Awayday and the Mekong Delta

Somehow I managed to live in Saigon for a year without checking out nearby tourist attractions. So when my employer dangled the carrot of a free flight for an awayday and by coincidence my cousin Henry decided to drop into Vietnam, well, it was high time to rectify my lack of exploring. So, with the fresh tourist eyes for me to experience South Vietnam through, we set out for adventure.

Awayday

Ah, the typical work “awayday” – a blend of corporate obligations and organised “fun”. At least it included a reunion with an old pal, Jack, who in 2022 had swapped breezy Pleiku for the bustling streets of Saigon but helped me get my foot in the door at this company in 2023. Together with about 300 staff, we boarded coaches bound for a posh retreat near the coastal town of Vung Tau (I call it the Blackpool of South Vietnam). After a million corporate photo ops, Jack and I caught up over poolside beers – yes, there was a bar right in the water, talk about bougie!

Me and Jack. Who forgot smart shoes and turned up in crocs!?

Come evening, it was time for VUS’s grand spectacle, the Gala Dinner. Think company cheerleading mixed with some cringy team-building games but also a buffet spread fit for a king. Post-dinner antics saw Jack and I liberating all the remaining beers, which we enjoyed on the beach, before heading to someone’s room for an afterparty. Undeterred when the security shut the afterparty down, we went for a late night paddle in the sea then rode around on one of the resort’s child-sized bikes until our liquid supplies dwindled, leaving us no choice but to bid adieu to the night and surrender to sleep’s sweet embrace.

Cu Chi

Our Saturday morning adventure took me Henry and Grace to the small town of Cu Chi just beyond the reaches of Saigon, where the echoes of the war still linger in the air. Apparently Cu Chi was a strategic hotspot nestled between Saigon and the Cambodian border that had a large American presence and unknown to them, a huge network of Viet Cong tunnels right below them.

Our trip was no ordinary commute – we opted for a boat ride up the meandering Saigon River, a delightful jaunt down memory lane for yours truly as we passed familiar places like Thao Dien, where I once taught maths. As the cityscape faded into lush greenery, we disembarked just outside modern-day Cu Chi, our aquatic voyage clocking in at a cool hour.

We got to go inside the tunnels which were very cramped and winding. They were designed so even the small Vietnamese soldiers couldn’t walk upright – you can imagine how 6’6″ Henry felt! These tunnels are definitely not for the claustrophobic. Air ducts, flood protection, and a plethora of ingenious features also awaited our eager exploration. In addition to the tunnels, we saw a selection of Viet Cong booby traps. Trust me, if it’s featured on the Wikipedia page for “Booby trap,” you know it means business.

Next to the shooting range was a gift shop which sold a very tempting pith helmet. See if you can spot it in my photos below!

Mekong Delta

I had no idea where to start planning a trip to the Mekong Delta because I knew very little about the area. And so I booked us a guided tour and it turned out quite nice.

Our journey kicked off with an early morning pick-up from our Saigon hostel, whisking us away to the quaint charm of Can Tho. Our digs? None other than a slice of paradise itself – bungalows, pools, and all the trimmings of tropical indulgence.

Our trusty guide, Sunny met us at the accommodation and took us to a nature reserve with little boats, where we were punted off into little streams to sea lots of wildlife. Our guide even coaxing Henry into some fruit-picking antics with a comically long net!

Day two dawned with a boat pick-up straight from our doorstep, navigating the labyrinth of canals that crisscross the Mekong Delta like a watery highway network (apparently work on the network started nearly 2000 years ago!). First stop was a noodle factory, where we rolled up our sleeves to craft some colourful noodles. Then, onto the famous floating market. The floating market is a bustling hub of commerce, where boats of all shapes and sizes gather from all over the region to sell wholesale produce. Some enterprising locals were selling piping hot noodles and coffee to fuel the hungry market-goers. It would have been rude to not try it!

map of the canal system. Started by the Funan civilization in 200CE and restarted under the Nguyen Dynasty until WWII

Next – Tra Su, a famous cajuput forest, beckoned with promises of avian spectacles and crocodile encounters (thankfully, on the observation side of the fence). And as if to cap off our odyssey, I dared to venture into uncharted territory and ordered us some barbecued rat. Henry and Grace, bless their adventurous souls, had their doubts, but hey, when in the Mekong Delta, right?

