My Teddy Tales aka Freddy’s Fables

Howdy folks!  One of our favorite things to do in the summer in Saskatoon is to go for ice cream! Kim thought we would post after we visited a bunch of spots in Saskatoon, but we just couldn’t wait to share, so we will share as we go!

If we are honest, I think Kim and John say that it’s the furry kids that 💗 love  ice cream……but they 💕 it too!

First stop…the iconic Dairy Queen on 8th Street!

We love this place!  We get to walk up to the counter with Kim and John to order the treats.  Kim always gets a hot fudge sundae and John usually gets a pecan mudslide.  After they get their order, we go across the street and find a spot on the grass.  We wait patiently, and then they share the vanilla ice cream with us…delicious!  We are very good at taking our turns.  We also love that folks give us lots of attention …..pets and Smiles!

Our next stop… the Ice Cream Scoop at the Avalon Shopping Mall on Broadway.

The Ice Cream  Scoop is open everyday from 3-8 pm.  Kim loves this place because they have hard ice Cream!  She usually gets peanut butter cup or cookie dough.  Last time John got a sundae.  He also really likes their ice cream sandwich!  Fresh baked cookies, with your choice of ice cream!

Frazier, Levi and I  love that it is pet friendly and they give free pup cones!  That’s me, enjoying my vanilla cone!  They are so friendly here..  and bonus – Kim and John take us to the Avalon dog park after we get ice cream…..life is good….

Have a pawsome day everybody!

Howdy folks!  It seems like we’ve been on hiatus for the past few weeks :). Time for an update!

Kim and John had a great time travelling and have been back for a few weeks now.  We had a great time at our friend Marge’s – she takes great care of us.

As soon as Kim got back, she got bit by that darn travelling bug and has booked a trip to Morocco in September. She is very excited to go with Intrepid Tours again and she will be also visiting Amsterdam on a “layover”.  She might be doing this one on her own…..John might have to work.  She is very adventurous!

In the meantime, we are happy that Kim and John are back – that means more time with us!  We have been very lucky – with Kim having time off, we get to go to our favorite off-leash park in Saskatoon.  It’s between Riverside and Saskatoon Golf and Country clubs – Whitecap Park.  Kim takes us twice a day, and sometimes we meet up with our other friends and their “persons” Carol and Mary.

Here are a few pictures – isn’t it an awesome place!  Next week we are going to go Rving!  Time to explore our province and see some new places.

Dusk walk

Life’s a beach!

Triple threat at the Golden Hour

Chilin’

Not New Brunswick. lol – we are staying at Marge’s in Saskatoon!

Dusk walk

Life’s a beach!

Triple threat at the Golden Hour

Carol, Mary and Friends

Some of our buddies

Carol and friends

We are enjoying Kim’s gap year!  She started volunteering at the International Women of Saskatoon and is having a lot of fun.  She is assisting with English as an Additional Language and will be helping with some youth programs in the summer.  She also has “punk” Levi enrolled in agility.  He had a great time yesterday going over the A-frame and dog walk.  He’s a real smarty pants!

We are looking forward to going camping and this week we have some of our family in town…..so we will be busy visiting.

We are so grateful for friends, family and experiences.  Have a paws up day everyone!  Talk soon:).

Well folks, time to say Tạm biệt (goodbye) to Vietnam.   On their last day in Ho Chi Minh City,  Kim and John explored the Chu Chi tunnels with Urban Adventures tours. ****check out the video on our Instagram ….you can find it on the menu here…..John went down the narrow tunnel!***

The tunnels are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels that are part of a much larger network In Vietnam.

The tunnels were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous North Vietnamese fighters. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces, and helped to counter the growing American military effort.

John and Kim were able to go into part of the tunnels.  They are extremely small and narrow….and this is after they widened them for tourists!  It is hard to believe that people lived underground for 20 years. They really enjoyed this tour as they learned more about the war and what the people were willing to do to have their independence.  The people were very resourceful, recycling American bombs, tires and scraps into traps and their own weapons. No matter how you look at it, war is hard and there are no winners.

