Good morning Vietnam

After 14 hours of travelling (including a stopover in Singapore) I finally arrived in the country I was born in over 35 years ago, but forced to leave at the age of 4. And now here I am again, experiencing it with my daughter Amira.

Amira was beside herself with so much excitment and made for a wonderful travel companion. Our first impression of Ho Chi Minh City- wow, what a nice, modern airport.Unfortunately I was so tired from my travels that I didn't get to take any photos of the airport; however, once I got into the van my parents hired to take us to our village I couldn't stop shooting. Besides we had a 6 hour car ride to get to our village. What else was I going to do???

Here's a glimpse of some of our first moments in Ho Chi Minh City-

Amira, all smiles, with her grandparents



Our youngest Uncle from Vietnam with Dean and Sai



Amira's first words to me when we landed in Vietnam- "Welcome home Mummy!"

Although the car ride to our village was an exhausting 6 hour car ride, we made the most of it by catching up with each other and pressing dad to tell us his story. Boy, were we in for a surprise. We learned so much about his plight and why he had to flee Vietnam immediately.. Due to security reasons I won't go into any details just now. But let's just say we could make a really great movie about my Dad's life. This trip is not only a coming home of sorts for my dad, but it seems like he may finally be able to make peace with what had happened to him.

I also took the opportunity to take photos of the Vietnamese landscape and its residents from the car window. This is Vietnam folks-

One of the most popular modes of transport is the motorbike or affectionately known here as the "Honda". Similar to many third world or developing countries, there are very few enforced traffic rules and many, many close calls!

And the other popular mode- the humble bicycle.

The massive kilns which make the beautiful pottery and planter boxes we admire so much in the West.

Kite flying is a beloved recreation here and some of the kites are absolutely stunning and works of art.

One thing I have learned so far is that the people of Vietnam are extremely hard-working and resourceful. This lady is selling quail eggs and some type of vegetable.

We made this woman's day by buying all of her boiled lady finger bananas.

And Amira couldn't swallow the boiled banana-it simply wasn't to her liking, much to the chagrin of her grandma!

And finally meeting my dad's brother and sisters again after 32 years.