Vietnamese Dance of the Water Fairies Wooden water-puppets dance for their small audience, Yên Đức Village, Vietnam.
“What are water puppets?” asked one of our travel companions from Argentina. We were on a small bus from Hanoi to Halong, and had stopped in Yen Duc Village for a show and an early lunch.
“Ahhh, they are a unique local entertainment; you have to see them once.” I replied.
“But only once?” he responded, with a raised eyebrow. He was quick on the uptake.
My husband and I went to the Thang Long Water Puppetry Theatre in Hanoi many years ago – back when tickets were one American dollar for the hour-long program and a free CD of the music. We laughed and applauded wildly during the show, but I confess: I never listened to that CD again. For while the discordant clanging and banging is a perfect accompaniment to the humorous puppets, it is not the sort of thing I would listen to in the comfort of my own home!
Vietnamese water puppetry, or mua roi nuoc, dates back to the tenth or eleventh century when the folk stories were first performed in the communal ponds in the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam. When the rice fields flooded, villagers entertained each with the puppet plays. Over time, the simple theatres of wood, bamboo and cloth developed into more permanent structures, the puppeteers became members of a special guild, and the character-puppets and their stories became codified.
Join me for some sights – I’ll spare you the sounds.
Tháp Rùa – Turtle Tower We arrived very late into Old Hanoi – with only enough time to walk around Hồ Hoàn Kiếm, or the “Lake of the Returned Sword”, in the historical centre of the city before bed. (iPhone6)
Chan Thien My Next morning, we set off early; only the vegetable venders were up in the still-dark streets of Old Hanoi. Mid-morning, our van stopped at Sao Đỏ, roughly half-way between Hanoi and Halong.
Chan Thien My This large building houses – in addition to the coffee shop, gift shop, and toilets – an extensive workshop where adults with various disabilities work on beautiful long-stitch embroidered pictures.
Hands at Work
Delicate Stitches Different embroidery stitches give the work texture.
Gallery The framed, finished products are quit beautiful.
Sewing Table The workshop also produces clothing – predominantly in silk – for sale to the passing tourists.
Cobra and Scorpion Whiskey Other local “specialities” are also for sale. Rice wine or whiskey bottled with snakes and scorpions is popular in Southeast Asia as an aphrodisiac and traditional medicine.
“Mr Thay” Outside in the carpark, the elderly security guard keeps an eye on our van and belongings.
Yên Đức Rice Fields Our next stop is just short of Halong, at the rural village of Yen Duc.
Water Puppet Theatre We seat ourselves on woven mats overlooking the small watery “stage”.
The Musicians The musicians enter, welcome us, and introduce themselves before the show starts.
“Dance of the Dragons” After the narrator, or Chu Teu, welcomes us, we are treated to a pair of frolicking dragons. Dragons or serpents feature repeatedly in Vietnamese lore: according to legend, the Viet people are descended from a dragon and a fairy!
Men Cultivating Rice The scenes or “stories” are quite short, and many depict activities from rural daily life. The narrator gives us an outline before each vignette.
Women Cultivating Rice We watch the whole rice-growing cycle, from plowing to planting and harvesting.
The Phoenix Dance This is another water-puppet standard: phoenixes symbolise noble love and fidelity. After an amorous courtship, an egg is produced – much to the audience’s amusement. This egg hatches as a little golden phoenix, and they all swim off together.
Farmers and their Ducks In another popular tale, a farming couple have to guard their precious ducks against marauding foxes. This “fox” looks more like a local civet, with his spots and his ability to climb trees! I’m not sure why Mrs Farmer has a cut-out top exposing her breasts.
Dance of the Vietnamese Water Fairies According to popular local legend, back in in 2800 BC, King Lac Long Quan, also known as the Dragon Father, married Au Co, the Fairy Mother. They gave birth to 100 eggs which hatched into 100 sons who became the ancestors of the “54 brotherly ethnic groups in Vietnam” and the Hung Vuong dynasty.