Demonstrating how the tunnels were accessed

Captured American tank

Exercise

Inside the tunnel…..you had to stop over and crawl

Heading down the tunnel

Prior to the tunnels, as part of the tour, the group stopped at a family home and watched a demonstration of how to make crispy rice cakes….this is not Kim and John’s first rodeo!  Lol, I think they are getting good at this! The owner also had an enormous pet pig that loved to get attention and food.   She started grunting as soon as they got there!

Not Kim’s first rodeo!

Drying rice cakes

Back to Ho Chi Minh City….in the evening Kim and John went to a cultural show at the opera house, which was awesome! Then, they found a local craft beer pub, where Kim had a flight of beers….she gives it two thumbs up!  Three of the samples were passionfruit, dragonfruit and jasmine.

Cheers!  Or as they say in Vietnam…một, hai, ba, vô!

Opera house

Beer flight, Vietnamese style

They may have had burgers and fries!

The night before their final day, they enjoyed a parting beverage with their tour group.  They went to the Eon Heli Bar…..52 floors up!

Our group!

Bar with a view….

And folks, we can’t end this post without a food picture….this was the last thing Kim had inVietnam…right across the street from their hotel.  Coconut ice cream at Ca-Rem.   Kim thought it was good, and interesting…..they had sticky rice and corn niblets as add ons…..

That’s all for now….Kim and John are making their way from Vietnam via -Hong Kong-Vancouver-Calgary-Saskatoon….sounds exhausting!

Have a pawsome day! 🐾 🐶

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Quiet of Mekong delta

Well folks, it’s sad for Kim and John, but true….they are coming to the end of their Intrepid tour of Vietnam….but not before they have a few more adventures.  They are having a great time, but are also looking forward to coming home and picking up their furry kids!  That’s us!

Here’s the latest update from them!  After their amazing time in Hoi An, they hopped on a short one hour flight from Danang to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).   And, they thought Hanoi was busy!  Saigon has over 13 Million people, and they all seem to have motorbikes.  It’s a busy city that tests your patience and courage, which you need just to cross the street! Kim and John felt like they were playing the video game “frogger” remember that one from the ‘80’s?  They made it in one piece! At least they didn’t go…splat!

When they first arrived, their guide Hue took everyone to see a few sites in the city.  They saw the Notre dame cathedral and the post office.

Kim and John both agreed that the most impactful visit they had was of the War Remnants Museum,  which was all  about the Vietnam/American war.   It had many artifacts and photographs of the war.  It also had photos of the next generations that were affected by chemical warfare.  It was very sad and Kim said she learned a lot.  Many citizens, over 3 million were harmed and killed in this war.  A lesson to be learned by all of us.

The group then had a bit of free time before they headed to the Cooking school “Grain” for their final lesson.  Kim and John loved all the schools-this one was their favorite of the three.

The cooking classes at Grain are designed and coordinated by Vietnamese-Australian celebrity chef Luke Nguyen. Four-course menus change regularly to reflect seasonal produce.  Kim and John made pumpkin flowers stuffed with prawn and dill, chicken and cabbage salads with jellyfish, and marinated sea bass with a green mango salad…..for dessert, cocount creme caramel with fresh fruit…..aren’t your mouths watering?  I know mine is!  🐾

 

Appetizer, pumpkin flowers

Success!

Yum! Chicken and cabbage salad

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Dessert

And, of course….Vietnamese coffee with milk

The next morning they left the hectic pace of the big city and headed out to the Mekong delta.  After a 2 1/2 hour road trip, they took a Samoan boat for about 30 minutes to the delta.  They visited an eco bee farm where they sampled the honey and had tea and toured a coconut farm to learn how to made coconut candy and goods from the coconut fibers…..they bought some honey to bring home 🙂

 

 

Samoan boat

Along the river

“Eyes on the front of the boat to scare off crocodiles

These bees make great honey!

Honey tea 🙂

Processing coconuts

Making candy

Next up….they took tuk tuks, Vietnamese style to their delicious lunch and then on to their home stay.  Beautiful flowers, scenery and way of life

Vietnamese tuk tuks

Banana flowes

Prawns

Elephant fish

Our home stay

Our transportation down the canal

Quiet of Mekong delta

Fruit!

