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Published: March 10th 2007
Phan Thiet Pier at Sunset
An absolute ripper of a shot by Saartje. The object in the foreground is a basket boat.Greetings Fellow Recipients of Orthodontic Work,
After hosting various fund raising balls for the suffers of chronic gout and intestinal worms we felt it was time to split from Ho Chi Minh and finally see the rest of Vietnam.
As it happened our leaving coincided with the Tet lunar New Year holiday and we were invited to head to Mui Ne to spend it with our wonderful friend Skippy and her family. Roger the dodger also received an invite which he gleefully accepted and we all jumped on a bus and headed for Mui Ne on the 15th of Feb.
Mui Ne is a small fishing village situated right on the coast about 200kms from Saigon. It is famous for its crystal blue waters and its weather conditions. The wind gets up every afternoon and it is perfect for both kite sailing and wind surfing. Skippy's parents live in Mui Ne's parent city of Phan Thiet (21kms inland from Mui Ne) and it was there that we would spend our first night. We arrived and met Skippy's parents. Now I know that I have banged on about poverty before but we had witnessed nothing like this yet. I
The Gang
Roger, Uyen (Skippy) and Jaso. "Get your finger out of my rectum Roger" says Jaso through clenched teeth. guess it wasn't that bad, but it was more of a shock to us than anything else. Her parents live in what can be loosely described as a house. Put simply it is one moderately sized room that is partitioned into a living/sleeping room, a room with one mattress for Skippy’s sick father to sleep and a small room that is a kitchen. No stove or anything in the kitchen, they cook by using charcoal and a small portable gas stove. All the cooking is done on the floor as are the dishes. The bathroom has no hot water and a very small toilet next to the shower. The floor through the whole dwelling is concrete. The roof is asbestos, no glass in the windows, no insulation. Very frugal and very shocking to us. This dwelling houses 7 people. 5 of whom sleep on the floor in the lounge/sleeping room. But the good news is they have a brand new television!
After hiring motor bikes and checking into our hotel (alleged) we took a ride down to Mui Ne to check out the scene, and what a scene it was. It really was a pretty despite the glut of
Two Old Soldiers
Ha and Roger shared many laughs during our visit. They were both a little spooked by the number of coincidences the two shared. resorts lining the beach. The place was crawling with European tourists, you can spot them a mile away, they're the ones sporting tans that make them look like they're a wrinkled up piece of old leather. Retards. After seeing Mui Ne Roger, Sarah and I decided that we would look for accommodation there tomorrow. With that decision we headed back to Phan Thiet to prepare for dinner with Skippy's family, on the way the Vietnamese were stunned with Sarah’s ability to stand on the back and sing show tunes all the way, why they were surprised I have no idea.
Dinner was fantastic and the family even more so. I have never seen so many smiles and so much happiness. This family is so poor that Skippy sends half her wage home every month to support them, yet they never grumble, they never complain and they always seem so happy. It really makes you think about your place in the world. When it all boils down to it, it's nothing more than luck. Good, fabulous and lucky luck that saw I was born in Australia, and bad, horrible and luck that people like Skippy and her family were born
Balloons!
Skip's sister Yau pumps up a balloon bicyle style for Tet while Skip's niece Ngu looks at the camera. here in Vietnam; maybe I have no right to call it bad luck and I think it more than a little arrogant to say that it was bad luck for them to have been born in Vietnam because for all the hardships and all the deprivations they are mind bendingly happy and perhaps that’s all that matters? I don't know. But what does make it worse is the utter pricks from the west who come over here and speak to Vietnamese as if they were filth and they're their servants. They treat Vietnam as if it is their own personal cheap shopping village and disparage the Vietnamese way of life as if most of the poor people choose to be that way. Seeing this country and its workers really brings home the fact that it is precisely because they are all given very low wages that we in the west can enjoy the useless little things that we all like to own. It makes me sick, yet I am complicit. End rant.
Anyway so the dinner was spectacular, Skippy's mum is an AMAZING cook, Sarah passed out with glee at the culinary wonders on offers. Fresh spring rolls, boiled
"This is how you do it, goobas"
Unhappy with the way the dancers were carrying their task, Sarah dons the hat and shows them the correct way. bamboo shoots and pork, fired chicken, mountains of prawns and fresh squid by the truck load. They fed us everyday and we know they were feeding us more in one day then they would probably eat in three days, it was humbling. Skips dad was the cutest and nicest man and was completely happy to have us there. It was just great.
Roger and Skip’s dad shared some spooky history. They were both born in the same month in the same year. They both fought in the war. They both fought on the same side of the war. They both fought in the war in the same year. They were both wounded. They were both wounded in the same month of the same year. They were both wounded in the same area of the body. They were both wounded by the same weapon. Spooky what? The only difference being that when Roger went home he had a chance at a good life, a chance that he took and he is now very successful. Co Ha on the other hand was doomed after the victory of the North. He was put into prison for two years hard labour and intensive
Look out!
