HALLOWEEN!

Saturday 1st November 2008

Wow... November already! At school last night Mista Michael did his best to imbue the proceedings with some all-American Halloween fun and games. I don’t know how his class reacted to his bizarre Bin Laden outfit, but all I could hear were gales of laughter as I attempted to elicit Past Continuous Tense sentences from my students. Read his blog at... http://gymnastmike.blogspot.com/

After classes a group of teachers and students met up at The Garden Cafe for a Beer. The music was loud but one song caught my ear and Mr Duc, one of our teachers, was spontaneously moved to break into song and very melodious it was too! He explained that it’s the theme tune of the Cafe, being by an American group called the Garden something or other. (Should have written it down, but perhaps someone can enlighten me.) Anyway, it’s very catchy and tuneful, which is more than you can say for most music these days.

This very upmarket restaurant with fountains and palm trees festooned with fancy coloured lights has recently opened and is not far from where we live. The food is good, once we learned to recognise items on the menu, which is mainly beef, but the service so far in our experience is sloooooow. It took at least twenty minutes to get our beers! Not only that, but they tend to overcharge if we don’t have a Vietnamese friend with us. The first time we went there, the guys who look after the motorbikes were asking us for money, until the manager came over and stopped them. But the main drawback in the evenings is the LOUD music, which inhibits conversation somewhat.

Mark decided last night that would be the last time he goes there and I agree. He’s been having trouble with hearing and this morning he went to see the Doctor, who gave his ears a thorough examination and discovered that one of them has a fungal infection. He even has the pictures to prove it! How often do you get a picture of your ailment from your Doctor?

Another Move

Tuesday 21^st October 2008

When Mark picked me up this morning to have lunch at his house, (cooked by the wonderful Judy,) he’d bought a bed for me and it was already delivered and assembled, so all I need now is some bedding. As it will take a few days for the internet to be installed I’ll probably move on Friday, just as my month here is up. Actually it will be much more convenient to share with Mark again.

Friday 24^th October 2008-10-23

Another Moving Day.

The rain woke me early this morning and I dozed for a while in my bed, absorbed in the tumult of sound. It began to ease off as I got up and started to pack my things; not a lot I thought, until I’d filled a large case with clothes and kitchen-ware and another one with bedding, and still had carrier bags of things like toiletries, cleaning materials, packets of noodles, teas and biscuits, electric kettle and bug zapper not to mention my refrigerator that I’d paid for. Add to that my laptop case and other small bags and it seemed a lot to be conveying by motorbike.

I was on messenger having conversations with Michael who was offering his help, and Mark who had an impending Doctor’s appointment. Eventually the rain ceased and Thim came in to see me, so I asked for her help in getting a taxi large enough to take everything and in no time everything was stowed in the large hatchback. It took all of four minutes to get to the new house and cost 40,000 VN Dong, which is about £1.30.

While Mark went off to his appointment, I made myself at home and found places for all my stuff, hanging my clothes on the large clothes rack in Mark’s bedroom as there’s no furniture as yet. So far his room is the only one with AC, but a breeze blows through the house and fans do a good job of keeping us cool downstairs. The redoubtable Judy arrived and cooked us a delicious lunch of fried rice with chicken and we spent the afternoon preparing lessons.

Soon our first private student arrived; the 20 year old daughter of our landlords. Her English is quite good and we had a good hour’s testing conversation. During our class I got a desperate call from Michael, saying he was too sick to teach tonight and asking if I’d take his two level 5 classes! Of course I said I would, though I’d no idea of what to prepare and not enough time anyway. In contrast to Mark who always prepares interesting classes, most of the teachers simply go into work and teach what’s in the books, so I’d have to find out where each class was up to when I got there.

It had been raining most of the day, but stopped by the time I was ready to go to KTV with Mark at about 4.45pm. Halfway there, as we came up to the main crossroads we were amazed to find a huge traffic jam of motorbikes and cars with one policeman trying to sort out the melee. This was worse than any exodus after a football match. We knew of a tiny back road that would lead to school if we could extricate our bike from the crush we’d got into, and luckily we got to KTV in time for our first lessons.

Only six students out of the eighteen in the register turned up for the first class and it was very enjoyable. The second class arrived in full strength and then I was suddenly informed that a teacher who’d been caught in the traffic hadn’t yet arrived to teach his class, so would I mind if his class and mine were amalgamated? So there I was, teaching 24 students material that I hadn’t even prepared! What fun!! Luckily, after 15 minutes the absent teacher turned up to claim his class. Apparently he’d been unable to get home after shopping and was literally caught on his bike in the pouring rain for more than half an hour before finding a coffee shop to wait for the traffic to move.