Weaving

Finished placemats

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The fruit and produce in the delta is amazing!  Kim and John tried jackfruit, apple custard, and the dreaded, stinky Durian…..which John didn’t like, but Kim did….she said it tasted like custard…..once you get past the smell!

They loved this visit to the delta…it was too short.  They would have loved to have seen more of the natural settings and the animals…..good reason to go back to Vietnam I think 🙂

Until next time…have a paws up day folks!

Today was Kim and John’s last day in Hoi An before they move on to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).  They had a bit of a later start today, so they took advantage of it and slept in.

Around 10:00 a.m. they met up with the group and headed to a local family’s house to learn how to make crispy rice paper and noodles.  The couple can make up to 500 per day and sell them for 3000 vd a piece….which works out to be about $75 cdn per day.  It is a lot of work, and they are very proud to be able to send their children to university.  They work hard for their kids to enable them  to have a better life.  They gave the group a demonstration, and then Kim and John tried it out….I think they did pretty good!

John making the rice paper

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The expert!

rice paper drying in the sun

Next up…how to make the noodles, and of course lunch…boy they are eating a lot on their trip!

Making the rice noodles

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Lunch with the rice crisps and noodles….delicious

In the afternoon they had the opportunity to go on an optional excursion to visit the ancient ruins of My Son. The My Son temple complex is regarded as one of the foremost Hindu temple complexes in Southeast Asia and in 1999 My Son was recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site. My Son is the longest inhabited archaeological site in Indochina, but a large majority of its architecture was destroyed by US bombing during a single week of the Vietnam/American war.

My Son

Doorway to temple

Intricate carvings

Elephants are lucky

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It was a busy day, but they still had time to meet up with the group for dinner at a restaurant in the old town called the Secret Garden.  Tomorrow they head to Ho Chi Minh Ciry (Saigon)

until next post ….. 🐾 🐾

Good ole fashioned watering th garden

Tending the garden in the hot sun

Getting “schooled”

Today was another great day in Hoi An….this time they spent a bit of time in the countryside on a cycling tour of gardens and headed back to the Morning Glory Cooking school.

But first, cocount coffee!  The group walked into the old town and stopped to sample the coffee…it tasted like a frozen latte- delicious!  I think Kim and John have decided that Vietnam has the best coffee they have ever tasted.  They are going to miss it when they come back home to Saskatoon….hey! Who is that dog in the pictures 😉

Coconut coffee

Vietnamese puppy

Pretty cute!

On to the bicycles and the countryside tour.

The food in Vietnam is amazing and part of this is because the food is so fresh and organic.  Kim said she wishes she had a garden like this!  Lots of herbs and veggies.  The local gardener showed them how they grow their gardens, and gave them chance to try it!

On our way to the herb gardens

On route

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Transplanting

Next, the group cycled to a local family’s home where they grow bean sprouts to sell at the market.  A labor intensive job, that the daughter is responsible for.  She showed them how she does it….and they tasted the sprouts…so fresh!

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Kim and John loved this tour, the people were amazing and the scenery incredible.  If only we had fresh veggies and herbs all year round!

Next they headed back to the Morning Glory Cooking school.  Kim and John made Bahn Xeo (Vietnamese pancake), mango salad, and marinated grilled pork salad rolls…they even got to make the rice paper for the spring rolls.  Kim said John needs to make this at home….he’s a natural 🙂

Getting ready

Pork salad rolls

Making rice paper

Mango salad

They also had a chance to watch a demonstration of the workers making the local noodles that are only found in Hoi An.   Kim tried to slice the noodles….I don’t think she will get hired anytime soon!  Lol 😂

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The afternoon was then free time….so what did they do in their free time?  Massage for the low price of $14.  What a bargain, Kim said it was the best ever!  And then they went with another couple for beers…..sounds like the perfect way to end the day!

I wonder what they are up to tomorrow!

