I like people… I really do!!

mm mm good

Some more Photos from the rafting trip.

Some of you that know me personally understand how I was losing my faith in human nature, and how interacting with the public was dragging me down. I have to tell you that the attitude has changed….. a one hundred percent reversal. Dealing with the traveler whether business or pleasure is nothing like dealing with the public back home. So far, it has been a pure joy to interact with the guests in the hotel. I have hosted Canadians, Americans, Australians, French, Chinese, Malaysians, Czechs, Norwegians, Brits, Vietnamese, Thais, Germans, Swedes, and a few others. So far all of them have been very nice. My faith in human nature has been restored to the point where if I have free time, I will join them in an adventure, or just spend time in a café chatting. I have re-discovered that yes…. People are nice and interesting. I think that it is not only the business I am in causing this change in me, but the country itself. I will try to explain.

Every thing here is intense and filled with effort or emotion. There seems to be no middle ground where a person can just keep in

A scenic river

 mind the attitude of “whatever” or “same as usual”. You can see it everywhere, the hard working and serious faces during the day. The effort that the cabbies, hucksters, kids, and others that try to gain any advantage to get at your dollar. The open love that the women and young adults display for infants and children. The intense eagerness that students have at learning and understanding. At the end of the day it is the passion and romance of the young adults seems to fill the air with a sickly sweet feeling that can’t help sticking to you. Of course, the men after working hard all day are drinking and laughing hard also. Our culture seems to have become guarded and careful, the simplicity of just living a life filled with emotion and spontaneity seems lost to us. Not here! So, add this to the noise, confusion, and the chaotic party that is Vietnam and the tourist will get swept away…… They become part of the intense atmosphere, and either end up loving, or

warm water

sometimes hating this place. This is where I come in. I understand all of this confusion and I can see in the traveler the will and the hope to enjoy their vacations. It gives me a lot of pleasure to spend time talking and helping in their understanding. A few short explanations and all of suddenly things that made them scared or angry become clear. Now they can enjoy a bit more. I hear of their adventures and travels and become more educated. No more do I grind my teeth when a stranger walks up to greet me, and no longer do I want that person talking to me just to go away. IT is fantastic!! I want to talk with them, and hear there stories. I want to meet them for a Bia Hoi and give advice. My faith in human nature is restored, and I am a better person for it.

Cashews still on the tree

 As you may be able to tell, I have had a few. I broke my diet for the day and am writing this at night. I promise I will be a good boy tomorrow. I will leave this page intact for tomorrow, as I like the idea of “what you see is what you get”. No editing (except for spelling) If I flew off in random directions, so be it! Today I joined a nice couple from Toronto on a cruise of some of the islands around NhaTrang. It was a very interesting trip and perhaps I will write on it tomorrow. Now for a parting incident… or should I say part of the adventure……

Hey look at me!!

A very drunken policeman showed up in our lobby demanding to see the owner of the hotel. I was sitting on the front sidewalk where Patrick (warming Drifters chair), and I were involved in a conversation. I was asked to my total displeasure, to act like a customer while the landlord hurried over the deal with him. Luckily the landlord was able to deflect whatever was going on, and the crisis (whatever it was) was averted. I am at a crossroads of how my legal status will play out here. I had the pleasure of talking with Jennifer at my work (former?) tonight and informed her that I will have to extend my leave a little longer to cover my 6.

Welcome back from your Hawaii cuise Maz1….. I hope you enjoyed it

Time for a breather

Goodnight……..

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4 thoughts on “I like people… I really do!!

  1. The only cure I’ve found for my homesickness is to read your daily blog…..longing for a cold one served by one of those cute Bia LaRue girls…now that would cure me quickly!

  2. Yea…. I am thinking of going ostridge riding… wonder if there is a bird big enough?
    One of the fish ladies has asked me to fix her with a westerner……….. Tag, you are it!!

  3. Ah, passion for life! So many people seem to have it squished out of them, especially younger people who think they have to be “grown up” all the time. I’ve a friend in her mid-70s who went mule riding up a mountain in Nepal last year – so much better than sitting around planning her funeral, which so many people that age do!! Kick the conventional limits in the shins, I say!

  4. Really Owen I didn’t sense that about you….well maybe when all the police were there that night. I think it might be an age thing also. Seems when you reach a certain age you reflect alittle and prioritize. Don’t take it out on the “stinky fish ladies” either. That one is pretty cute. It may cramp our relationship if I decide to date her when I return. hehehehe

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