Wild Life

It is amazing what types of animal we have found in our garden. We live across the road from a very large pond so every now and then we find some new friends come into the yard.

Picture: A small crab

Picture: A frog

A while a go we had a cat wonder into the yard who was very hungry. Being the animal lover that I am I decided to feed it as it looked very skinny but on a closer look I thought she was pregnant. Paige decided to call her "Kira Cat". I explained to Paige that we can not keep her but if she comes around we will feed her, I was worried that she didn't have an owner in her condition, just call me "sucker". Sure enough Kira Cat returned again and again so seeing as Paige kept patting her I decided to take the cat to vet to make sure Kira Cat had her shots and to get the vet to give Kira Cat the once over. Then all of a sudden Kira Cat went away for a couple of days so the vets visit would have to wait. I said to Paige maybe Kira Cat had given birth to her babies and would return latter or maybe had found her owners as I wouldn't let Kira cat stay in side. After a couple of days I heard about the return of Kira Cat as Paige yelled from the ground floor of the house at the top of her voice. Sure enough looking slimmer and I was sure she had given birth so with that said I was able to get a cat box from the vet and was able to get Kira Cat a check up. I was right the vet confirmed that Kira cat had given birth and all was well. I did do a look around the yard and street for the kittens but with no luck. I said to Paige "I am sure Kira Cat will bring her babies to visit us when they can walk. Maybe I should be a cat whisperer as sure enough we now have three kitten running around the yard from time to time and every time they see us they take off so I am sure we will see them more in the future.

Picture: Kira Cat having a rest on the only time she was allowed inside

I think the next friend to enter the yard surprised me the most, I was glad Paige was off at kindergarten at the time. I was walking back into the yard when I notice what looked to be a snake. The first thing that came to mind was it was a toy but then I realised Paige doesn't have any toy snakes. So remembering what I know about snake I grabbed the broom just in case. On taking a closer I look I noticed that it was cut on its side and was so glad it was dead. I think either Kira Cat had brought it into the yard or Kira Cat had killed it not sure but I was just glad that the was dead. In all my years I had grown up in Australia I have never seen a snake in my the wild or in the yard and living here I see this one go figure. I decided that it was time to explain to Paige what she should do if she sees a snake or any animals in the yard and as a heart stopper she likes to run inside and yell about any animal or insect that she sees.

Picture: Banded Krait, turns out to be a poisonous snake

Information Ben had found on the snake - B. fasciatus venom is neurotoxic and has been estimated by Col. Frank Wall in 1911 to be 7 to 14 times more potent than cobra venom. There are no authenticated records of human beings having been bitten.

Market Day at Ban Phuc

Ben writes from site:

With the river rising at the end of the wet season, the travelling market was able to make it up the tributary and into the small town of Ban Phuc. From about 7am the boats started to appear, heading towards the market area. Apparently this event occurs every two or so weeks and only lasts the morning so I took the opportunity to go and have a look.

The sellers spread themselves out up from the market area and onto the main street spreading out their wares on ground sheets and tarpaulins and narrowing the road down to a single lane. I was hoping to find something of the local handicrafts or clothing but was a little disappointed to find that the market was basically an opportunity for the locals to buy the necessities of life: clothing, hardware, pharmaceuticals and packaged foodstuffs.

Picture: The boats arrive

Picture: The boats setting up

Picture: The boats: floating hardware shops, selling everything from rope to chainsaw chains and piping

Picture: The market

Picture: A local girl in traditional garb

Picture: The Mining Camp across the river

Hoa Lo Prison Museum - Hanoi Hilton

This museum was no hotel. Looking back in time is always interesting. The original site of the famous "Hanoi Hilton" Hoa Lo Prison is where Vietnamese and American prisoners were held.

Towards the end of the 19th century, in an effort to contain the growth and development of popular abti-colonial movements amongst the Vietnamese community, the French government of Indochina reinforced its apparatus of suppression by strengthening the police force, developing the court system and constructing an extensive network of prisons. Opened in 1896, Hoa Lo was the largest of the French prisons in the north of Vietnam, others built at Cao Bang, Son La, Lai chau and Hai Pong. Built on the site of what is believed to have been a former craft village, Hoa Lo Prison quickly became a place where thousands of patriots and revolutionary fighters were imprisoned and tortured, both physically and spiritually. Many Vietnamese sacrificed their lives here to secure the independence and freedom of the nation.

Following the liberation of the north in October 1954, Hoa Lo became a state prison and henceforth used to detain criminal offenders. From the 5th August, 1964 until 31 March, 1973 it was also used to detain American pilots whose aircraft had been shot down over Hanoi whilst bombing or attacking the north Vietnamese people. The Americans prisoners gave Hoa Lo the nick name "Hanoi Hilton".

We hear a lot about the American feeling on the war between Vietnam and it is interesting to see the other side to the conflict of the years gone by. In the small section on the American prisoners you see a number of photos of the American being held and some of their items that they had while detained here. In many of the photos you can see the men smiling which makes you think was it a reaction to having a photo taken or where they told to smile at the time by the prison guards?

One location, different reasons to hold people, only a small part of the original prison is left standing due to new buildings taking up the land. This museum, even small gives you a look into what life was like within the walls.

Picture: How the original Hoa Lo Prison looked before parts where torn down for land development

Picture: How the Vietnamese prisoners where held

Picture: One of two guillotines that the French colonialist used to cut the heads off from the revolutionary patriotic soldiers

Picture: A part of the prison

Picture: The apartment block Hanoi Towers over shadows the museum

Picture: A bed of one of the American prisoners

Picture: Some electrical wiring in the prison