A reliable company

Is there something special about Tom and Jerry that I do not know about? There seems to be an addiction to the cartoon here. As far as I know, they have not been made for years, but every day they are shown here. What is really confusing to me is that the Vietnamese people seem to be mesmerized by them. Not just the kids, but the adults as well. Right now I am watching my night man watching Tom and Gerry. I think if the phone rang he would not hear it. I experienced a similar thing in a bar and restaurant that a friend owns. He had installed a retractable roof so his newly purchased furniture would be protected during rain storms. A storm did hit and everybody was so involved in watching Tom and Gerry that the roof never was adjusted and for the rest of the day, no customers could seat themselves without getting wet.

I still intend do a story on bicycles soon, but for now let me tell you a little about Taxi’s in Vietnam and the problems that many

Take your chances with this one

 tourists can face with them. I will also address how to deal with them and save you a lot of hassle. The nature of the taxi business is such that it is that they are always struggling to get the customer before another. Once the customer is in the car, they try to be “helpful” in order to get tips, commissions, and any other add on they can profit from. In Vietnam, the same is true but it seems that they have taken this basic service to a whole different level. Taxis and the scams they may try to abuse you with can be a black mark on your vacation.

Firstly, to my amazement, it seems that most taxi drivers are from the north. I recognize the accent and have always wondered why that would be. Perhaps one day I will figure that out. Anyway, in travel forums and guides, you will read

Made to look like A MaiLinh... avoid these

about the constant problem of people being abused, and ripped off by Taxi drivers. This is one rare occasion where I have to agree with books such as the lonely planet guides. Taxis in Vietnam can be a nightmare. Once you have placed luggage in their trunk, you are at their mercy if something goes wrong. The last thing that you want is some hot headed individual to drive off with all of your possessions.

There are a number of legitimate cab companies that are usually a safe option for the tourist. The best are Vinasun and MaiLinh. Under normal circumstances they will be honest and will run by the meter. You can be reasonably assured that it is a legit cab if he or she is wearing a uniform with a tie. It is still a best practice to get the Taxi number whenever entering a taxi in Vietnam. If anything goes wrong, you can report it. If you are picked up

Another good company

 my on of the two companies mentioned and the driver is not wearing the white shirt and tie, there is a chance that it is a clone with a doctored meter. Try to be sure that the driver looks like he belongs. You will see other taxis that will confuse you painted in the same color scheme and worded slightly different such as ma-linh or Sunvina… avoid these. It is a hit and miss weather the meter has been altered. I tried an experiment in Saigon with two cabs. I hired a Vinasun taxi to take me to a restaurant. The fare was 28000 dong. When I left, I returned t the same location but took a Sunvina. The meter was altered and the fare came to 68000 dong. Some of the best practices in Vietnam when hiring a taxi are:

Use a reputable company and note the taxi number, then ask to use the meter. If you are negotiating a fare, be sure it is for the whole group. Sometimes they will say it was per person and the fight will begin. If you can, carry your luggage in the back seat and not in the trunk, that way at anytime if you believe you are being taken for a ride, you can insist to stop here and get out. All is not doom and gloom, but you should be

My style of Taxi

aware of the taxis trying to make a quick buck.  In my experience, going by the meter with a reputable company is the best, and you can always keep them honest by pretending to refer to a map in your lap. Now here is the part where most tourists are scammed.

Most drivers have deals with hotels and attractions and will get a commission if they deliver a customer to them. On three separate occasions (that I know of) I have had hotel guests that were scooped by drivers trying to gain a few extra dongs. Some of my customers have been told that I was out of business, way to far from the city, not clean, in a bad neighborhood, and other excuses. Hah!!! Do not be gullible…. I myself have tired of the taxi driver. When in Saigon, I just take a bus. It is just as fast. In NhaTrang airport, I just ignore all the taxis, walk into the parking lot and hire a car that is willing to be honest. Airport taxis are notorious for being swindlers.  I still use taxis on a regular basis as long as the meter is running and I am not getting any of their rasons to go to another hotel,  but when I do, I throw the fear of Buddha into them by having them stop the car and telling them that they are being dishonest in my poor Vietnamese.

Ok….. Here it is….. Everything you wanted to know about the weather in Vietnam. I usually start my writings from South to north, so let me be a rebel and start in the north.

SAPA

The climate of Sapa is highly seasonal, with a subtropical climate in the summer and a temperate climate during the winter. Average temperature for Sapa town is 15.4ºC, with a maximum of 29.4ºC and a minimum of 1ºC. Sapa also experiences a marked wet season from May to September, with the heaviest rainfall occurring in July and August. The weather is also notorious for changing frequently and quickly. It is said that only in Sapa, one can experience many different seasons within only one day.

February- Very cold in early days, cloudy, foggy. Getting warmer & better towards later days.

