A Gastronomic Tour of Vietnam

Belinda and I share a love for great food. Looking back on our pictures over the past couple days, it appears that her trip to Vietnam is no different than other spots in the world we have visited together - there are lots of food shots! So, I thought I would share a bit of a gastronomic tour of Vietnam with you, as experienced over the past few days...

The Nha Trang seafood extravaganza - mussels, clams, oysters, prawns, prawn-fried rice, grouper in clay pot, mackeral with lemon-butter sauce, and barbecue fish.

Bun (Vietnamese rice noodles), spring rolls and fresh guava juice.

At the Cu Chi Tunnels about to sample the VC staples, tapioca root and rice balls.

Ok... so we did not eat the frogs but they were on the menu at the Ben Thanh Night Market restaurant we ate at!

 

As you can tell, I love the chili-salt grilled snapper at Ben Thanh Night Market.

The sweet rice ball - greasy goodness.

Belinda dishing up the banh xeo (a savory Vietnamese pancake).

And of course, the perfect addition to any meal is "buy 2, get 1 free" beer.

And what about Caleb? Well, he is now supplementing his milk diet with toe jam.

Aunty Belinda

We are so excited to have Belinda visiting us! After missing a connection in Beijing, Belinda finally made it to Ho Chi Minh City on Monday evening. She came armed with a ton of gifts for Caleb (lovely clothes, toys and books) as well as gifts for Mom and Dad (chocolate and my favourite, South African rusks). We had a relaxing Tuesday where we awoke, went to the gym and enjoyed a girls lunch at Jardin Delices. After lunch, we spent some time making a plan for Belinda's time here, which included booking flights and hotels, before going into District 1 to meet up with Kevin. 

After picking up Kevin, we took Belinda to some of the District 1 highlights including the People's Committee Building, the Rex Hotel, Le Loi Street, Highlands Coffee, Saigon Square and the Ben Thanh Night Market. 

Caleb is loving all the attention from Aunty Belinda!

In front of the People's Committee Building and Ho Chi Minh statue.

At Highlands Coffee, waiting for Belinda's first Vietnamese coffee (cafe sua da)...

which was very well received!

What's Up

It has been an action packed week around Ho Chi Minh City. Not only did we hit baby group and baby yoga this week, but also a friend's farewell lunch, girls spa trip, a friend's birthday lunch, an amateur dinner theatre show and a housewarming party. Here are a few random photos from this past week:

Baby yoga (clockwise, from the bottom left): Bic and Cameron, Lan and Madison, Caleb, Malgosia and Albert, Nicky and 'Monkey'.

Practicing our baby yoga moves at home.

While Mom got to go to a friend's birthday lunch and spa outing with the girls on Saturday, Dad got to spend the day with Caleb which included a trip to the office.

Tonight our friends from Singapore, Michael, Jana and little Hedi, came for dinner. It was terrific to see them all again! Caleb is a month older than his little girlfriend.

Check out more new photos in Caleb's Album .

Brunch, Bike & Bath

I absolutely love Sundays around home in Ho Chi Minh City. It is so relaxing. No cleaning or chores need to be done and we have the entire house to ourselves. This Sunday was no exception. After Kevin's 4 am start on Saturday morning to go golfing, he enjoyed a bit of  a sleep-in and then our friends, Gavin and Maria, along with their son, Elliot, came over for brunch. The boys played (aka stared at each other on the play mat) while we ate and then enjoyed catching up and visiting into the afternoon when it was beer o'clock and naptime for the babies. After our lovely guests left for home on their bikes, we decided to take our bikes out and go for a ride around our neighborhood. Sundays are perfect for biking since the 5 km loop around our neighborhood has much less traffic on it and when we left at 4 pm, the temperature was rather pleasant (still hot, but much more bearable). After the ride, it was dinner time and then time for Caleb's bath which was a must after the bike ride. He was looking rather dusty! So, it really was not the most exciting day but it was perfect... spending time with wonderful friends and family. Life is good.

Gavin, Maria and Kevin starting in on the french toast with strawberries and whipped cream.

Caleb and Elliot 

Dad and Caleb

Our afternoon bike ride... Caleb's helmet is still too big.

He was much happier in his shades only.

Bathtime with Dad

Almost time for the big tub!

Five Months Old

Caleb is five months old today and I am cherishing every day with him. This will be our last month of Caleb's milk only diet as we will start on solids next month (that is, mushy solids... why do all the books call it solids when what you feed babies really is not solid at all?). It is both kind of sad (how easy traveling is when all you need to remember to bring is yourself) and exciting (trying out all the different food blends and seeing his little face experience various flavours for the first time). I have been trying to look into which food is the best to start. I know most people go with rice cereal but are there any other recommendations?

I remember Nathan saying that 'every future geologist needs a plaid shirt' when he gave use this gift. Thanks, Nathan and Shana. As you can see, Caleb looks very handsome in it!

