Wednesday in Saigon...full of rain

 We are flourishing...literally. 

The rainy season is upon us with skies that are crackling

and roaring with thunderclaps that has our dog, Tika, in a tailspin.

One is a brave soul to think they carry on through it..
for it literally stops you in your tracks sending you into retreat.

The good news...

Chateau Mango is soaking it up...and loving every drop.

If we are lucky we catch a rainbow or two.

When the sun shines....you feel like you are 

stepping into the Emerald City of Oz.

My affection for lotus blossoms since moving to Vietnam

has grown considerably... 

as has my affection for terracotta pots. 

I often wonder if one can have too many.

Mr. Khai and Mr. Thuan have had many 

proud moments between them recently. 

They have all sorts of experiments going on around the garden. 

I returned from a two week trip to America last week, 

to the tomato plants below which were just seedlings when I left.

I honestly did not think they would grow.

Two weeks on and our veggie patch is taking on new proportions.

I am particularly impressed with styrofoam planter 

and bamboo framework..waste not, want not!

I also admit to having my doubts when Mr. Khai constructed

the wiring below to hold this fast growing flowering plant.

As it fills in, I can see that it will suit my objective perfectly,

which is to create shade from the morning sun. We will soon

be dripping in flowers..creating yet another tropical vista.

Am I minding the rainy season?

Not one bit...at least not just yet.

Ask me in another month..it does

carry on for several. :)

My new friend...calotes bachae

I have decided that nothing surprises me anymore amongst the flora and fauna of our garden in Ho Chi Minh City. When the brown snake appeared a few weeks back, approaching our front gate here..I cast a quizzical brow. Snakes? I hate snakes.

The other day, our men about the garden, Mr. Khai and Mr. Thuan came to the front door...beckoning me to come quickly. I ran out...to see a snake and a forest dragon and one who clearly had the upper hand..or jaw. I am not quite sure what happened. Did the snake get the dragon? Did the dragon get the snake? All I know was one was living (dragon) and one was not (snake). Or maybe it was playing dead..some of my pictures would indicate otherwise. I decided not to feature them here.

After show and tell was over, the dragon went on his way, my guess is

to where he was discovered, amongst the palm trees.

Before he left...a wink, wink to me. 

I am still deciding if I like dragons.

Our forest dragon... calotes bachae is a species of lizard

in the Agamidae family..in case you were wondering. 

It is found in areas around Vietnam from National Parks to 

dense tropical forests and in our urban garden in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ours appears to be in the midst of mating season. 

The colours of the male become vivid..from cobalt blue to  

bright turquoise to attract females and intimidate males. 

He got me.

By night...he takes on the appearance of the rest of his body...dark brown. 

You can read more on this lizard lounger in National Geographic News here.

I am still thinking of a name for him..a little quirk of mine to

name creatures around the garden. 

Have you met Ozzie? here

If you have any names for my blue headed lizard friend, 

I welcome them kindly.

Snakes, Bicycles and an iPhone in Saigon

When I look back at my photos from our time living in England I am thankful for many things but one that stands out to me is my iPhone.  Greatest little gadget ever and if I could pop on out and buy an unblocked iPhone 5, I would. But..I can't, so for now, I am thankful for my iPhone 4GS, for it serves me well. All the photos here and many on the previous posts were taken out and about with just my phone..it has it's limitations but for this expat who likes to snap memories on the go, it's perfect.

I decided to make an icon for this blog. I would modify my blog but for some reason, living in Vietnam creates lots of complications and getting into my Blogger account to make change is one of them.  For now...it is this...snapped last weekend with my iPhone.

I plan to give a full insight into compound living one day

but for now...let me just say, I am gutted to see that this

lovely road to our home...

is under construction and will have a massive

brick wall running down one side of it. An open reserve sits quietly 

on the other side, teaming with wildlife. The sounds that

come out when the sun sets is the best of the tropics.

My guess is that it is going up for security reasons or plans for 

building construction are in the works. I am keeping my fingers

that the ladder is not the case.

I prefer as much of this (below) as possible.

It is that time of year...the sun is sitting higher, 

temperatures are rising and the humidity levels are climbing. 

At the moment (2:30pm) it is 97F/35C with a reported 

temperature that feels like 106F/40C..

and 49% humidity...pretty low given the past few days.

This is something I rarely did in England...check the weather.