March- Much nicer and warmer than Feb, more sunshine

April- Summer start, dry, clear, warm enough

May- Starting rainy season with quick shower occasionally, clear sky with more sunshine but little bit warm in the open at noon.

June- Warm but not as hot like other region. Clear sky, much sunshine but summer shower get more but not too wet

July- Among the 2 worst months of the year caused by summer shower

Augus-t The peak month of typhoon and rain

Septembe-r Autumn starts, getting drier and normally very nice towards the end of the month.

October- Cool, dry, sunshine almost everyday, clear sky

November- Cooler, dry. May be misty and foggy towards the end but nice.

December-Wet winter starts and gets worse in the later days of the month. It can get qite chilly.

Halong Bay

Halong’s climate is humid and tropical. With a hot, humid summer and dry, cold winter; Halong’s  temperature varies from 15ºC to 25ºC.Annual rainfall is between 2000mm and 2200mm. Ha Long  bay has typical diurnal tide system (tide amplitude ranges from 3.5-4m). The salinity is from 31 to 34.5MT in dry season and lower in rainy season. It is possible to visit Ha Long Bay year-round, with the best time to visit from October through April, although during the winter months of December, January and February, the weather can be cool and overcast with low visibility.  During the summer months from May to September, temperatures rise and storms are more likely during the rainy season.

Hanoi,

Hanoi has typical North Vietnam climate, with a cold and dry winter (when temperatures can drop to as low as 6°C – 7°C) and a hot and extremely humid summer (temperatures can climb up to a maximum of 35°C). Spring is characterized with light drizzles while the summers bring heavy rain. The best time to visit Hanoi is around September to November or from March to April for their milder temperatures and pleasant weather.

Average Rainfall millimeters

Average Temperature

Hue/ Danang

The coast and delta area of Hue has tropical climate and is divided into two distinguished seasons. The dry season (from March to August) has a maximum temperature of 400 C and the colder, rainy season (August to January) has temperatures that can go down to 19,70 C. In higher areas (on mountains, highlands) the temperature is generally cooler. From March to August will be the best time to visit Hue, especially between March and April when the temperature is more pleasant, though rainfalls are still likely. Hue sees fog and rain quite frequently, even when the weather across the Hai Van Pass in nearby Danang is sunny.  During the rainy season, between September and January, rain is more frequent and can be heavy.

Weather chart for Hue/Danang/Hoi An area

Average Rainfall centimeters.

Average Temperature

Hoi An

Somewhere between tropical and climate. The temperature is warm throughout the year (average 29°C), yet hotter around months June and July and cooler around December. Hoi An is affected by monsoon winds. The city will be constantly raining from September till January, and dry for the rest of the year. Overall, the best time to visit Hoi An is between May and June. February and April are among the best time to visit Hoi an when rainfall is low and temperatures are pleasant. The temperatures can get hot during summer time and during the rainy season, particularly during October and November, rains can be frequent and heavy.

NhaTrang

Nha Trang is extremely lucky to not be influenced by monsoon winds that turn the rest of southern Vietnam into water six months every year. Nha Trang has a warm, fair and beautiful climate nearly all year round, with the exception of late October, November and early December. The best time to visit Nha Trang would probably be March or April. The least windy months of the year are May, April and June. Nha Trang in general is not windy enough to windsurf, with the exception of Doc Let beach (35 km north of Nha Trang), which is usually reserved for experts.

Dalat

Surrounded by mountains and pine forests, Da Lat has many characteristics of a temperate climate. The average temperature here is 18–21°C, with highest temperature 30°C and lowest 5°C. Dalat also has the two season climate typical of South Vietnam, with a monsoon season from May to October and a dry season from November to April. Dalat is never stormy and only has occasional heavy winds from the ocean through the mountainless East side of the city. Dalat is in the temperate region and has pleasant weather year-round, even sunny during much of the rainy season.  The dry season lasting from November to March, and the rainy season from April to November. During the winter months, the average temperature is 10 C while during summer it is around 20 C.  Ideal weather is from November to March, when the air is fresh and cool.

Mui Ne

Mui Ne lies in the monsoon tropical zone, with 2 district seasons. The rainy season is from May to October and the dry season from November to April. Dry season normally means NO RAIN. Mui Ne lies in the emerging Binh Thuan Desert and is prone to drought. Onset of rainy season can bring flash flooding and extensive errosion. Rainy season brings lush green foliage and the return of birds, butterflies and other wildlife (and takes away the tourists). Rain is usually for an hour, once or twice a day (typically afternoon and evening), during the rainy season. The yearly average rainfall varies between 50 and 100 cm. The average relative humidity is 79%. Because Mui Ne receives very little rain, it is also sunnier, and thus feels hotter than Nha Trang or Ho Chi Minh City.