Fishing In another depiction of rural life, puppets show us the different baskets, nets, and rods that the Vietnamese people use to catch fish from the many rivers, ponds, and lakes.
Water Puppeteers At the end of the show, the puppet operators come out to take their bows. They have been standing behind the bamboo screen, operating their puppets with a pole-and-string apparatus hidden by the murky pond water.
Water Puppets Inside the Yen Duc Village Tour restaurant, we get a closer look at some examples of the water puppets: they are carved of wood from the ubiquitous fig tree, painted, and waterproofed with resin. The movable parts – in this case, head and the arms – are attached with cloth, strings, wires, or even twisted hair covered with a layer of wax.
Rice Paddies Looking at the landscape that surrounds the restaurant/theatre, you can understand why “water” is so central. In fact, nước – the word for “water” also means “country” in Vietnamese.
Enriched with our glimpses of Vietnamese fine-art and folk-art, and fortified with a good lunch (centred on rice and fish, of course) we continued on our journey to Halong to find our floating home.
I’ve missed these,the embroidery is amazing, I’ve not been one to do long stitch but the detail in their work is stunning. Thanks for sharing. I do hope to catch these more regularly.ReplyCancel
[…] Halong and protected Bai Tu Long Bay, after being picked up in Hanoi very early that morning (see: Yen Duc Rice Fields). I had visited Halong Bay on a two-day trip with my daughter some eight years before, and had […]ReplyCancel
Sólfar – The Sun Voyager What could be more Nordic than a dream-boat, facing out to sea? This striking stainless-steel work by Icelandic sculptor Jón Gunnar Árnason (1931 – 1989) overlooks the Sæbraut, the sea in the centre of Reykjavík, Iceland.
If you start typing “Reykjavík” into a Google search, the second thing that comes up – after “Reykjavík” itself – is “Reykjavík weather.”
No surprise, really. When I visited Iceland’s compact coastal capital city at the tail end of the nordic winter mid-March last year, he things that stood out to me most were the feeling f open landscape, the extraordinary light, and the constant threat of “weather”.
Reykjavík is Old Norse for “Smoke Cove” or “Bay of Smokes”, and was so named by Iceland’s first settler, the Norwegian VikingIngolfur Arnarson, because of the white “smoke” rising from the hot springs. He must have been glad of of those hot springs after reputedly spending three years on the wild south-east coast where he and his fellow settlers had first landed.
So, all things considered, we were rather lucky. Dark clouds loomed and threatened over our day around Reykjavik Harbour and the Old Town district, but the rains held off. The air was cold, but pleasant enough for walking, and the city’s public art almost made up for the lack of vegetation.
EasyJet over Iceland On the approach to Keflavík International Airport, I get a sense of Iceland’s cold open space. (iPhone6)
Spartan Accommodation Our room – walking distance from downtown Reykjavík – is barely functional, but what a view!
The Harpa Concert Hall The austere landscape only makes the architecture stand out more. (iPhone6)
Traffic Circle The public art close to and along the Reykjavík waterfront brightens the winter streets.
“Obtusa” The geometric “Obtusa”, created by Venezuelan Rafael Barrios, is built of flat sheets of brightly coloured metal. Installed in the traffic circle at the intersection of Katrínartún and Borgartún since 2013, the sculpture looks three dimensional, and changes in appearance as you walk or drive around it.
Höfði House Built in 1909 as the residence of the French Consul of the time, the historic Höfði House now belongs to the city and is used for functions. The sculpture in Fjörutún Park represents the high-seat pillars that the first settler, Norwegian Ingolfur Arnarson, threw overboard when he sighted Iceland so that the gods might tell him where to establish his community.
Walking the Baby The walkway along the Sæbraut, the Reykjavik Sea, is well used by tourists and locals alike.
Cairn on the Waterfront Some of the ‘sculptures’ along the waterfront are quite informal. Mount Esja across the bay provides a stunning snowy backdrop.