It was either cloudy or it wasn't...cool or it wasn't.

In Vietnam..it's a different story.

Did I mention that I am a cool weather person?

Humidity is not my thing.

But the plants enjoy it and for that I am happy 

and am totally entertained by their growing patterns.

This tree had a sizeable lopping today..

although.. I can't say I am excited by what the heat 

is bringing out of the reserve. There was a buzz of excitement 

yesterday when Mr. Khai, our driver, caught a snake. It

was slithering it's way up to our gate when Mr. Khai spotted it.

 The capture involves a car and a piece of wire..only in Vietnam!

After much fanfare from the security guards and construction workers, 

it was promptly taken away by someone who I understand, 

was thrilled to have it for dinner. I was told that snake

sauteed with ginger and lemongrass it is delicious. 

I think I will pass on that one.

I am still trying to identify it, any guesses?

If you visited me in Vietnam, I would not take you on a snake hunt

but would take you to our local cafe, 

a short stride from Chateau Mango (our home). 

There we would sit..sipping on something..

and watch the water hyacinth float by.

A relaxing pastime, it will be one of 

my many fond memories of Vietnam.

and if you know me...as I know many of you do.. you

will know of my fancy for bicycles. Even though

I have adoring love for my English Pashley bicycle,

I have to say..these Vietnamese bikes are pretty sweet.

Maybe just one...

Speaking of England, a surprise. 

We have our mail forwarded from England and in it today, 

a recent issue of Country Life UK.

My subscription has long been cancelled which is why I was

so excited to see it. I love this magazine so much that I brought

2 1/2 years worth of issues with me to Vietnam. 

Some things are just to hard to let go of.

It is interesting...the things you get excited about 

when living in the tropics. :)

I topped that thought off with a lemon, lime, ginger and mint juice.

Lovely to sit and write to you today.

Until next time...

Best wishes from sunny, steamy Saigon!

A day...as an expat in Saigon

Someone asked me recently what I do with my day. 

I am always stumped by this question...

especially when I am asked for an immediate response. 

The woman was Vietnamese and spoke little English...

simplicity was key just as I would like 

if I were in the same situation. 

It came out in a slow ramble of words...

write 

website, (blog) 

photography

garden 

art

museum

travel 

explore 

adventure 

The following photographs

are a typical day..

for this expat.

You want to see it all...
before time ticks by, you move on

and it is a distant memory.

You can usually find me..

admiring the lotus plants growing 

in my newly created 'Mekong Delta' water garden.

Shopping on Dong Khoi Street.

Taking snaps of flowers to search botanical names.

I plan to name them all.

Passing a local restaurant on my daily walk.

Having a bike love attack... in blue.

Snapping bougainvillea in mass.

Visiting my favourite gallery, Tu Do Gallery, to see what's new.

Snapping another species of plant for my files.

Admiring a growing garden..perhaps by Rudolph?

Taking in more sights on my dialy walk.

Watching our dog do her Oympic swim in our pool.

Pop back into  Tu Do Gallery for another peak.

Contemplating how they do it...pack it all in?

Checking out furniture on Le Cong Kieu Street.

Admiring my lotus blossoms...again.

Visiting a market stall close to home.

 Photograph below..our first painting purchased in Vietnam.

and...the last shot

This morning, my juice concoction after Pilates class.

No complaints from this expat.

:)

Around Thao Dien, HCMC

I took a long walk Saturday morning, to show my husband what I see from day to day. As we turned the corner from one street to the next, we both commented how much our world has changed since this time last year. He was already living in Saigon and I was still holding down the fort back in England. With that thought we both remarked how fortunate we are to have this experience in Vietnam, it is more than we could have imagined and even with it's challenges, it is one that we will long cherish.

Along our walk...

Street life with a little less

 frantic pace than in the heart of the city.

Walking on the sidewalks is a challenge, there

are obstacles at every turn. I would say this is one of the

more beautiful ones.

I  am always humbled by the hard working nature of

Vietnamese women. If there is a way, they will find it.

Because...I just loved them...in all their feathers.

Across the street...words of love. 

Magic.

Following the road home to our home, 

affectionately called  Chateau Mango for it's colour...

Where you can find me... hat and fan in hand...

admiring our lotus flowers in bloom.

Is there enough to see and do around our neighbourhood...

for someone like me, absolutely!