Painfull lesson

Every longhouse should have TV

I am sitting in a budget hotel in Tuy Hoa nursing a painful leg. Normally I would stay in a nicer place but there is a festival going on and I arrived with my highland tour customers unaware….. Ahhhh so the adventure goes. Today I talk about Pain and luck..
The hard surfaces in Vietnam have taken their toll. I wrote about in the past, how dangerous it was for children growing up here and how many of them end up with scars for life…….. Well…….It can be dangerous for adults too. I spoke about how uneven the sidewalks were, and how everything here is made from a hard material. Almost all floors are ceramic, granite, brick or cement. I do not think that as of yet I have met a single woman that does not have scars on their legs, arms, or head from some kind of incident. Pain and suffering is a simple fact of life here and most people just heal the best they can and move on. I have a great deal of respect for the toughness and resolve of the

A cool Dude

Vietnamese and perhaps it has rubbed off a bit. Ah…. Alas… I am drifting from the topic. Again, Vietnam has all sorts of perils a person would never consider. Uneven sidewalks is just one of them but others are just bizarre…. For example. A person decides to take the stairs down to a lobby because of a slow elevator. Down 50 or so stairs you trot and then there is a single step that is shorter or higher than the rest. Your momentum is thrown off and a person has to quickly recover balance before slamming into hard surfaces. It seems there are no safety standards here and it takes a toll on people every day. Anyway….. let me tell you about a little bad luck and the hard surfaces in Vietnam.
About 1.5 months ago I was answering questions about travel in Vietnam when I simply fell asleep at the computer. I have done this many times in Canada but the result is not the same. In Canada I occasionally fall asleep and wake up as I am falling to a soft carpeted floor. I collect myself and simply go to bed. Well……… The same thing happened

Waiting for the ferry

here but I was on a tall stool in front of my computer, I fell a long distance and woke up with my scalp bleeding and my shoulder broken. I know mom……. I should be more careful and do not worry…. Your daughter in law made sure I was well chastised!
My shoulder recovered enough to do some work again so I took up the task of doing some repairs to a motorcycle I have purchased for my tours. I am used to safety switches on north American products and was I surprised when the motorcycle lurched forward as I started it in gear. I was able to catch it as it fell but the hot exhaust came in contact with the front of my leg. Sssssssizzle it went and after righting the bike I was treated to the sight of a big chunk of my skin fused to the exhaust system. Curiously, I felt no pain until 2 days later. Someone told me in the case of serious burns, pain is often not felt until days later…… and boy was he right. If that was not enough…….. 2 nights before the current tour, I was sitting outside chatting with guests as they were off the next morning. Only moments after the last guest headed for bed, I again fell asleep and fell to the

Country Angels

sidewalk. In this instance I was not hurt but ended with a big scrape on my scalp. I have to tell you at the moment I look and feel like one sorry sop.
We have returned from the tour and it was a success. Ahhhhhh some much needed rest and recovery was on my mind. In 2 weeks the burn is still seeping and the leg swells up to twice the size if I am standing……….But the worst of it was that while I was on tour, my night receptionist took it upon himself to inform all of the women in my life that my latest injury was caused by drinking too much and passing out….. Eeek!! That young man has a lot to learn about what to say to another’s wife! Mom……. You would have laughed

Coffee beans ready for harvest

in the isles at the brow beating I received……. And I fell asleep because tired….. Honest!!

 

Merry Christmas everybody

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10 thoughts on “Painfull lesson

  1. Happy New Year to you and Mai!

    Hope you are ok and get better soon.

    This story sounds a little like the Kent story and bring back lots of memories. Sharon is still not out of the dog house!

  2. G’day Owen,
    Come on bloke put a tee spoon of cement in your pho every day & harden up.
    Hope you & yours had a great Christmas & will have avery prosperous New Year.
    By the way a good read.

  3. You must be a cat! It looks like you still have a few lives before life in Vietnam
    gets you. I hope you had a good Christmas and Happy New Year!

  4. Sorry to hear about your recent misadventures , they always come in 3 . Looking forward to meeting you and having a frothy top. We might still do a 1 day tour with you when we arrive. Hope you have a good happy new year and will see you on the 9/1

  5. Hi Owen
    Thank you for the use of your bathroom a month ago while I was in Nha Trang.
    I am back in Vanocuver now and enjoying reading your blog. Say hello to your wife for me.
    Merry Chrismas

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