Apparently, the chaos that was spread over a large area had been caused by serious flooding after the heaviest rain for many years. We were lucky that where we live wasn’t affected.

As I retired to my new bed in the new house, I heard for the first time the sounds of the jungle, or at least, the bit of country that borders our house. It was the hum of insects and croaking frogs right outside my window, which I then closed tightly, hoping that I’d have no more bites in the morning!

Actually, it was very peaceful away from any main roads and eventually I slept well.

Thursday 30^th October 2008

Over the past six days I’ve been settling into the new house and a slightly different routine. Its great being here with Mark as we help each other out preparing lessons. I’m learning so much from him, but can also help by proof-reading for him; two heads being better than one.

Sometimes I go with Mark in the morning to teach his private students; two teenage cousins who live a few kilometres away, and we’ll usually stop on the way for a nourishing breakfast of Pho. At other times Judy (or Khan, which is her real name), goes with him. She’s always bringing food and cooking for us, which is making me very lazy, but to tell the truth, food is not such a priority. I don’t know if it’s the heat, but I just don’t seem to get very hungry. I’d like to tell you that I’m losing weight, but without scales it’s hard to tell. In spite of all the sweating and diminished appetite this all-too-solid flesh doesn’t yield so easily.

We’ve already started to attract private students and I’ve been teaching the 20 year old daughter of the landlords since last Friday, while her brother and his friend have also started coming for lessons. We’re not charging very much, but every little helps pay the rent.

Now I can get to school and back with Mark I have no further need of Mr Duan, my motorbike taxi service, but as funds are running low, (we get paid at the end of the month) I’ll have to pay him next week. That’s because of the extra costs involved in taking on this house; one AC, my bed, curtains and internet connection, which for some reason I can’t access on my laptop (and we’re still waiting for them to fix that problem!) So Mark now owes me a small fortune!!! But never fear, by Saturday we’ll be millionaires again.

I’m glad to report that the house is mainly free of insects and the only bites I get now are usually when I’m out somewhere. I even sleep with my windows wide open; the trusty bug-zapper standing guard in the window. So what’s new? I’ve been eaten alive by midges in Snowdonia! As Diane tells me that insects don’t like aloe, I’m using my aloe deodorant stick on arms and legs to hopefully make me bite-proof, but whether that has any affect at all remains to be seen.

It’s not as quiet and peaceful here as I first thought and a couple of dogs have been jolting me awake early in the morning. Worse than a cock crowing! They sleep for the rest of the day then wake up as I’m going to sleep! There’s also a lot of building work going on in the neighbourhood so it’s a bit dusty with Lorries depositing materials. With a brand new Hotel around the corner and some beautiful houses going up this is becoming a very up-market area.

Little Michael as he’s known at KTV, (Duc is his real name) has come at Mark’s invitation to have lunch with us. He’s a lovely young man but I must admit that our intention is not simply to have interesting conversation or to feed his skinny frame. We’re both having laptop trouble and Michael is pretty good at fixing problems. Although he’s not an expert, we trust that he knows more about IT than either of us. So after heartfelt welcoming hugs and a quick meal, he’s shackled to our desks to resolve all our woes.

However, he can’t understand why it is I can’t get online with Mark’s security code and we’re still waiting for the guys who set up our connection here. The main trouble seems to be that no computers here have genuine Bill Gates’ Windows, so the whiz kids simply go into DOS and change the code to achieve what they want, which I think is bound to affect the way the programmes work; but I could be wrong!

The Internet man has now been and gone. He took all afternoon to sort out the problem, but now I’m back online!!! Halleluiah! I was beginning to have serious withdrawal symptoms; lethargic, withdrawn and trembling. (That’s a joke by the way.) Now I'm happy that I'm able to phone home again!

Another Moving Experience

Monday 20^th October 2008

At the weekend, Mark decided to move to a house that Judy had found between here and school. It’s in a new district off the main road and close to the river, which is hidden by trees. Most of the houses look quite basic but this one with its immediate neighbours looks very new and the rent is very reasonable; just 4M (4000,000) Dong a month, which is about £120 without electric, which could be another 1M or £30. The rent for my apartment is 3M including electricity and I have the use of two rooms, one of which houses the Buddhist shrine, where I can get online, and a combined shower & loo, but the internet connection costs extra and I don’t have a kitchen.

Like most houses here, Mark’s new house is as wide as a generous garage and the front security concertina doors, like in lifts, open into one long living room, where the bikes are also kept at night. Behind this are a loo/shower room and a kitchen with a narrow open space at the back for drying clothes. It really is quite a beautiful house, not huge, but perfectly adequate. It’s very clean with tiled floors and half-tiled walls, but best of all is the real kitchen with fitted cupboards, tiled worktop, double sink and all! Mark already has a fridge-freezer, washing machine, microwave, small calor-gas ring and kitchen utensils so at last we can cook for ourselves.