Prior to this trip, I was at a loss for what to explore in the Mekong Delta. But now, it’s crystal clear that birdwatching and navigating the vibrant floating market are absolute musts (and pith helmets encouraged!). Two days proved ample time to soak up the essence of the area, though truth be told, we could have easily traded a bit of adventure for some extra poolside lounging.

(edit: Speaking to Joshua after writing this, he says the delta is also littered with ancient ruins of the Funan civilization that started the canal building, I never knew they left anything behind! It’s not well advertise at all, I’ll have to go back and try and find some…)

Ling Tơhan

Gia Lai Folk Festival 2024

This weekend was the Ngày hội văn hóa các dân tộc tỉnh Gia Lai which was a celebration of the indigenous peoples of Gia Lai province. Each of the province’s 14 districts sent a village to represent their culture. They put on displays of crafts, music and dance. There was also festive food for sale: spit roast pig, grilled chicken and com lam (sticky rice cooked inside bamboo)

Tran Hung Dao, Tay Son, Pleiku, Gia Lai, Vietnam

Yumi’s village was there and they greeted me; there were a lot of familiar faces from the Christmas party as well as one guy who’s a bit of a social media influencer who’s Facebook name is Tarzan, I was surprised to discover he speaks English.

I also caught up with the Dak Doa group, where one of the dancers happened to be a former student of mine from my stint teaching in Dak Doa town. It’s moments like these that make you appreciate the richness of living cultures and the power of self-expression.

Hannah’s Birthday

Sunday marked a special occasion: Hannah’s sixth birthday. We went to “Happy Kids” (think Wacky Warehouse) with a group of her cousins where the staff had set up a special birthday display.

Cacao at Grandma’s

For a birthday present, Hannah got a book about rainforests. While flipping through it, I mentioned to Yumi that I’d never tried cacao fruit before like I saw in the book. She replied that her grandma had a cacao tree brimming with fruit, untouched because nobody really liked them. So that evening, we decided to pay grandma a visit.

Grandma’s cozy home is adorned with cherished family photos and cultural touches like an ethnic woven mat and catholic paintings. Amidst lively chatter in the Jrai language, we embarked on a cacao harvesting adventure in the backyard, disturbing roosting chickens along the way.

Yumi cracked open the cacao fruit’s pumpkin like skin to reveal a cluster of seeds wrapped in white pulp. As I popped one into my mouth, Yumi warned me not to chew the seeds but to suck on them like sweets. Too late! I had already bitten into the seed which was soft like a cashew nut and unpleasantly bitter. We took an armful of fruit back into the living room and I contentedly sucked on the seeds as the women chatted away.

Kontum

Friday was a bit of an adventure. I popped over to Kontum for a couple of reasons. Firstly, to catch up with a mate I met online who’s also teaching English. He’s been busy producing a book of folk stories from the Xodang people (Yumi’s dad is Xodang). He even wrote a paper about it! He kindly gifted me a copy, and you’ll never guess what I gave him in return: cacao fruit! It’s a beautiful book, and I’m itching to dive into it.

Of course, while in Kontum, I couldn’t resist popping by that temple I mentioned before, the one with the legendary tiger. I was pretty sure I got the right spot because they had the photo on the wall that I included in my last article. When I started asking around about the tiger, people gave me these odd looks, like I’d lost the plot. Nobody knew anything about the legendary beast.

The photo I included in my previous article about the tiger. I didn’t see this beautiful gate at the site toda

Mac Dinh Chi, Quang Trung, Kon Tum, Kon Tum, Vietnam

When I was researching the tiger originally, there were alternate versions saying it wasn’t a Buddhist temple but this Catholic church. Could some rogue Buddhists have coopted the story? I’ll have to go and have a look and speak to people there next time I’m in Kontum.

