Those ubiquitous little boats

Last month we had some beautiful mornings which found me down at the beach by 7am. This is about the time some of the in-shore fishermen bring in their tiny catches of silver fish.

They use coracles made out of bamboo, woven with palm leaves and coated with tar.  Just like the coracles used in Wales and on the River Severn, they are steered with a single oar.


In Vietnam, they can be seen in almost every river, estuary and on most beaches. They use them as tenders to the larger fishing boats and also to set nets and collect  catches.  Vietnamese fishermen go out in all kinds of seas and are highly skilled at riding the surf back to shore. I can watch them for hours.

The painting at the top of this article shows the young fishermen picking up the boats with poles and carry them back up the beach until they go out again at dawn the next day.

These scenes were captured in December at the end of the rainy season.  Mornings are chilly and the seas are rough. The fishermen wear balaclavas to protect their faces from the harsh weather and then roll them up into beanies at the end of each trip. 














Once ashore, the women arrive with bowls metal dishes to collect the catch and take it straight to market where they will clean the little fish, gut and fillet them for customers. There can hardly be fresher fish than those available at seaside markets  along the long, Vietnam coastline.


These fibreglass blue and green boats are from Phan Thiet  where I went last November. There are larger than the Hoi An boats and have metal rods on one side to take a small outboard motor.

  The coracle has, very much,  become a symbol of Vietnam and is central to a cultural show that's is staged regularly at the Opera house in Saigon. 'The Ao Show' encapsulates, in about one hour, the culture, history and street life of Vietnam that has a lot in common with the stage show Stomp with its rhythms, energy and athletic dance. Don't miss it if your are in Saigon.

Christmas is a-comin'

Central Saigon this year

It's Christmas Eve and all around the house
Nothing is stirring; not even a mouse...............

But the chickens, ducks and dogs in our neighbourhood are all calling and barking at the top of their lungs!

Here in our house near the river in Hoi An, Abba is playing on the i-pod, mulled wine is warming in the pan and Santa has put some presents under the Bonsai tree. 

I can hardly believe this is my second Christmas in Vietnam. The first 12 months flew by in a whirl of paintings, publishing, Pecha Kucha, TV interviews, magazine columns, monthly art markets, new friends, delicious food, local wine ( which helped with the blurring) visits from friends, traveling, culture surprises, talking, teaching, sunrise mornings, early bed times, ant bites, street bites, pretty smiles, handsome eyes, poverty shocks, gilded temples, incense and a wonderful discovery of life South-East Asia- style.

In October, I left Saigon and moved 400 km north to Hoi An which is a semi rural small town on the coast just south of Da Nang. The pace of life is slow, pleasures are simple and the bright lights of Saigon with all its convenience and luxuries ( including art materials) have been left behind. The temperature today is 22 degrees and, though I swore I would never say such a thing, we are feeling cold and wish we had brought jumpers with us.  But ABBA is on the i-pod so practicing my moves to 'Dancing Queen' is keeping me warm for now!

Tomorrow we will be sailing down the river Thu Bon on a big old wooden boat with some Swedes and the best cook in all of Hoi An. We had a dream of coming back into town to a soft sunset, but I think it will probably be cloudy and rainy ............. just like England!  Have a great Christmas wherever you are. 

Treasure tray

Upcoming Christmas Exhibition

I am taking part in this year's exhibition of 'Small Things' at Vin Gallery; their annual show of smaller works of original art in time for Christmas. 

Published in the May issue of Oi Vietnam, this was my very first magazine column. 
Read the story here

This is still, probably, my favourite postcard and was originally produced to illustrated the Full Moon Festival in my book about Hoi An.

This postcard illustrated my column in the July 2013 issue of Oi Vietnam which tells the story of my first shopping experiences in a local wet market when buying ingredients for a slightly ambitious Vietnamese birthday feast!
I addressed it to Rick Stein, the chef and restauranteur in Padstow, England

Oi Vietnam Magazine

This postcard was published in my book 'A Week in Hoi An' and shows the view of the Cham Islands from An Bang beach on a spring day. This is address to a little friend who likes to visit this beach from time to time.





The story about the magic and mystery of the My Son ruins was published in the June issue of Oi Vietnam Magazine. The memory of this evocative and poignant trip still haunts me.

Oi Vietnam on Facebook

If you take the late overnight sleeper train from Saigon to Da Nang, you are awoken by the breakfast trolley at dawn just before the train arrives in Nha Trang. 

