Chad Is Everywhere

Weddings are a very personal affair for the participants. They fuss over every detail. However when you're going to a wedding to be held in country NSW, or well the ski region of NSW that rule isn't 100% true. My friends are the sort of people that do not stress out. Normally. But I got to see them both under pressure. It was fun. The 2 little stress toys got nervous as the actual day came to reality. Love them to bits. They dealt with the period perfectly. I needed only to be there as the support. I loved being helpful whilst enjoying my time down there. A bit of a go-for and "can you remember to" the day before. But all went well. The wedding was top notch. Perfect surrounds. And just quietly the top nosh at the reception was the best I've had at a reception.  Alas one of the unexpected highlights of the day I didn't get a photo of. An echidna was walking along the side of the road as we drove up to Thredbo Ski Resort for some photo...

So I'm visiting Canberra and attending a wedding. That means an update of the blog in my Life of Pie. So instead of sights it's a study of local pie from me. Snack food of choice. An item I am sure to have a few of over the next few days whilst enjoying a few days off. Today's selection "Dobinson's" in Canberra. The pie crust was good. However the inner pie was disappointing. At least now I won't drive angry to Jindy!

My friend loves whisky. I mean really really loves whisky. Which when it comes to organising a trip down to Tasmania to visit my brother Steve comes in handy. He wanted to visit a few distilleries. Said he knew a few people who would be keen to show us around. As I learnt they were very keen to have him visit. His word of mouth as the lead taster of a few local whisky societies would help get a foothold for their whisky. This is very valuable grassroots marketing when you're a fledgling industry only just starting to the profile to start a boutique Whiskey Tour Tourist Trail. What it meant to me was that we received the extensive tour everywhere we went. I write a travel blog for my own memories. If I don't write things down like this article I would struggle remembering all I visited. I don't want to forget in 30 years time I was one of the early ones who followed the Tasmanian Whisky Trail. In about 3 years time do not want to forget about asking for a bottle of the...

Always remember as the buyer you have a lot of price negotiating power in the tourist shops in Asia. The power to walk away. It is important not to lose this position of power. Although very hard to lose the advantage, it is possible to lose it. For example someone in my tour group lost the advantage by merely dropping a lid in a shop. It's harder to negotiate when a part of the product is strewn over the floor and you're standing next to a "you break, you buy" sign. Meanwhile, totally unrelated, I bought a Tea set. Managed to get 20% off.

I sitting up watching time slide by on what is now a night train to Nha Trang. We're due in about 1am . I skipped the Chicken'n'Rice. Didn't know the vintage. And I've seen bigger pigeons. So sandwich dinner followed by Tolberone. We've only got one small issue. When do we get off! Stations are barely signed. Oh, and the tour guide gets motion sickness on Trains at night. Fun fun fun!

Forget Sleepless in Seattle. I have a new movie concept. Delayed in Da Nang! Of course playing the role of me in the blockbuster will be Bruce Willis! Trademark the saying "Oy zoy oy motherf3r... !" Oy zoy oy basically means OMG. The spelling is not like that. Just the sound. It's as close to a swear word as we've learnt. Which suggests just how much Vietnamese we've learnt. Our train onto Nha Trang was supposed to be at 11. Arriving in time to get some dinner and go out for a drink. So much for that idea. A 4 hour delay meant the train didn't arrive until after 1am.  In time only to find 2 rats chasing each other around the train carpark whilst waiting for a cab to the hotel. Can't fix it. Just roll with it! After a short sleep it was straight onto our highlight tour of the trip. A boat ride to one of the island villages off the coast, and then lunch and snorkeling.   Of course by day 2 of Nha Trang the tour group had found it's own favou...

Sin chow! The one word we've mastered. Spelling not included! Hoi An is great. Best stop so far. Ancient Town is great for food and walking. And then when you're tired of that there's a leisurely 4km ride to the beach. All flat, no hills and very little wind. Just have to deal with the humidity. This is 5 shirts a day country! Shop vendors are aggressive. But as they say looking free! I just make sure I'm comfortable with what I buy! Decision was made. No cheap tailored suit. I could of. But reality was I just don't use enough. And you need time to explore options. Importantly I have completed the much anticipated cooking school here in Hoi An. Spring Rolls, Green Papaya salad, Caramel Eggplants in a Clay Pot, Fish in a Banana Leaf, and Chicken and Sweet Soup. I have the tips in my head. For how long I'm not sure.

