectual disability. Despite not ... read more

I took off from Da Lat on Dec 17th taking a night bus to Hoi An. I was traveling with an Israeli girl I met at my hostel in Da Lat and we had both booked the same hostel in Hoi An. After a long but trouble free bus ride we arrived in Hoi An about 8 am. Poor Jordan had become sick in Da Lat and the cold weather in Da Lat and Hoi An wasn't helping at all. Come to find out, she had an upper respiratory infection. We arrived in the morning and were not allowed to check in until noon so I splurged and paid the $3 for their breakfast buffet. It was well worth it as I hadn't eaten anything since lunch time the day before. While sitting in the lobby ... read more

Oh my goodness!!!! Expecting winter in Hoi An to be similar to Spring back home in Noosa (about 19 to 25 degrees Celsius) each day. The last few days have been a wee bit chillier......I would guess about 14 to 19 degrees each day/night and I am sooooo not prepared for it, Have asked my beautiful landlady 3 times in 3 days for a doona/blanket for my bed as all I have is a sheet. Imagine, if you can, running socks on my feet and my trusty grey cardigan over a pretty slinky nighty each night and that's the only way to keep warm. I assumed (such a silly thing to do!) that the aircon would be reverse cycle as it's a split system but that doesn't seem to be the case! I have dilly-dallied with ... read more

This coming February, Lifestart Foundation will welcome an inspirational and passionate volunteer, Beth Halford. As a UK registered physiotherapist, she has received both her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology, and a Master of Science in physiotherapy. She is also trained in Chirokinetics and is a Reiki Practitioner too. Wow! Beth has a wealth of knowledge and experience in providing physiotherapy services for non-profit organizations. Whilst working full time for the National Health Service, Beth also worked closely with Athlete’s Angels,providing therapy support for many participants at a number of charity sports events; a role integral to helping charities meet their fundraising goals. All too soon, Beth began to suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, drastically impacting her ability to work and perform regular tasks. Disheartened, she seriously considered leaving her work... read more