Xe Om = Motorcycle hug

Another exciting day in Saigon. It was hot. Probably about plus 34. I am now sitting at a corner local restaurant. It is 7pm ant the sweat is pouring from by body. In front of me is a dear old friend. .( see picture)I am waiting for another old friend Hau. He was the person I used to book the tours that we took to Halong bay in 2009.  Since then, he has become a friend and I will be doing business with him. He is a bit of a party animal, so I do not know what tonight may bring. The plan is to go to the airport and pick up yet another friend of mine who is flying in from Washington.

Charles helping some women

It is now seven hours later. I had a great time. Hau picked me up and we went to a seafood restaurant near the airport to wait for Ken;s flight. We were joined by a bunch of people who operate the busses for tours in Vietnam…. A great bunch of guys. The snails were excellent and I ate and drank too much as usual. I think it is pretty safe to say that I was the first

A typical telephone pole in Saigon

 westerner ever to sit and party at that place. It is now 1:30 am here. We safely returned to the hotel with Ken and now I am tipsy and exhausted. I will go to sleep and carry on tomorrow..

This morning I have a bit of a headache…. I have no idea why Yesterday started of typically with my morning coffee and a bit of blogging, and at lunch I met up

A great gal. Get Hoa to show you aroung Saigon

 with Charles. I took him to the Doner Kebeb stand for a sandwich. He agrees with me that it is one of the best sandwiches ever. I blogged about it in December, so look back if you want more on the sandwich. We joked quite a bit about the fact he was Vietnamese, but it was I showing him around and helping him to deal with the people. He has been gone a long

Drinking with the boys

time and is a little nervous here. I think I have helped him lose some of his fears. He will be back to NhaTrang and I will see him again.

The demand for my business cards is so great here, that I ran to a print shop and had one hundred made while I waited. I can now send traffic my way. They did a very good job at

A toast with Hau

 copying the card I had with me. I then grabbed a Xe om ( motorcycle taxi) and headed downtown to do a little shopping. I was able to track down a particular perfume that my wife likes, although there is a chance it is counterfeit. We will see. In my wanderings, I  met up with a woman named Hoa. She speaks excellent English due to her involvement

Ma and my pal Ken from Washington

with the Americans. Unfortunately for her, her property downtown was confiscated in the 70’s, and has since lived in a small rented room. She makes her living by hanging around downtown and offering to show tourists around. She also helps then not to get ripped off. She accepts any money or food you offer her. I myself gave her a little money and bought her a coffee, she was worth it. I will see her again when in Saigon. Again, I grabbed a Xe om and headed back to my hotel for a drink before Hau came to collect me. And then…….PARTY ON!! It was fun

Ken's friend Thuy

 and I have a few photo’s attached. Now a little bit about Xe om

Motorcycle taxis are everywhere here. They are usually hardened men you will see sitting at the roadside looking as if they are there to pick your pocket. They look

Our receptionist has a new hairstyle... oooo so cute

Ya gotta love it here!!!!! Drink anyone??

mean, but generally they are a good bunch of people and you can rely on them to go everywhere. A short ride to anywhere you want to go within a reasonable distance is 10,000 Dong. For further distances 20,000. It is a fast and reliable way to travel. I used to go by taxi, but have found this mode of travel much more efficient. Do not be afraid to use them if in Vietnam.

As usual, this blog was very rushed. I am posting it without correcting any mistakes…… sooooooo…… If I sound like I am babbling…..Ah!! whatever…..

Iced coffee is good!!! Really!!

Yesterday we drank way too much coffee. First coffee at home, then off to the coffee shop in a rush to write the blog. While sitting there, Brad received a text message for us to meet a friend  for coffee, so off we went to join him for coffee. Mr. Linh is a man who lives here, speaks good English, and befriended Brad on his last trip. At this moment, he is sitting across from me talking to his family in Canada. We are waiting for a motorcycle to be delivered. With the help of my nephew, Brad is purchasing a used motorbike. It makes sense, it will be almost the same cost to rent one for the time he is here. We will be doing some road trips, so stay tuned for the adventure……

I have come to the conclusion that Vietnam is a dangerous place for kids. I personally do not know of a single adult that does not bear some kind of scar from a childhood accident, and if somehow they manage to pull it off, they then have to deal with the hazard of riding a bicycle in this traffic. I have more than once come close to colliding with kids, weaving unexpectedly into my path. The structures in which they live and play are all constructed from brick, cement, and concrete. Marble and ceramic is used to finish interiors. Barbed and broken glass fences protect the properties. Thorned trees and sharp grasses along with other jungle type hazards are plentiful. In to city, I have seen transformer boxes on electric poles open with bare wires at knee level. Even in my own house… My nephew’s son came running into the room crying he had been bit by something. When we went to look, we discovered that a hot bare wire was cut flush with the wall, and a curious kid was wondering what it was.