Islandsvarden A bronze abstract sculpture by Reykjavík-born artist Johann Eyfells evokes thoughts of volcanic rock.
Sólfar The best-known and most striking water-front sculpture is the Sun Voyager designed by Jón Gunnar Árnason to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the city. The circle of granite slabs it stands on reflects the afternoon light.
Ingólfur Arnarson The representation of Iceland’s first settler on the top of Arnarholl – a small hill near the harbour – by one of Iceland’s foremost sculptors, Einar Jónsson (1874 – 1954) has a mythical power to it.
Skúli Magnússon by Gudmundur Einarsson Other artworks around town, like the 1953 bronze sculpture of Skúli Magnússon (1711 – 1794), one of Iceland’s most powerful forefathers, are larger-than-life, but more literal.
Jón Sigurðsson Another bronze sculpture by Einar Jonsson sets Jón Sigurðsson (1811 – 1879), leader of the 19th century Icelandic independence movement, high on a stone plinth in the park opposite the Parliament House.
The Water Carrier Renowned Icelandic sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson (1893-1982) believed that art was for everyone. This piece is now in central Reykjavik, in spite of once being called “ugly and weird”. Many of his other figurative sculptures can be found in the garden outside the Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum.
Reflections of Christmas I love Christmas shops, and although Iceland lives up to its reputation of being extremely expensive, I couldn’t resist a few tree decorations.
Icelandic Colours The beautiful woollen products, however, were well out of reach of my pocketbook! (iPhone6)
Dómkirkjan í Reykjavík The elegantly simple Reykjavík Cathedral is an Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Dómkirkjan í Reykjaví Every session of parliament – which is conducted in the Parliament House next door – begins with a mass here at the cathedral.
Afternoon on Lake Tjörnin
Lake Tjörnin This small lake in central Reykjavík is home to many waterbirds, most notably the Whooper Swan(Cygnus cygnus).
Álft – Whooper Swan These large birds breed in Iceland, but usually winter in England and Scotland, so the presence of so many here on Lake Tjörnin signals that winter is pretty much over.
“Single Gloves – Speed Dating” Winter may be almost finished, but you still want both gloves – especially once the sun drops behind the Reykjavík buildings.
After a day well-spent and a rather pricy dinner (even simple meals in Reykjavík are expensive!), we managed to get back to our room with all our gloves still happily mated.
[…] Smokes) was named for the white “smoke” rising from the hot springs in the area (see: Public Art, Reykjavík). Geysers are so prototypically Icelandic that the word itself came into English in […]ReplyCancel
[…] Jet Nest In the cold morning light, we enjoyed another sculpture (see: Reykjavík): this one called The Jet Nest, by Magnús Tómasson. It shows a jet wing breaking out of an egg […]ReplyCancel
[…] Jet NestIn the cold morning light, we enjoyed another sculpture (see: Reykjavík): this one called The Jet Nest, by Magnús Tómasson. It shows a jet wing breaking out of an egg […]ReplyCancel
Black Eagles Aerobatic Team Lines, curves, and puffs of smoke: The Republic of Korea Air Force Aerobatic Team never fails to dazzle me.
The Singapore Airshow is on at the moment.
Billed as Asia’s largest airshow, the biennial event attracts defence and civil aviation experts and enthusiasts from around the world. The Changi Exhibition Centre is full of booths brimming with impressive examples of new technologies. Delegations in brass, braid, and crisp creases, snake through the maze of “pavilions” accompanied by minders with phones and clipboards. Everywhere inside, there are meetings taking place, with handshakes as business cards are exchanged. In the outdoor static displays, visitors examine military hardware and admire the corporate finery of the world’s newest, finest, fastest, and most luxurious airplanes and helicopters.
And then there is me – wandering around, cameras in hand, admiring all the shiny bits and chatting to the people, as I did here two years ago (Singapore Airshow 2014).
Join me in search of lines, curves, and gleaming reflections.