Quy Nhon and Plei Boi

Quy Nhon for Easter

Our Easter holiday kicked off bright and early at 7am when the car rolled up to whisk us away. Packed inside were Yumi, three excited aunts, a cousin, myself and two other partners, and our ever-patient driver. We were headed to Quy Nhon city. Taking first the infamous Mang Yang pass then the An Khe pass to descend from the heights of Pleiku to the coast.

After a nap in the rented flat we hit the town for a wild Good Friday feast of snails and beer on the seafront. After some pressuring I sang a karaoke song in front of the whole restaurant, then after more pressuring another!

Saturday was a special day, marking Yumi’s aunt’s 32nd birthday bash. With Yumi’s mom being the eldest of a whole troop of sisters, there’s hardly a generation gap between Yumi and some aunts! We decided to celebrate by cruising around the coast to Nhon Hai, a charming fishing village. It’s a hot spot for tourists, thanks to the platforms dotting the shores around a little deserted island called Hon Kho.

The day was a whirlwind of aquatic adventures—snorkeling, paddleboarding, and even hitching a ride on one of those long inflatable “banana” boats towed by a jetski. Little did we know, our banana boat ride was supposed to end with a splash, courtesy of a jetski trip to flip the boat. But with our crew on board, we were too heavy to tip over!

We ate seafood in Nhon Hai then headed out for a surprise birthday dinner which the restaurant had set up with balloons and a photo display then out for more karaoke and more drinking. We came home on Sunday but not before I took the chance in the bigger city to buy a Pikachu chocolate egg for Hannah for Easter.

Plei Boi

Let me tell you about a little village that’s been catching my eye on the map—Plei Boi. Every time I see it, I can’t help but chuckle because it sounds so much like “playboy”. This quaint highland village sits snugly on the west side of my favorite hiking area, and I figured it’d be fun to approach my hike from a new angle.

Plei Boi could be the posterboy (or boi) for highlands villages, with its majestic stilt houses standing tall against the backdrop of the nearby mountains. The air was ripe with the sweet scent of cashew fruit.

Traditional Jrai tomb (after the abandoning ceremony) in Plei Boi

On my trusty Honda Blade moped (highly recommended for steep dirt roads!), I set off into the foothills on dusty dirt roads. All around were rubber and cashew tree fields. From the tracks on the road, it looked like most of the traffic had 4 legs and went “moo”.

After parking the bike just beyond the last fenced field, I decided to tackle the rest of the journey on foot. It wasn’t exactly a walk in the park lugging my camping gear in the scorching heat. The weather app was saying it “feels like” a sweltering 36 degrees even by 4pm! It was slow progress, to say the least. I’ve been on buses in Cambodia that after a bit of a climb have to stop and open the bonnet; that’s how I felt that day!

With the melody of cowbells serenading me, I trudged on, barely making it over a kilometer from where I ditched the bike as the crow flies. I think this hike marked the end of the season for me. I’ll have to wait until the rainy season cools things down before I attempt another adventure like that!

I eventually stumbled upon a nice spot—a flat area in the midst of recently cleared forest, perfect for setting up camp. On the edge of the clearing I stumbled upon something straight out of a horror film—a spooky jungle cave with dangling fig roots. I couldn’t bring myself to go in; I’m a wimp with caves. Naturally, I couldn’t resist making some observations for iNaturalist too.

Above all, despite the challenges, it was a peaceful getaway. There’s something magical about drifting off to the symphony of jungle insects under the vast expanse of stars.

Visa Victory and Linguistic Endeavors

I quite like this snap I took of a cheeky lizard in a cafe

Personal News

Exciting news to kick things off: I finally got my new visa! With a generous two-year validity, it’s a weight lifted off my shoulders. It’s been quite the ordeal, in the past I could always do visas in Saigon but they changed the rules so all visas must be done locally. The adjustment has been a learning curve for everyone involved, even the local immigration department. While the visa saga has kept me busy, sadly my hiking adventures have been on pause. So, apologies, no new nature shots to share at the moment.

In other news, brace yourselves for tales of adventures when my cousin Henry and his partner Grace arrive in Vietnam next month! We plan on meeting down south, maybe seeing some mangroves and Viet Cong tunnels – it should be a good introduction to Vietnam to set it apart from Thailand and Cambodia.

