I’m in Vietnam, the rain is absolutely chucking it down wet season style and we are nice and cosy inside the apartment looking out over Ho Chi Minh City which is shrouded in dark brooding storm clouds. Miss Myla is snuggled up with her Mummy having some milk and we are patting ourselves on the back that we did all our outdoor stuff this morning before the heavens opened and that we managed to sneak in a girls lunch to boot!!! This morning it was so humid my eyelids were sweating as we popped Myla in her pram and walked around the corner for our café sua da, the delicious iced vietnamese coffee that is our daily indulgence. As we sat there sweat dribbling down our faces a Vietnamese girl entered in plaid wool trousers and a bomber jacket, long hair to her waist fully made up and as fresh as a daisy!!! How do they manage to look so good and not sweat????

It is my 4th day here and I am just LOVING being with my tiny granddaughter who is totally delicious with such a sweet little personality. She is very relaxed and loves nothing more than sleeping with her little arms above her head and her legs splayed so that she looks like a little frog! She is getting the hang of life pretty quickly and is feeding and sleeping well, she makes the cutest little mewling noises most of the time making me wonder if she will turn into a little Miss Chatterbox. She seems happy to be in aircon, in front of a fan or trundling along in her pram in the heat as long as Mummy isn’t too far away! She loves a cuddle and I am happy to comply as she will only be this tiny for a few weeks and I want to soak in all her newness and her curiosity as she tries to focus on us with her serious little eyes. The smiles that she flashes in her sleep show me how her face will light up in the next few weeks as she starts to recognise her special people and interact with them. Little Cooper is a total joy now at 12 weeks as he breaks into the cheekiest grin when he wakes up and sees you, making you feel like the most special person in the whole world!

It was a rather wonderful weekend as we witnessed the marriage of my nephew and his English bride in a simple but heartfelt ceremony under a setting sun on Sydney harbour followed by a delicious dinner showcasing the bounty of Australian produce in a room decorated with native flowers – just gorgeous! It was a lovely evening and the perfect place to be ahead of my flight to Vietnam the next day. As my flight wasn’t until 11.50 we went for a walk and enjoyed some coffee to while away some time but I decided I was happy to get to the airport early as I could grab some food and enjoy the shops and generally relax. Imagine my surprise and stomach dropping disbelief when I arrived early at 9.30 am to check in to find my flight was LEAVING at 10.15!!!! As I was holding a confirmed itinerary leaving at 11.50 the staff were confused but it made sense as to why 16 different parties hadn’t checked in!!! I have never run so fast through an airport and thought I was in serious danger of dying of an asthma attack as a result but arrived at the gate just as everyone was boarding!!! Relief was an understatement.

On arrival in Ho Chi Minh I had my passport and return itinerary on hand to show immigration as I can get 15 days in Vietnam with no need for a visa if I use my British passport which is a great little bonus with visas costing $90 online in Australia. So feeling rather smug I took my turn at the desk thinking I would be cuddling Myla in less than an hour when my man starts frowning and shaking his head in a rather disconcerting fashion. I patiently explain the visa situation to him as not all of them are very aware of it but he says he is but there is another  problem as I last left Vietnam on April 7th and it was only May 5th. Who knew that apparently you cannot visit twice within a month on the free visa system and as I was TWO days short I was in deep doo doo with the authorities who said they could send me home on the next plane for my flagrant transgression if they fancied. However in their kindness (and rather obvious grab for cash) they said I could apply for a visa there and then for the princely sum of $200 which I had to pay in cash which I didn’t have. So despite being a law breaker I was allowed to go out alone into the arrivals area through baggage and duty free to access an ATM to get them their money! By the time I finally got my visa and out to the baggage pickup our carousel had well and truly finished running and I had to search high and low for my case which I eventually found lurking in the trolley section near the toilets!! I was so happy when I finally pulled up at Lauren’s apartment and could at last be reunited with my family! What a day!!

We have had a lovely mix of days since arriving. Obviously our focus is Myla and there is nothing better than snuggling up on Lauren’s couch looking out over the vista of Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong river whilst the rain pelts down and she sleeps in your arms but we do try and get out every day. A walk to a local coffee shop or a delicious Vietnamese salad in a café for lunch or a trip to the grocery store to cook up a storm at home are all lovely but on Sunday as it was Mothers Day we decided to have a nice lunch out and Myla was a perfect little baby as we enjoyed a really delicious meal and a couple of complimentary cocktails to celebrate our three generation lunch.

I especially love the mornings as Myla and I are early risers and are happy to hang out with each other while Mummy and Daddy grab a lie in while they can! I love looking out and seeing the flashing neon signs gradually disappear as the sun rises over the city and the traffic begins to flow on the bridge. The local pho sellers, usually old ladies, push their mobile shops along until they find a good shady spot under a tree and set up the little plastic table and chairs for their customers. It is truly amazing what they can prepare on a single burner! You can hear the cockerels crowing on every street corner and see the local stray dogs emerge to search for scraps. The motor bikes, often crammed with entire families – Mum and Dad sandwiching up to 3 school children as they drop them off on their way to work – can be heard along with the guy who pedals around the street calling out over a loudspeaker to come and buy his fresh pastries which he sells from a trailer that he drags behind him. Life and action is all around in the vibrancy that is Vietnam. 

So with less than a week left I am going to soak up as much as I can of my little granddaughter but also enjoy all the friendliness and craziness of Vietnam and enjoy the 50c coffees, cheap as chips taxi fares and tasty fresh meals all for the princely sum of about $3 and of course enjoy the company of my daughter while I can, if only she lived in Australia and this wasn’t such an all or nothing affair!!

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