Ho Chi Minh City weather and climate

Located in South Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City city has a tropical climate. The average humidity level is 75%, average temperature is 28 °C. The city is generally warm, and has a monsoon season from May to November and a dry season from December to April. During the rainy season starting from May to November, rains can be long and heavy, but often are short daily rains that clear quickly. Generally, the best time to visit is during the dry season from December and April, although the coolest months are October through December.

Average rainfall in Saigon

Average temperature in Saigon

Phu Quoc

The island’s monsoonal sub-equatorial climate is characterized by distinct rainy (June to October) and dry seasons (November to May). The annual rainfall is high averaging 2,879 mm. In the northern mountains up to 4,000 mm have been recorded. April and May are the hottest months with temperature reaching 35 °C. Trips to Phu Quoc can be made all year round, but the best time is dry season when the sky is always sunny, clear and blue.

So there you have it!! I wish to thank all of the sites I copied from. It was a bit hard compiling this information into one place, and your sites helped immensly.

Update.

Here is another link to rainfall and temperature charts with more detailes information

http://owee58.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=3387&action=edit

Mekong attraction

In the mid 2000’s Vietnam seemed to discover the tourist dollar. The government let it be known to the people that tourism and the foreigners that were to come with it, will be welcomed and anybody causing us difficulties would be dealt with. It is now 2010 and Tourism has flourished. Most cities have developed areas that foreigners stay and around them has developed a tour industry that may surpass anything similar in other countries. There is heave competition for the tourist dollar and a person can get extremely good deals on travel and accommodation to many places. With the increase of tourist traffic, the ever industrious Vietnamese have introduced services that can be quite unique and exactly what a budget traveler is looking for.

First let us address tours:

Many people are overwhelmed by the amount of information that comes

In Binh Quoi resort

 their way when searching for a company. Many of them are good and will do anything to satisfy the customer. There are some that are not, but a little homework will ensure you make the correct choice. All reputable tour companies use guides licensed by the government. They will display their licenses around their necks at all times when escorting guests. They are charged to keep you safe and visit establishments that have acceptable standards for a foreigner. The last thing you want is to end up with a bad case of diarrhea and have to suffer in places where the toilet is a hole dug in the ground. The meals will be safe to eat, toilets will be relatively clean. Travel forums such as Trip Advisor can help to make a correct decision, but a person has to try to weed out the people or company promoting themselves for a profit or commission. Also…. Do not be put out by the package you

Stadium in Mekong

might see advertised on a website or other media. A good travel company will take the areas of interest you wish to see and custom built it to your taste. You are the boss.. You choose where you want to go, and if the tour they have pre-built is OK by you, go for it.

Things to ask a company before deciding are

Do you use all accredited guides?

Do they speak the language you want?

Are the busses or cars in new condition?

Garden decoration

How long has your company been in business?

A little time and reading will get you a good guide…… or…. You can always ask me for a referral. I have personal friends in the business that specialize in English speaking tours.

Now, why travel to Vietnam?:

Vietnam is a country and culture very different than others. Through much of its history, Vietnam was an occupied country endlessly struggling for its freedom from foreign rule. This constant struggle has created an extremely rugged and tough people who are able to live in extreme hardship without complaint or thought about it. They work hard at everything, and

Mekong bridge

consequently also play hard when it is all over. They are a happy gracious people with a hard edge that sometimes makes foreigners nervous, but under that edge is a person who would like dearly to be your friend, and invite you into his/her home. It is something to behold, the differences in life here. At first it may come as a big culture shock. Someone described the experience t me as “Vietnam is like a big unassembled jig-saw puzzle after all of the loose pieces were poured onto the floor. It makes no sense, but as you slowly put piece by piece together, it slowly starts to make sense.” A very apt description I think. Soooo the people are great but what about value?…. I am here to tell you that Vietnam is one of the least expensive travel destinations in the world. They still have not quite figured out the rules of supply and demand, but rather compete with each other driving prices down. There also were or are a lot of regulations to where and what kind of hotels could be built. When the Vietnamese saw the tourists come, many in order to get a piece of the pie renovated their homes into guest houses and mini hotels, and they are everywhere. A person can rent a guest house in an out of the way area for as little as 4 dollars a night. On average, a budget

Hotel in Mekong

 conscious traveler can get nice accommodation right in the heart of all the action for 10 to 20 dollars a night anywhere in the country.

The average person here makes about 60 to 100 dollars a month, so all prices are relative to that. You can spend more money staying in foreign hotels eating foreign meals, but why come to Vietnam for that? I meal in Vietnam might cost a dollar or so, and the cold beer with is 30 cents. The taxi to drive across town maybe 3 dollars. Quality clothing of any kind can be purchased for 4 of 5 dollars. Jeans, shorts, shirts…. Take your pick.

So we have established that the people are friendly and it is not an expensive place to find food and accommodation, but what about moving around?