Projects

The Jrai language is the primary language of Yumi’s family and I’ve been spending a lot of time on it recently. I’m passionate about minority languages and I’ve started digitizing the Jrai language books in my possession. I aim to share these treasures with the world by putting them online and uploading them to websites such as Glosbe and Wiktionary among others. I hope to make resources more accessible to learners, native speakers, and fellow enthusiasts.

Glosbe, a great online dictionary, champions numerous minority languages. One of it’s best features is the ability to link translations across languages, so when there is a Vietnamese to Jrai translation, it can show it in English too (or Navajo, Swahili or Basque). Glosbe also has a database of sentences with translations, to provide invaluable context. Already, I’ve begun uploading translations from my Jrai conversation book and I have also contributed approximately 8000 verses from the Bible, enriching Glosbe with Jrai translations.

My jrai conversation book. A slim book for learners coming from Vietnamese to see side-by-side conversations.
“Uncle Ho (Ho Chi Minh) teaches: cultivating trees, cultivating people are very important” (it’s catchiness pretty much translates into English but is completely lost in Jrai)

I hope to continue digitizing my Jrai books, it will take me quite a while even with the few books I have to type them up. Typing in Jrai was a challenge in itself that I’m going to write about next.

Minority Languages and Technology

Navigating technology in minority languages comes with its own set of hurdles. The Jrai alphabet boasts 41 characters including the standard latin alphabet plus letters like ƀ, ơ̆, and â̆. This presents a challenge when it comes to typing, given the limited number of keys on computer keyboards.

Dedicated individuals have developed innovative solutions to address this challenge. Platforms like Keyman allow users to create and share keyboards customized for various languages, including minority ones. It’s a remarkable project well worth exploring, available both as a web version and an app.

Moreover, some Jrai speakers have drawn inspiration from Vietnamese history, crafting solutions such as TNkey. Taking cues from Vietnam’s development of the telex system in the 1920s, this method involves typing specific sequences of letters to generate desired characters. For instance, typing ‘o’, ‘w’, and ‘r’ consecutively yields “ở”. While telex enjoys widespread support on modern devices, perhaps one day TNkey will follow suit.

Looking ahead, I think the next frontier involves developing a comprehensive modern phone keyboard. Unlike platforms like Keyman, a standard keyboard seamlessly integrates into various apps and offers features like word suggestions and autocorrect. Achieving this entails digitizing the language’s word list, a task I plan to undertake after digitizing my Jrai books.

There’s still a lot more I could write about regarding technology and minority languages. For instance, what happens when you set your phone’s language to Cornish? However, I’m going to save delving into those topics for another time.

Mysterious Tales from the Annamite Highlands

Central Highlands in the morning, photo by me

The YouTube algorithm has a knack for surprising me with recommendations for videos I never knew I’d be interested in. A recent suggestion had me watching a fascinating talk on the history of the Pith helmet. Learning about its practical design for sun protection and air circulation, I felt I needed to head to the market right away and get one for my next jungle expedition.

As I donned my fetching new hat, I felt washed with feelings of the age of exploration, when the world seemed unknown, full of fantastical tales and mysteries waiting to be told.

And so today, I want to write about the topic of cryptids – the type of mysterious creatures believed in by many despite a lack of widely accepted scientific evidence. From the Loch Ness Monster to the Abominable Snowman, these elusive beings defy conventional explanation. I enjoy tales about cryptids despite being a non-believer myself.

Vietnam’s Central Highlands with their sparse population and untamed jungle host more cryptids than one might anticipate. Join me as we embark on a journey through the local lore of Gia Lai, where whispers of cryptid sightings add an air of intrigue to the lush landscape.

Người Rừng

From deep in the untamed jungle comes a creature I am very interested in: Người Rừng, also known as the Rock Ape, Batutut, Ujit and more. These illusive primates are characterized as short hairy humanoids with tails, and have be reported in the west for as long as westerners have been present here. Some French scientists believed they had come across a primitive type of human or a “missing link”.

