Prologue

Heya Folks,
I realise I left the last post hanging somewhat, total avoidance tactic on my part. Trying to write a Farewell post while still in Hanoi seemed like a premature admission that the adventure was over...trying to write it now, back in the UK, seems impossibly detached. But I'll give it a go!

Trying to sum up the past year of my life in a medium as futile and inadequate as 'the English Language' is a near impossible task, and I've already made my peace with the fact that whatever I write below about my experiences in Hanoi will fall monumentally short of describing accurately the crazy, random and amazing adventure of the past 12months.

Leaving my job, home and life in the UK and heading out to Hanoi with only a volunteering contract and a handful of contacts was one of the wildest, most daring and, as it turned out, most successful risks I've yet taken. As is the way with things, it was completely unmonumental in the moment of happening; getting on the plane at Heathrow was merely the formality of 6 months of planning, packing and hard graft at the YHA.

The first few months passed rapidly, despite long days of boredom in which I started to question my motives and reasons for coming out here at all. Could I really stick this out for the next year? Memories always filter out the crappy bits, so I was reminded again how frustrating it can be to work with teachers, systems and languages unfamiliar to you. I had met a handful of Vietnamese friends and other foreigners, but annoyingly many of the other volunteers stayed only for short contracts, never more than a month and sometimes as short as two weeks.

In trying to summarise the shape of my year I'm pretty sure that I will miss out and forget bits, which will later be re-edited into the post. But in the short space of a few weeks between New Year and Tet (referred to in Hanoi expat-lingo as 'Actual' New Year and 'Vietnamese' New Year respectively) I came into contact with two groups of people who would jointly transform my life in Hanoi for the better and make the next 10months of my trip the most incredible fun they could possibly be.

Firstly, through fellow volunteer Emma and indirectly through this website, I met some fantastic Vietnamese students who ran a weekly conversation club at a local cafe. Unlike many other situations I've found myself in in Hanoi, I never ever felt like the token foreigner-attendant at the club, and it was barely a few days before these guys became firm friends.

A 12-volume encycolpedia dissertation wouldnt come close enough to singing the praises of these guys. Having friends 'on the inside' was invaluable in a city where everything is foreign and unknown. They went out of their way to help me with shopping, jobs, getting haircuts, bicycles, translations. fixing computers and even took me to the local dentist when I couldnt afford the international one.

More than that though, over time these guys became close, very close friends. Quite aside from the trivialities of 'getting on' in Hanoi, I found myself completely a part of a Vietnamese social scene that included karioke nights, cafe lunches, trips in and out of the city, street eats, films, parties and consumption of vast quantities of ice cream. I gelled really easily with the Vietnamese attitude towards socialising and having fun; the ease and spontaneity of social events, the (without exception) openness, warmth and compassion towards new and old friends, and the seemingly radical notion of nights out without alcohol. I loved every single minute of it. If the future of Vietnam is in the hands of such intelligent, hardworking, open, earnest, friendly and compassionate young people that I was so very very lucky to meet, then its got nothing to worry about.

Secondly, from a chance meeting in Sapa and again indirectly through Couchsurfing, I met Ashton, Pavi and a whole host of awesome ex-pats who were staying in Hanoi longer than the average volunteer I'd thusfar encountered. Hurrah! I'd loitered awkwardly on the fringes of the ex-pat scene since I'd arrived but from February onwards I got stuck right in. Having new and awesome expat friends to hang out with, suddenly Hanoi's social scene was fun, friendly and 'exciting'. ['exciting' needs air-quotes as the expectations are diminished somewhat by Hanoi's limited options for hang-out spots]. The group was fantastically diverse and ever-changing and through them I discovered so many favourite places to go that most weeks we hung-out 6 or 7 nights out of 7. The Top hang-out and default centre of operations became Jomas Cafe on Dien Bien Phu; I do believe that between us we tried every single item on the menu and filled up loyalty cards in rapid succession. The R+R Tavern Tuesday Trivia became a staple ingrediant on the social timetable, and a major resource in the quest to mingle and make friends and contacts. I never thought that I would eventually co-host the quiz, but nevertheless thoroughly enjoyed doing so. [I still maintain that 'Famous Facial Hair' and 'Characters by Mr Potato-Head' was the best table round in trivia history]

I couldn't possibly list all the awesome things we did together, the rest of the blog is testament to that, but some nights remain truly legendary. Indulging in what we nicknamed the 'Hanoi Crazy' during the Autumn Festival and later the 1000yr celebrations was particularly memorable, for the surrealism of what we were experiencing as well as the awesomeness of having such great friends to celebrate with.