First there is the tour company you may have chosen. They will arrange all of your transportation for you, but if you wish to go on your own?

a small house

The main modes to transportation are Air, Train, Bus, Sleeper bus, Express Taxi Bus. aqnd Open tour bus.

Travel by air is not expensive in Vietnam and a flight between cities will range from 40 to 80 dollars on an average. They are easy to book online and if no holidays are involved, a person can usually get flights in the same week. It is the fastest mode of travel. Next fastest is the express Taxi bus. It is run by a number of different companies. They have assigned seating and travel from point a to b with minimum stops. Usually these are 15 seat passenger transports. Then there is the train. The comfortable trains run at night and a solid sleeper can rent a berth and try to sleep the distance travelled. There are also recliner chairs for the more budge oriented person that does not mind roughing it a bit.

The sleeper bus is a good way to travel. Very inexpensive and the beds are not too uncomfortable. If you can sleep anywhere, this is the way to go.

Real men love props

Lastly are the open tour and the regular bus. The open tour is a concept where you can purchase a ticket to a destination and have 30 days to use it. The ticket allows a person to get off anywhere along the route, spend a day or two, and continue on another day. It stops frequently for breaks and nap time, so be prepared for a long day. The regular bus can be fun but very tiring. It is a constant busy overcrowded mode of transport, and almost anything is allowed on board as long as the people can profit from it. I have literally rode with chickens.

Enough for now…… more to follow…

oops!!! This post is from Feb 20. I did not realize that it did not get posted

As I closed for the night, the main door latch broke off in my hand. Huh!! Always something. We are still fully booked and things are going well. I think I will need to find a night receptionist quickly, Sleeping in the hotel and getting up very early everyday is slowly taking its toll. For the first time since I got here, I was forced to have a 20 minute nap. The streets are still alive with the New Years celebrations. There are dragon dancers showing up at random locations causing traffic jams as curious onlookers stop to gape at the martial arts spectacle. I do

A trap in Chu Chi

 not know how they do it. I see the same young men displaying their arts all day and evening long, and it looks very tiring. They are beaded with sweat by noon and a person can see the pain of the efforts in their faces, but still they persist. I have to admire them.

A bit of weather front has moved in and Nha Trang has cooled to a chilly 26 degrees. A pair of Swedes that were staying with us found the cloudiness not to their liking, so they have moved on south hoping to break through the

Hands up

front. I wish them luck. From what I have been able to see, the mildest and calmest climate is here in Nha Trang. Oh…… about the climate (oooooo ya gotta love my segways

Vietnam is over 3000 Km long so temperature can vary quite a bit depending on the season. I have been asked many times when the best time to travel to Vietnam is. That is a bit of a difficult question, but I will do my best to give you a clear answer.

Loom in muslim village

in Vietnam there are two seasons, the cold season occurs from November to April and the hot season from May to October. The difference in temperature between the two seasons in southern parts of Vietnam is almost unnoticeable, averaging only around 3ºC. It is much more noticeable in the North where differences of 12ºC are not uncommon. In the northern regions, the rainy season from May to September (it’s hot, heavy rain), and the dry season from October to April (it’s cold, little rainfall). The annual average temperature is in the 20 to 25 degree range, but in winter the average

Paddling on the Mekong

temperature is around 16 and can go as low as 3 degrees. There is over 100 days of rain fall making it hard to hit the best weather.

The south is a sharp contrast There is almost no noticeable difference in seasons and it is not as stormy as the north. It can get quite hot during the summers, especially in the Mekong. From Ho Chi minh City all the way up the coast, the climate is generally similar with the exception of Nha Trang. Nha Trang is blessed with some of the mildest weather in the world. The rainy season only lasts about one month, and then, it may only rain for a week or two with sunny afternoons and stormy mornings. Nha Trang is surrounded by a number of mountains that shelter it from storms and weather fronts. The climate is mild all year around with an average temperature of 26-28

Future boat driver

 degrees. Most if not all of the typhoons that hit Vietnam veer slightly to the north and miss Nha Trang. Other areas as close as 10 Km can be devastated, while this locale remains untouched. That is probably why the ancient Cham people thrived here.

So here it is in a nutshell…. Depending where you want to spend your time will influence your decision. If you intend  to spend most of your time touring south and central Vietnam, I would suggest winter Maybe January of February. It will be fairly dry and the temperatures mild at 26 – 32 degrees. However, travel to the north is not so pleasant at this time. It can be chilly but tolerable in Halong Bay, but it can be darn right miserable if you plan to go to SAPA. If only coming to the center and Nha Trang in particular, almost any month is good. Just remember that October-November is the rainy season. The north is a little trickier. If you do not want to be cold, summer is the best, however, is becomes rainy and hot.