Caleb's fifth month was not the only occasion today. We enjoyed cake in honour of Mr. Phong's (our driver) 40th birthday. 

Frequent Flyer

Caleb was an absolute star on our 9 hours of flying from Melbourne back to Ho Chi Minh City. It got me thinking about how many flights he has already been on:

1. Singapore to HCMC
2. HCMC to Danang (with Mom & Dad)
3. Danang to HCMC (with Mom & Dad)
4. HCMC to Singapore (over Tet)
5. Singapore to HCMC (over Tet)
6. HCMC to Hue
7. Hue to HCMC
8. HCMC to Macau
9. Macau to HCMC
10. HCMC to Singapore (Doctor)
11. Singapore to HCMC (Doctor)
12. HCMC to Darwin
13. Darwin to Brisbane
14. Brisbane to Sydney
15. Sydney to Melbourne
16. Melbourne to Darwin
17. Darwin to HCMC

By the time I was five months old, I probably had not even left Vermilion that many times!

Caleb on the Darwin to Ho Chi Minh City flight last night taking up way more room than he did just a few months ago...

Hels

We had a great time with Helen and Chris on the Great Ocean Road and hanging out at Helen's place in Melbourne. Thanks so much for letting us stay with you! We enjoyed relaxing by the fire, chatting and playing cards. Also, thank-you for the great egg breakfasts, Chris, that you so efficiently whipped up for us. 

We are looking forward to seeing you in Ho Chi Minh City next month, Helen!

Sparkling, White and Red

We spent our last full day in Australia experiencing a bit of heaven in the Yarra Valley. Even the name sounds heavenly, don't you think? As all you wine connoisseurs know, the Yarra Valley is one of Australia's premier wine growing regions. Autumn in the Yarra Valley is especially beautiful with all the orange, yellow and red leaves. Helen contacted her friend to ask which wineries would be the best to visit on our day trip and not only did he respond, but he went ahead and booked us into his top three choices. As a result, we had tastings booked, a tour, a lunch reservation and even a discount at one of the wineries. 

We started our day by tasting the sparkling wines with some delicious chutneys at Domaine Chandon. We then drove only a couple kilometers down the road to Rochford where we started at the top and sampled our way through at least 15 of their wines. Lunch at Rochford was a meat extravaganza  - I had the lamb shank and Kevin had the ribeye (thanks, Scott, for taking us all out). I elected to have the pumpkin soup to start and Kevin passed on the starter to enjoy the dessert platter which he kindly shared with me. It was a very decadent lunch! We left Rochford well fed with wine bottles in hand or case (right, Helen :) Our final winery was Tarrawarra where the landscape was breathtaking as was the Reserve Chardonnay. I have a whole new appreciation for white wine now. If owning a winery was not enough, the owners also built a multi-million dollar art gallery on the estate. We finished the day by sitting around the fireplace at Helen's house. Perfect...

Our first stop, Domaine Chandon - check out that view!

The four sparkling tasters. The sparkling pinot joined us on our trip home :)

The tasting list at Rochford. "I recommend you start from the top and work your way down" (quoted from Mr. Brenton).

This photo was taken at the Rochford winery at about the 2008 Yarra Valley Pinot Noir and by the looks of it, Helen had a couple more Chardonnay samples than the rest of the group.

The Yarra Valley tasters at the third stop, Tarrawarra: Maggie, Scott, Helen, Chris, Kevin, Lori and Caleb.

I will take one bottle of the Reserve Chardonnay for the road, please.

Caleb was in charge of guarding all of our wine purchases.

The Great Ocean Road

We were thrilled when our friend, Helen, was able to join us on our Great Ocean Road excursion. We met Helen back in Calgary when she was doing a postdoc at the University of Calgary. Helen spent Christmas with us one year and even lived with us for a while in Calgary so it was great to catch up with her and see her Melbourne home.

Our night on the Great Ocean Road was spent in Airey's Inlet, a small coastal town (thanks to Tim & Nat for the keys to their house). After getting some food at the General Store, we relaxed at the house enjoying a bottle of 1984 wine (thanks, Helen) and a couple games of cards. We crashed pretty hard after all the fresh, crisp air from our stops along the ocean that day and awoke ready to see the route's highlights. We got to the big sights around noon - the Twelve Apostles - rock formations along the coast viewed from a rather scenic lookout. We made it back to Melbourne with Caleb's crying for an hour in the car (somebody had enough of the carseat) thanks to Chris' great driving. And now everyone is happily enjoying Beez Neez beer and watching the night's big Aussie Rules football game. 

Helen and Caleb.

The Meyer Family on the Great Ocean Road.

Looking out over the beach near Airey's Inlet at sunset.

Caleb relaxing at Tim & Nat's house in Airey's Inlet after a day on the road.

On the beach at the base of Gibson's Steps with one of the 'apostles' in the background.