For some reason the memory of driving to the airport to wave off Raven as she set sail for the Philippinnes sticks in my head. There's a reason why xe oms dont go there. Yes it was crazy, Yes it was dangerous, Yes it was unwise, Yes we ended up with bugs/grit stuck to our face, Yes we nearly hit a cow on the airport road. But we did it with the best of intentions. And hindisght paints a lovely picture which I'll keep in my head for a long time yet.

I cant even begin to explain how much I miss these folk, so I won't even try. They Know.

There's more to say but I'm tired and this is reading like an essay. Congratulations on making it this far. I promise to add pictures, and more thoughts soon

SarahHeadsWest xx

Goodbye in words not-my-own

"Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes" - Henry David Thoreau

"Don't be dismayed at goodbyes, a farewell is necessary before you meet again and meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends"
- Richard Bach

Small Things I'll Miss

I thought it might be wise to compose a list of the 'smaller' things that I'll miss about living in Hanoi, as they will no doubt be overshadowed by tomorrow's 'Goodbye' post (which, by the way, I have yet to compose and whatever I do write will be hopelessly inadequate in saying all the things I want to say)

No less important, the following are a few of the finer details of my life in Hanoi that I'm going to miss so very very much...

• Eating with Chopsticks
• Nights out without alcohol
• Wearing flipflops
  
• My bicycle, and cycling everywhere
• Geckos on my wall
• Unashamed sentiment
• Being paid in cash
• Street breakfasts
• Iced Tea
  
• Cheap treats (thus necessitating frequent indulgences)
• Time for things and people
  
• Spontaneity and Ease of socialising
• Teaching in barefeet
• Fresh-tasting Fruit
• A million other things that will occur to me later today...

SarahHeadsEast xx

"A short and a long day"

...was how my friend Tan described our countryside roadtrip yesterday, a chance to see Vietnam that-is-not-Hanoi just one more time before I leave on thursday. I was looking around for things to fill my last week, and having pretty much exhausted my 'Hanoi bucket list' I decided to go to Hoa Binh, just for the hell of it.
We must have covered around 400km in total, much of it through backroads and dirt tracks, passing tiny rural villages that still constitutes the majority of Vietnam's landscape. I'd all but forgotten about this in the rapidly 'ascending dragon' that is Hanoi's development.
We dropped in on Tan's relatives, before meeting friends of friends, who took us to their tiny Muong village of Son Quyet. I was completely overwhelmed by a) the peacefulness and simplicity of life there, and b) the open-ness and friendliness with which they welcomed us. We had a fantastic lunch and then wandered around the village, including dropping by at the local school (*row of three classrooms). I'd forgotten just how much of an oddity a foreigner can be, but sure enough before long I had a pied-piper procession of children as I walked through the village.

Later in the afternoon we had tea in the family house of Cham, who is an English teacher in nearby Hoa Binh city. From seemingly nowhere, a singing game was started and we were encouraged to share songs. It would have worked great if I could think of a single appropriate English song on the spot....I sang 'Yesterday' and messed up the words.
I was rewarded for my efforts with this though...Cham's mother singing a traditional Muong song which was so beautiful it gave me goosebumps. You'll have to 'Ahenny' to see it but its worth it

How lucky am I?

On the way back to Hanoi, we stopped at the site of a giant statue of Uncle Ho, who simlutaneously presides over Vietnam's first hydro-electric dam, and an awesome nightscape of Hoa Binh city.
The whole day was just amazing and I left Son Quyet with a promise to all my new friends to go back and visit. Ooops.