A very elegant winding marble staircase leads from the back of the living room to the first floor and three bedrooms with another loo and shower room. Mark has claimed the bigger front bedroom with small balcony for his giant bed, while I’ll have the back room next to the loo. Behind my room is a kind of balcony area that would be very attractive with potted plants. The only essentials missing are Air Conditioners, but the landlords, a very nice couple, waived the customary three months deposit on the understanding that Mark will install these as he can afford them, the cost of which will be reimbursed at the end of his tenancy, whenever that may be.

On Sunday after Cinema club at the school, everyone helped move his belongings out of his rooftop room to be transported in a small removal van. Luckily, we had the use of the lift to descend the 5 stories. It didn’t take long to unload but with all the exertion we were bathed in sweat and Mark’s T-shirt was literally wet through. It was dark before we took a break for a meal with Michael before returning to assemble his bed, which meant screwing the heavy framework together before he could sleep there. As soon as we buy a bed for me I’ll be able to move in.

I’ll be sad to leave the tranquillity of Co Mai’s property as we’ve achieved a certain rapport over the past month. As a Buddhist, she has a spiritual teacher and does good works for the poor. I believe they also help to support other family members and an orphanage. We communicate on a very basic level and I think she possibly understands me more than I do her, but we smile and hug a lot. I was looking through a bookcase in my room containing books and CD’s in Vietnamese, except for one that’s bi-lingual; Louse Hay’s ‘I can do it’. Isn’t that wonderful?

Mark would have liked to live here, but the accommodation offered is just too small for what he wants to do, which is to have his own private students. There are also a lot of insects here and although my bug-zapper seems to be doing its job, I still get an occasional bite. Also my mattress is on the floor, which I’m not too happy about although I’m OK about the geckoes that zip across the walls from time to time; they only come in to catch insects.

Because I have no cooking facilities, if I get hungry I have crackers and cheese or bread and peanut butter. Actually, if I’m here all day when Mark’s busy and I’m not teaching, Co Mai often invites me to share a meal or brings me something while I’m busy on my laptop, exhorting me to; ‘eat, eat!’

Tuesday 21^st October 2008

When Mark picked me up this morning to have lunch at his house, (cooked by the lovely Judy,) he’d bought a bed for me and it was already delivered and assembled, so all I need now is some bedding. As it will take a few days for the internet to be installed I’ll probably move on Friday, just as my month here is up. Actually it will be much more convenient to share with Mark again.

CULTURE

Wednesday 15^th October 2008

5.0’clock in the afternoon and I’m sitting in my Buddha shrine hall, the only place I can get online, as torrential rain drums down on the roof. It’s warm but an oscillating fan keeps me at a comfortable temperature. It’s lucky that I don’t have a class tonight as I wouldn’t fancy going out in this. (It’s raining cats and dogs, but you wouldn’t send a dog out in this weather!) What a strange language English is!

That's Co Mai with me outside my apartment, which is opposite their house.

Anyway, I’ve had such a busy day with one thing and another, that on returning to ‘the Ranch’ I switched on the TV, lay on my bed to relax and actually slept through most of an episode of ‘Northern Exposure’, my favourite programme of all time. I was woken by Thim, a young cousin of the family who lives here and helps out with the home as well as the factory. She’s always so busy, but comes in for a chat whenever she has time. I only brought one pair of trousers with me and Co Mai had given me a piece of black silk, saying that Thim would make a pair for me, so she wanted my trousers to use as a pattern. She’s around 20 and very beautiful in both her appearance and personality. That's her, dressed for shopping in mask, gloves and socks!

I’ve wanted to get a swim ever since I arrived but have been put off by cautions such as; “I don’t think the water will be safe for you,” from one lady whose young son swims regularly. Did she think I’d drink the water? Co Mai said that she often swims, but then again, classes at KTV or trips with Mark have prevented me from joining her. I kept asking about a suitable swimming pool and finally discovered that there is one locally, so yesterday, when Long, one of our older students was here, the suggestion was made to go swimming early this morning; just Long, Michael and myself. So at 7.30 this morning we were ready to go. Mike went on Long’s bike while Co Mai led the way with me on her bike. It wasn’t far to the pool, which we’d never have found among the maze of buildings along the main road.