So Close… Dreams of flight carry us off into other worlds… The realities for most of us, however, are overpriced tickets, long haul flights wedged into cramped seats, mediocre food and uncomfortable lay-overs. Once we had almost arrived at the Airshow, we were stuck in more traffic jams and ticket queues… They do say that all good things come to those who wait… and wait.
The American Presence The Americans have a number of civil and military organisations participating this year, and were significant players in the opening speeches – after a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner!
Anti-Aircraft I guess where you have military and aircraft, you will also find weaponry and anti-aircraft equipment.
Renewing Old Relationships Exhibiters renew old acquaintances and get to put faces to people they generally have only phone or email contact with.
Military Visitors Personnel from the Philippines Military were one of many groups touring the building on opening day.
MTU Aero Engines I know almost nothing about engines, but this was, in my opinion, the best looking display stand.
“Project Zero” Outside in the bright sun and tropical heat, new and wonderful designs are on display.
Finmeccanica Reps The two Italian men on site are happy to explain how “Project Zero” is a ‘platform’ for ‘new technologies’.
Finmeccanica “Project Zero” The Tiltrotor VTOL is certainly like nothing I’ve seen before.
Danger – Hot Exhaust The STREIT Group’s Global 5000 Business Jet has clean polished lines, …
Global 5000 Tail … and catches the mid-day sun beautifully.
“Poised and Deadly” A young pilot, with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) motto: “Poised and Deadly” on one of his badges, proudly shows off his F-16D+ Fighting Falcon.
Under the Gulfstream More RSAF personnel smile from behind their G550 – AEW Early Warning Aircraft.
“Integrate and Dominate” A smiling Rodger Ng offers to show me through his H-47 Chinook. Part of an integrated joint RSAF command, the utility helicopters and their crew play a vital role as coast guards.
A Very Shiny Nose… You can see a great expanse of runway in the nose cone of the Daher-Socata TBM 900 Single Turboprop.
Sparkly Chaff With a roar of powerful engines, the Republic of Singapore Air Force opens the flying display with an F‑15SG.
Airbus A350 XWB The elegant Airbus, by contrast, proceeds almost silently, …
Airbus A350 XWB Overhead … even when it circles over the Straits of Singapore and back over our heads.
Royal Malaysian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30MKM But, then the noise of jet fighter engines shakes the air.
Black Eagles Aerobatic Team My favourite is the Republic of Korea Air Force flying team.For a full 23 minutes, they loop and circle, drawing patterns in the sky over our heads.
Black Eagles Aerobatic Team The black, white, and gold KAI T-50B “Golden Eagle” jets are stunning, …
Black Eagles Aerobatic Team … and their manoeuvres are just breath-taking.
French Air Force Rafale The super-fast French Air Force Rafale signals the end of the day’s flying displays.
Moving Curves It’s good to get out of the noise and sun, and back into the trade centre and the quiet of a rotating Boeing motor.
“Child of the Nineties” In the performance area, USAF personnel entertain visitors needing a break.
Curves and Reflections Scoot, Singapore Airlines’ new low-cost carrier, opens up its Boeing B787-8 Dreamliner to visitors.
Lines and Light Even without baggage, the low-cost configuration inside the Boeing B787-8 Dreamliner feels ‘cozy’.
Leading Lines The USAF C-17 Transport on the other hand, has plenty of room – if not a lot of comfort.
The Burgundy Oryx The Qatar Airways Logo on an engine stands in contrast to the “No Man” sign. It shouldn’t really have to be said, should it?
I love all those shiny curving surfaces –
and even the two hour queue for a taxi at the end of the day couldn’t quite dampen my dreams of flying…
[…] February this year. My husband and I were already committed to attend the Singapore Air Show (see: Lines, Curves, and Dreams of Flight) when I saw a special deal for a new resort (Naman Retreat) near Danang in Vietnam. It gave me a […]ReplyCancel
Woman with Water Pots A “simple” life is not necessarily an easy one.