SarahHeadsEast xx

An Ode to my Feet

I think it's fair to say that my feet have taken abit of a battering over the last 12 months. Having not seen the inside of a shoe for near on 8months, they have stoically padded their way around the assault course pavements in Hanoi, skirted rice paddies in Sapa, templed at Angkor twice, danced the Heads, Shoulders Knees and Toes approximately 300 times, and paced the shopping malls of Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok and Saigon, not to mention powering my bicycle ALL over the city in the pursuit of work (I once memorably crossed water to go into Hanoi's *Gateshead* for a job worth $10, but thats a story for another day). And to do all that in beach flip flops? I decided it was time to thank them with abit of TLC.

I got a perfect opportunity for some foot-appreciation in the Siem Reap night market, when we tried out the Fish Foot Spa.

[disclaimer: the experience was alot better than the following explanation of the process will make out]. Brave tourists are invited to plunge their feet into a pool of cold water and have their skin 'nibbled' by hundreds of tiny hungry fish!
It's a sensation quite unlike any other and occupies a hazy grey area somewhere between the feeling of pleasure and pain. After some initial public humiliation by shrieking when my feet first went in the pool, I found the whole experience really enjoyable. And I cannot deny that my feet felt fantastic afterwards. All the pavement bashing of the last year seemed to melt away.

So there you go guys. I let fish eat me, but it was all for you!

SarahHeadsEast xxx

Jam-in-a-Bag

Heya Folks,
Spending one of my last few weeks in Asia in Cambodia, visiting old friends and making new ones, is one of those random and unexpected pleasures which have so characterised my life here, that it was just So meant-to-be. I adored Cambodia on my trip there in march this year; overwhelmed in equal measures by its poverty, beauty and brutality. Angkor Wat of course is beyond amazing. So when I heard that Sarah, an old friend from University days, would be interning in Phnom Penh, I jumped at the chance to visit her, and see this amazing country again.

Getting the bus over to Phnom Penh from HCMC was surprising easy and cheap, though I discovered to my misfortune that Vietnamese bus passengers enjoy air-conditioning....full pelt, for 7hrs to Phnom Penh. I know I'm British but I was *freezing*! Arriving like an ice cube into the bus station with a fun new stamp in my passport from the Moc Bai/Bavet land border, I quickly thawed out and got a TukTuk across town.
I set the same strict budget and aimless itinerary for my first few days in Phnom Penh, happy once again to let the city pass by me. The best bit of the trip was being reunited with my namesake university chum and ex-housemate, made more than a little surreal by being in Cambodia!

I couldn't help but be in awe of the work that she and 7 other girls were doing in Phnom Penh; as speech and language therapists working tirelessly and relentlessly to train doctors and nurses to deal with speech and language disorders previously massively understood. Truly an admirable task and, most importantly, sustainable. You rock guys!
Most people are content to see Angkor Wat just once in a lifetime; I felt so incredibly lucky that I got to see it again this year, and its magnificence certainly didn't diminish with a repeat visit. The weekend will forever remain memorable for the 'sunrise breakfast' on our day of templing.....Jam-in-a-bag. Instantly hilarious to anyone walking by as we ate, there was something so completely surreal, and hysterically funny, about trying to scoop out jam from a plastic bag and spread it on a baguette while perched on one of the world's oldest and biggest religious ruins. Strange-the-Places...
SarahHeadsEast xx

Saigon Oi!

Heya folks,
I've just returned from a week away, a sort of valedictory tour to squeeze in *just* *one* *more* *trip* before I set off for the long road home next week and my funds run out completely. Though I've been away from Hanoi for more than a week, it seems that for the whole trip I have been surrounded by my friends-in-far-flung-places, and that has been an unexpected joy.
It all started with a weekend of birthday celebrations (not my own) in Ho Chi Minh city, shared with my expat friends Ashton, Pavi and Devang. As a city HCM has a massively different feel to that of Hanoi, so much so that it seems much like Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur; we appreciated the cosmopolitan-ness without feeling too much that we were 'cheating' on Hanoi and the city we know and love.

Walking around Ben Thanh market brought us a stark reminder that we were still in Asia, and we were surprised by the aggressive selling techniques of the storeholders, who would literally pull us into the stalls! One thing thankfully lacking from Hanoi's markets.

