Greetings Comrades

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Greetings fellow Proctologists,

We are still in Ho Chi Minh City. We started Vietnamese language classes last Tuesday at Hoc Su Pham Teachers Training College (I managed to drop some weather report in whilst eating lunch in the canteen (Fox and Jo Jo will know what this means)) and well lets just say we can gauge our progress from the amount of laughter that our pronunciation causes our teacher. It be a right hard language to talk proper no how. But the classes are fun and what is even more fun are the smiles and greetings that we receive from the students who walk past us or sit next to us when we eat lunch. They are so happy.

I guess that's the thing that has surprised us both about this country. How humbling an experience it is when people who live so poorly and have absolutely nothing by our standards are so happy about life. They are so friendly and helpful; if you look lost they will help you find your way, if it looks like you are having trouble crossing a road (which by the way is an incredibly daunting experience for the first few days) they will grab you and walk you across the road safely. They are lovely; I think there is a lesson to be learned here for us westerners. What that is I have no idea because after all I'm just a pinko, lefty, communist sympathiser right?

Well comrades the communist influence is not very prominent at all in this country. I was honestly expecting to see soldiers walking around with AK-47's pushing little workers around and asking "Can I zee your papers please" (well not in the German accent, but you get the drift). But nope the police don't even carry guns. The liberalisation of the Vietnamese economy is WELL underway. No McDonalds but I have seen numerous KFC branches around the place. I steer clear of them but you can't hold Sarah back she just LOVES her Fried Chicken.

Today after Skool we decided to take a walk to the Chinese part of town and check out cho lon market, but we couldn't find it. Obviously Sarah had control of the map and wouldn't let me at it so it was inevitable that we wouldn't find it. Actually I have to give lumps of milky kudos to Sarah and her navigating. She's been spot on wherever we have gone. Today was her only slip up.

In lieu of the market we jumped in a taxi and headed to Dam Sen Water Park. It was one weird place. Kind of like a zoo/botanic gardens/fishing area/theme park/water park all rolled in one. Straight up that's exactly what it was. It was quite lovely with a big lake surrounded by trees and gardens mixed with Wonderland type rides with statues of Ho Chi Minh thrown in for good measure. The only low light was the absolutely disgraceful way the animals are kept. Bears and Panthers kept in small concrete cages, cockies chained to perches. Not good.

When we got back to our hotel Sarah (as she always does) managed to get herself invited to a wedding on Sunday. I'm not invited apparently because my size scares people. Actually I just made that up, I don't really know why I'm not invited but I am sure I will struggle my way through by myself.

Oh and it’s hot. (This is a weather journal remember?)

Jaso and Sarah.

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Comments

[Strauchny]

Can I get a barometric reading please?
Whilst I have enjoyed your observations on temperature I am left with a feeling of devastating emptiness by the lack of barometric pronunciations included in your journal. Sounds like goodness is all flowing, take care dear meterological fiends.

[Jaso]

Strauchny
Well barometric pronunciations are what you make them, has post modernism taight you nothing?