The Thar Desert, or Great Indian Desert, is an arid region that forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. A relatively large area, it spreads across four Indian states (Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan) and two Pakistani states.
The Thar Desert is the most densely populated desert in the world, with 83 people per square km. This population lives in small villages, far apart from each other. The people are often nomadic: moving when their sparse water supply dries up.
In most villages, the familial generations live together in one complex, and any money earned by family members becomes the common property of the family as a whole. A walk around the small village of Khuri, within the boundaries of Desert National Park, and only 45 km from the World Heritage city of Jaisalmer, demonstrates how little people make do with.
“Welcome Khuri” It’s a simple sign that welcomes visitors to a simple village.
Camel – Camels – which provide rides for tourists – …
– in his Finery … are the village’s economic mainstay.
Skinny Calf and Fallen Laundry Most of the houses in the village are simple clay-and-dung walled huts with thatched roofs and packed-earth courtyards.
Water Pots Water is carried – not piped.
Family at the Gate Most houses have a fenced-off courtyard. Clearly, the lifestyle is simple, …
Woman at the Gate … but the smiles are generous.
Child at the Window
Rajasthani Girl Children, with their dark eyes rimmed with kohl, are everywhere, …
Rajasthani Boy … though it might take a little while for some of them to come out of the shadows.
Goat The presence of livestock – goats and cows – signals that this village is doing well.
Sweeping the Housefront Most tasks are performed manually, …
Machine-Worker … but there is some electricity, running off a generator.
Man on the Stoop
Woman and Children Firewood or clay pots are stored on flat roofs. There are surplus bricks scattered all around the place; …
Woman and Child … I can’t tell if they are from buildings going up or coming down.
“Washed” Pots I suspect these utensils have been sand-scrubbed. Water is at a real premium around the village; …
Women with Water Pots … as I ride into the dunes on one of the camels, local women are returning to the village with water pots on their heads.
Camels on the Sand Like most tourist who visit this part of Desert National Park, we are there to ride the camels into the dunes.
Dancing Boy In the falling afternoon light…
Dancing Boy … a young boy entertains us with dance …
Prayers on the Wind Dochula Pass, Bhutan, 3150 metres above sea level, is home to 108 chortens (stupas) and countless prayer flags.
Bhutan, that once-secretive, still-exotic, Himalayan Kingdom, is a sensory feast for the photographic enthusiast.
The story that tourist numbers are strictly limited is over-stated. But, they are self-limited by the fact that, other than Indian nationals, all foreigners need to arrive by air – and for a long time only Drukair flew in and out. Today Druk has five airplanes, but when I visited – back in September 2009 as part of a group with photographers Gavin Gough and Jackie Rado – they had only two A319 Airbuses.
This helps explain why our trip started with a long day inside Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. We arrived for our group check-in at 4:20am, only to be told that our plane (one of the two at the time) had “technical problems” and there would be a “slight” delay as we waited for parts to come from France.
Flights into Paro, Bhutan’s only international airport, are by visual flight rules (VFR), meaning they are dependent on weather and daylight. Only a few aircraft, in the hands of skilled pilots, can fly through the angled mountain passes and land safely on the short runway. Landing or taking off in the dark is not an option.
So, as the “slight” delay extended past breakfast, and then past lunch, we sat in an airport coffee shop – eight photographers with over-sized carry-ons and laptop cables tangled towards every available wall outlet – waiting for word, and knowing that if we didn’t leave by early afternoon, we’d go nowhere until morning. Our plane finally left at 3:00pm.
The flight into the Paro Valley, with the Himalaya rising on all sides, was everything it was cracked up to be. Now that you no longer have to dip your wing to people eating dinner in their high-rise apartments in Hong Kong, there can’t be many international airports like Paro. We were blessed with sun and good visibility, and were therefore able to watch as the plane took two sharp turns through the tight valley and descended to the airport. The collective intake of breath as the left wing almost touched the mountainside was palpable, and the passengers burst into spontaneous applause when the wheels touched safely down on the runway.