As I'm always a fan of a good cityscape (making up for lost ground in KL), we found this one from uber-posh Sheraton hotel rooftop bar, where we went for birthday drinks on saturday.
I decided to stick around for a few days in Saigon, as my bus over to Cambodia was not until midweek. Partly poverty-driven, I set no agenda other than wandering around and soaking up the atmosphere of the city. I met up with some fabulous Vietnamese friends of friends, who did a terrific job of showing me around their city. We had some terrific South Vietnamese food (sorry Hanoi, it really was good) and then a platter of cheap chinese desserts which, though tasty, was not a patch on Hanoi's condensed milk delights (yes! Hanoi-1, Saigon-0).
We deviated a little from *must-do-Vietnamese-things* on the following night when we had an awesome Indian meal in district one followed by cocktails at the Hard Rock Cafe. No, I didn't know there was one either.
It was a great trip that I was lucky to share with some fabulous friends, but by wednesday morning I was getting a little bored and ready to move on to the next bit. Which was handy...

SarahHeadsEast xx

Fun and Games

Heya Folks,
I decided on a personal resolution this week to take my camera out of the house more and actually photograph all those weird and wonderful parts of my Hanoi life which I take for granted. For reasons of blogging, and because I only have a paltry 10 days left in the city (next week I'm in HCMC and Cambodia). Here is part one of my photography efforts....last lessons in a few of my kindergartens.
This one is Kindergarten 2010 on Tho Nhuom street, a brand new school in the Vietedutech program. To be involved in the very beginning has been just awesome and the teacher, Ms Trang, was by far my favourite to work with.

And here is Hoa Hong Kindergarten in Dong Da district, in my opinion the best school in the program. All the teachers and supervisors help to really get the kids involved in the lesson, and the English ability of the students is noticeably better for that.

I'll be MIA on the blog next week, as tonight I'm heading down to Saigon to celebrate a birthday weekend. I'm sticking around for a few days longer and then heading over to Cambodia and a rendezvous with my namesake in Phnom Penh. Watch this Space!!!

SarahHeadsEast xx

The Best Kind of People

Heya Folks,
Probably not making the news in the west, but there are some pretty serious floods in central Vietnam going on at the minute, particularly in Ha Tinh, Nghe An and Quang Binh provinces. Current estimates are that some 200,000 houses have been swept away, 142,000 people have been displaced and upwards of 50 people killed. I'm hearing from my NGO-worker friends that 100% of crops in Ha Tinh have been destroyed.
As you can well imagine, everybody in Hanoi is mobilising towards the relief effort. I spent yesterday evening with a few Vietnamese friends bagging up donations to be sent to the central provinces this weekend. This included clothes, food and soap, and the mountain of donations more than covered the hallway of my friends' house and spilled onto the street, with more arriving all the time.

Far too busy to take photographs, suffice it to say that it was a worthwhile few hours when I couldn't help but smile at how compassionate, caring, earnest and hardworking my Vietnamese friends are. I know the best kind of people.

SarahHeadsEast xx

Hanoi Boogie

This one defies explanation. Except to say that

a) EFL teachers have alot of free time
b) This Is Hanoi

SarahHeadsEast xx

I Love Hanoi

Heya Folks,

A mixed-bag reaction to last weekend's 1000yr birthday celebrations in Hanoi. After such an electric build-up, we were expecting sunday to be one long day of parties and Craziness. In true Hanoian style, it was not to be. As with many things here, the celebrations looked GREAT on paper; a colourful parade on Ba Dinh square in the morning and then a dramatic fireworks display at My Dinh stadium in the evening. The TV reports did look truly spectacular.

I got up early on sunday and tried to make my way to watch the parade, but found all the roads surrounding me were blocked off....I was essentially trapped until it was all over. Despite not seeing the parade, the chance to walk down the middle of a deserted road normally chockka with traffic was truly surreal and well-worth the early start.
Here's our own, quirky, take on the festival celebrations the evening before. The T-shirts were standard fare that night, and to-be-indulged-in.

The other reason for the slightly toned-down nature of the celebrations was this (click here) It's actually a little strange but I went to My Dinh stadium exactly a week to the day before this happened to have a peak at the rehearsals for the 10/10/10 performance. I even chatted to the group of German pyrotechnic experts flown in from Singapore to set up the fireworks display. I remember thinking how wonderful it was that these guys were doing what they loved AND traveling the world AND getting paid for it.

Because they were later tragically caught up in the explosion, and because I want to carry through on my whole global-awareness-through-blogging thing, I thought it worthy of inclusion on this week's entry.

