Phuoc An Hoi Quan and Jade Emperor Pagodas

[posted by: Stacy]

Today, we went to the Phuoc An Hoi Quan Pagoda, located in Chinatown (in Saigon). Since several different religious sites are located in that area, including a well-known mosque, we meant to visit a few other places. Unfortunately, it started pouring rain. If you've been to SE Asia, you know that the use of the word "pouring" is quite literal. We needed galoshes, ponchos, and umbrellas at minimum - when rain reaches your knees in some spots, it’s kind of impossible to use a map, wade through water, and dodge traffic all at the same time.

The pagoda was “beautifully ornate," as promised by Lonely Planet, complete with wood carvings, ceramic figurines, and interesting Chinese artifacts.

When we arrived, it had just started raining, as you can tell by the rain spots on Doug’s clothes.

There were lit candles and incense everywhere, along with offerings of fruit. The candles gave the scene a tranquil feeling and I felt compelled to turn off my flash and try to capture the moment in its natural state.

Along with ceramic figures, there are large woodcarvings and metalwork throughout the pagoda.

This garden sits just outside the main temple area, under a plastic roof that roars under the rain. The wall art is made of tile, pieced together to make an intricate design.

Just across the walkway hangs this tile artwork.

These brass animals hang from the walls, an interesting connection to the Northwest of the US.

These red objects are large incense coils.

This pagoda is known for its little ceramic objects. These particular ones are located just outside the main temple area.

We had originally planned on walking from pagoda to pagoda, but the torrential downpour outside caused us to rethink our plans. I bravely stood in the rain and hailed a cab (while Doug stood under a walkway to keep out of the rain), and we tried to explain to our driver that we wanted to go to the Quan Am Pagoda, which was supposed to be just down the street. We were drenched, but still excited about seeing more temples. Along the way, we saw people on scooters with rain up to their knees and even our taxi bottomed out at one point. Thank goodness our cab was an SUV with four wheel drive.

The driver didn’t understand where we wanted to go and ended up taking us home. Oh well, we can always explore more later.

You might remember that weekend before last, we visited the Jade Emperor Pagoda, a Taoist temple dedicated to the Emperor of Jade. This pagoda is quite impressive and beautiful. I have to admit, I felt a bit guilty taking photos at this place of worship. I’m sure that those who come to pray are used to the camera flashes during their meditation and offerings, but something seems inherently wrong in capturing that moment. Nonethless, being the photoholic that I am, I took ample pictures.

It was raining the day we went to the Jade Emperor Pagoda, too, so the outdoor photos were quick and limited. Luckily I was able to get a couple photos of the façade and courtyard.

Doug enjoyed the statues.

Unfortunately, the statues didn’t appreciate Doug’s imitation of them.

Inside, there were several worshippers giving offerings and saying prayers.

Incense is everywhere in this country, but the smell is overwhelmingly strong inside the pagoda.

Elaborate wood carvings and ornamental decorations cover the walls.

Fruit is a common offering to the Toaist gods.

There were no worshippers upstairs, so Doug and I took the opportunity to take some pictures.

The architecture at this particular pagoda was quite beautiful.

We’re looking forward to seeing more of the religious sites throughout the city; it’s amazing how many there are to visit. For now, though, I’m pretty content being in my new apartment, listening to the rain, blogging, and enjoying the quiet of Sunday.

Our new digs

(Posted by: Stacy)

Doug and I finally paid our deposit, signed our contract, and moved our four large and two small suitcases into our brand new apartment in Ho Chi Minh City. We're living in Phu My Hung (known by Saigonians as Korea town), located in district 7. Our apartment is in the Sky Garden complex, which I would liken to a giant country club. There is a pool, gym, tennis courts, yoga facility, ample running nearby, and much less traffic than the rest of the city. The complex is, admittedly, a bit much, but we're liking it so far.

There are three phases to Sky Garden, and between each building is a courtyard. Built into the complex are restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, bootleg DVD shops, and just about anything you could need or want. The best part? Everywhere delivers!

The high-rises are everywhere, but somehow there is still a sense of calm amidst the concrete.



From level two (where many of the shops are), you can look down to the manicured grasses, pool, tennis courts, and other pleasant sights.



Our apartment is brand new and rather large. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a laundry room (outside), and a spectacular view of the city.



Finally! No more movies on my MacBook Pro.



Remember the freestanding sink in the kitchen of our last apartment? Well, this may look small to you stateside folks, but we feel like we have a gourmet kitchen.




One of the two bathrooms actually has a western shower! The master bath has a large tub with an Asian-style shower.


Although Sky Garden is a bit more expensive than other parts of the city, it's pretty amazing how cheap everything is. Last night, we had a leisurely dinner at Paris Cafe, which is a wonderfully relaxing restaurant with a 15 foot tall (or so) Eiffel Tower replica. I ordered vegetarian rice noodle, Doug ordered beef instant noodle, and we both ordered a beer. In the states, we might have paid US$25.00 or more for our lovely dinner on giant wicker, cushioned seats, surrounded by fountains and greenery. Our bill totaled US$6.75. Last week, our house was cleaned for US$10.00, our laundry was washed and folded for US$11.50, and we paid around US$3.00 for both of our breakfasts. I don't know if I'll ever get over the shock of how inexpensive everything is. In many ways, it's hard to think about returning to the states and paying triple or quadruple for everything.

All in all, Doug and I are very happy and loving Vietnam. Our apartment is wonderful, our neighborhood is charming, and our quality of life is above average. What more could we ask for? Except for all of our friends and family to move here, of course.