Hue

KOTO Cycle

The KOTO cycle challenge was a great day of cycling, eating, meeting people and discovering some slightly more rural areas of Vietnam.

After a few months of fairly minimal exercise 80km was a very worthy challenge at 8 am on a Saturday morning. Spurred on by some great food and the prospect of breathing some clean country air we departed for Bavi to be greeted by a saturady morning peak hour.

Once we reached edge of Hanoi things definitely looked up as we were able to concentrate on more than where the next motorbike or truck was likely to be attempting an ambush of our position on the raod.

We made our way along dirt roads first through market gardens and then rice fields and smaller villages. We stopped at a pagoda for morning tea and to rest the backside and then continued on to Bavi.

The group was constantly greeted by smiling faces and children shouting 'Hello' with replies from the group of 'Chau ca'c em'

Despite some exhaustion & a sore buts, this was a great time how can you not love being greeted all day by smiles like these :)

Know One Teach One http://www.koto.com.au/

Hue

Making incense is one of the traditional handicrafts practiced in the regions surrounding Hue. These are dyed bamboo incense sticks drying in the sun.

No drought in Hue, this is a view of the main street on my second day there. My job assess options for flood control and historic waterway conservation......think I will be busy

Textures & colours of the Hue Markets (need some more technology to share the smells)

Cute Neighbours

These are photos of my next door neighbours, the girls and there dad/brother came into our apartment for about 45 mins the other night. They spoke no english and us barely any vietnamese but everyone seemed to be quite fascinated.

The girls spent most of that time jumping on Kathryn's bed. Good to see some things dont change across cultures. Anyway hopefully we will have some more verbose interactions as the year progresses but there is no denying they are little cutties.

Bannana time

OK, I couldnt resist yes all those super tasty banannas for less than $1........

Think I will turn into a monkey soon

work life

Working at UNESCO has proven to be one highlights of Hanoi. The work in practice is far removed from Adelaide with not a calculation yet completed. I have entered a new world of project planning, logic models & liaising with partner organizations all with that familiar hydrological & environmental theory as a backdrop which makes the transition more manageable.

Being the new kid in town there is a lot of background reading to be done to ensure that you don’t look too stupid in the many meetings. I have managed to plough through many documents and haven't come too far unstuck yet.

I have two few specific projects for the year ahead, looking at how to conserve traditional drainage structures in the World Heritage area of Hue whilst facilitating upgrades to modern water & sanitation standards and looking after the early stages of a disaster mitigation & flood mapping project for Hoi An & My Son.

There are also a large number of activities and programs which I am involved including Man & Biosphere Reserves and helping with some of the more biological/environmental questions around the place. I have even had to write a press release?!?

Everyone has been very helpful, speaking English when I am around & taking me to meetings/lunches with some regularity. I have been lucky enough to meet with the senior officials from the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation, World Conservation Union & the Vietnamese Man & Biosphere Committee. These have been some amazing individuals which is adding to the humbling nature of this experience. I am off to the central provinces next week to meet some of my counterparts and attend a seminar :~)

After works drinks seems to be a global phenomenon which I am accustomed and have enjoyed here, something new was the Karaoke last Friday with a group of 6 Vietnamese staff from work. Wow they take their Karaoke seriously, sipping juice munching on watermelon pumping out my best rendition of eternal flame and many other eighties classics/doosies which my voice was not made for. Good times indeed just glad there was no footage taken.