It was a surprise; maybe Olympic size with spectator’s terraces, it must have been a great project when built. Today it looks as decrepit and run down as those 60’s high rise apartment buildings in the UK that they keep knocking down; the once fresh concrete now badly weathered and formerly gleaming tiles stained and looking in need of a good clean. Sophia, one of the young women teachers told me that she remembers it being very popular when it was built, having swimming contests and Galas, but now people don’t want to go because it’s dirty.The pool is open from 6.00 to 9.00 in the morning, then from 4.00 in the evening, apparently because the sun is too hot during the day even for swimming. It was great to be in the water, which was a perfect temperature if a little cloudy and we had the enormous pool almost to ourselves. The water felt strangely soapy; very soft and somehow thick and buoyant without being salty, with no smell of chlorine at all, so maybe they don’t use it. I managed not to drink any.

The spartan changing room had no seating or pegs to hang clothes; just shower cubicles with old broken showers and plastic pipes, festooned high up with dusty cobwebs and I was glad it was empty of people as I dried and dressed. Maybe it gets busy first thing before people go to work and hopefully at weekend, but Long said he never swims there or anywhere else. He said he used to swim in the river when he was young, (he’s now 26) but admitted, at our incredulous looks, (the local Dong Nai river is a very murky brown) that now rivers are too polluted. Whenever I mention swimming to students, I’m surprised that very few of them can swim.

After our swim, Co Mai took us for a breakfast of Pho Ba, then a ride into the countryside to visit her factory. Her husband, Mr Phong is the artist and designer; he’s such a nice man. They now manufacture aluminium garden pots, which they export to the UK because it became too expensive to make ceramic ones for export. They are all hand made by a workforce of 40 locals. It was fresh out there with a calm, relaxed atmosphere.

Saturday 18^th October 2008

What can I tell you about this country? Well first of all it’s a communist government, but that doesn’t stop some people making money and flaunting it! So far I’ve only seen the cities; first of all where I landed at the airport of Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon as it’s still called by everyone, because it’s on the Sai Gon river. Then there’s the city of Bien Hoa over the Dong Nai River, where I’m living. The south of the country is punctuated by meandering rivers and the two cities merge over their bridges much like Salford merges with Manchester, only much bigger. I’ve previously described our trips into Saigon both by car, which can take an hour or more and by train, which takes a leisurely 45 minutes. This is an upwardly mobile culture, with a rapidly expanding economy and new buildings in new districts springing up everywhere. The only traces to be seen of their previously rural life are occasional old thatched roof structures hidden behind modern apartment blocks and grand houses. And their new houses are very grand. Even when footings are limited in size, elegant four and five stories make up for it, complete with balconies, marble tiled floors and ornate staircase.

As I write, Tina, the nine year old daughter of Co Mai and Mr Phong is here drawing mermaids and I’ve been telling her about my grand-daughter Georgie who is also nine and likes mermaids. Must be some universal connection! Ti, the 13 year old son is also here watching me write. They love to hang around; practising their English which is really quite good. Ti has interesting hobbies such as graffiti spraying with his crew of thirty. He tells me that he was out at 3.0’clock this morning busy creating his art around the neighbourhood. His other activity is ‘free running’, of which he saw samples on U-Tube. This energetic young man is now part of the ‘Mario’ crew, demonstrating their abilities on U-Tube at: http://clip.vn/watch/mario-part-1/Wujr,vn. He tells me there’s only been one broken leg so far and it wasn’t his.

I’m asking Ti about Bien Hoa and their culture. This area has many factories so there is employment for the huge population but this also means that the atmosphere is quite polluted. Most cyclists, especially women, wear masks around their faces but that’s really to keep the dust off. The most important factor in peoples’ lives is education, because without a degree of some sort they have little chance of getting on or earning enough to have a good life. KTV attracts mature students as well as young ones and some of them are business men and women wanting to improve their school English so as to expand their trade prospects. Ti is studying hard so as to get to University where he’d like to study Information Technology. He’s very bright and I have no doubt he’ll do well.

People here work hard and many study long hours to improve their lot, but many live in poverty and I see old people walking around trying to sell lottery tickets. There are people who collect rubbish such as the discarded packaging of our new fridges and I sometimes see groups on the sidewalks sorting cardboard from plastic for recycling. The cost of living is very low here along with most people’s wages. Genuine western English Teachers get a good wage as most Vietnamese teachers haven’t really mastered pronunciation and we are the best chance to help them improve. Sometimes it’s difficult to understand what students are trying to say and it’s usually not what they’re saying, but how they’re saying it!

The statistics on religion in Viet Nam are that 85 % are Buddhist with Catholics taking up the remaining 15%, but that doesn’t reveal how many of the population are even religious. My landlady is Buddhist, while her husband appears to be Catholic and there are certainly many Catholic churches as well as Buddhist temples in this city. From my questioning of students I’d say that it’s pretty much the same here as in any secular country; that many people are moving away from religion.

