A lazy ride before I do some Drifting

I was light heartedly told that D**k  and others thought maybe I was being edited or controlled in some manner…… Naw!! I needed to create a sreies of pages to refer people with first time questions to. It is done and now…… I am back on track and will try to get the blog back on track. I do wish to keep a balance of the daily adventure with informative material about Vietnam.

I have now finished posting about the reasons to come to Vietnam and will now update all of you on what the heck has been happening here over the last week or so. Please be advised that the country will experience rolling black-outs so there may be some days that I cannot post. This is a new battle I will become engaged in. I talked with the power company and they are under the assumtion that there are no tourists here….. WRONG!!!! They agreed to limit the number of times they shut down the power, but not good enough for me. I want no power disruptions!! The fight is on.

I have just had a generator delivered and it is being installed in the hotel. It was sort of forced, as I had customers checking out to another hotel in a different area due to the air-conditioning not working. There is always something. I think that going back to Canada will be a short break in a busy life. Mai and I are headed home on May 25 for about 3 weeks before returning to the adventure. I will be showing up in a tee shirt, shorts, and sandals so I hope somebody will meet me with some winter clothes….. June will feel like winter to me now.

So where did we leave off? I think I was doing some boring narrative about myself. I am looking at some pictures to remind me of the past week. It has been quite a busy time, ( and a fun one). One of the persons that comments frequently (Drifter) was coming to stay in NhaTrang. The day prior, I decided to go on one of my cycling trips and get lost. It has become a bit of an escape for me. I will head off down some unknown road and see where it takes me. I have not become too lost yet. Almost all little lanes and dirt paths eventually lead back to a

road I recognize and eventually home. On my way I cycled past the shanty town that is built along the river. I have used pictures in the past and had comments on it. As usual in the ever changing Vietnamese landscape, things are vastly different. The old stilt houses with their bathrooms overhanging stagnant waters have been destroyed, even many of the brick ones. It looks like some kind of road is being built along the river, but it is too early to be sure. I am both saddened and elated at the same time. For 12 years I have passed these structures and wondered how they survive the rainy season. I also wonder

 how people can live in such conditions. They are an eyesore and the city will go a long way to being beatified with their destruction. From there I head through some narrow alleyways inland until I am at last on the outskirts of the city. I stop at a lumber mill to take a couple of shots. Wood here is still cut the old fashioned way. As you can see in the picture, there are men pushing a large band saw up the length of a trunk to create a board. The board will then be cut into smaller pieces as ordered.

I was in a restaurant taking a few shots of the decorations and trees, when out of the canopy came a monkey that grabbed my camera. We had a bit of a tug-o-war and luckily I prevailed. Hey!!!! Maybe the lady boy got the better of me, but no damned monkey will!! I was able to take some very goo shots along the way and I will share them with you in future posts.

I cannot recall if I mentioned before how the country comes almost to a total stop at 11:30. Many businesses, schools and even restaurants close their

 doors for a siesta that lasts until 1:30 or 2:00. How unproductive!! By the time I finish with my chores and responsibilities, it is getting to the lunch hour. Armed with a pocket full of cash, I head out for lunch and to make purchases or do business…… Well guess what!!! The restaurant I was going to give my money to is closed for lunch. Huh??? Then the printer that I was going to have cards made up also. Sheesh!! Alas!! The bicycle store where I was to pick up my new bike was open….. No luck because the bike mechanic was at home sleeping.

Sometimes it can take me weeks to get things I want done. Sometimes I just go to the first store I can find open and do my business. It is endlessly frustrating. Hearing this come back in the afternoon is tiring….. I have better things to do in the warm afternoon than to drive around in the hot downtown streets battling traffic.

Anyway…. As per usual, I ended up emerging onto a distant road that I knew. It was time to head home and my loving brood. The next day Drifter showed up……. And tru to his handle…… we started Drifting…….