Vietnam Holiday Day Two: Saigon, Then Dinner With Ky & Family 11 February 2012

Early start. Ged’s 4:30 attempt at making Vietnamese coffee didn’t go so well this morning – half the coffee ended up outside the cup. Perhaps it was the teacups Daisy put out with the coffee device that wrong footed Ged. Ged’s Vietnamese coffee improved as the days went on!

5:30 met by Binh who is to be our southern guide.

We go to Tao Dan Park and try some aerobics with the girls and walk around watching people play badminton, shuttlecock with feet & doing Tai Chi etc.

We take a coffee at the bird club (Daisy doesn’t like the caged birds) and then stroll some more.

Then we take beef noodle soup at Pho 2000 and a quick whizz round Ben Thanh market – little changed since last time.

Back to hotel for coffee, rest, swimming, R&R and then out to dinner with Ky, his delightful wife Tui and children Ken and Andy.

I explained the story behind this in my Day One piece – Ky was our guide in Central Vietnam when we visited in 1996. I discovered that, coincidentally, our 2012 holiday was arranged through the local agency, Vidotour, as our 1996 holiday had been and that Ky – a newbie guide in 1996 is now National Director of Marketing for company.

It was lovely to see Ky again and meet his family. It was also heart-warming to learn from him that he had remembered us fondly because my letter of praise for his services had helped him progress his career.

We went to Nha Hang Ngon restaurant – mostly local people, tried many starters (fried spring rolls, soft spring rolls, salads et cetera with fish and crab noodle to follow). Very enjoyable evening (see email exchange)

Here is a link to that e-mail exchange/correspondence.

It really was a special and very memorable evening.


There is a placeholder with links to all of the photos, itineraries etc. for this Vietnam holiday – here.

Vietnam Holiday Days Zero & One: London To Saigon Via Bangkok, 9 & 10 February 2012

There is a placeholder with links to all of the photos, itineraries etc. for this Vietnam holiday – here.

Incident free journey from Daisy’s house to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Saigon via Heathrow in Bangkok.

The only remarkable thing about the journey was the lack of remarkable things.

The food on Thai Air was excellent. We set the scene for South East Asian food with green chicken curry as a main and some noodle soup as our breakfast and some chicken and pineapple rice as a second breakfast on the Bangkok to Saigon hop. Good wines and more sleep than usual – still not all that much!

Met by beaming rep (Thien?) who reminded us a bit of Ky!

I need to explain. Ky had been our wonderful guide in Central Vietnam when we first visited the country in 1996.

Me, Ky & A Luverly Bunch Of Coconuts, Outskirts Of Hue, 1996

Quite by chance, it transpired that Ultimate Travel – which we used for this 2012 trip – used the same local agents, Vidotour, as Asia World – which we had used in 1996. I sent the Ultimate agent some of my images of our guides from 1996 and it transpired that Ky, who had been a young guide starting out in 1996, was now Group Director of Marketing for the local agent. He was keen to meet us and for us to have dinner with his family. More on that story anon.

Our room was made available to us immediately, for which we were grateful. We slept a while and Daisy enjoyed a swim.

Then later in the afternoon we ventured round the block to a couple of big malls full of posh shops and eateries but not too well endowed with customers. First Vincom, then Parkson.

Then a relatively early dinner at Square One, the Vietnamese and Western restaurant at the Park Hyatt. We tried pork spring roll wrapped in mustard leaf, river prawn in beans sauce and slow cooked short rib of beef (like my Guangzhou brisket dish). Amazing medley of chocolate puddings and chat with Aussie chef afterwards.

Travelling Light by Nicholas Wright, Lyttelton Theatre, 28 January 2012

We both found this piece charming and entertaining. It is about the birth of the cinema in the late 19th early 20th century shtetl.

It doesn’t get full marks for historical authenticity and it is a very sentimental piece, but that’s not always so terrible.

Superb cast, very well directed and some wonderful effects with the use of film.

Nicholas Wright has previous on these history-based imaginings. We loved Vincent in Brixton for example. Also Mrs Klein – click here or below for that one:

Mrs Klein by Nicholas Wright, Almeida Theatre, 24 October 2009

Travelling Light got mixed reviews – click here for a search term that finds them. Several critics really liked it. Others felt the sentimentality and stereotypes were not for them.

We very much enjoyed our evening, while recognising that this is an entertaining play, not a great play.

Below is the trailer…

…and the following vid has mini interviews with the key cast and creatives.

The Trial Of Ubu by Simon Stephens, Hampstead Theatre, 20 January 2012

We normally love Simon Stephens stuff…

…but this was a stinker.

Alfred Jarry’s Ubu Roi re-imagined as an International Human Rights trial.

Technically it was very clever – the video/special effects were very innovative. Good cast too.

Great writer but this piece just didn’t work.

The subject matter is so grave that the arty, post-modern “trial of the fictional character” idea just didn’t work for us.

Nor did it work for the critics – click here for a term that finds the reviews. Don’t click if you were involved in this play/production.

The trailer is embedded below:

Constellations by Nick Payne, Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 14 January 2012

Just occasionally we don’t have enough positive adjectives to describe how we felt about a play/production.

Constellations by Nick Payne was such a show.

Here is a link to the Royal Court resource on this production.

Upstairs, but with a stellar cast – Sally Hawkins and Rafe Spall, this was a stunning piece of theatre that genuinely wowed us…

…and by 2012 Janie and I were not easily wowed.

In fact Janie doesn’t usually go for these “science meets love” type plays, but this one is truly exceptional, making her feel neither dumb nor condescended.