Viet Nam is a long thin country stretching north towards China and I’m looking forward to taking a trip up north quite soon, or when I’ve earned enough money! I’ve been told that there are many beautiful places to see, such as Da Lat in the mountains part way up north and Nha Trang, a famous beach resort on the east coast where the Miss Universe contest was held recently. I can’t wait!

I’m hoping to travel even further north to Hanoi, which actually has four seasons. It’s a long way, maybe 2000 Km. It would be easy to travel by plane but I’d prefer to go by rail. However, Ti tells me that it’s better to go by bus, which is very clean and has 39 beds on two levels as well as restroom and shower facilities. The bus stops for interesting views and photo opportunities and also provides delicious meals. I’ll have to find out more!

I’m told that the people of North Vietnam don’t think much of their southern compatriots. From what I understand, it was the northern communists who wanted control of the whole country while the south, which had become used to European culture from over a hundred years of French occupation, wanted none of it. I get the impression that, as in the strictly moral northern European attitudes of bygone ages, the more traditional northerners regard their southern cousins as lax and decadent.

My impression of people here is that they have a friendly and easygoing nature. Wherever I go, people smile and wave and youngsters call ‘hello’. They seem so thrilled when I greet them with... Hi, Hello or even Xin Chao and wave back. What they are really like I have no way of knowing, except that they are probably no different to people throughout the world! However, I’ve seen no overt signs of aggression and even though everyone sounds their horns in traffic there seems to be a good natured attitude towards congestion and delays. Actually, as most people ride bikes the traffic can always move.

They love to have a good time eating and drinking, but as most of them are so intent on work and study to get out of the poverty trap, they have little time for recreation. Even going out at night is usually limited; they’ll book a Karaoke room for just one hour and roads seem to get quiet by 11.00pm, although as everywhere, men go out to drink beer and sometimes get drunk. Whenever we’ve been invited out for a meal by students after school, it turns out they don’t often eat out, especially when they still live in their family home or are married, which is the normal situation. Mostly they have to be up at the crack of dawn as work and regular school starts early in the day. By midday they have a break of at least one and a half hours to have a meal and rest before returning to work or school. Most Vietnamese Teachers at KTV have a punishing schedule; work or school during the week and teaching most evenings and weekends only leaves Sunday afternoons free.

Very few people live alone and they can’t understand why I’m not living with Mark, even though he only has one room, but this will soon be remedied. More later!

FOOD

Tuesday 7^th Oct. 2008

I had a very lazy day today as I don’t have any classes to prepare. Mark and Judy came over and we took Michael out for a meal in our locality. However it was well into the afternoon and all restaurants seemed to have shut, so our choice was somewhat restricted and we’d all but given up when we came to a quiet, small establishment, unusually clean and offering the inevitable noodles with pork or seafood. It was actually very good and worth patronising in future.

As we turned into our back road we spotted a tiny beauty parlour on the ground floor of a family home, where a woman was having a pedicure and I stopped; ‘Oh yes, that’s just what I need’. After six weeks of sandals and no softening baths my feet were in a sorry state; my toenails so tough that no ordinary nail clippers could make any impression and I returned later with Co Mai who left me soaking my hands and feet in plastic bowls of water while the proprietor finished cutting a customer’s hair. Sitting on a hard wooden chair while my beautician perched on a small plastic stool, I finally surrendered my feet to her capable hands. Her miniature gleaming secateurs delicately cut and clipped, nibbling at the cuticles, shaving off dead skin; filing and buffing so gently that I began to wonder if my feet had lost all sensation. It was fantastic! When she’d finished, my fingernails got the same treatment and restraining her from applying a final glittering nail polish, it took all of one hour and cost 30,000 Dong or approximately £1.00.

Sunday 12^th October 2008

Mark and I were invited to the wedding of the sister of one of Mark’s students last night. A number of students and some staff from KTV had booked a taxi for 5.0’clock but we were both teaching up to 8.0’clock, so by the time we arrived at the Restaurant the wedding was over and the thousand or so guests (yes, you read that right) had already departed. However, Mark’s students were waiting patiently for us. The Restaurant owner just happened to be the father of the student Cara and her sister the bride so they’d laid on a meal especially for us in one of their sumptuous dining halls. Restaurants like this cater exclusively for weddings and may have up to four going at any one time on a busy Saturday. However, unlike most western wedding celebrations that can go on all day or a whole weekend, these last only two to three hours. I saw the remnants of the one we’d missed being cleared away; huge trolleys laden with dishes being wheeled into the kitchen and leftover food being disposed of as the floor was swept of an amazing amount of debris by a small army of workers.