South Mekong Girls

In my opinion, if a person wants to do an entire country tour from top to bottom, April – June may be the best months. There is a good chance that the warmer weather has set in the north and the south is not in its hottest time. For myself, I do not mind January through March. I would much rather deal with a little chilliness than be confined to air-conditioned hotel rooms. I hope this answers some of your questions. If you have more specific questions…. Please ask

Todays photo’s brought to you by Brad

At the moment it is New Years Eve. Only fifteen minutes until the fireworks start. I am sure it will be spectacular. The fireworks will be launched from the center of the beach over the ocean. I only hope that I will be able to see them from here. I am right on the beach, but there is a small bend that might impede the view. I would love to walk the short distance over to get a good view but I am forced to deal with a reality that exists here. I have mentioned before that the whole country shuts down at New Year. I should have suspected that it would affect me in some way, but live and learn. I am now short staffed…… no let me re-phrase that….. I have no staff!! They have all gone home for the holiday. Mai and I are now sleeping here to keep the place open. Believe me when I say that this will never happen again. I am learning, slowly. Soooo…. Let me tell you about a big mistake I made.

Being newly engaged in the hotel business, I was asked by a family in Saigon if they could rent my entire building for one of the days during the New Year. Happy with the prospect of having a full house, I agreed as long as a deposit was sent. They did send the deposit and everything was cool……. Until…. A person came to us and wanted to book the hotel for two days prior and one week after including the date I was full…. Sorry I tell them. They can have every night except Feb 17. Not good enough and they move on looking for another hotel. This has happened many times now and I could have been at maximum capacity for two weeks, but because I am full for one night….. none of them have stayed. Damn!!!!! Live and learn. I have no doubt that I will have a lot of customers in the days to come, but I am hoping that as the first hotel here offering full services with booze and other things, that I can profit a bit on the extras. My prices are low, but of course the more people consuming… the more profit. I do not care if I make any money for me, but I would be happy if the employees working for me got a bit of a bonus. It is a bit of a dilemma still. I am now sitting on the sidewalk in front of my place watching many younger people leaving the hotel next door. It is New Year, and many are consummating their love on an hourly basis, not the working gals. They are making some money, and alas, I could be too. For now, I will continue to stick to my guns ant try to be an overnight hotel. One problem I am avoiding by not going hourly, is a situation that happened nest door. A woman showed up with a large knife angry as hell that the spouse was cheating and was there to kill somebody.

It is amazing how quickly the human body adapts. A person looks at the weather reports from around the world and think “glad I’m not there” or other things of a similar nature. I was once the same. Well… let me tell you something about that. Firstly….. depending on the elevation, the heat of the day can be quite different than what you feel at home. There is also humidity and air flow factors that are involved. I have found that a persons body quickly adjusts to the local climate and things that some extreme are no longer so. For example: I have my bedroom climate controlled. In Canada, I have the temperature set at 23 c for my comfort. Many people have it set below. Here in NhaTrang I have the temperature set at 27 c. Very comfortable. On occasion I need a sheet or blanket, even at that temperature. Humidity is also a bit of a misunderstanding here. If a person looks at the humidity levels, you may think that it will be a muggy day, but it is not so. Ocean breezes and a sky full of sunshine changes things quickly. I have only been here a few months but I can tell you that regular days of +30 and ocean humidity is pleasant. You will adapt, and quickly. I think going home will be a very cold even for me… even in June. It is starting to get hard to imagine what anything below 24 is like.

It has been pointed out to me that I have been doing too much drinking and partying since I have been here. Perhaps they are right. It is New Year and the party is on, however, there seems to always be some reason that I have to join someone for a drink, or I am a host entertaining. I did spend the last couple of days dry, but it is New Year… and tonight not so. I promise to those concerned that I will dry up in the nest few days….. and get back to my fitness mode.

This is cool!!!! I have written tomorrow’s blog tonight. Maybe I get the day off?….. We will see…. It is New Years eve, the city is rocking, And I have had one too many.

An odd afterthought: I am sitting here at almost 1:00 am and people are headed home from the fireworks display. A large number of them are carrying a long length of sugar cane, untrimmed, just cut from the ground. A question that needs an answer.

It is morning and I have the answer Taking home something sweet is good luck.

Kimmy and Kenny

Ah…. Where to begin. I could probably start by saying I have had the honor of meeting some very nice people. Ken has many friends here and I had the extreme pleasure of meeting a few so far. Kimmy invited us to lunch and took us to a very nice buffet place in downtown Saigon. She has a magical personality and I hope very much she will look me up when visiting NhaTrang.