Have an amazing day folks!  🐾

Kim and John started off the day in Hue with a tour of the citadel before jumping on the bus and heading to the old town of Hoi An.

The citadel in Hue is huge!  They spent most of the morning here.  This is one of Vietnam’s seven UNESCO World Heritage sites.  The Imperial City of Hue was actually a walled fortress and palace belonging to the ancient city of Hue, which was a capital city of the Nguyen Dynasty for 140 years … from 1805 until 1945.

Imperial city hue

cauldrons dedicated to the emperor

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Intrepid group

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After the tour, everyone jumped on the bus to Hoi An, a 4 hour drive through the jungle and along the coast.  Of course, we stopped about half way to enjoy a Bahn Mi (Vietnamese baguette sandwich) and some desserts….which are tasty, but not overly sweet.

On our way to Hoi An, we travelled along the coast to Danang.  John was excited to see the beaches!

Bahn Mi

Dessert

Bakery

Once they reached their destination, they went on a walking tour with their guide of the old city of Hoi An.  In 1999 this was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Our amazing guide, Hue!

Old Town Hội An, the city’s historic district, is recognized as an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to 19th century buildings and street plan reflecting a unique blend of influences, indigenous and foreign. Prominent in the city’s old town, is its covered “Japanese Bridge,” dating to the 16th-17th century.

Japanese covered bridge

The bridge construction started in the year of the dog

And finished during the year of the monkey….the dog and monkey are at either end of the inside of the bridge

It’s also a “lantern” city and is absolutely beautiful in the evenings with everything lit up! And there are opportunities to shop everywhere!

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Hoi An

Kim and John have a couple of more days in Hoi An before heading to Ho Chi Min City (Saigon).

Stay tuned for the next update….Kim told me they went on a bicycle tour of herb gardens and learned how they grow bean sprouts, followed by another cooking class…..they really are eating their way across Vietnam!

See ya later!  Teddy 🐶👍

Buddha, listening intently to the people

Xin chao! (Hello!)

After their overnight train, Kim and John arrived in Hue, Vietnam.  Hue is in central Vietnam and was the capital between 1802 and 1945.  It is a beautiful, lush city, well known for its history, and has been named a Unesco World Heritage site.  It is on the banks of the Perfume River, along which lie many monuments.

Kim and John spent an action filled day and a half in Hue…..here are just some of the highlights!

Their transportation today….motorbikes! They love to travel this way!  You can see more of the city and sights.

First stop….the pagoda of the celestial lady….Linh Mu Pagoda.  The seven story pagoda is the unofficial symbol of the city.  People come here to meditate with the Buddhists who make this their home.  Also at this site is the car in which  the Buddhist Thich Quang Duce was driven in.  He burned himself to death in 1963 in Saigon,  He was the first of many others, bringing  international attention to the plight of buddhists, in protest against the Diem regime.

Pagoda

Future monk?

Buddha, listening intently to the people

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Smaller pagoda

Beautiful place to meditate

The monks schedule for the day

Our amazing guide, Hue!

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Next…..a leisurely boat ride down the Perfume River,

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Hue is known for their incense (because of the pagodas here) and their conical hats which the ladies wear.  They stopped for a demonstration and purchased some lemongrass incense.  The nice lady selling the incense had them at “good for mosquitoes”!  I think these might be burning on the patio this summer!

Incense…yellow is lemongrass

Conical hat

Next, they headed to the Tu Duc Tomb.  Tu Duc had the longest reign of all of the emperors, between 1848 and 1843.

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And…..let’s not forget that this is a food tour!  They started the morning by having the Vietnamese traditional breakfast of Pho.  In Hue the soup is spicier, and they use bun, or vermicelli noodles…..Kim said she could have this everyday!  They sat outside at a local restaurant on teeny tiny chairs.

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Lunch was at a monastery for a traditional vegetarian meal.  Many of the people in Hue are vegetarians.

And, last, but not least, dinner was at a local family’s home where our Intrepid group was welcomed to a traditional meal. This was very special and the food….amazing!