Hue. A city in the middle of Vietnam. Was once the capital. So yes indeed we're talking Grand Palaces and kingdoms. I guess having seen Cambodia and Thailand I was better prepared on what to expect.   The history is focused in Hue. Alas the tourists are not. Not when there is a bar called Browneyes. A big night was had by a few of us.

According to my $1 old lady fortune teller I will be meeting a 32 year old girl next year. Possibly a doctor. I will be having 2 kids. 1 of each. The boy first.  Also confirmed my mum and dad love me very much. I will be living until I'm 85-87 and own a big place by 45. In 7 years. I also need to forget about the 27 year old girl I met when I was younger. I had better warn you. You're marrying another boy. I must let go. You're having a boy!

The train ride to Hue has been interesting. We're in first class with some other fancier tours. They're paying a lot more I'm told. I took a top bunk in the cabin. It's quite chilly up here next to the air-conditioning unit. With such a narrow bed I need to lift before rotating. All just to ensure an even rotisserie freeze. Time on the train has past without worry thanks to the copious amounts of cheap alcohol flowing. Needless to say the older Australian and English couples in the tour group have been trailblazers buying up big in preparation of the journey. We can only hope this experience and atmosphere can be repeated on our next great train rides. Soon it'll be time for breakfast. But I don't know what our trolley lady is offering. She'll tell us something is chicken, and we'll just question in which life that was? Disturbing looking chicken dishes indeed. But still we must have words with our cart lady! She stopped her service so early last...

Hanoi had changed a bit since my last visit 3 years ago. Not all the changes are great. My favourite ice cream shop from years ago, Fannys, gone. It meant I needed a new place. So off I was exploring my options. An inspiring shop window display led me into a cafe called Paris Gateaux! Supplier of my energy through the goodness of cakes and a mocha frappe. Not cheap by local standards. But this was no noodle soup. I was able to see everybody's "Uncle Ho" during my stay in Hanoi this time. Ho Chi Minh in the flesh. He was sleeping. Or well that is what they tell the local kids in school groups. Interestingly my guide said all the kids that go to the Museleum were the lucky ones. They must have good marks. It's hard to fathom going to see an embalmed old guy as a reward. I on the other hand thought it lucky to wait only 40 minutes to shuffle in. The grounds around the tomb were quite immaculate, and the historical old house of Ho Chi Minh was humbling. As you can s...

I have officially encountered the hardest bed ever! In our Cat Ba Island hotel. Whoa it's no pillow. From the Chuck Norris school of bed making. Weight benches in gyms have more cushioning.

As an elite athlete hidden in a average body (tricked you all hey) I need to be careful to avoid the issue of Drugs in Sport.  Sure i could just avoid sport. But the drugs companies are making it easier to avoid any breaches. Their method make the supplements sound too tasty to try.  My thoughts are if you're caught with Baby Sheep's Placenta, or your breathe smells like you sucked on a Red Kangaroo, then I don't want to play sport against you. 

Friends.... Family... I'm back to blogging my holidays tomorrow 16th March 2012. There are no guarantees that I'll be getting injured, mugged, or lost. However I will try still to make my posts interesting enough to read. If it's not interesting it'll at least be photos of food, and places that you're not. This trip will be including a 14 Day Intrepid Tour called Vietnam Adventure. It's a "Basix Tour". So it's the bare essentials of a tour. I pay for food and extra side events etc. Hotels will not be the Ritz. But I never expect that when I travel. I just hope they have a mattress which isn't rock hard. In Vietnam that's no guarantee. For readers of my previous trips please note there is a bit of overlap in Halong Bay and Hanoi. After that though all will be new to me. The biggest risk will of course be transit. I've decided this year to use all discount airlines with connecting flights! Oh joy. Realisation that these guys aren...

I've decided upon Vietnam as last time I didn't make it down the coast to Ho Chi Minh City. Not because I missed out on trying Dog meat. Whilst in Vietnam I'll again be using the mantra... "It's Chicken, it's chicken, it's chicken when given the food I've ordered at the markets." With limited time and further distance to travel I've this time decided to use a tour company. I'll be going with Intrepid. Perhaps I should ask if they'll sponsor me as a guest blogger. http://www.intrepidtravel.com/vietnam/vietnam-adventure-49285