At this time of year, Ho Chi Minh City is unsufferably hot. It's the lead-up to the wet season and temperatures are reaching over 40°C.
So it was a welcome relief to go to Dalat for the weekend and escape the sweltering heat in HCMC.
We were going to Dalat for Phuc and Vy's wedding. We drove up 8 hours along with CC's family - her dad, brother, sisters and nieces.
CC, Cat and I had a great weekend away, although 8 hours in a minibus with Catriona proved to be quite trying! We don't relish the first time we fly back to the UK with Catriona...
Catriona's on her feet! Over the last week, Cat has been up and on her feet, walking (with a little help) around the apartment. She seems to have completely bypassed the crawling stage.
I've uploaded a few new photos from her trip to the swimming pool last weekend and her standing on her own two feet here. And there's some video here and here.
It's been almost two months since our last post. I've been away for three weeks of that, trekking in Myanmar (Burma). It was a fantastic trip but it was also great to get back to CC & Catriona.
It's amazing how big a change I noticed in Catriona in the three weeks I was away. She's very vocal now!
She's now got her first tooth, which is quite late at 9 months.
We're taking her to the pool this weekend for a swim, so hope to get some more pics to upload.
I've uploaded some pics here from earlier this month and also there's some photos here from our Myanmar trekking trip. Hope you enjoy.
A belated Happy New Year to everyone! It's been a month since our last post and its passed quickly.
We were all in HCM for Hogmanay - we started off in the newly-opened Hard Rock Cafe for a late lunch and followed up with a bit of a pub crawl round the bars in District 1, finishing up in The Drunken Duck. We had a great crowd in there and we saw in the bells. By 2:30am, CC & I were ready for our beds!
My New Year's Resolution had to be postponed by a day, as we all went out to Richard Skene's house in An Phu for a barbecue on the 1st. I spent most of it in the pool and Catriona thoroughly enjoyed getting her feet wet. She had a bit of a cold so we couldn't take her swimming unfortunately.
As of the 2nd January, it was down to business - get fit for trekking in February. Four of us are flying to Myanmar for a 12 day trek into the Himalayas to climb Mt Phongun Razi (3,635m/11,925ft). Over the last 4 weeks, I've managed to lose 9kgs (~20lbs) in the gym (and no beer!) and think I'm ready for the trip...
Catriona has her Sunday routine now - we have a good swimming pool near the apartment which has a sandy beach area and is perfect for her to paddle around and play with the sand. She has no fear of the water, which is great.
We're starting to make the apartment baby-proof - it hasn't taken her long to get the hang of her walker and she follows us around the apartment all the time now.
It's not long until Lunar New Year (the Year of the Tiger). I'll be somewhere in Myanmar. CC and Catriona will be down in the Mekong Delta with CC's family celebrating Tet.
In case I don't blog before Tet: Chuc Mung Nam Moi! (Happy New Year!)
Just back from Dalat, we all had a wonderful time. Catriona enjoyed herself and there were some cool presents for her to open.
We all had an early start on Xmas Day (4am for me & CC) so we could get to the airport on time. We had to do a bit of shopping to prepare for dinner at the villa, put up the tree and hand out presents to the kids.
The weather was absolutely perfect and the views fantastic. So we settled in to our first bottle of wine!
Following an afternoon snooze, the food arrived and we cracked open the bubbly. The food from the Sofitel Hotel was great, the turkey cooked to perfection. Post-dinner drinks were served by a roaring fire.
On Boxing Day, the boys played golf while the girls went round Dalat town. In the afternoon, we all relaxed at the villa, watching movies.
The following day, we organised a day trip. First stop was Pongour Falls, the biggest and best waterfall near Dalat. The boys went for a swim while the girls organised a picnic. Next stop was Datanla Falls. At this waterfall, they have installed a rollercoaster/bobsled that runs downhill to the waterfall. Each sled took 2 people and you were in control of the speed using a hand brake. It was great fun and there quite a few screams from the girls as we raced down the hill. I don't think I used the brakes once!
In the evening we went out for dinner and then headed to Larry's Bar in the Sofitel for a few drinks before heading back to the villa and another roaring fire.
Our flight back to Ho Chi Minh was due to leave on the 28th at 6:30pm, so we had a very lazy day round the villa.
I've put some photos up on the web here and a short video of the rollercoaster here. We did take a lot more video but I'll need some time to put it together and post on the web.
Hope you all had a great Xmas and are looking forward to New Year!
Just back from Dalat, we all had a wonderful time. Catriona enjoyed herself and there were some cool presents for her to open.
Only two days to go! It's the usual frantic preparation, but I think we're almost there.