SarahHeadsEast xx

Thăng Long

Heya Folks,
I'm blogging from a WiFi cafe again. Don't blame me, it's my new laptop. It demands to be taken out and take its rightful place amongst the expats tapping away in Jomas. It's slimline, light, suave and stylish, it screams 'Citizen Of The World!'. I love it.
The excitement in Hanoi in preparation for the weekend celebrations has now reached fever pitch. Apart from the loss of wages caused by traffic jams and cancelled classes (currently running at $50), I am so happy to be in Hanoi right now. The electric charge of the atmosphere is positively humming along the chaotic streets. I love that this is a celebration most definitely Not For The Tourists, with the souvenir T-shirts, ribbons and flags being sold for real prices to Vietnamese partygoers.
With Hanoi's brash and rapid expansion, it's sometimes easy to forget that this celebration has been 10 centuries in the making, and there are a whole host of chapters of Hanoi's history that deserve to be remembered and celebrated this weekend. I came across a photo exhibition in the park across from the Temple of Literature the other day, and adored the old postcard images of Hanoi's past. Here are my faves:

Because I never have a raincoat...Because it's the market without the Crazy...Because bicycles did rule once...Because it's the bridge without the tourists...

And Because it's just Awesome Hanoi...

SarahHeadsEast xx

City of the Soaring Dragon

This month is simultaneously the best and worst time to be in Hanoi. In merely a week's time, the city will celebrate 1000 years as the capital of Vietnam, ever since Emperor Ly Thai To declared the movement of the capital in 1010 (ah, I remember it well...). All of this means that there are beautiful lights and lanterns around the lakes and streets, statues, banners, posters, open-air stages and other sorts of primping and preening of Hanoi's party frock in preparation for this momentous event.
The countdown clock which has been placed next to Hoan Kiem Lake stoically working up everybody's excitement for the last 993 days is now perilously close to the end. I remember spying this clock first on a trip through northern Vietnam and Laos in January 2009, and thinking what a nice thing it would be to actually be in Hanoi for the celebration. How lucky I am to be here now and how good then that I made good on my word...
I can forgive the extreme traffic congestion that has been the 'Hanoi Crazy' over the past week. It makes traveling anywhere in the city challenging-to-impossible. On these occasions I've abandoned my bicycle in favour of walking to work and thus slowing down to completely soak up the excitement. I dont care about the 'Crazy'. I love the 'Crazy'. The 'Crazy' is Hanoi As She Is. There's a palpable electricity in the city right now and I cant help but feel incredibly lucky that I'm here right now to plug into it all.
SarahHeadsEast xx

Chúc Mừng Hạnh Phúc

Happy October Everybody!

This morning I had one of those 'Strange the places...' moments when I found myself at a Vietnamese wedding! And what a fantastically surreal occasion it was too. I was so happy to be invited along to celebrate with the bride and groom (probably not called 'bride' and 'groom') Huyen and Phu.Many of the standard themes of western weddings were observed.....lots of people, lots of toasts, lots of food and lots of photographs!
And some not-so-standard themes, such as the rule that one could never take a photograph with only 3 people in it?!?! Maybe a superstition about future bachelordom or spinsterism?
Anyway here is a photograph of Huyen and Phu, who were All Smiles for the whole day, and myself and Ashton. Yes I am wearing an Ao Dai. I'm practically Hanoian now...

SarahHeadsEast xx

off-topic

Heya Folks,
It seems that September has been a particularly 'noisy' month blogwise, what with my birthday and catching up on all the parts of my ter-ravels with Dad. I hope that you are enjoying all the posts, please feel free to email me or leave a comment; though a blog is, by design, a one-sided conversation, it is sometimes nice to get a reply :).

You might also note that there has been a rapid succession of dramatic updates to the design and content of the blog, with the particular addition of kooky extras if you care to divert your eyes right. ---------------------------------------------->

The reasons for this are twofold. Firstly, I have had a quiet teaching week, and occupied my free time by 'messing around' on this site :). Secondly, I have come to the realisation that I have LOVED keeping a web record of my adventures in Hanoi; It began as an online diary and email shortcut, but I feel I may have evolved from that, and genuinely enjoy the creativity of composing posts. Its not something I really want to give up, when I give up the adventure this November; so I'm using my Renaissance-Soul brain to find a way of keeping a presence on the web next year.