From this point on the train hugs the coastline and you can watch the sun rise over the many islands scattered along the coast of the East Sea. Oi Vietnam Magazine, August 2013 issue.

This is addressed to my friend Robert who loves travelling by train.

Addressed to the late Antoni Gaudi, architect of Barcelona, this postcard illustrates some of the lovely shop houses of Saigon. One day these shops will be as fashionable to live in as their counterparts in Singapore.

Oi Vietnam Magazine - September 2013

Vietnam skies are amazingly beautiful. the colours are off the scale for depth of hue and luminosity. because the land is so flat along Vietnam's coastal, delta and southern regions, you can see weather coming for miles and miles. If you stand on Thu Thiem Bridge on a changeable day, you can see rain storms happening in different districts of the city and feel the rush of wind that preceeds every shower that is going to drench you! Read the article

I addressed this postcard to my sister who loves changeable weather and lives under her own big sky in Lincolnshire in England.

So, pop along to Vin Gallery on Friday evening to see these little gems in the flesh. They are beautifully framed in mahogany with double glass and floating mount. they would make a lovely present to a friend or even to yourself!

Dragons and typhoons

The Quang Trieu Dragon

This morning I am sitting at my table beside an open window in my studio and that, in itself, is a minor miracle. Let me tell you why.

Five days ago our wonderful girl Friday, Miss Phuong, delivered the drawing board I commissioned last week. It is solid hardwood and is designed to carry the largest sheet of handmade watercolour paper. Since I started concentrating on Watercolour painting, most pieces have been, kind-of, A4 - A3 sized and many are no bigger than a postcard. To progress my work, I bought some A1 sheets of watercolour paper while in Singapore and I have been bursting to start work on them ever since I returned.

Four days ago I prepared the first sheet; first wetting under the shower and, once soaked, laying it down on the virgin board. Next I took a sponge to wet lengths of brown gummed tape with which to fix it to the wood. After that I waited about  6 hours for it to dry, shrink and become taut on the board.  I knew exactly what my first large work would be so I brought it straight to the studio and started work.

The subject is the writhing dragon and his companion carp framed in a shallow pool in the forecourt of the Quang Trieu (pronounced Wong Chuh) Cantonese Assembly Hall on Tran Phu Street in Hoi An. 

This piece of sculpture is full of colour and vigour which reflects the dragons mythical powers to control flow of water, floods and typhoons. The carp is endowed with the traits of Endeavour, Courage and Accomplishment because of its struggles to leap waterfalls. It's Cantonese name also means Abundance and Affluence. These two creatures come from the same mythical clan and the Chinese say that if a carp can leap through the falls known as the Dragon Gate on the Yi River  it can be transformed into a dragon and will fly up into the heavens.

It's rainy season here in Central Vietnam and this year it is accompanied by a parade of typhoons that form in the western pacific, swing through the Philippines and make landfall in Vietnam before dying out over Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. A recent one put the power out for 60 hours and closed all the resorts along the beautiful, 15 mile China Beach that runs south from Da Nang.

Three days ago, we noticed, on the weather chart, a Super Typhoon approaching the Philippines that was already being labelled the biggest typhoon to hit the Philippines since records began. Whilst not wanting to panic, we were watching its track closely and started to make plans to survive the storm of the century.

Meanwhile, I was making progress with my painting and was completely absorbed in my work. The dragon was taking shape and even though it is only two dimensional, I felt with each brush stroke I was almost sculpting this creature on the page. I have visited the dragon many times and always marvel at the artistry and craftsmanship that brought the dragon to life out of concrete and broken china pieces. Some think the dragon is a bit kitch - to me it is a work of genius.

Two days ago I have to take some time out to help my housemate to get in food supplies, beer,  rice, an extra torch, bread for the freezer and more.......and make a plan to survive the storm. Robert was here , alone, during the last storm and spent a miserable three days without electricity, proper food supplies and any companion. So, with his experience we feel sure we have covered all our needs and can face whatever the weather may bring. 

Since the last storm we have also acquired a puppy who wandered into our lives off the street three weeks ago.  While we are waiting for her new family to pick her up, we are trying to keep up with her voracious appetite and although she is not normally allowed in the house, we can't leave her out in a Super typhoon to fend for herself. So Robert's patent, DIY kennel made from two cardboard boxes, 12" black duct tape and a green bin liner was brought in to the garage so that puppy would be safe and dry.

back in the studio, my painting was progressing and I was beginning to feel that I had almost breathed life into this dragon and his carp companion and was now concentrating on the decorative and symbolic details of the temple roof.