New York Journal illustration from 6th December 1896 captioned “The moi or man with a tail found in Annam” (based on someone talking about a “discovery” in the Cardamom Mountains

Picture the year 1947, French explorer D’Enjoy dons a pith helmet before venturing deep into the heart of Kontum’s jungle. Amidst the lush foliage, he witnesses beings that defy explanation. The indigenous Jrai people, stewards of the land, speak of these creatures as neither fully human nor monkey and say the creatures have long been known locally.

The Vietnam War brought more people than ever into the untamed Central Highlands and set the stage for further encounters with these inexplicable creatures. Soldiers on both sides share chilling tales of crossing paths with creatures that match the descriptions of Người Rừng. One account from American GIs describes a figure with a long, cucumber-shaped head, draped in fiery red fur. In 1974, a determined North Vietnamese general leads an expedition into the wilderness, driven by the quest to unveil evidence of these elusive beings. He finds unusual footprints deep in the jungle.

Looking ahead, I’m hoping to delve deeper into the fascinating world of Người Rừng in a more comprehensive piece. I plan to gather insights from interviews with some locals. Stay tuned for updates.

Kra-Dhan

On to the next mysterious jungle primate: in 1961, the renowned British biologist Ivan T. Sanderson spun a tale that piqued curiosity. He wrote of a monkey known as Kra-Dhan, that is said to have taken a life in Kontum back in 1943.

Could this Kra-Dhan be linked to the Người Rừng? When I first came across the term Kra-Dhan I thought that it was yet another name for the Người Rừng (as I had seen plenty already). However, Sanderson’s source paints a different picture – Kra-Dhan was explicitly described as a monkey, not a humanoid figure, which is a recurring theme with the Người Rừng.

Unfortunately, the source of Sanderson’s info remains a mystery. Despite my efforts, I’ve not found any earlier source or any source in Vietnamese for the 1943 death. If anybody out there have a lead, don’t hesitate to reach out! Together, let’s unravel the threads of this cryptic jungle puzzle.

K’Ting Voar

In 1888, French explorer Boulangier introduced the world to the deer-like K’Ting Voar. Also known as the Vietnamese Spiral-Horned Ox, this formidable wild ox, captured the imagination with its unique prowess – preying on venomous snakes with apparent impunity. According to local lore, the K’Ting Voar possesses a remarkable ability to repel snake venom and even employs saliva as a projectile to dislodge its arboreal prey. Some Khmer people in the past believed the Kting Voar’s horns held mystical properties, and wore them as talismans against snakebites.

The K’Ting Voar’s presence gained wider attention in the West when biologist Wolfgang Peter stumbled upon unusual skulls in a market in Ho Chi Minh City. The extraordinary horns led Peter to speculate that they belonged to a previously undiscovered species. Though subsequent DNA analysis disproved the notion, the discovery sparked a surge of interest, prompting a flurry of scholarly papers (for example this source I used) delving into earlier sightings of Kting Voar. To this day the jury is out regarding the existence of this unusual bovid.

Three Legged White Tiger

Amidst the depths of my research into the Annamite Highland’s mysterious cryptids, a fascinating tale emerged – one that may not fit the traditional definition of a cryptid, but certainly captures the essence of intrigue and wonder and reminds me of tales of The Beast of Bodmin that fascinated and terrified me as a child. This tale is of a three-legged white tiger very close to where I now live.

In 1932, a three-legged white tiger began wreaking havoc in Quang Trung in what is now the city of Kon Tum but at the time was on the edge of the wilderness. Its presence struck fear into the hearts of locals as it terrorized livestock until, unexpectedly, it sought refuge within the confines of a Buddhist temple. Miraculously, upon entering the temple, the ferocious beast underwent a profound transformation, its demeanor shifting from aggression to serenity.

The Temple today is said to contain a bas relief of the tiger, I will have to visit soon and see for myself. As recently as 2008 tigers have been reported to bother farmers in Kon Tum.

source on the three-legged white tiger

The temple the tiger entered, photographed in 1933

Location of the temple in Kontum in 1970 (left) and now. It’s now hard to imagine a tiger wandering so far into the city but even in 1970 Kontum was only a couple of blocks. If anybody has an older map let me know!