My pal Hau

Yesterdays blog was a short one. Hau came banging on the door and we were set to hit the road for a trip into the Mekong. Here we were waiting for Ken to join us when sadly he announced that he is suffering some heave diarrhea. Which leads me into today’s sub topic:

A foreigner here must pay very close attention they what they eat. The food is wonderful and most things can be consumed safely, however, anything that is washed with local water must be treated as suspect. More importantly is the ice in your drink. There are two kinds of ice here. There are ice factories now that make ice from purified water. These can be recognized

Orange Dragons

 because of a rounded shape and a small hole in the middle. They can be large or small in size. If you are drinking an iced beverage, check to make sure there is some evidence of this round ice. If you cannot see, or if it is crushed ask to make sure it is ice made by machine and not cut from a block. Also,

Mekong river

most restaurants that are set up western style, are washing with purified water so vegetables can be consumed safely, however, in local spots, unless it is boiled or peeled do not eat it. I have as of yet not had a problem by following these two basic rules. Now on with the story:

Ken retired to his room and Hau and I were off by our selves to try a new

The drive on new highway

 highway that had just opened the day before. It reduced the time it takes to travel to the Mekong by three hours. The drive was beautiful. There are police at both ends of the new freeway to stop any motorcycles and trucks from entering and cars only are allowed. This may change but it made the ride pleasant. Since ken was not able to attend, it allowed me more time

On the Mekong

to get to know Hau. Our driver was surprised that this was the first time he had seen Hau travelling in his shorts and a tee shirt rather than formal attire. Hau explained to him that this was a trip with a friend and not a tourist. I was honored. I now consider him a very good friend, and I hope to spend time with him whenever he is here in NhaTrang, or I in

at the docks

 Saigon.  For any of my readers, if you plan to come here and need somebody to organize your trecks…. Hau is your man. Check out this website www.visitindochina.net Anyway…… back to Mekong. The drive took us only

Restaurant on water

1hr 10min to a town named My Tho. My Tho was founded by the Chinese back in the 13^th century. At that time a group of Chinese approached the King (or Emperor) of Vietnam and asked for land to live. The  King not wanting much do do with then gave them a piece of land far away, empty, and useless at the

Hau and our boat driver

 time. The Chinese thrived and eventually flowed to the north where they established a very large Chinatown in Saigon. If you go to do business there, you will probably end up in Cho Lon eventually. We arrived at a newly build boat dock to have a private boat waiting for us. We were way ahead of any

Looking back on our boat

tourists so we were alone (just the way I like it). Our small boat was chugging away across a wide section of the Mekong river when oh…oh…… A gentle wind started blowing, and the tide started to move in. The waves in the river grew to ocean size. The boat driver commented on the size informing us they were the largest he had ever experienced. Maybe it was that we were going earlier than normal, or perhaps somebody up there wanted me to have exciting things to write about.

On the Mekong river

Well……. After the waves started getting really big, I saw a bit of congers come over the drivers face and he started to concentrate on his driving. I also was becoming a bit concerned, I saw the same thing in Hau. Were we going to make it to the other side? Would the little boat be worthy of the task? Where is Batman??  Or Superman for that matter?? Do not change the channel. Stay tuned.

I have returned to see that NhaTrang is starting to fill up. Many hotels are totally booked and I am sure that our place will be also. I have discovered a disturbing thin upon my return.

Bridge over the Mekong

 The lady that operated this place before me has been hiding and witholdong taxes fron the government for years. They are rightly angry and will be keeping an eye on us as new owners….. Great!!!  So much for charging the big bucks for a quick slingshot into profitability. While most hotels will triple in price the next two weeks, we will have to rent out rooms at a regular rate, or perhaps a little bit higher, but not as we intended. Maybe I can get a crowd that will drink coffee and beer in the lobby to help. Oh well……..This place is too much fun to worry about it now.

Oh My God!! The Vietnamese have discovered LED’s. It is a good thing. The people here are forever trying to save money on their power bills by installing very energy efficient bulbs or even just living with very low lighting. LED’s have started an amazing transformation where they can decorate things with light at a low cost, and now they have. I was in an electrical store marveling at the rolls of led wire being sold to people. I did not know such a thing existed, but let me tell you about the display they are creating. Lunar New Year is coming up shortly. For the Asians this is a big thing. Years ago it was displayed by flags being flown from every household and chains of firecrackers adding to the constant noise all around. Now the firecrackers are no longer allowed, and light displays and special events, many of them singing are all the rage. Now the city is being lit up by a cascade of light shows, all lit by LED’s. It is only day one of the celebrations, so who knows what other light shows will show up soon. I have the camera…. I will take photo’s.

All these lights and the coming of New Year has turned this city into a party. A person cannot travel anywhere after dark without coping with heavy traffic. Also, all the young men and women are dressed for the occasion……  Damn my eyes hurt!!! I truly wish that all of you could be here to experience this…. It is a slow climax building to some kind of finale in the next two weeks. It is not as before…. I do not know how it will end…. Just another part of the adventure.

One final thought…. Do you pee in the shower?….Admit it… I know…. I have heard that many do.. me?? I can proudly admit that yes in fact I do…. Ha!! My urinal is right below my shower head…. Ahhhh luxury…. Bwa Ha Ha

Witnessing beautiful light shows, driving in warm tropical breezes, seeing beautiful young people around me, and peeing in the shower……. How can it be better?  Now I am off to Saigon for a bit of business and pleasure. It should prove interesting as I had totally forgot about new year when I made arrangements.