Starting with a shot of rice wine

Spring rolls

Salad and rice cakes

Salad

Fish and chicken

Dessert…mandarins and rice cake with honey

The meal capped off their day……they did have some rain in the afternoon during their city tour on the motorbikes, but as they say “the tour must go on…..so they put on some lovely (not waterproof) ponchos and headed out to see the beautiful Thanh Toan Bridge.  The Thanh Toan  covered bridge is a rare antique bridge with high artistic value in Vietnam. This is one of 2 bridges retaining the most unique architectures in the country today.

Lesson learned…..rain shouldn’t stop your day, and it made it a fun, local experience. An amazing time!

Downpour is coming….putting on our ponchos

The bridge

Okay folks, they are going to spend the morning in Hue and then it’s off to Hoi An for 3 nights…they have been busy!

Tam Biet (goodbye) ,  Hen gap lai (see you later)!

Overnight in Halong Bay

Fishing boat, Halong Bay

Hi everyone!  While we are enjoying our time at Marge’s, Kim and John are moving on to explore more parts of Vietnam with their Intrepid tour.   After a 4 hour bus ride, they made it to Ha Long Bay for their overnight boat cruise!  Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a popular travel destination.  The Bay has thousands of limestone karsts and isles.  It is over 1500 km squared.  There were many boats, taking passengers to enjoy this natural wonder.

During their tour, Kim and John went on a kayaking excursion

They also saw how the fisherman make their catch…..very long nets, catching some very small fish.  Fishermen have a difficult life, living and working on the boats for a small income,

Fishing on Ha Long Bay

Taking the fish from the nets

The next day, they went to a very large cave that has been developed for tourists to explore inside….steps, and boardwalks make this cave easily accessible.

They call this the “surprise cave”    Maybe you can see what the surprise is from the pictures?  I bet you can!

Inside the cave

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Surprise!

Doesn’t this look like feet?

The real name of this cave is Sung Sot Cave …. it is a very large cave,  the ceiling is 30 metres high!

The next morning, it was time to head back to Hanoi to catch the overnight train to their next destination, Hue.

Kim and John said this was quite the experience….small cabins for 4, with one sheet and a pillow….14 hours on the train rocking and rolling!  This is how the locals do it!

Even though it looks like Kim took the top bunk, John was nice and took it over :).  Fun experience, not sure if they will do it again.  Lol!  The guide asked everyone if they had a good sleep….they all said no and laughed!  Everyone still had a good time!

Have an awesome day everyone!  Catch ya later!

Well folks it’s been a few days and Kim and John have been busy in Vietnam!  Today is the day that they start exploring other parts of this beautiful country.

They have loved Hanoi…..it is a very diverse city that combines the new and modern with  the traditional.   You might see some new cars and motorbikes on the streets, and iPhones everywhere, while at the same time you will see sights like the ones below.  So amazing!

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Kim and John had a free day to explore the city….no planned tours.  They enjoyed walking along Hoan Kiem Lake, where some local students and their teacher asked them if they could practice English :).

They visited the Ho Lo Prison Museum where many Vietnamese political prisoners were held by the French and it also held some American POWs from the Vietnam/American war.

And…they saw a cultural show at the water puppet theatre.  Dating back over a thousand years, puppeteers stand in waist deep water and manoeuvre the wooden puppets to music…..there were even fire breathing dragons!  All set to traditional music and songs…beautiful!

On Sunday night they officially met up with the tour group they will be on for the rest of their trip.  It is the Real Food Adventure, Vietnam with Intrepid.   They had a great cooking class at Hanoi Cooking Centre.

Our Intrepid group

Cooking class!

Our teacher….showing us how to use a banana flower

Herbs in the local market

Egg coffee!

Draft beer….50 cents

Before the class, they had some free time and explored the Temple of Literature.  This is the oldest architectural complex in Hanoi, founded in honour of Confuscious. It was a Center for higher learning, educating future mandarins.  Amazing architecture!

Temple of literature

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There you have it folks… Kim and John love Hanoi,  for the culture, for the food,  and most of all for the people!  The people are so friendly and welcoming and have such pride. They feel so privileged to have been able to visit here!