On the Streets of Hoi An

Although the streets are narrow, there are many small shops displaying all kinds of goods that catch the eye.

Some shops have very attractive décor. Prettiest of all are the multi-colored lanterns, especially when they are lit at night.

Swinging By Vietnam

This year we went on a short family holiday to Vietnam. The place we visited was the small ancient cultural heritage town of Hoi An. A river flows through the town. The rain welcomed our arrival and our guide informed us that the river had overflowed its bank and our hotel was not accessible.

However, he helped us to find another hotel which was quite new and very pleasant.

 It also had its own herb garden.

Then we ventured out to explore our surroundings.  The town has narrow streets with small shops and many motor cycles wind their way among the pedestrians and street vendors.

Our main focus was to enjoy the Vietnamese cuisine and shopping was secondary although there were many souvenirs on sale both in the market and along the narrow streets.

Padi Fields

It is no longer easy to find padi fields. Padi fields are rice fields. Many padi fields have given way to other developments, mainly housing and one has to go far out into the countryside to see green tracts of land where padi has been planted.

Kuala Selangor area and Tg. Karang which has many padi lands are now tourist attractions, where locals and foreign tourists flock to take photographs of the lush green fields.

Hopefully these padi lands will remain for a long time to come and not become distant memories. It would be a pity to have to find out what a padi field looks like by referring to wikipedia.

An Outing to Sekinchan, Kuala Selangor

It was a public holiday so my nieces and my sister were able to take us to Sekinchan which is about 65 km away from the capital city. It was a nice cloudy day which made it a pleasant drive. Sekinchan is noted for its good seafood and small restaurants that cater to patrons from other places.

Somehow we found our way to Pantai Redang, a lovely expanse of white beach.

 Since it was a holiday, many stalls had been set up to take advantage of the crowds. They did good business, selling dried seafood produce, sea shells, food and kites.

There was a little temple with a wishing tree, festooned with red ribbons.
On these ribbons were supplications from those who had thrown them high up into the branches.  It is the belief that if your ribbon stays up there, your wishes will be granted.

We had a look around, made a few purchases and went off in search of a restaurant where we would be assured of a good meal. 

Mid-Autumn Festival

This festival is synonymous with moon cakes and lanterns. This year it falls on 15 September and the Chinese community no matter where they live, will celebrate by eating moon cakes while looking at the beautiful full moon.  Children will be carrying colorful lanterns in their neighborhood.

The legend of the moon goddess is still very much alive today. People try to look for her silhouette in the moon and also for her companion, the rabbit
.

The story goes like this.  Chang Er was a very beautiful woman whose husband Hou Yi, an archer par excellence, shot down nine of the ten suns that were tormenting and destroying life on Earth. He was rewarded with an elixir that would give him immortality. He gave it to his wife for safe keeping. While he was away hunting, one of his students tried to seize the elixir from Chang Er. To prevent him from getting it, she drank the elixir.

She then floated away into the sky and landed on the moon where she became an immortal and was known as the Moon Goddess.  Her companion, the rabbit was sent there by the God of Heaven after she sacrificed her life for him.

That’s why we can see lanterns in the shape of a rabbit among other designs.

The moon cakes are of many varieties and each year the bakeries come up with new cakes of different tastes and fillings. However, the popular ones are still those that have salted egg yolks in them, either a single or double yolk as the round egg yolk symbolises the moon.

 Shopping malls have set up stalls to sell mooncakes and lanterns.

To those who celebrate this festival, have a very Happy Mooncake Festival and enjoy the beautiful full moon.

Interesting Places in Jaipur, India

Jaipur is also known as the Pink City as many of the buildings have pink walls.

The Hawa Mahal or Palace of Winds, built in 1799, is an outstanding structure in the city.

The City Palace is another building with exquisite structures and details.

        The pink areas are open to the public while the white areas are private royal apartments.

The silver pot which used to carry the water from the Ganges for the King's use when he went to London

                                                                   The Moon Palace

                                                          Note the beautiful details

                                                                   A very unique door

India certainly has a very rich cultural history magnificently depicted in its ancient buildings which are architectural gems.  It is so fortunate that many of them are still standing today that allow us to have a glimpse into their heydays.