Here is a link to a search term for the reviews, which were pretty much universally rave ones – deservedly.

Charles Spencer’s rave review in The Telegraph includes a short vid interview with the stars – click here.

 

Collaborators by John Hodge, Cottesloe Theatre, 7 January 2012

I think I liked this play more than Janie did.

It was a fictionalised…somewhat fantasised account of encounters (which did occur to some extent in real life) between the writer Mikhail Bulgakov and Joseph Stalin.

We were blessed with Alex Jennings as Bulgakov and Simon Russell Beale as Stalin, with Nicholas Hytner in the director’s chair.

In truth, I don’t think it was a great play. It was a very good idea for a play with some very good scenes within it, but as a whole it didn’t quite work for me as an entire play.

But there was enough really good stuff going on to please me plenty, on  balance. Whereas I think Janie found it a little drawn out and confused/confusing.

The reviewers were more with me (on the plus side) than with Janie (on the “a bit muddled) side – click here for a search term that finds the reviews.

Below is a link to the trailer:

…and the following vid is an interview with John Hodge, the playwright:

Gerhard Richter Panorama, Tate Modern, New Year Bank Holiday, 2 January 2012

We really enjoyed this exhibition, which we saw at the end of the seasonal break.

Here is a link to the excellent Tate Modern resource on this incredibly diverse exhibition. The link also includes an excellent explanatory vid which I have embedded below:

The exhibition was well received by the critics – click here for a search term that finds those reviews.

Fenster Richter Kölner Dom

Little did we know that all hell was about to break loose with both mum and Uncle Michael’s health a few days later.

But that day at the Tate Modern, taking in the Richter and more besides, Janie and I were still well relaxed and rested!

Grief by Mike Leigh, Cottesloe Theatre, 26 December 2011

I don’t think we’d been to the theatre on Boxing Day before…nor have we (to date) since.

But the timing worked for us and we thought, “why not?”  We are very keen on Mike Leigh’s work generally. Also we wanted to make amends for the involuntary hoo-ha, in front of Mike Leigh’s very eyes, last time we attended one of his plays – a few months ago – especially as he had been so nice about it:

Ecstasy by Mike Leigh, Hampstead Theatre, 18 March 2011

But unfortunately, we didn’t think all that much of Grief.

It had a fine cast including several of Mike Leigh’s regular stars, headed up by Lesley Manville.

The play had been developed in ensemble – the Mike Leigh method if you will. But, to us, it seemed rather dated and lacked sparkle this time.

It got somewhat mixed reviews – click here for a search term that finds them.

Below is a sort of review vid about the play/production:

 

Reasons To Be Pretty by Neil LaBute, Almeida Theatre, 17 December 2011

We are very keen on Neil LaBute plays and the Almeida has (or had) made a bit of a specialism in them over the years.

While not quite his razor-sharp best, we thought this was a very good play and production.

Here is a link to the Almeida resource on this play/production.

The acting was excellent – all four performances top notch.

It was very well received by the critics on the whole – click here for a link through to the reviews.

Below is the trailer for the production we saw:

I remember us both really dreading the shlep to the Almeida just before Christmas and then both being so glad that we went.

We subsequently (four/five years later) saw a companion piece for it at the Hampstead, Reasons To Be Happy…

Reasons To Be Happy by Neil Labute, Hampstead Theatre, 8 April 2016

…which we didn’t think was anything like as good.

Bistro Bruno Loubert At Zetters, Preceded By “Hello” Drinks At 90 Basinghall Street, 16 December 2011

I don’t remember dancing the hokey-kokey at that year’s Z/Yen seasonal event, but the photographic record suggests that maybe I did.

We have an enormous number of photographs from that year’s event.

Prior to the meal, we had a party at our new offices, 90 Basinghall Street, which many of our partners had not previously seen. The upstairs room was well suited to hospitality.

Our private room at Bistro Bruno Loubert was a super venue for the dinner. We were quite a large group that year and the space was ideal.

The Price Of Fish had been published that year. Hence the seasonal medley focussing on the two big events of the year: the move to Basingall Street and the publication of the book. I wrote both halves of the song, although I need to nod towards Michael who had written a “St Helen’s” version of the “Oh Little Town” song some years earlier.

OH LITTLE STREET OF BASINGHALL

( Sung to the tune of “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem” )

Oh little street of Basinghall,

On Guildhall’s shady side;

Above old Gresham College Hall,

Z/Yen’s offices reside.

Yet on the fourth floor slaving,

Z/Yen staff work till they sink;

While past the fifth floor sliding door,

Directors eat and drink.

How noisily, how noisily,

They party with the swish;

To show off Z/Yen’s new office and,

Promote “The Price of Fish”.

But now Z/Yen’s Christmas party,

Is here so we can sell;

This gastro dome, that wondrous tome,

To the tune of Jingle Bells.

PRICE OF FISH

( Sung to the tune of “Jingle Bells” )

Price of Fish, Price of Fish, Price of Fish hooray;

Oh! What fun it is to read some pages every day;

Price of Fish, Price of Fish, Price of Fish hooray;

Oh! what fun it is to read The Price of Fish each day.

Reading Price of Fish, at a page or ten each day,

Book or Kindle form, laughing all the way;

Bells in brains will ring, making ideas bright,

What fun it is to laugh and sing The Price of Fish tonight.

Price of Fish, Price of Fish, Price of Fish hooray;

Oh! What fun it is to read some pages every day;

Price of Fish, Price of Fish, Price of Fish hooray;

Oh! what fun it is to read The Price of Fish each day.

Loads of pictures from that year’s event. Click this link or the picture link below:

ZYen Christmas Party 2011 869