Sarah showing she has lost none of her skill since leaving the world of Moto GP racing. Note safety gear... re-education. All his family’s property was seized and when he was released he was forced to work in menial low paying jobs. Now his children and his children's, children cannot work for the government. Scary stuff.
After dinner it was full steam ahead on the good ship Tet Celebration. The government has banned the sale of fireworks to ordinary citizens so families everywhere blow up balloons (with a bicycle pump) and then when midnight comes they burst them all (to emulate the sound of fireworks). But in the lead up to midnight there is lots of praying to ancestors and the placing of food on shrines throughout the house. Then at midnight there is a massive fireworks display over the river. There were thousands of people there and the mood was one of hope and happiness. After this the dudes who dress up as dragons and shit dance into peoples houses to bring good luck, culturally enriching shit.
The next day we found our lodgings in Mui Ne. A bungalow right on the beach. I mean you open your door and the ocean is right there. The cost? 10 squids a night. Sounds great doesn't it? Well
Sunset
The view that greeted us from the balcony of our bungalow each evening in Mui Ne. it wasn't too bad except the staff were really, really surly and made it difficult to stay there. Anyway we mounted the bikes and headed up the coast for a ride. It was bizarre. It fair dinkum looked like Australia. Somewhere out in the middle of South Australia, out in the desert, the scrub, the red dirt. Sarah thought it was beautiful, I thought it was stark and foreboding. We know who was right. Anyway it blew all the conceptions that Vietnam was a place of deep, dark jungles right out of the water and it was a cool ride as well. My insistence that I ride only on the back wheel may be seen as grandstanding, but to a war weary and entertainment deprived Vietnamese populace it was pure ecstasy.
We headed back to the bungalows for some relaxation in the name of swimming and it was rather grand...apart from the blustery winds that come up everyday. Mui Ne is famous for its kite and wind surfing and it is easy to see why. But the swim was good. That night we were treated to another fantastic meal at Skip’s house and loads of Ca Phe Su Da
The Outback
This is what greets you just outside Mui Ne. This could have bee ntaken in Australia. (Vietnamese Ice Coffee, a mixture of VERY strong coffee and loads of sweetened condensed milk) and loads of laughs. With Sarah being a world renowned impressionist her take on a cross dressing Ho Chi Minh had them all rolling in the streets.
The following day saw Roger depart from Mui Ne back to Saigon and then back to Pittsburgh. It was a great pleasure to meet Roger and an even greater pleasure for him to have met Sarah (she made me put that in). Hopefully his book will sell well and the proceeds can help make life a little easier for those who need it. Thanks Roger.
Sarah and I being unhappy with our lodgings toddled off and found ourselves some new digs. Another place right on the beach, but this time with very friendly staff and a pool! We settled in and just cruised around Mui Ne for a bit and then went and watched the yearly boat race over in Phan Thiet with Skip and her family. It was fun. The next day we rose early had breakfast, went for a cruise up the coast enjoying the wonderful weather, had some lunch and headed back to
Desert anybody?
Dark red earth just outside Mui Ne. the Guest House. After lunch we decided that it would be just proper and downright dandy to have a splash in the pool. We togged on and headed on down into the water. Oh it was simply enchanting, we frolicked, we splashed, we swam and then Sarah
trod on my back while I was near the bottom and smashed two of my front teeth completely out of my head. Now let me tell you something, that's some mighty fine hurtin' right there and a little bit of blood as well. It was completely rooted to say the least. When I came up and showed Sarah she put her hand on her hip and pointed at me and said "Don't ever steal a piece of my grapefruit at breakfast again." Well she didn't actually; she was quite concerned about my well being because I thought I was going to collapse. We struggled up the stairs and laid me down. She was wonderful, the pure definition of an angel of mercy; Sarah is concern, tenderness, happiness, calmness and adventure all in one and she merely proved it once again. She called a dentist in Saigon, organised transport back there, organised an accident
The Fleet
The considerable fishing fleet sitting at anchor in Mui Ne harbour over the Tet holiday period. report from the Guest House staff and obtained witness signatures from a bunch of Swedes who saw the whole thing. All the while I was spinning out on the bed wondering if I will ever have the same diamond like smile I always had that made ordinary people weak at the knees.
So that night we ventured back to Saigon (again). The following morning I headed to the dentist whereupon she repaired my teeth with a minimum of fuss and pain and all very cheaply by Australian standards. However the repairs aren’t complete yet I have to have surgery on one of the teeth and a new crown placed on it when I get to Malaysia in May. So now we are leaving Saigon and heading to Da Lat on the 1st of March and hopefully we will continue all the way to Ha Noi without interruption!
Slightly cloudy with the chance of some painful mouth hurtings.
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Daddy Moo
non-member comment
Great stuff Basin
I really enjoy your Blogs, Basin. You look just great in the where as the missing teeth pic!! Look forward to the next Blog. Moo