Saigon Christmas Wonderland

Yule Never Walk Alone

Merry Christmas to all my blog readers. More bad puns for sure in 2008.

A Party Boat in the Hills of Dalat

We got away from Saigon kitsch and escaped to the hills. A remarkably cold climate which saw the Vietnamese dressed up for a big freeze whereas for me at least it was a Scottish summer's day and of course the hills made it all the more alpine, our sub-tropical year was quickly behind us as we embraced the cold air. Dalat is already pretty high up for VN and after a few hours walk through forestry planted by the French we got to a summit ( as high as Nevis) decorated appropriately with a statue of two lovers entwined, commissioned in white concrete.There were pony rides for those wishing to envisage themselves as cowboys with rustled squaws by their side and of course there was the chance to dress up as Hill Tribe Accessory; striped up for those stripped of rights; the nostalgic notion of ethnic communities that lack fundamental support who dwindle in nunbers, language and memory.
Thank goodness the government is doing something to address this issue.

There's a quicktime to the right of this with a peaceful moment.

Christmas in Saigon

The first of a few rough and ready slices of Christmas in Saigon served up with plenty of background atmosphere can
be viewed in the Quicktime movies hyperlink to the right.