We were seated at a table as large dishes of food appeared; huge prawns in a spicy sauce, seafood salad in a delicious dressing, some kind of pale green rice balls (I think), deep fried chicken and finally a huge pan of soup simmering on gas ring in the middle of the table. The soup contained cooked leg of pork, bones and all with mushrooms and all kinds of vegetables added. All Vietnamese food is fresh and of good quality, so their soups and broths are very nutritious. Not everything is spicy and usually food is served with small saucers of soy and chilli dips. At special meals like this there is a huge amount of food served and one takes small morsels with chopsticks or spoon to put into your own small bowl. I don’t know what they do with leftovers!

Because I’m unaccustomed to eating with chopsticks and small bowls, this has the benefit of stopping me eating too much. Added to this, I’m a natural vegetarian and don’t enjoy eating meat unless it’s roasted, dissected and free of fat and gristle so I’m not eating so much here. Every few yards it seems there are places serving the traditional breakfast of Pho Bo; a large bowl of noodles with beef in a thin broth, or Pho Ga; with chicken. Eating this is an art in itself. The broth is very hot and one adds cooked bean sprouts and whatever salad they have, which sometimes includes a kind of mint, with pieces of lime to squeeze over and fresh chilli if you like it hot! There are also the usual bottles of soy and chilli sauces. If I can manage to eat a whole bowl without splattering my clothes I’m doing well.

Sometimes I just long for roast chicken and roast potatoes or even cod and real chips! I really like some food and can tolerate most, but miss all the vegetables I would normally eat. They do have lots of fresh veg here, but too often in the cheaper restaurants any vegetables have obviously been diced and frozen for convenience. There is a fresh green vegetable that’s a kind of thick stalk cooked with garlic, that’s delicious and is served as a starter. Restaurants also serve salad with most meals; lettuce and an assortment of other greens, which I eat despite the warning not to in most travel guides. So far my digestion has been fine, apart from an occasional gripe in the gut, but I’m in favour of acclimatising to the local intestinal bacteria as far as possible.

Shopping for food is interesting to say the least. Sometimes packets are in both Vietnamese and English and I’m now beginning to recognise words that mean something to me. There is quite an assortment of packet teas, which I now recognise as Green tea, green tea flavoured with artichoke, which is quite nice, and Lipton’s iced tea, which being English we drink hot and is quite sweet. In fact a lot of foods are sweetened, including some bread.

It’s almost impossible to get good bread although occasionally we find a kind of malted brown loaf that isn’t sweet and a French type stick with sesame seeds that isn’t that airy-fairy white that dries up so quickly, if you know what I mean. I thought there were no real bakeries, as among all the smells that assail my nostrils as we speed along the roads, I hadn’t had so much as a tempting whiff of baking. However I was assured that there are plenty of bakeries but the one I was taken to was a disappointment. The bread was either white sliced or the usual French loaf, which I bought and discarded after one slice. I was tempted by a small pizza slice that looked good but failed the taste test. They offered to warm it, but I didn’t realise it was simply being microwaved. Microwaves do to bread what tanning does to rawhide; it turns it into leather. There was also no cheese, so as a pizza it was pretty useless. I have sampled their cakes, which are very strange; sometimes a jellied fruit kind of concoction or solid something or other. Judy brought a couple for us, but we ended up chucking them out. The only cake I have enjoyed is chocolate brownie, an American favourite, which again is better warmed up and can be done in a microwave.

I do miss having a kitchen but sometimes cook in Mark’s room on a small camping gas ring. Usually it’s bacon and eggs, sometimes with mushrooms and tomatoes. We even have real toast or fried bread. Wicked! In my room I keep packets of instant noodles with various meaty flavourings, which are a useful quick meal to hydrate with hot water from my electric kettle when I don’t have time to eat out. If I go to the local market I can buy pieces of fried tofu to add without having to cook anything. I usually start the day with fruit and yoghurt, which isn’t quite like the type I get at home but is ok with banana or apple. Pears are not a bit like the ones at home but very juicy. One of the fruits that are completely new to me is Dragon fruit and is absolutely delicious.

On this topic I’m feeling hungry so will pause for lunch. What can I have, I wonder?

travellin light

Sunday 5^th October 2008

Just back from Movie Club, which was well attended and left everyone bewildered at the twists and turns of the plot; an everyday tale of time travel! ‘The Twelve Monkeys’ with English subtitles made more sense to me the second time around, but necessitated much discussion among the students and teachers who attended, which was very good practice for their English comprehension; the whole point of the exercise.