I see many kids playing in the streets with objects that we would take away from them immediately. Sticks, stones, rusted chunks of tin, items picked up from garbage piles. All things that can cut or bruise. I have to give them credit though, they are tough little buggers. I see them run down gravel roads in bare feet to kick back a soccer ball worn to the point of bursting. I see others fence with tree branches and land blows that would fell an adult. My own nephew is missing one eye from this past activity. Some toys I see the young children play with that would be banned in Canada with small parts that can be swallowed, and probably are. I have seen a lot of burn marks from contact with hot motorcycle exhaust pipes.

Another hazard that is shared by all people, not just the kids, are the uneven sidewalks, curbs, or lack of them. Also, motorbikes are parked everywhere. There may not be room for a pedestrian to walk as the sidewalk is being used in some manner for a business, or parking area. The walk in front of the business is often reshaped into something different making is so uneven, that a person has to constantly be looking where they are stepping.  Things may be changing a bit. I have seen some kids in the city playing with more toys than in the past. Maybe people are making more money, or maybe toys are finally being imported. There are many more things here that can break toes, or cut limbs. Children here have to learn very fast and very young how to prevent injury.

Now….. Brad and I are off for an adventurous driving lesson. He has some limited experience with the rules of the road, but a person can not really know how to drive here until immersed in its madness. Should make for some interesting comments……

Work horses with wheels

Last night we met with the hotel building owner to hammer out some deals and details. She is a nice woman. There are things she should, and will be responsible for in the renovations of the building. There are things we also will be responsible for. After some hard negotiation, we are very close to finalizing some of the last details. I think I have surprised the people that I have been dealing with that I am so aggressive and concise in what has to happen for all of this to come together. Being a hard ass seems to be getting their respect unlike some of the westerners in the tourist area that seem to be a push over to them. Only one final hurdle co jump tomorrow and we can have the renovation materials delivered……. Speaking about delivery…..

There are large cargo vehicles in the country, but I wish to talk about the main method of delivery of goods. Most things are transported locally by cyclo, motor cyclo, bicycle and motorcycle. A cyclo is a bicycle version of a rickshaw. It has a hooded carrier in the front and can seat 2 people a bit uncomfortably. They are quite often kept in good shape and always kept clean to attract the paying customer. The competition amongst themselves for the tourist dollar is fierce and can sometimes break into fist fights. A person will also see many older run down machines. These are usually used not only to ferry people (if it is in acceptable condition) to moving furniture and industrial supplies. They are pro ably the cheapest way to move large goods such as mattresses and other not too heavy but bulky items.

 Then there are the real work horses. Motorized cyclos have a flat deck in front similar to a small trailer. The cargo placed on these vehicles can be anything. I have seen loads of granite stones, 20’ lengths of rebar, and complete living room furniture including a sofa, chairs, and tables. I am no longer surprised when I see something new. I have never seen one that looks new, and have also never seen one in a dealership. Perhaps these machines are obsolete, but keep on getting rebuilt. They all look ancient.

 Bicycles are generally used by individuals to move their goods. Many of them are recyclers, or people to poor to have a motorcycle. Again, they can be loaded beyond anything you can imagine. For example in the picture attached. The flats of beer look un-remarkable in the size being transported, but imagine the weight, and how do they not fall off?

Lastly there is the true work horse of Vietnam….. the motorcycle. It is absolutely amazing at what you can see being transported by these things. Most stores in Vietnam will deliver a product direct to your door and install them within hours of the sale. In an earlier post I had mentioned that I purchased a fridge, stove, microwave, and rice cooker. These items arrived at my door on two motorcycles. Remember that these little beasts are only 110 cc’s on average. I have seen everything behind a driver from giant panes of glass, to a cow…… yes, a full grown cow! Perhaps the most memorable cargo to me was a person had made some kind of wire structure to wear around him shaped like a giant bell. The bell shaped cloak ( for lack of a better word) had four to six rings to which was attached DUCKS! They were tied at the feet and hung from the garment. Perhaps as many as 60 to 80 ducks. As I drove by him, all that was visible of the driver was his head sticking out slightly above the ducks which enveloped him in a bell like circle from head to foot. For all intents and purposes….. a cloak of ducks. As I passed some of the ducks looked at me and quacked indigently at me as if to ask what the heck was I looking at!! Smart ass ducks!!