Author: chyde

Xin Chao from Hoi An, the land of the never ending tailors, lanterns and rain.

CRUNCH went the bacon, SIZZLE went the omelettes and SPLASH went the fresh pineapple juice. A delicious buffet breakfast greeted us once again with a friendly smile and a waving hand.

Today we got the rain but we won’t complain because it caused no pain and was kind of refreshing. After a dip in the pool, we all felt quite cool so we were ready to start the Hoi An historical tour. It was interesting, intriguing and lit and that’s just brushing the surface. We all discovered plenty about Vietnam’s monsoon and flood season and the process the locals follow during flooding including pulleys for lifting their furniture to the second floor. Traditional architecture was beautiful and elegant. It encompassed Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese building styles in a very distinctly Asian home (as you’d expect) much different to what we see in Australia We also saw the Japanese covered bridge on this same tour. This majestic bridge can also be seen on the 20,000 dong note. Unfortunately, the rain wanted to learn about Vietnamese history as well so it rolled up and made us all damp but it sure didn’t dampen the mood!

    

   

     
    
After everybody had a flex in their tailor-made suits and dresses, we had a bit of a shop and we headed back to the resort for anther dip in the pool.

  
 
Finally, what everybody was waiting for, the Vietnamese cooking class. Miss Lulu, the “best chef in Hoi An”, taught us some basic facts about commonly used Vietnamese herbs, spices and vegetables. This includes ingredients such as lemongrass, fish sauce and five spice. Our end result was a delicious meal consisting of barbecued chicken skewers, deep fried spring rolls and green papaya salad. It tasted sensational.

   
    
    
    
    
   
This was our last day in Hoi An but, today, we earned some memories and items that we would keep for the rest of our lives. The finished tailored products, the skills we learnt from the cooking class, and the magical sights of lanterns lighting up the night sky. 

   
Finally, we finished off the night with Frazer getting stuck in the hotel elevator for half an hour. It was humorous for those outside of the elevator but not for Fraz inside! After many, many, many, many attempts to ply the door open, we finally got him out in one piece.
Well that’s it for us, but don’t worry parents, only one more week until you can see us once again. 🙂
I think we will all be taking the stairs in the future!

– Fraz and Gavin 

Today we were excited to experience our first full day in Hoi An, and interested to see what else this beautiful city had to offer. 

The day started with a 7 o’ clock wake up call, shortly followed by a lovely buffet breakfast in the Belle Maison Hotel. We were offered a selection of fruits, pastries and hot foods from Vietnamese cuisine, but it was nice to be reunited with the Western food we all know and love. It wasn’t long before we had hopped on our bikes and begun our journey towards the sea on this sunny day Hoi An had delivered. Hai and Qien had a long bike ride planned on which we got to experience the densely populated area which drew a contrast with the Mekong Delta bike rides. This was the first time we got to experience riding through busy traffic alongside other road vehicles. It was tough to get through the intersections as there were cars and motorbikes coming from left, right and centre, heading in every direction at the same time. 

After the lengthy bike ride filled with beautiful views and a couple of stops, we had arrived at the desired destination. The beach we visited was formerly referred to by Americans during the War, as ‘China Beach’ as it was on the South China Sea. The local people never refer to the beach as ‘China Beach’. They call it a local name. They also call the controversial sea the ‘Eastern Sea.’ A three hour beach experience included some well deserved relaxing time after the village build, and also a delicious meal on the seaside, which we all enjoyed.

It was time to head back to the hotel where we were rewarded with a one hour long pool session, before we headed back out again to visit the streets of Hoi An. For us to experience the change from the atmosphere in the afternoon, to the atmosphere at night was fascinating as we got so see the streets come to life at night. People were coming out of their houses and into the different stores and restaurants where they were treated with a nice meal and some shopping, where we put our ‘bartering’ skills to the test. Hoi An’s culture is noticeably different to Ho Chi Minh’s, this is because of the French influence on this city during colonial times. The French architecture has been well preserved, such as French Windows, narrow laneways and roof tiles, which give the town its rich character. Once again, we visited the Silk Road tailor, where we were greeted by Twi the shop owner, to address the first round of fittings, where some were happier than others. Tomorrow we will finalise the fittings, and receive the final product. Our day concluded with some free time to socialise and shop, before heading back to the hotel for a good night’s rest.