Our first full day in the country was spent hiking to Tiger’s Nest, high over the Paro Valley. Then it was time to hop in a minibus, and cross some of the rugged countryside – under clear, sunny Autumn skies – in search of the famous Tibetan Buddhist festivals, or tsechus (Dzongkha: ཚེས་བཅུ།, literally “day ten”), where we would photograph the swirling and stomping dancers (e.g.: Wangduephodrang Dzongkhag Dzong Tshechu).
Getting there was part of the wonder. I absolutely loved the mountains, and I sat in the bus with my nose pressed to the glass for most of our journey from Paro to Wangduephodrang.
But it was the prayer flags that really entranced me: I couldn’t get enough of them.
Morning Mists in the Paro Valley You could be nowhere else! The architecture around Paro reflects Bhutan’s traditional architectural style – which is actually codified in official guidelines.
Paro International Airport Surrounded by magnificent mountains as high as 5,500 m (18,000 ft), Paro Airport (2,235 m / 7,332 ft) is considered one of the world’s most challenging.
Roadside Stop Our first stop on the road was at the Chuzom (or Chhuzom). A chu is a river; zom means join.
The Chuzom This is the place where Paro and Wong (Thimphu) Rivers meet. Traditional Bhutanese consider this an inauspicious union of a father and mother river, …
Three Stupas … so there are three stupas (chortens) here to ward off evil spirits. As if to cover all bases, the stupas are Bhutanese, Nepali, and Tibetan in style.
View from the MiniVan I watch out the windows of the van as we continue to climb over the Thimphu River.
Grandma on the Ridge Above the Ola Rong Chu, we stop on a ridge where I chat with a grandmother who is caring for some of her many grandchildren while their parents work.
Semtokha Dzong On the other side of the Ola Rong Chu Valley, Semtokha Temple nestles in the trees.
Grandma and the Kids
Border Guard Bhutan is partitioned into a number of divisions – so we go through several checkpoints on our drives.
Churpi or Chugui A popular Bhutanese snack, chhurpi (churpi) is a traditional dried and smoked cheese made from yak milk.
Prayers over the Mountains Our next stop is at the popular Dochu La Chorten, a 3150 metre-high mountain pass with 360° views over the Himalayan mountains.
Tangled Prayers and Dreams
Whispered Prayers
“Yellow is for the Earth” According to legend, prayer flags started from the battle flags used by the Gautama Buddha against the evil asuras. The five flag colors represent the five elements: blue for the sky and space, white for air and wind, red for fire, green for water, and yellow for the earth.
Forever Prayers
Faint Prayers
Druk Wangyal Chortens The Bhutanese Queen Mother commissioned 108 chortens at Dochula Pass in memory of Bhutanese soldiers killed in the 2003 war against Indian insurgents.
Stairs up Dochu La Chorten
Tradesman on the Roof
Mists on the Pass
Bhutanese Driver
“Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ” Expresions of Buddhist worship are everywhere in Bhutan.
The ever-present prayer flags, the chorten and stupa dotted around the countryside, and the prayer texts; all around Bhutan there are reminders to honour Buddhist practice.
[…] by Indian mythology to be enemies of the gods. Ubiquitous in the Tibetan Buddhist world (e.g.: Prayers on the Wind: Bhutan), prayer flags come in different styles and shapes, but the most commonly seen are the Lungta […]ReplyCancel
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
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I’ve missed these,the embroidery is amazing, I’ve not been one to do long stitch but the detail in their work is stunning. Thanks for sharing. I do hope to catch these more regularly.
Lovely to have you back, Signe. You ended up in my Spam folder – so I hope I haven’t missed any other of your visits. 😀
Simply wonderful!!!
So glad you liked it, Alessandra! I found your site very helpful. 😀
[…] Halong and protected Bai Tu Long Bay, after being picked up in Hanoi very early that morning (see: Yen Duc Rice Fields). I had visited Halong Bay on a two-day trip with my daughter some eight years before, and had […]