Yesterday the storm has driven through the Philippines leaving a trail of destruction and was now approaching across the South China Sea. It was originally forecast to hit Vietnam just north of Da Nang but now they are saying it has swung south and will head straight for Hoi An !!!!!!!!!  The little town leaps into action. There were queues outside every hardwear shack, shop and stall. The air was filled with the sound of hammering, stapling, sawing and occasional public announcements on mobile tannoys. The local army reserves were called in to deliver sandbags and advise people on the best ways to secure their properties.  

The Vietnamese system of neighbourhood guardians, local People's Party reps and family connections swings into action and is working at peak efficiency. We couldn't find any white baguettes anywhere yesterday and were struggling to find out which bakery would have them today and at what time. By chance, we popped in to see the lady who runs our scooter hire / beauty parlour and she was just about to go to collect baguettes herself. We chatted for a while, I booked a pedicure for next week, Robert accepted her fond advances for a few moments and the next thing we were following her across town to her favourite (family?) bakery and were presented with a  little bag of 5 warm baguettes for free!   That's how Vietnam works!

My painting was nearly finished. I spent a few hours working on the reflections in the little pond, putting some extra typhoon-style swirls into the dragon's chariot of bubbling clouds.  To finish, I shared a few thoughts and stories either side of the temple then signed and stamped my chops in red in at the bottom right hand corner.

It suddenly occurred to me that it was a strange coincidence that I should have worked on a painting of the master of water, flood and typhoon at the same time as a super typhoon was brewing in the Pacific and then travelling towards us. 

We went out for a few beers and met some travelers from Kent who feared they may be stuck in Hoi An for the duration of the typhoon. We offered some advice about getting in beers, baguettes and pate and eventually came home to begin the long confinement that was surely imminent.  

When we came home, I took the painting off the board made a cup of green tea and contemplated my endeavours for a while. I then prepared another piece of paper and taped it to the board ready to start a new piece during the storm.

Last night We waited and we waited. I prepared a dinner of prawns in a yellow curry and coconut cream sauce with aubergine slices and fresh noodles from the market. We watched 'Life of Brian, in our studio/cinema and drank some wine.

Robert checked the track of the typhoon (scheduled to strike after midnight) to see that it had suddenly changed track and veered north. It was now due to land closer to Hanoi up in the north but might even die out over the sea before it gets there

This morning soft rain is falling outside my open window and the people of Hoi An are going about their business in a normal, Sunday kind-of way. By some chance, the storm has passed us by. Instead of the devastation and huge loss of life that the Philippines have suffered in the swirling tentacles of Super typhoon Haiyan, we will live to love and laugh another day; our homes intact. 

There are no new typhoons on the tropical storm tracker yet, but Haiyan is unlikely this will be our last

There is more to this life than bread, blood and clay and I wonder if my little homage to the Imperial, Cantonese, five clawed dragon of Quang Trieu had anything to do with our delivery from the typhoon and the miracle of this bright, rainy Sunday morning?

Typhoon Alley

Here we go again. Typhoon Krosa is due to arrive in Hoi An some time on Sunday night. This forecast chart predicts 39-73mph winds which is somewhat less than the previous typhoon on October 15th (below)

Typhoon Nari came thundering through at 95 mph and caused untold damage and many deaths. Electricity was cut for 60 hours and there was no water supply either.

Nari damage in Da Nang (15 miles away)

People in Hoi An did an amazing job of trimming trees, clearing streets of debris, soil and sand and opening their businesses after the flood. The Vietnamese work tirelessly to put everything back in place after each of these massive natural disasters. 

I only heard about the last one (Nari) from the comfortable distance of Singapore but I will be watching the arrival of Krosa hour by hour if I can. I wish I could go out to the beach to see it coming but I guess that's not a very safe thing to do!

I will let you know!

Seven days in Singapore

The opening page of my Moleskine Japanese Album 

The last time I visited Singapore was on my way to Australia in October 1987. It struck me as a rather dull, over regulated kind of a town -  rather self-conscious and insecure. There were $1,000 fines for anyone dropping litter and there was an uncomfortable contrast between the expensive shops of Orchard Road and the crowded tenements just a few streets away.

Raffles hotel was very shabby. The crumbling courtyards were scattered with rotting cane  armchairs and while it had a certain air of faded elegance and was evocative of a former age of prosperity, it was a bit down at heel and sad.