Meet my friends Beverly and Richard. Beverly is a fun lady I met last year while traveling, and as luck would have it, we have met again. She is from Vancouver, retired, and loves spending time in NhaTrang. Who can blame her. The man next to her is Richard from Washington State. He is a man as fast as me with the one line comebacks… maybe even faster…. But nhyaaa.. that can not be possible!! The photo’s were taken at the Ha Van Hotel where they were celebrating their Employees, a great bunch of people. A funny thing happened yesterday, I was sitting in the lobby working on the computer and Mai was in the kitchen working when a well dressed man on a motorcycle pulled up, he reluctantly parked his bike in the parking area. To

Brad in his new high fashion duds

 Mai’s surprise, a woman came roaring into the kitchen on her motorbike through the kitchen door. It seems they were a cheating couple trying not to be seen going into the same hotel. We politely informed them that we no longer rented by the hour, and they left. This got me to thinking. Maybe I should still offer a room, but at the overnight prices. Why turn away somebody with money. As long as the room is registered to one person, there should be no trouble with police, and they will be gone by the night. Hmmmmmm Besides, there are probably a lot of legitimate lovers that have no

New external paint job

place to go because of multiple families living in the same household. Maybe I should rethink my policy of no short timers…… We will see. I was out taking a couple of shots from in front of the hotel to put on the website I am developing. I think I hit the time perfectly. The shots looked very good and here they are to share with you. Things are coming along nicely. There is confusion, language barriers, and good old Vietnamese impossible thoughts, but I am slowly breaking through those barriers. How about a little bit on water sports? Back in the days, there was no such thing.

Beach in front of hotel 1

 Swimming was the only thing you used the ocean for. Nowadays there is almost any kind of activity that one can imagine. If swimming is your thing, the best location is on the beach where we are located. It is somewhat more sheltered so the waves are gentler and the water is cleaner. The

Beach in front of hotel2

southern beach is still good for swimming, however, there is a lot of activity. A person can rent Sea craft, go parasailing, windsurfing, and of course scuba diving. I have not gone diving yet, but have been offered to go for free in exchange for computer repair services. I may take them up on it one day. There are supposed to be a few decent choral reefs here but sadly many of

Beach in front of hotel3

 them were destroyed after the 1070’s.You see, the Vietnamese being ever the quick learners found that fishing was much more efficient using concussion grenades instead of nets. The fishery was destroyed as was a lot of choral reefs. To this day the fish do not get a chance to grow and fishing although

Beach in front of hotel4

available, is limited to tiny 4 inch fish. The water here rivals any other place on the globe. It is warm, multicolored, and gentle. However, sometimes the main beach may wash up a thing or two a person could do without seeing. The main river that flows through the countryside is also the main disposal place for many towns upstream. Unfortunately sometimes refuse washes up on the main beach area. To their credit, the Vietnamese have cleaning crews out cleaning the beach area and the government is trying to clean up the upstream problems. Our beach used to have a similar issue, but the polluters upstream were shut down and now the water quality is good. The majority of what washes up on the northern beach is simple, harmless, seaweed. Lastly, I stopped at a pub I frequent to use the wifi and do some computer work. He and only one waitress working and he was swamped with customers. I have no idea how hit books will fare, as he was drunk as a skunk and had no clue how much my tab was. I was honest and paid the correct amount hoping that my customers would do the same.

How do I approach the words of the day? I could quote the words of a famous American general and say it was one big cluster F___, and it would be close. But it was still fun. I am finding that being angry for short durations is part of life here… I have lots of experience and should be accustomed to the things that happen, but it seems it gets to me every time. Let me tell you about a simple purchase. I have mentioned some of the details in previous blogs, but I will add more detail now. For my Vietnam readers, I will try to make clear what is different.

 In North America, if you want to buy a product in a store, you simply pick up or select the item, go to a cash person, pay and leave the business…… It is that easy. You can use cash, check, or credit card and you are out the door. Here it is different. I went to purchase a Kettle so I could offer coffee in the lobby of the hotel. I also selected an Emergency light if we had a power failure. Here is how the transaction worked. A sales person that makes commission will follow you everywhere hoping to make a sale. Lucky for them…. I am a big catch! I select two items that I wish to purchase. The product codes are recorded and taken to a desk where an order sheet is written. I then am escorted to a payment desk where after offering Id, I was then able to convince them to bill to my credit card. After a little time and approval, we are submitted 3 receipts. You the carry them to a shipping area and give them one of the receipts. When it gets to your turn, they put the receipt into a small elevator. The elevator descends and after a time comes back with your purchase. A clerk picks up the item and your purchase is delivered. You leave one copy of your receipt with them and then proceed out the door…….. but wait!! There is a security guard that wants to check your purchase against the receipt. He or she will take the final recipe from you leaving you with just one. The whole process??? Maybe 30 minutes.

