VIETNAM 2017

Posted on October 17, 2017 by splashingpaint

There is nothing like the chaos of Hanoi to jolt a visitor into the strangely functional confusion of Vietnam. We had a couple of days in Hanoi to adjust to the pace of Vietnam before heading north to the mountain village of Sapa.

A low pressure system off the coast made the weather less than perfect, but we managed to find sheltered painting locations and were lucky to have a fine day to walk through the Hmong Valley and do some sketching.

From Sapa we travelled by coach back to Hanoi then flew on to Da Nang where we were taken by bus to Hoi An and the luxury of the Anantara Hotel. © John Lovett 2017
Rice Paddys near Hanoi

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Hoi An

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Red Bridge Cooking School – where we all became excellent Vietnamese chefs.

HOI AN

Posted on November 3, 2015 by splashingpaint

The old town of Hoi An stretches out along the Song Thu Bon River. A mixture of Chinese, French Colonial, Japanese and Vietnamese architecture give the ancient town an interesting character. The central markets run from before dawn till after dark. Every imaginable vegetable is available. Some weird cuts of meat, live ducks, chickens, fish, prawns and crabs are also for sale. Everything is fresh each day and the activity is mesmerising.
Old Japanese Bridge

Fresh Fish

Meat and Cigarettes

Boat Lady

River Sunrise

Vegie Market

For a few dollars this old lady will ferry you across the river.

Morning Fishermen

Boats along the River

Fresh Frogs

River Boatman (Hums Tom Waits Tunes)

Cast net Fisherman

Purple lanterns.

Cigarettes and Incense
Purple Lanterns and Bougainvillea
Fishing Fleet

Red Bridge cooking School where we cooked ourselves a feast and all became Vietnamese cooking experts.
Lunar Festival Dinner

Lunar Festival Paper Lanterns

Lunar festival

Wooden boats

Afternoon Market

Colored Lanterns.

HA LONG BAY

Posted on October 31, 2015 by splashingpaint

On the coast of Vietnam, east of Hanoi, is the world heritage listed Ha Long Bay. Scattered throughout the bay are around 2000 spectacular limestone islands. The constant heavy mist (either coastal fog or Hanoi smog) adds to the mysterious appearance of the region.
Early morning bathers.

Sunrise

Paddling out to sea

Traditional Fishing Boat

Fishing Boat with net booms.

Artist in funny hat entertains local fisherman.

Traditional floating fishing settlement.

HANOI CRAZY

Posted on October 28, 2015 by splashingpaint

After the peace and quiet of Sa Pa the 9 hour night train jolted us back into the non stop chaos of Hanoi. Twenty four hour markets, swarms of bicycles and motor bikes, endless street food, fruit and flower vendors, people selling post cards, hats, cold water, warm beer, you name it someone on the streets of Hanoi sells it. It seems like the population of 7 million people rarely sleep and are all on the move at the same time.
Man caught napping

Blending Traffic, Hanoi roundabout

Fruit vendor and Bicycle.

To cross a street in Hanoi you simply walk slowly out into this swarming horde and somehow they all part around you.

Cruising the backstreets

Low Speed Delivery

High speed delivery

Joyride in a Jeep

Non stop wholesale markets.

Any color, any texture, any thickness, any size.

Loading and unloading zone

Late afternoon shopping.

Old town Hanoi

View through Wire.

How not to loose your bike.

Flower Market

Any color, any size, any fabric, any style
Hanoi Fog

Railway at your doorstep.

SA PA

Posted on October 17, 2015 by splashingpaint

From Hanoi a 9 hour night train delivered us to Lào Cai. A winding taxi ride took us up the mountains to Sa Pa. There are a number of local ethnic groups that congregate and sell traditional crafts in Sa Pa. Their villages are scattered throughout the surrounding terraced hills and valleys. The country side and villages are beautiful and the people are relaxed and friendly.
Sa Pa

Red Dzao Markets

Food Markets – Sa Pa

Hmong Women

Muong Hoa Valley

Hmong women make yarn from hemp and weave it into cloth. They dye the cloth with an indigo, plant based dye and burnish it between a block of polished wood and heavy stone.

Wax resist batik is used to decorate some of the cloth.

Pigs to market

Sa Pa

Red Dzao Women

Village kids hunting mice in the rice fields.

Marble champion

Tả Phìn village

Cat Cat Falls

HANOI

Posted on October 12, 2015 by splashingpaint

Wandering through the old town area of Hanoi is about as chaotic as life gets. Thousands of motor bikes, bicycles and pedestrians squeezed into every square inch of open space. There seems to be only two road rules – Don’t hit anything and don’t get hit.
Fruit Delivery