So now I’m back at the ranch, anticipating a storm that seems to be gathering in the dusk. Here in the entrance hall of my apartment I have the door wide open as well as the fan on to keep me relatively cool, but I close the windows and door of my room to keep out any mozzies. Since I moved here the word went out that fresh English flesh was on the menu and so far they’ve sampled most parts of my anatomy. In spite of the fact that I carefully tuck myself into my mosquito net every night, as Julie explained I should, every morning I have new bites. I suspect that some of these bites could actually be from the giant midges that I see lurking in the bathroom and maybe they ambush me as I go to the loo at night! As soon as I got paid; (we were all skint by the end of the month,) I got an electrical gadget that glows blue to attract the critters and zap them before they get to me. I hope the Buddha doesn’t mind, but Co Mai doesn’t seem to. In fact, she got me an electric bat to chase them with, although I haven’t had any luck with that as yet!

Finally the TV in my room is fixed and it’s starting to feel more like home. Mark and Judy are in there now having a quiet canoodle before she has to go home. They’ve not been seeing much of each other lately as her father clamped down on her excursions since she left her job at KTV and she has to work all hours in the family restaurant. She is a grown woman in her twenties but the whole culture here is very patriarchal as is their communist government. Mark is more smitten than I’ve ever seen him; he misses her attention and the fresh food she always used to bring him, but apart from that he’s been busy working at his grammar book day and night, into the early hours, even missing his sleep altogether one night, so he’s quite exhausted at the moment.

I now have a home taxi service in the shape of Mr Duan, a mature student who lives here and does odd jobs for his keep. He’ll take me to school on his bike every Saturday and Sunday when I start in the early morning and bring me home every evening except Sunday, when Mark will be around. This means I don’t have to rely on Michael for lifts all the time. A couple of times I was stranded when Mike had gone off somewhere and my cell phone died! I haven’t had the nerve to try riding buses as yet!

When I applied for my Travel Insurance I was asked if I’d be indulging in any dangerous sports like mountaineering, deep sea diving, bungee jumping etc. ‘Of course not,’ I laughed, ‘how ludicrous!’ However, there was no mention of riding motor bikes, which Insurance companies have yet to designate a dangerous sport. Any of my readers who've been to the near, middle or Far East will know what I’m talking about!

When I first rode pillion I clung onto my driver for dear life, wincing at all the apparent near misses, (especially with Michael who’d only just learned to ride a bike when I arrived), my knees gripping his ample buttocks as if riding a horse and arms wrapped around him, trusting that such close proximity wouldn’t excite or agitate him too much. (I jest.) After six weeks of daily riding on the busiest of busy roads, you should see me now; nonchalantly astride anyone’s pillion without even holding on, although not quite as elegantly as the young ladies I see in their best clothes perched side-saddle on their boyfriends’ bikes. Only the richest people travel by car and even babies and small children travel on Mom or Dad’s motorbike, sometimes carried on a hip or hanging on behind. I must get some pictures of whole families, Mom, Dad and two or three kids on one bike! Quite terrifying! No safety laws here; see a flashing light and except for major junctions, ignore it. 'The quick and the dead', a phrase from the Book of Common Prayer springs to mind.

Not only people, but most goods are transported this way. Sometimes you’d wonder how the driver can even see where they are going, the load is so great. Last week Michael and I went with our landlady Co Mai, to buy two small refrigerators, one each for our apartments and as soon as the money was paid, an assistant was busy loading them onto a bike. See pics of them on their way back home as we hurried to keep up!

Further adventures of Pat and Mike

Friday 26^th Sept. 2008

After 33 days at the Sao Mai Hotel I’ve moved to an apartment at the same place as Michael. I saw it just yesterday when we helped him move his stuff and decided it would be much better than my box of a room at the noisy hotel with trains whistling by at all hours. So this morning, with the help of Mark, Judy and Michael to transport my belongings, I moved into a room on the property of a family who manufacture ceramic and ornamental garden ornaments. The apartment is only partly mine, as it also houses a Buddhist shrine in the entrance hall, where the lady of the house, Mrs Mai, comes to pray. That’s OK with me; I could do with some meditation. To hedge their bets, there is also a Catholic shrine at the side of their house just across the courtyard, so I have a choice of where to pray! Michael’s apartment is bigger and more private at the back of their house, surrounded by trees.

I have yet to meet the children, but the parents seem very nice people. It will certainly be more interesting than the dubious clientele of the hotel, where men and young women check in and out at all times of the day and night. I wasn’t sorry to leave.

