Home Random Shots from Vietnam and the Philippines March 2014 (F11 is full-screen mode on PC) Vietnam Walking along the street of my hotel in Saigon, I peered into the front door of a house found this big family gathering they invited me to hang around, fed me a little and I sang They Call the Wind Mariah for them Along that street (and many streets) are lots of ad hoc food shops Thanh, a friend from two years ago, runs a popular sidewalk coffee shop       My first morning there I hung out for about 3 hours   Viet had brought his guitar, and he sang and played I contributed several songs   with Thanh Next to Thanh's shop is a typical street cafe   fast food at its best   Thanh's shop consists of very minimal apparatus   enough to make coffee, tea, smoothies, etc.     Right in front of Thanh's shop is a one-woman newstand   run by Linh (on left) seen here with Van, who also has a street shop for breakfast After a few days in Saigon I moved on to Mui Ne, where I'd spent a month, two years ago right on the South China Sea Here are some photos of my hotel from two years ago) In 2011 I met Nguyet, who teaches English to students, after their normal school day She lives in Phan Thiet, 10 km from Mui Ne She has set up a primitive classroom in her home   As before, I came and conversed with the students and sang songs in English for them In response to my songs, Hang sang a couple of very lovely songs   Phan Thiet has a most colorful fleets of fishing boats           The Philippines In 2011 in Cambodia I met Ivar, a Norwegian man who had married Maribeth, a Philippina They live on Camiguin Island in the Philippines I flew from Saigon to Cebu City then an overnight ferry to Camiguin Island Dormitory style sleeping I was amused to see this innovative use of sheets to make a hammock Ivar and his family  live 7km up the mountain from the main town on Camiguin     Their son Lars is 4 years old Anna Sofia is 7 years old   They put me up in their lovely guest house they've developed the property lovingly and profusely They've created quite a variety of structures on their dramatic hillside connected by concrete walkways   with a dramatic view out to sea While there, we did a day trip to Mantique Island idyllic setting, with dazzling white sand To get there, we waded out to one of these boats   and chugged away for 10 minutes then enjoyed a little frolic in the pristine water When I asked Ivar what I should see in the Philippines he suggested Vigan, on the island of Luzon north of Manila it's a  World Heritage Site, one of the few towns in the Philippines where many Spanish colonial buildings are still intact Ivar was interested in the lamps/lanterns on these buildings so I hung out in Vigan for a week, shooting many photos for Ivar and soaking up the ambiance al fresco dining every evening at Cafe Leona including a lovely time with fellow travelers Rohan, Ferdnand, Roberto, Lolita The Philippines has a lot of jeepneys like this   They run regular routes Base fare typically about 8 pesos (.20 usd) Tricycles are also popular in the Philippines t's a motorbike with a sidecar   there are many variations    these, on Camiguin Island, are quite open   and can haul a half dozen passengers with relative ease     the ones found in Vigan, though, require that you first get into the fetal position, then slide into the tiny compartment    Many of Vigan's tricycles are also noted for their ornate and inventive ornamentation (this one is also roomier)   A variation on this theme is the pedal tricycle this one in Cagayan de Oro     they're also ubiquitous in parts of Manila       In Manila, waiting for the bus to Vigan, this tricycle rolled in    Padal tricycle yes, pedal haven't they heard of center of gravity?    and as you might expect, there are cargo versions also    Vigan also contributes the galesa to the transport mix an elegant way to tour the town    which I did in this one     with two Philippina ladies    Back in Cambodia now In Battambang down a small country road is a train station The Bamboo Train Each car consists of a simple bamboo platform sitting on two pairs of steel wheels powered by a small engine All aboard! (I think I heard that, but I'm not sure) At any rate, we're departing right on schedule for where? nowhere After a scant four or five minutes we see an obstacle ahead Another train approacheth clearly someone has to yield so they do Their bamboo platform is lifted off its wheels set aside and then the wheels and we're on our way again leaving them to the re-assembly (a 30-second job) on the way back, we again passed others who had to "dismount" Safe and sound, back at the station the toy train ride is over Previous - Cambodia SE Asia 2014 Index Lee's home page