Conclusion

“in May 1992 during a joint survey [was] carried out by the Ministry of Forestry of Vietnam and WWF in north-central Vietnam. The team found a skull with unusual long, straight horns in a hunter’s home and knew it was something extraordinary“

For jaded readers like myself, the above excerpt might seem like it comes from a hoax, but this skull turned out to belong to the dear-like Saola, a species that was accepted by the scientific community in 1993. Described as one of the most spectacular zoological discoveries of the 20th century, the Saola serves as a reminder that there could still be mysteries waiting to be uncovered in this part of the world. So, as I set out on my treks and camping trips with my pith helmet, I’m keeping my eyes – and my mind – open.

Fungal in the jungle

As a fan of both hiking and the allure of jungle settings, there’s not much that excites me more than embarking on a trek through dense, untamed foliage. Recently, I found myself drawn to the mysterious depths of Chư Păh. . Little did I know, my adventure would be accompanied by a nifty app that has made me rethink the way I interact with the jungle – stay tuned for more on iNaturalist at the end.

My journey began in a village marked on the old US maps as Dang Rơia, now famous for it’s ruined church (complete with bullet holes). I had a chance encounter with local farmers sat taking a break from their work. Their curiosity piqued by this strange foreinger driving down a dirt road, they asked me what I was up to. I said I was going for a hike and they said there’s nothing this way and I should go to Chi Nam instead. I told them I’d already been up Chi Nam 3 times, they told me to try Chi Dang Ya, I told them I’d already been up there. I told them I was going to continue on that road and see what I could find. They merrily waved me goodbye. Little did I know, this encounter would set the stage for a truly remarkable adventure.

The ruined church still has some new year flowers

View down between chi dang ya and chi nam. Chi jor in the background. (Chi or chư is jrai for mountain)

Despite the warnings, I ventured forth, parking my bike near a ford and taking a path that led through the bush into the mountains. As I delved deeper into the wilderness the bush gave way to jungle, the verdant canopy overhead enveloped me in its embrace, shielding me from the harsh sun and immersing me in a world that felt untouched by human hands. What secrets lay hidden beneath the dense foliage, waiting to be unearthed?

I came across a bamboo bench next to an old fire pit. Lots of cow pats around so I think this was made by cowboys m

an inviting path at the edge of the jungle

I spent two days in the wilderness, carrying a tent that allowed me to explore deeper into the jungle without worrying about losing daylight. Venturing to the top of the mountain ridge and then descending into the denser jungle on the far side seemed like a promising route to the next valley, a familiar terrain I’ve hiked before. However, it quickly became apparent that this was a miscalculation.

The path downward on the far side offered stunning views but proved to be treacherously steep and ultimately led to a dead end. Retracing my steps, hauling my gear uphill at the end of a long day was far from ideal. With just 200 meters left to go and the sun setting, I found myself needing a rest every 100 paces! The thought of a warm meal and a beer at camp helped push me through the exhaustion.

I had an idea to do a vlog but I didn’t plan any of what I’d say and I didn’t edit the videos at all….

Enchanting!

Tiger Crystal is quite nice warm actually.

Despite the challenges, those two days in the jungle were a testament to its magnificence. Each moment revealed a new facet of its beauty, from the towering trees to the tranquil babbling brooks. As I reflect on my experience, I can’t help but hope that wilderness like this can continue to thrive in our modern world, preserved as a treasure for future generations to cherish.

iNaturalist

During this expedition, I used a great app that transformed my outdoor experience: iNaturalist. Introduced to me by my friend Joshua, this app offers users the opportunity to capture photos of wildlife specimens they encounter, identify their species., share with the community and contribute to a database for scientific research.

The app quickly became an addictive hobby for me, effectively gamifying my excursions into the wilderness. Every observation I took pulled me deeper into nature, sharpening my eye for plants and bugs. It’s been a real eye-opener, sparking this love for biology and making me feel a lot more connected to the world around me. As I keep using iNaturalist, I can’t help but think about how tech is changing the way we see nature. It’s not just about ID’ing species; it’s about inspiring people, especially younger people, to care about our planet. Embracing the diversity of life around us, from the smallest insect to the tallest tree, fosters a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of all living things and the importance of preserving our natural world for generations to come.