As an astronmer might have said at some point....'Watch This Space'

SarahHeadsEast xx

Hoi An

We arrived in Hoi An after another flight on 'Sellotape Airlines' and another seemingly never-ending taxi ride. Wandering down one of the streets of the old quarter to find food, we could see that it was worth it. Hoi An is simply adorable, and it well-deserves its place on every traveler's itinerary. The well-preserved ancient houses, lack of modernisation and the notable absence of cars and motorbikes in the old town all lend it a wistful, romantic feel. It's what you'd like to believe the whole of Vietnam is like, or was like.
We spent the whole of our time in Hoi An agenda-less, content to simply wander and soak up the atmosphere. This is the best way to enjoy the place. The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and thankfully has been preserved as such, with the ancient houses, pagodas and pedestrianised streets the very epitomy of 'charm'. It's a sad contrast to think that underneath all the tourist tat shops, high rises and motorbike-clog of Hanoi's Old Quarter, the same could be found.

Allowing ourselves the exertion of a boat ride, we comandeered a Vietnamese lady to sail us down the Thu Bon river a little way. This was a great way of exploring a little further and, of course, relaxing. We fell into a bit of a tourist scam involving a photograph of a fishing boat, but shrugged it off. Fair Cop. You can't win 'em all...
Back on dry land, one of the best finds was 'Reaching Out', a handicraft and fabric shop employing only disabled and disadvantaged Vietnamese people in their workshop, which you can go and visit. All of the products are beautiful and very well-made, which made it an excellant place to buy our gifts and souvenirs. If you head to Hoi An, check it out.

SarahHeadsEast xx

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Art for Art's Sake

After a short flight on a plane so tiny it used actual chocks, and an unnerving taxi ride marginally longer than the flight, we arrived in the central highlands of Vietnam, and Dalat. The change in the air was immediately noticeable after the lung-clogging of the previous two cities. It was clear, clean, fresh and cool; lending the city the pace and atmosphere not unlike that of an Alpine ski resort. It was a strange but pleasing contrast, after melting in HCMC, to see Vietnamese people wrapped up in coats, scarves and gloves in the central market.
We were blessed with a fabulous quiet hotel and the nicest hoteliers you could ever wish to meet, and immediately decided that we had been lucky with travel plans that allowed three days here and not two. The central market was fab and loud and busy and chaotic in true Asian style, and as our first introduction to the city it was great.
Hiring a car on the second day, we went out into the surrounding countryside and explored a fabulous forrest, took a jeep up to the top of a mountain, and then went into the Lat minority village to meet the very happy and animated village leader. He was great fun, and as it turned out was very intelligent, serving as a nurse during the American war. Love to see in rapidly growing Vietnam, people remaining close and true to their roots and traditions.
One of the best and 'mmm, arty...' moments came when we visited the Nha Hang Nga; what happens when an artist and architect meet the resources to fully realise their creative ambitions. Walking around the many twisty tunnels, stairs and corridors of the building is a little like being in a huge Alice-in-Wonderland themed adventure playground, with secret passageways, crazily-shaped rooms and random animal statues everywhere.
I loved it. No discernible reason for being. Just Art for Art's sake.

SarahHeadsEast xx

"all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing"

Politicians who jusitify war in terms of abstract concepts; of moral victories, borders moved, one doctrine succeeding over the other, ought to take a visit to the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City.

The War 'remnants' refers not only to the American tanks, helicopters and other aircraft preserved in the museum courtyard, but to the stories documented inside; the stories of those affected on both sides, and the legacy of those still affected today. It's horrifying. It's shocking. It's moving. It's most definitely Not-Sugar-Coated.
It tells the story not from the perspective of military historians or archivists, but documents 'What Really Happened' in Vietnam during the American War. Namely the destruction of villages, towns and cities, the torture and murder of men, women and children throughout the country, the use of chemical warfare, and the futile deaths of American servicemen, Vietcong fighters, South Vietnamese soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese civilians.
Perhaps the most haunting displays are those on the groundfloor graphically detailing the devastating effect of chemical weapons, from the generations of birth defects caused by exposure to Agent Orange, to the haunting image of a mother and son quite literally incinerated by a Napalm Attack.