Saturday 27^th Sept. 2008

I’m very tired after a very long day; starting at 7.45am with my first toddlers’ class and ending at 9.30pm when Michael takes me home after our evening classes. During the day I went to the Supermarket with Mark to meet Judy, but he felt so ill he had to come back to rest. I spent the afternoon in his room preparing for tonight’s class of level 5 students that I’ve been teaching since it started two weeks ago.

I must say, I’m learning a lot from Mark about his teaching methods. Take it steady, let the students do the work and have a good time! I’m always worried that I’ve not prepared enough material, but tonight it took the whole lesson to do what I thought would take up the first half. So I’m saving my energy, not to mention my voice, which is still suffering the after effects of the flu.

The trip on Michael’s bike back to our new apartments last night was a bit hairy to say the least. After thunder and lightning that lit up the whole sky we ploughed through torrential rain and flooding back streets wondering if we’d done the right thing to move 4 Kilometres away from school.

I was so drenched that my clothes had to be hung up in the bathroom to dry after I took a long warm shower. I prepared my bed with the mosquito netting that Co Mai, the lady of the house, advised me to use at night while having the windows open, tucking the net under the mattress, which is on the floor. I felt very comfortable in my tent, with the fan blowing across me as I gradually cooled down. The air smelt good with the faint aroma of incense from the Buddhist shrine; much better than the closed in atmosphere of the hotel, where my room smelt of an old ladies’ wardrobe. Actually that was because the place was infested with tiny mites and I’d bought ‘lavender-scented’ balls to put in the drawers, but which smelt more like mothballs.

I thought that the incessant drumming of rain on the roof would soon send me to sleep, but by 1.0am I was still wide awake so I was still very tired when I had to get up early for morning classes.

Thursday 2^nd Oct. 2008-10-02

I’m finally online at my apartment. There’s an Ethernet cable at the computer desk in the entrance hall that the secretary sometimes uses, so I’m plugged into that, replying to all my emails. I’ve not been able to connect for a few days, what with to-ing and fro-ing between here and school. The only drawback with being here is that I have to get a lift on someone’s bike to get anywhere. It’s now 11.30 am and my stomach is grumbling about the absence of breakfast. Michael isn’t here and I’m getting frustrated waiting for Mark, who’s not answering his phone.

When we moved, Michael had announced to all and sundry that we’d be having a ‘new apartment’ housewarming party on Sunday night, but what we didn’t expect was a full blown festivity with food and drinks supplied by our new landlords. Well actually it was their daughter’s 9^th Birthday and we were welcomed together with our own guests; students and teachers from KTV and a great time was had by all. See pictures, with Michael showing off his new girlfriend! And Mark enjoying himself playing the piano in Mike's room.

Yesterday four of us took the train to Saigon. When I mentioned our intention, people said, “Why go by train? Why not take a car?” as if travelling by train was such a ridiculous suggestion. When asked if they’ve ever travelled by train they’d look at us and say, “Of course not”. So we did wonder what the experience would be like. It was much more pleasant riding smoothly through countryside that we don’t see from the road rather than honking our way through heavy traffic! The train was only what could be expected, and not dissimilar to some trains in the UK; not too clean but OK. As we approached Ho Chi Minh City, which most people still refer to by its old name of Saigon, we were regaled through loudspeaker by song and speech extolling the virtues of their city and the great Revolution.

Our main purpose was to visit the HSBC International Bank where Mark deposited a large amount of cash about a month ago. We were told at that time to return in about 10 days to collect our ATM cards and set up internet banking passwords etc. However, after queuing for some time we were told that the cards are being printed in Hong Kong and they apparently have a backlog, so could we please come back in a couple of weeks! I tell you, everything takes so long here! Patience is not only a virtue, but a necessity!

Young Michael, to distinguish him from big Michael from Louisiana, is a Vietnamese young man who works in the office of KTV. If anything goes wrong, or needs to be fixed, you call Michael. He is the most pleasant and accommodating young man I think I’ve ever met; always cheerful although he’s had much hardship in his young life by all accounts. He’s of small stature, wears glasses and a permanent smile. He lives alone, having been brought up in an orphanage and is too shy to get a girlfriend. I think I’m now his adopted mother! So he came with us to make sure we arrived at our destination and show Mark where to buy quality DVD’s. Actually DVD’s are prohibited from being imported; it’s in the list if items you can’t bring in, so the place is awash with copies. The important thing is to get quality copies or you’re likely to be engrossed in a film until it dies halfway through.

Mark’s looking for good films to show at his Cinema club every other Sunday at KTV. Since I arrived, we’ve seen ‘The Green Mile’ and ‘The Shawshank Redemption’, both riveting films. The next one to be shown this Sunday is ‘The Twelve Monkeys’, an intriguing story of time travel. So till my next time online... watch this space!