This morning we were stuck in a traffic gridlock so dense we didn’t move for just over one hour. To people living in Sai Gon this type of occurrence is only too familiar, particularly when you happen to be on a main arterial road leading to a bottleneck such as a bridge or major intersection. […]

“No wait, doesn’t that wire connect with the other one?”

There are still some old apartment blocks in central Sai Gon that haven’t yet come under the developers hammer and I came across these two spiral staircases in the internal courtyard of one old block. Considering they’re the only way for occupants to enter and leave their apartments, I would hate to think of the […]

Whoever would have thought it, hot dogs as “Love” food. Taken in the foyer of Thang Long cinema, Cao Thang, District 3.

Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you.

In 7 hours they harvested, threshed and bagged 4,000 Kgs of unhusked grain almost exclusively by hand.

The term ‘desirous people’ deserves clarification because in our society it carries specifically sexual overtones which Shantideva didn’t intend. In this instance we might replace ‘desirous people’ with ‘consumerists’, because in this verse Shantideva refers to a particular aspect of Buddhist psychology which suggests that much of our unhappiness is created by attachment/desire at one […]

I take my hat off to these guys, I could not do this under any circumstance. IF (and that’s a very big IF) I managed to climb out over the wall onto the rickety bamboo ladder swinging free I wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything cos I would be clinging too hard

Dalai Lama - My true religion, my simple faith is in love and compassion. There is no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine, or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are - […]

Happy birthday. I hope you have a wonderful day.

...even with one sandal for a seat

...but making sure it’s held securely

...tiny pagoda The neighbour next door runs a small Chinese herb shop in the front of her house. She told us the old couple who lived in the pagoda died and it has not been open since.

...but 174/68A is even smaller

...at the front door

It seems they have been working for years to complete this park, but finally it looks as if it’s coming to completion. It is being built to honour Thich Quang Duc, the Buddhist monk who burned himself to death in protest on this intersection on June 10, 1963.

It’s pleasant to stand near this gate and listen to the nuns chanting a mantra