The Museum's cataloguing of the personal anthologies of the American War makes for a harrowing and difficult but ultimately important and worthwhile visit. It reminds us that war, any war, must be examined and understood by its specifics, as well as by the ideologies - geographical, political or religious - of the opponents.

The exhibitions in the museum, particularly those on the ground floor, are a vital reminder to us all that
Firstly - War does NOT end when generals in comfy offices shake hands over a signature,
and Secondly - that the use of chemical weapons in a warzone is pointless and ridiculous and horrible and unnecessary and futile and futile and futile.

I hope that from this post, and from the blog as a whole, the distinction is clear between 'War Tourism' and 'Global Awareness'. I think its not just down to the individual conscience to visit these places and learn about the horrors of the past, but a fundamental responsibility to know what goes on in the world. Ignorance is a crime too, and it's only by becoming aware of humanitarian issues both past and present, that we can become part of the knowledge and the message that

"This Must Not Happen"

SarahHeadsEast xx


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Halong Bay Again...

...and it only gets better and better each time I go. I hadnt realised just how hard I had been working in Hanoi, and how much I needed a holiday, until we arrived in Halong Bay, boarded our boat and unpacked into our cosy cabins for the trip. I was really impressed with how comfortable the boat was, and the food wasnt half bad either.

Cruising around the bay is quite possibly the most relaxing thing in-the-world-bar-none, and the sun was out for the whole trip making the experience even better. Though we spent most of the time simply with some worthwhile and necessary relaxation, we did break through with some exercise on day two with a short cycle ride on Cat Ba Island, and a quick dip in the sea at Monkey Island.
Dad thought the whole thing was terrific, and a great start to the holiday.

SarahHeadsEast xx

What's the collective noun for blog posts?
a bloggett? a blodge?

Anyway, I have been away from Hanoi for nearly two weeks ter-ravelling with my dad, so here is a whole feast of posts in one go.

Enjoy!

SarahHeadsEast xx

Captain Karioke

Hey Folks,
Last weekend I ticked off my quarter-century and celebrated my 25th Birthday in Hanoi. If this city does one thing well, it's Birthdays. It all kicked off on thursday when I invited the great and good of my expat chums to an Indian restaurant on the shores of Truch Bach lake. I felt very lucky to have such a great and varied bunch of people to celebrate with; out of 12 attending, I was the only English teacher, and one of only two Brits. We polished off some really cracking Indian dishes and then headed to nearby Sofitel Hotel for posh beverages. The hotel bar is on the top floor, and the nightime cityscape of Hanoi was truly amazing. With all my Hanoi pals around, looking out at the amazing view, I couldnt help but marvel again at how lucky I am to be here in this incredible city.
Saturday came around, and I spent the day lazily (as one should on ones birthday), stuffing my face at Jomas and then walking along to Ailu Cat Cafe to hang out with Hanoi's fabbest felines. There cant be many better ways to while away the afternoon than with a book and a coffee and a cat in your lap...
There really is only one way to truly celebrate a birthday in Vietnam, and thats at the Karioke bar. So come saturday evening I headed off to the X-Men club in Dong Da for the most amazing karioke party ever! With 99% Vietnamese attendance, it was sure to be authentic and fun and genuine in only the best Hanoian way. I was truly overwhelmed to see how many friends I have here, and so happy that they all turned out to celebrate with me. After being crowned 'Captain Karioke' and presented with an X-Men sailor cap, I belted out the long-standing favourites of Hanoi karioke 'Let it Be', 'Stand By Me' and 'What is Love', as well as the one and only Vietnamese song I can remember all the way through!

The evening melted into a bur of mingling, singing, dancing, eating cake and taking photographs. The sore throat this week is TOTALLY worth it. It was honestly one of the best nights of my life. I was so happy that I thought I might explode if it got any better! I had a constant feeling of wanting to laugh, smile, sing, dance and cry all at the same time.
One Truly Amazing Night.

SarahHeadsEast xx

PS - I'm so lucky to have Vietnamese friends with such wicked creative talent. Check out this fab photo and video montage of the night from Enjoy