You can find my iNaturalist profile here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&user_id=will718&verifiable=any

They also have an even more gamified version called Seek which I’ve not tried yet

Some mushrooms in the jungle, I uploaded to inaturalist but nobody ID’d them yet

A photo I uploaded to inaturalist of what I think is Common Melastoma

Butterfly Season

Gosh It’s been a long time since I’ve written a blog post! In the last one I was talking about moving to Pleiku and now 3 years on I’m settled here and a lot has happened! I’ve decided to try updating this space more often about life in Vietnam and my projects (let’s see if I can keep it up).

Life in Vietnam

The festival of Tết (Chinese New Year) ran from the 8th of February to the 14th. We spent a lot of quality time with Yumi’s large family, we sat in the shade, ate until we burst and sang karaoke. 2024 is the year of the Dragon which is Yumi’s zodiac sign which according to tradition means she has to be careful with her luck this year.

Vietnamese people buy flowers at Tết. This is a popup flower market in pleiku for the occasion.

I managed to carve out some time for hiking and camping during the week-long bank holiday break. There are no guidebooks or modern maps available so I consulted the old 1:50k maps that the American’s made in 1970 and cross-referenced with Google Maps satellite images to find points of interest and I’m making my own maps based on what I found on the ground; I discovered a few great circular walks during the holiday and I’m looking forward to taking other people out on them. For those with local knowledge, this was all in Chư Păh district, near Chư Nâm.

In other news, today I saw the first emigrant butterflies of the year! In the region of Pleiku, the butterflies (Catopsilia) pass through on their way from Cambodia to the Philippines . Seeing the sky filled with these delicate insects around midday is a beautiful spectacle! Sadly it’s basically impossible to capture the magic on camera so I’ll share an AI-generated image that attempts to encapsulate the essence of this mesmerizing phenomenon.

Emigrant butterflies in a dipterocarp forest in central Vietnam according to AI

The arrival of the butterflies heralds the season when the Jackfruits are best to eat in Pleiku. Jackfruit is my favourite fruit!

Projects

One of my recent endeavors involves crafting an arcade machine for my classroom. Designed to plug into the computer like a keyboard, this project aims to bring some of the digital activities in the classroom to life as it’s much easier to interact with than keyboard and mouse.

I bought arcade machine buttons online and an Arduino Leonardo board. First I made a prototype out of a cardboard box but now I’ve designed a container to be laser cut so it’s durable enough to be in the vicinity of kids.

For the software side of things I’ve been learning to program in the game engine Godot which is a lot of fun! It’s free (as in gratis and libre) and I’m hoping to make some much more involved projects soon.

Playing it Cool in Pleiku

When I first came to Vietnam, a year ago at the end of August, I had planned to see how I felt after a year, if I wanted to go home or move to a different country. What I didn’t plan for is a pandemic! So moving country is out of the question so I came up with a different solution.

I’m excited to announce that next week I’m moving to the city of Pleiku (still in Vietnam) and this is how it came about.

What does one do in a pandemic when they’re tired of living in the big city? For me, tired of the noise and crowds of Ho Chi Minh city where I’ve lived for over a year now, I found a company willing to help me take a big leap.

Many English centre’s are short of staff these days with teachers not being able to enter the country, small cities are feeling it more than big cities like HCM and Hanoi which have a large pool of expats. So I picked the city I wanted to move to and emailed a few of the English centres. They were amazingly fast at getting back to me.

I ended up taking a job with a well known national chain. APAX English started in Hanoi and now has hundreds of centres, including many in HCM and one in Pleiku. I passed the interview with flying colours but there was still a problem.

Pleiku is a sensitive area for the Vietnamese government. Not only is it a province with a lot of ethnic groups living their traditional lifestyles in the mountains, it is also a border province near Cambodia and Laos where a lot of smuggling takes place! So I could not relocate there with my current papers; I needed new papers to live in the region.