The Great Ocean Road Crew at the Twelve Apostles: Chris, Helen, Caleb, Lori and Kevin

Melbun

It has been a rather cool couple days in Melbourne (pronounced by the locals as 'Melbun'). We have actually been able to wear our jeans and jackets; items usually stored in the back of the closet in Ho Chi Minh City. With the cool air and orange leaves, it kind of reminds me of autumn in Canada although in no way is the air cold enough to have us wondering if we will awake to snow in the morning! 

Our friends, Maggie and Scott, who recently moved to Melbourne have been so kind as to provide us with a room to stay in and all the comforts of home. With a down sleeping bag and lots of blankets, we even made Caleb his own bed and Kevin was excited about more sleep without Mr. Squirmy in bed with us for a couple nights. After sending Maggie and Scott off to work yesterday, we made our way down the street for breakfast and then took the tram into the city. We joined Maggie and Scott for lunch and then did a walking tours of all the neat little alleys with chocolate shops and cafes before taking the tram out to St. Kilda's Pier and walking along the ocean. We made our way back to the house to find Maggie and Scott already home and ready to head out for dinner. We ate at a nearby Turkish restaurant which was terrific and then finished the evening off with some red wine, chocolate and good company. 

Thank you, Maggie and Scott, for your hospitality! It has been awesome catching up with you both. It still feels so odd to being seeing each other in Melbourne of all places!

On the south bank of the Yarra River.

Maggie and Caleb going for lunch.

Dessert... and wow, was it good!

The view from St. Kilda's Pier.

Relaxing after dinner with Scott and Maggie.

Big Fish, Little Fish

In honour of our Borders purchase (the book Big Fish, Little Fish) at Bondi Junction, we spent our last morning in Sydney visiting the Sydney Fish Market. We took the tram to the market and got there in time to look around and enjoy an early seafood lunch. Delicious!

Dad reading Big Fish, Little Fish to Caleb at bedtime.

 Arriving at the Sydney Fish Market.

Gemfish and chips... yum!

Bondi Babe

We spent the day at Bondi Beach. It was rather cool (about +17 degrees Celsius) but still enjoyable. Caleb looked more like he was ready for a polar expedition than the beach. Since he is under six months old, we have not been putting sunscreen on him so he was all covered up instead. While we were packing up to go, Caleb rolled from his back to his front for the first time. We actually missed the first time he did it but saw his second roll!

Caleb under the shade of the stroller.

Mom and Caleb on Bondi.

Sydney Highlights

We spent today roaming around Sydney. Our day long walking tour took us from our hotel on George Street, near Central Station to Starbucks (a very important stop) and then to the Domaine and Botanic Gardens. The green spaces in Sydney are beautiful and huge. We were able to walk through the Botanic Gardens, stopping briefly at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, right to the Sydney Opera House. From the Opera House, we toured through the Rocks area below the Sydney Harbour Bridge, then on to Darlingharbour. Lunch was on the way at Lord Nelson Brewery which claims to be the oldest bar in Sydney. We checked out the Sydney Aquarium where Caleb was mesmorized by the fish especially the sharks. We stopped in at Paddy's Market and then back to the hotel for Caleb's evening bath and playtime. When Caleb started to look sleepy, it was back in the stroller and off to Darlinghurst and King's Cross area for dinner. We had Sydney's favourite dish: meat pie with smash (aka mashed potato), gravy and peas. And that was just our first day in Sydney!

Our view from the air coming into the Sydney Airport.

At the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Kevin and the Sydney Opera House.

Lunch and pints at Lord Nelson Brewery.

Caleb checking out the sharks at the Sydney Aquarium.

The Philits

We cannot thank Bev and Jeremy enough for their hospitality while in Brisbane. We had a great time with you both and of course, the girls! We look forward to seeing you all in Vietnam in the near future.

The 'wonderful family dinner'.

Mabel, Caleb and Maisey.

Around Brisbane

Ok, I have to be honest... Brisbane rocks! The city is absolutely beautiful and the weather is perfect (at least right now anyway). And what a sweet expat post, Jeremy and Bev! Jeremy gets to work via the CityCat, the Brisbane river transit service, and then runs home via the awesome river paths. So, ya, we are thinking of leaving our resumes off here...

Downtown Brisbane coming in on the ferry from Hawthorne, where Bev and Jeremy's house is located.

In the Brisbane Botanic Gardens.

Caleb and Dad hanging out in the Botanic Gardens.

Coffee and cake in New Farm.

Mabel and Kevin putting puzzles together before the 'wonderful family dinner'.

Crikey!

After leaving Noosa, we visited the home of the late Crocodile Hunter (Steve Irwin), the Australia Zoo. The zoo was mainly Australian animals and very hands on. Caleb got to pet a koala and snake while Kevin and I enjoyed feeding the kangaroos. 

Steve Irwin and I.

Caleb and the lizard having a stand-off.

Caleb and Kevin meeting one of the zoo's pythons.

Saying hello to the sleepy koala.

Feeding the kangaroos.