We hope all is well at home – Carlin and Chloe 🙂

   
   
   
   
    
   
 
    

   

  

Today marked the halfway mark through our Big E journey and we look back at all the great opportunities and memories we have already made. It is crazy to think that we have said goodbye to our families and the city of Melbourne nine days ago, and as much as we miss you all, we are having an amazing time.

The breakfast hall was filled with excitement and anticipation as we were heading north to the beautiful city of Hoi An. The flight consisted of no hassles as our guides helped maintain a smooth journey and we arrived in Hoi An, ready for a change of scenery. Straight from the airport our bus trip to the Marble Mountains highlighted the significant contrast in population, traffic and architecture in reference to our previous destinations.

As we reached the Marble Mountains it was clear that there was no shortage of marble as almost every store had a wide range of marble statues and ornaments. The trek up the mountain was steep and painful, although all was worth while when we experienced the breathtaking views of Hoi An and surrounding areas. The sights that were heavily photographed proved the diversity of the city from a commercial, agricultural and natural perspective. However, the most exciting part was soon to come. We were then introduced to a new activity which was abseiling down the side of a cliff face called “heavens gate”, and it was deadly! The group had mixed emotions including some of us that were trembling with fear, until the adrenaline rush kicked in and we carefully followed the calm guidance of the instructors, safely to the bottom. Looking back on it now, it’s easy to say that everyone felt like they had accomplished something great.

Arriving at the hotel created a “wow” factor amongst the group with beautiful rooms and a pool. However, the adventure had still not finished for the day and we soon headed out to the “Old Town” part of Hoi An. Our first stop was at the tailor where the boys had planned to buy fitted suits whilst the girls preferred lovely dresses. The night concluded with our group running into Vietnam Red, this was very exciting to see all of our friends having an equally amazing time as us. As we said goodbye we headed off to a dinner of our choice, which was pleasant to spend with our friends before walking back to the hotel.

Hope your day was as great as ours!

Sam and Jess 🙂

   
   

 

 

How to build a house in 22 Steps

Step 22. Repeat 1000000 times

Back to Ho Chi Minh City

It was funny to see such relief from Vietnam Grey as we slept in till 7 am and enjoyed our final familiar breakfast at the homestay. Mixed emotions were shared, as we had grown so fond of the homestay of which we had become so accustomed to. It was our last time putting on the sweaty clothes as we tied up our mosquito nets and began to farewell one significant builder and the owner of the homestay. Throughout our build we had all become so used to the familiar but frustrating term “wait” from Mr Tan. ‘Nam Grey demonstrated their gratitude for his patience and guidance throughout the past few days by donating money to put towards his business, building houses for under privileged families. Through tricky translation we were able to give thanks to the homestay owners for the countless efforts they had put into meals and creating this “home away from home” for Vietnam Grey.

Our journey home began by boarding our private boat for the last time but not before making a trip to a local pottery factory. We learnt the process involved in making pots through demonstration from the locals, all so relaxed in what we thought to be a challenging and humid environment.This allowed us to reflect and be grateful for the jobs available at home as the humidity and lack of ventilation proved to be challenging for us Melbournians. Our departure was appreciated as we sailed on the Mekong for the last time.