It took about a month to get all that sorted by now I’m very happy to say that I’m moving to Pleiku on Monday the 14th September! I’m looking forward new experiences in a peaceful mountain city.

Peaceful coastal getaway

I was incredulous when we got back to the office after coronavirus and the boss asked “did you enjoy your holiday?”. I had worked every day except 1 or 2 through the lockdown and found working from home just as difficult and more emotionally taxing. Now, Finally, I’m getting a holiday, and in an unusual place.

For a Monday rush hour, the leafy street was nearly empty; only a few dosen mopeds pootled by. It’s a welcome change from bustling ho chi minh city. This is the city of Tuy Hoa which has a few good things to offer a weary city dweller.

The sleeper train from Ho chi minh city took 10 hours (this ride was an exciting milestone for me because after passing Nha Trang I’d ridden every inch of Vietnam’s mainline from Saigon to Lao Cai at the chinese boarder). Tuy Hoà boasts an impressive old Champa tower, the Phu Yen province museum (which was free) but I mostly came to Tuy Hoa for one thing…

Tuy Hoà has an amazing beach! During the day it was completely empty but when the sun began to cool around 5pm it filled up with locals cooling down after work. As someone who cut his teeth sea swimming in Cornwall, the sea here is very warm. You could even rent a karaoke speaker for 50k an hour right on the sand! After a lot of swimming I was famished and this the city boasts some delightful street food.

Tuy Hoà has a great selection of southern style pho noodles, puddings such as durian che and ice tofu. There is also a famous restaurant near the seafront selling Tuna eyes!

Overall I think Tuy Hoà made a great quiet getaway from Ho Chi Minh City which I desperately needed. Next stop is Qui Nhon which is a short bus ride from Tuy Hòa.

Why I got no sleep in Bangkok

I spent a night in Bangkok but didn’t sleep a wink. If you’re thinking about Bangkok’s nefarious reputation you might need to get your mind out of the gutter because it’s not what you think.

Bent over double I managed to squeeze passed the banyan tree that half blocked the narrow alley. I would never have even found this place if it wasn’t for the family I encountered eating their dinner on the pavement who very kindly led me here. This is where I’m staying tonight; in a hostel down this alley.

This is Bangkok, just off Yaowarat Road. I’ve been to Thailand before but it’s my first time in the capital. It had been a long day flying from Saigon via Hanoi then exploring the city, little did I know I wouldn’t get any rest that night…

Meeting up with a friend from Glasgow was a rare treat. Unfortunately Mook had come home due to a sick family member but it was still great to eat street food and compare life in Southeast Asia to life in Scotland. However the reason for me being in Bangkok was very different.

It was the eve of Chinese New Year. The festival is also celebrated in Vietnam so I get a week off work and I’ve taken advantage of that to travel. Have you figured out why I chose to stay by Yaowarat Road?

Thai culture doesn’t observe Chinese new year; their new year celebration falls around April and is called Songkran. However there is a large Chinese diaspora in Thailand and Yaowarat Road is Bangkok’s Chinatown. This week the street is done up with lanterns and lined with an tantalizing array of street food vendors. The food is an amazing fusion of Thai and Chinese cuisine. It’s one of the few places in the world where you can still see people selling the controversial shark fin soup (which I did not try!).

And so after an evening of crowds, snacks and Thai beer I headed to the dorm. I’d just settled my head down when the clocks struck midnight and there was a cacophony of drums! It turns out that Chinese New Year here is welcomed with dragon dances which are accompanied by a band of drummers. It was impossible to sleep! So as they say, if you can’t beat them, join them. It was amazing to watch the dancers in their elaborate costumers parading down the brightly lit street. The lions collected lucky money which the audience fed into their mouths.

Lion dance in Bangkok Chinatown during the day

I spent the next day exploring Bangkok. In the evening I headed to Hua Lamphong station to catch a sleeper train to Chiang Mai for the next exciting instalment of my trip. Keep an eye on this blog for the next update.

I think this trip will be difficult to match next chinese new year! Do you know any great or unusual places to celebrate chinese new year? Leave me a comment to let me know!