HCMC

Our hotel.  Next to it is construction for a new rail line, built by a Japanese/VN consortium.

The Opera House.  The only way to see inside is to buy a ticket for a performance.

St Mary's Cathedral.  The only way to see inside is to turn up for Mass

The Post Office - outside

and inside.

History lesson - a group of school children, all dutifully carrying a letter to be posted.

More school children enjoying the pigeons.

Lunch

And Vinglish - at breakfast.  There is very little though.

The Guillotine

There was a guillotine on display at the War Remnants Museum.

Neat and tidy.

And just in case you were thinking of it.

Ho Chi Minh City

We flew in this afternoon.

The Mekong Delta from the air.

They sell durians here too! Bought some for you Rob. KM is choosing which one.

The streets have changed since we were here 9 years ago.  Now they have bikes AND cars. But rules for crossing are the same. First, find a local and walk with them. Second, cross slowly and the vehicles will go around you (we hope - so far so good).

Bellringing in Singapore UPDATED

We are now in Ho Chi Minh City. 

Kin Mun was involved in St Andrew's Cathedral's ringing for the Bicentennial of Singapore - being 200 years since Raffles did a deal with the Sultan of Brunei.  The Singapore PM visited, sensibly wearing a casual shirt before changing into a suit for the service.  Pic of this below.  Let's hope ScoMo doesn't get any ideas.

We both joined them for their practice night on Monday.
Pics below. The first is from PL on Facebook.

Broken stays are a hazard for ringers.  This is the aftermath.  The bell keeps turning and pulls the rope and sallie upwards.  Unringable until repaired.

They are a friendly and welcoming band who have made great progress since August.  A tribute to their enthusiasm and also the the benefits of intensive training.  We ring with them again on Christmas Eve and one more practice night before returning to Sydney.

Redemption

Always sought.

QANTAS

Yesterday's road trip was a short one.  I had been told by a fellow bell-ringer that Hudson Fysh was buried at Dural.  After some googling, we found his grave. he is buried at St Jude's Anglican church, Dural.  However the cemetery is not in the church grounds but about 400m to the south.

Self explanatory..

The two graves..

And the church itself.  A service was beginning, so we could see inside.  It was delightful - built between 1846 and 1848. Googling has revealed various descriptions - Norman style;  Victorian - hard to go wrong with that last one!  The architect is uncertain. 

On the way to Wutaishan

On Monday 14th October, we visited the oldest wooden structures in China, perhaps in the world.  They were both built during the Tang Dynasty - approx 600 to 900AD.  It is remarkable that wood has lasted so long.  Those of us from Longreach know how vulnerable wooden structures are to fire.

Nancha Temple.  China's oldest remaining wooden structure.

Foguang Temple Complex.  It is one of the best-preserved and oldest complex timber structures in the world.

Another pic of the same complex.  They are lovely and peaceful.

Then to our hotel in Wutai.  Buddhist pilgrims to this place have made it a major centre.  It is over 1,000m above sea level and the maximum forecast temperature tomorrow is 6degC.  At last my winter clothes will get a workout.  This is our hotel room - they skimped on fixed walls for the bathroom - which made the room look spacious.

And no postcard from China is complete without a bit of Chinglish.  This is today's.

Qufu

On Thursday 10th October, we tested China's high speed rail network  to travel from Beijing to Qufu.  We appreciated the shepherding of our Tour Manager, and once through the right gates, it was fast and comfortable.  There are a lot of folks in China.  If you think Town Hall is busy, try Beijing South.

Qufu is the birthplace of Confucius, so no prizes for guessing what today was all about.  Our lecturer is excellent and gives us the broad picture - including the life of Confucius and the varying views of him, depending on the politics of the time.  We also got a good overview of the past 70 years and the treatment of religions.  BTW, celebratory signage is everywhere, testament to the amazing progress made since 1949. If you deduct the GLF and the CR, the progress is even more rapid.

Our tour lecturer and local guide for Qufu.

This is the Confucius Temple - after passing through MANY pavilions.  Nothing in this temple pre-dates the 1980s.  This drew gasps from the Brits in the group, but our lecturer explained that China does not seek old and historic things and buildings.  Rebuilding is common, especially when painted wood is used.

What persists in China is the site itself, the appropriate rituals and the written word which is literally set in stone known as steles. (Thanks to Wikipedia for this one).


In the afternoon we went to the Confucius tomb and family cemetery.  Are his bones REALLY there? It reminded me of the pilgrimage to Santiago - is St James really in that box, and does it really matter?  I began to appreciate "sacralisation" - making something sacred.  It's all in the mind!

The huge cemetery is pleasant and peaceful.  Descendants of the great man are buried here, and if you can prove your links, there is a place for you too.  It was quite a contrast to the noise and bustle of most Chinese sites. And a lovely place for walking, although we didn't see anyone taking advantage of this.

Today's Chinglish.

Bells

We saw some bells while in China - not hung for change ringing of course.

This one is typical.

Another single bell - surely odd-struck.

And a peal of bells. 

Beijing - duck and airport

Our dinner last night was at a Beijing Duck restaurant.
This is the oven...

And these are the ducks.  Needless to say, they were delicious.

Today we are waiting at Beijing Airport.  They have ATMs called Cash Recycling Systems.  AKA SHOPPING!

And sadly, the last Chinglish.  Perhaps is is a failure of spell-check rather than Chinglish.