ex-pats and cockroaches

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COCKROACHES AND EXPATS IN HANOI .

THEY COME OUT AFTER DARK

I have been in Hanoi since 1999. There again, I have been in Saigon, Devon, Medan, Devon, Veneto, Devon, Saigon again, Devon, Haiphong, Devon, Kalimantan, Devon, Khartoum, Devon, Bournemouth and Devon since 1999.

Maybe the other places helped me or maybe being a village boy helped. I don’t know the answer but I go to the market here and, I swear, I am the only westerner they ever see. Evidence? - they tell me so; either in words or by calling everyone’s attention to the appearance of the alien. That would be unsurprising except that I keep seeing these very tall people with big noses appearing out of the alleyways about the time before English classes start or before the football is on tv in the ex-pat bars. Most of them are male and of that majority many have a “long haired dictionary.”

So – what makes you so special? Not much – I have issues. But I go next door and show the child how to play chords on the horrible electric keyboard. Maybe not out of love – I can’t stand any more discords! I try to learn the language. I go to the market instead of the supermarket. I talk to the people in the bar with my poor Vietnamese after they have invariably said,. “I lie Manyeta Uniyid” and I extol the virtues of Exeter City and FC Hai Phong -now, of course this leads to two threads: firstly I have to try enough Vietnamese to explain who the hell are ECFC I then try to explain that I lived in Haiphong and always support my local team. They probably understand none of it but they smile and answer me with something that I may or may not understand and I smile back.

Meanwhile the cockroaches are appearing from the alleyways. Some are easy to recognise as they wear cycle helmets and are 2 metres tall or walk like bears. If you chance upon a tall bear with a cycle helmet coming out of a Hanoi alleyway, chances are it is an ex-pat.

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Photos

van ho veg
rich lady, deservedly, works 7 days a week

van ho meat
no sale - don't eat it

van ho eggs
lovely lady, married already

thanh xuan market
pooch rip

mrs butcher
cho thanh xuan

THIT CHO
cho thanh xuan

ngo 82 fowl
pho lanh ha alleyway