Jim Thompson restaurant 

Twenty-six years later Singapore has grown up into a modern, clean, exciting city that is dripping with bougainvillea from every balcony, bridge and flyover. The streets throng with people of every nationality and the avenues are lined with the most beautiful rain forest trees. The variety of modern architecture in this 21st century city is remarkable. There are acres of polished granite and green tinted glass.

Dancing girl a Thai recipe

Buffalo Road fruit and veg

We ate at local food courts that are so typical of Singapore. You can get all the best flavours of China, Hong Kong, Malaysia,  Thailand, Hainan, Singapore and Vietnam and all for very little money.  We dined at great restaurants like Jim Thompson and the courtyard at Raffles and enjoyed old fashioned Dim Sum in China Town where ladies still vend food from their steel trollies. Hiu-yen cooked (of course) and her family brought enough dishes to feed a small army when they gathered at the Changi Bungalow.

a section of the city map showing the route we took

Singapore has managed to conserve large pockets of its less fashionable districts and allowed the communities to stamp their own personalities on it. Little India is quite a large neighbourhood of old shop houses that have been painted in bright colours reflecting the culture of the residents and shop keepers. It is a bustling, noisy chaotic district that was supercharged by the Deepavali street lights and seasonal decorations available in the jam-packed shops and markets.   

Emerald Hill

Emerald Hill is a more upmarket remnant of the wealthy merchants who were trading goods around SE Asia. This area first started as a nutmeg plantation and began to be developed for housing in the 1890s. most of the existing terraces were built in the 1930s but seem to be styled from an earlier age. 

Rain Tree and the Ubin Island ferry

We left the beautiful home of friends in Holland Village and moved east to Changi Point to spend a fews days at Aloha Changi resort in one of the disused RAF officers' houses; built in the 1960,70 and 80s. They are set amid unspoilt grounds of rainforest  trees and other plants and the morning air is filled with the shrieks of tropical birds and the constant

Our bungalow

trill of cicadas. This huge Rain Tree, with its Bird Nets Ferns and creepers. I got the distinct feeling that if the gardeners didn't turn up for a few weeks, the rainforest would quickly take over again and the few buildings would be lost from sight.

Singapore Changi airport is situated close to the point and that whole district is still littered with the military and trading remnants of British occupation that was started by Sir Stamford Raffles back in 1816. 

Old Changi Prison

At the top of this post, I include a picture and drawing of Jim Thompson Thai restaurant that is housed in  one of the many listed military barracks and mess buildings on the island.

Another poignant relic is part of the original wall of the infamous Changi Prison which still stands as a memorial to all those who lost their lives at the hands of the Japanese army that occupied the island for three years during WW2

Map showing the route from Holland Village to Fairy Point

This view is from the beach below our bungalow at 7am one morning. You can see what a busy place it still is. huge container ships and all manner of small craft criss cross through these straits  24 hours a day and approaching aircraft glide over the waters in their final approaches to the airport. The land in the distance is Indonesia.

Geoff and Hui-yen wander through the mangroves

We took a trip across the straits to Ubin Island and took a tour on foot and in a little van around this nature reserve. The most enjoyable part was the walk we took along a raised boardwalk through mangrove swamp, water coconut groves and out onto the sea where we could look down upon coral beds. It was so beautiful.




For another perspective on life in Singapore, I spent Friday 18th October 2013  in a doctor's surgery followed by a trip to A&E and the Opthamological Dept of Changi  General Hospital. I was taken there by a taxi driver who has definitely missed his calling as a tour guide. 

He drove past the Changi museum , the massive gun built to defend the island from invasion from the sea ( the Japanese came overland from behind!), the prison, the army barracks and so on. He was full of personal memories and urban myths. It was he who told me uncomfortable stories about the Prison wall and then revealed that the Japanese high school's proximity to the prison was no planning error and so on!  He certainly kept me amused. But then he revealed the local name for Changi General Hospital......... CGH .... which stands for 'Can't Go Home'!!!!!!  It seems the Singaporeans love to use the initials of   the big institutions on the island to make up new names! 


Well, I was very well looked after by the doctors and staff there. It was a super modern facility where the A&E department felt more like a shopping mall than a medical facility. The lovely receptionists all wear pink outfits, the same colours as the beautiful bougainvillea that decorates the whole city. 

I had a wonderful week with some remarkable people who I will never forget. Thank you all for your generous hospitality, delightful company and for sharing your city with me. I will be back soon.