Everyone was grateful to reach the air conditioned bus as we began our trip to Ho Chi Minh City. The bus ride consisted of sleeping, singing and socialising. The trip was made worthwhile as the scenery changed from green palms and Mekong water to the urbanised and crazy city landscapes. Lunch was at half way, where we were greeted with a delicious but familiar meal of vegetables, meats, noodles and rice. Finished off with a snack of ice cream as we boarded the bus to reach Ho Chi Minh. The vibe really picked up as we were cool and our tummies were full and ready to hit the night life of ‘Nam.

 

Reaching home (Ho Cho Mo Cho) we were relived as the familiar hotel was in sight and the thought of showers and fresh clothes were high priority. Thankful for the clean clothes and fresh faces we were ready to become immersed in the night markets of Vietnam.Walking the streets of Ho Cho Mo Cho lifted the vibe as we were surrounded by the busy, lit night life. Dinner was a challenge as we faced the food court of a local plaza, buying and choosing our own meals. Those choosing the KFC were disappointed to find the “chicken burger” was actually fish burger and the burgers were actually all gone.

Our night wrapped up with a trip to the night markets to test our bartering skills and to find out who could get the best deals. The congestion and humidity created a challenging but fun and energetic environment. Bella claims she is the best at bargaining but ‘Nam Grey find this very debatable. The excited vibe lit the way home as we ended the night on a high, wrapping things up at the Circle K (equivalent of 7-Eleven) with a bit of karaoke whilst purchasing the essentials of Oreos, water and Pringles.

Today’s adventures were filled with a range of emotions and vibes concluding our homestay adventure and preparing us for our next adventure to Hoi An.

Lots of love to all,

Hannah and Bella

An emotional farewell to the village family

“BEEP BEEP BEEP” went our alarm clock at 6:00 am. Our t-shirts were still wet from yesterday but on they were shoved along with some sticky insect repellent and sunscreen. We were then greeted at the dining area by the lovely staff and ate a similar breakfast to yesterday’s. Shortly after finishing the meal we made our journey along the morning Mekong river to the building site to conclude our tiring work.

As it was our last day in the village we all knew we had to give it our all and leave a lasting impact on this underprivileged family. We started mixing the cement, passing the bricks and ever so carefully laying the bricks a metre off the ground using our refined skills that the patient builders had taught us. Although waterfalls of sweat were streaming down our face and the sun was shining bright on our backs, we continued to soldier through to make a family’s dream home come true.

We were excited to have finally completed the challenging build but were upset to leave our connections with the family behind. Getting the whole Vietnam Grey group to smile in sync was an easy task as we were all thrilled to have made this much progress in just two and a half days. The family seemed so thankful for all the efforts we had put in for them. They also were extremely appreciative for the bags of rice, six weeks worth, which we had bought for them.

This amazing opportunity touched all members of the group and gave us an insight of other lives around the world. The mother’s smile and tears were contagious and quickly spread throughout Vietnam Grey. As the mother held us in her arms many tears were shed and emotions were in full force.

Our journey through the rocky path was comforted by the flock of children excited to see new faces. We handed out toys and stationary to the kids to give them a sense of positivity. By giving these gifts to the kids it created the warm fuzzy feeling inside all of us which is related to “Karma”, from the dominate Buddhist religion within Vietnam. Buddhists and Vietnam Grey believe that when good deeds are done they are returned in the near future. We hopped back on our our bikes and continued our cycling adventure to the homestay. Along the way we came to another homestay which was home to a massive 6okg pet python. The snake slithered and hissed along our necks and gave some us a real scare although it was as tame as anything. It was so heavy that we needed six people to hold the weight on their backs.

At the end of the day when we had showered and reflected on the big day that occurred, some local Vietnamese musicians came and performed many pieces to us. It was interesting to observe the different instruments and styles of singing. As a sign of appreciation we returned the favour and performed a few tunes from our musical culture. This village build helped us to break from the “Brighton bubble” and challenged our knowledge gained from the CUE program that ran throughout the school year. The experience was very beneficial and no second was regretted.

We hope everybody back in Australia is doing well and enjoying school! – Pip and Garrett 🙂