I have gone through this already and have returned home when to my shock I see that I have been given the display units of both. I do not want that. I returned to the store angry that I got the floor displays and not new items. They did not have stock on the items I wanted so typical Vietnamese style, instead of asking if I wanted the floor models, they just assumed they were doing a good thing by giving me the floor model. I did not want older scratched up items. To their credit, they were very happy to replace the items with others of my choice and assured us that they will not do that again as we have spent 100 million in their store, and do not want to lose such good customers. OK…. I am now happy…. Time to go… But wait again!!!  Now they have to do a return bill, a reason form, and issue a new bill. We cannot get the shipping department to get the items until we show up with the copies. Finally we get then and off to the shipping area… It is busy…. ARRRGGHHH!!  We finally exited one and a half hours later….   Purchases can be difficult here.

I arrived back at the hotel just in time to have the new experience of a giant fish tank exploding. The water flooded the lobby in one big swoosh, the fish flapping away gasping for breath. I thought it only happened in James Bond movies. So here I was until midnight, sopping up water with towels. And this morning??? I wake up to the calls of no water in the hotel. After trying to get to the bottom of this and having the Vietnamese running amok, I was finally able to determine that they shut it off at night in order to save money. Sheesh!!  Let us see what today brings.

I woke up this morning a bit a wreck. I perhaps did not mention that on the bus ride back from Quy Nhon, there was a young man riding with us that had a bit of a cough. Well guess what… The next day Brad came down with symptoms of a cold. Myself, a day or two later. We have been headachy, stuffed up and sore for a few days. Brad seemed to get the worst of it. We are almost better now, but still some traces remain. Mai thankfully never caught anything from us. Maybe this virus only likes men, sort of like the darned mosquitoes here.

Let me tell you a bit about the mosquitoes here. There are different kinds than we experience at home. The biggest I have seen here is similar to the average mosquito at home but these fellows are not a problem. It seems I never get bitten by these. I think they must be a larger male version of the common mosquito here.. The ones that are the problem are tiny little light bodied ones that you cannot feel land or penetrate the skin. In every place you go here, there are fans turned on to blow the pesky thing away. This may have worked fine in the past but large surface tables and table cloths have negated the effect of blowing them off. Now the pesky little buggers are blown under the tables. They remain in these dark cool places waiting for a pair of tasty ankles to present themselves. I have no idea why, but I can sit with a dozen Vietnamese and not a one of them will get a bite, but I will go away scratching at many. And scratch it is!! The enzyme that these little buggers inject into a person causes a welt the size of a nickel and they itch worse than you can imagine. I have had many that turned into bleeding sores because of the unconscious urge to scratch. During the day there is no problem with mosquitoes. They tend to stay in the dark damp areas, and NhaTrang has a lot of sunshine and breezy days which blow them away. A person almost never gets a bite outdoors, but in restaurants and in bed sleeping….. well…that is another matter.

You may be wondering about Malaria, Dengue fever, or other diseases.  Let me reassure you, there are no malaria carriers within 20 kilometers of the coast making almost all of Vietnam malaria free. Dengue fever can be caught here, but it is a rare daytime mosquito, and very few mosquitoes bite here during the day. Most are just the pesky tiny ones that leave a bad… and I mean bad itch.

And now for something completely different…….. Karen and Glen from Canada arrived yesterday. Karen works for the Union I belonged to and her husband is retired from the city. They decided to travel to NhaTrang partly because of my blog and the people who follow it at home. They flew in from Thailand and we got together for a drink the night before last. They decided to arrange for a motorcycle rental for the next day and we met to do a little sight seeing. I first took them to a restaurant for lunch next to my hotel. Karen was a little skeptical about trying seafood congee, but after a little coaching, she tried it and liked it. After we were sated, we headed for a drive in the beautiful area in which I live. It was an enjoyable slow drive. After stopping for a coffee, we drove to some ancient ruins near one of my homes called Ponaga Cham. There is a small fee to enter but locals do not have to pay. I spent a few minutes arguing playfully with them that I should not have to pay because I was a local and even showed them my id. But alas…. To no avail… I had to grudgingly have to pay my fifty cents. We ended by going to the local market for just a drive by and then back to the tourist area where I recommended them to stay. Glen did not do too bad on the driving front. He did not understand the rules of the road so I can understand his nervousness. But all in all he did OK. A day or two and he will be over the shakes, and get along OK.

Glen and Karen are looking at Thailand as a possible retirement location. I have warned them that once here, you will never want to leave. Glen is pretty Thailand minded… sooooo we will see. NhaTrang is a magical place and it is hard to forget.