When we arrived in Viet Nam our first foray into the ocean sent us scrambling out pretty quickly. In February the water temperature was no more than 21 C and though this is considered practically balmy at home we had just spent the past few months south of the equator where the water was much, much warmer. In addition to the cold, beaches here are sandy and shallow with big foamy waves that break in parallel lines as far out as the eye can see. It is so shallow that even if you swim 600 meters straight out from the beach you are still being pounded by waves. These are terrible conditions for diving or swimming. We have two beautiful white sandy beaches close to our home -Cửa Đại and An Bang - and on beach ... read more

From Huế we bussed north toward Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng, with a stop at the Demilitarized zone that formerly divided Vietnam between north and south. There we stood on a bridge over the Ben Hai river and visited the war museum and some of the underground tunnels the North Vietnamese lived in during the war. Such a complicated mythology surrounds the Vietnam war in America; my generation has grown up with the questions it raised. It entered our popular culture, especially through films and books written by ex-POWs and men that fought there. And we have family members and close friends that served during that war. Decades after it ended pundits still discuss the repercussions and legacy of American's involvement; we are immersed in it. So much so that when we first arrived in Vietnam we weren't ... read more

It's hard to believe that we've been ensconced in our little rental house in Hội An for almost 3 weeks. In that time we have affirmed to ourselves that we are, indeed, "city folk". After we sold the house in Vancouver we toyed with the idea of leaving the noise and pollution of the city but we've been reminded of just how nice it is to have markets, restaurants and shops within walking distance. Recently we found ourselves admitting sheepishly to each other that we're happy to be back in the middle of the bustle and craziness. The soundtrack of Hội An is a chorus of horns. Walking is like navigating an obstacle course, and sidewalks are definitely not a safe zone. If someone needs to get around a truck, or traffic jam they will just ... read more

I'll admit it. At home I'm considered short. Though I keep telling people that if you average out heights around the world I am definitely average, I still have to navigate a world built for giants. Every chair I encounter calls for a decision: perch on the edge so my feet touch the ground or lean back all the way to have back support and let my feet dangle. In our last house I needed a foot stool just so I could cook in my own kitchen. So imagine my pleasure, no my euphoria, at discovering that the Vietnamese plan their cities and homes around people who are a reasonable height. Chairs in restaurants and cafes are downright comfortable and stairs easier to climb, hand rails are at the appropriate height. I feel as if I've ... read more

In an effort to break us out of our beach torpor, Matt booked us a three night getaway in Ubud, a city in the foothills outside of Denpasar known as an arty, spiritual place. But every time I thought I was starting to "get it" something would happen to make me double guess what I thought about this place. Maybe it's the incongruity of the local people and the ex-pats that live side by side but in vastly different economic realities. On the face of things the Balinese don't seem uncomfortable with foreigners coming in and spending a lot of money and in fact, there is very little crime against foreigners here and an open friendliness that belies the idea of any envy. But it's odd to see expensive hotels and spas, often foreign-owned, selling the ... read more