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Published: July 24th 2006
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Moustache
Yes rich does exist Saigon to Singapore.
We've had a few comments from various people wondering if I have gone home - as there haven't been any pictures of me (Richard), so we decided to prove i'm still here and let me write the blurb too. Although, photoshop can do wonders, so who really knows where i am, some things never change!
On the flight from Hue to Ho Chi Minh, Annabet was decidedly dicky & I wouldn't normally offer to carry two great big rucksacks while trying to find our guesthouse, but it seemed the best thing to do, so that she didn't collapse. A quick check of the room and the obligatory negotiation to get to an acceptable price, then annabet took to her bed/bathroom/bed/bathroom routine. We were hoping for a quick upset tummy and better by tomorrow, but it turned out to be a 3 day thing with the staff turning out to be darlings. They would make her rice soup so that something plain was going in to keep up her strength, the fact that it didn't stay in her for very long gave rise to a few concerns & the fact that she didn't want to eat anything
Pagoda
The leaning tower of HUE city at all was the hardest thing for me to comprehend! When she wanted food again, there was a sigh of relief all round. The staff were pleased to see her and were pleased with their english lessons. I got a gold star for being a nurse, something to perhaps consider for a new career. As for me, i would take my little jaunts out for water and depending how bad she was, maybe venture further afield to the odd market or new district, but to be honest, i started to get nervous at times. Not being the youngest or slimmest of men I had a few moments where ladies or 'managers' of ladies would proposition me and suggest some rather adventurous situations that i might find 'incredible & you'll want to come back for more'. I had to take their word and politely decline.
Another humourous moment was attempting to find out the price of water from a street vendor when mid-conversation, he packed up his stall which was on wheels and ran away with it. Looking around i realised a flat bed truck with police were driving nearby & in a way, i was glad not to have
Rich shaws
Where's a lift when you need one bought that particular bottle of water, recycled & resealed popped into my mind?
On the last day, her in doors was up for coming out, so we thought it would cheer us up to get out - we ended up at the war museum. Not for the faint hearted, but definately worth the visit for the information and appreciation of the horrors during the war in Vietnam. The photography was amazing & the amount of war correspondents that perished was no surprise, given the situations they were reporting on & some of the pictures they delivered.
Haunting images continued with Annabet going to S21, the prison and torture centre in Pnom Penh when we got to Cambodia. I'd decided not to go with her because i'd had enough of death & was already using my vivid imagination of war too much, so didn't want to add to my overload of darkness. Needless to say, it was very moving and informative. All this happening in our lifetimes & still going on in many places like Lebanon.
I don't want to dilute the horendous nature of war, but to move on, next to our guesthouse there was a lovely
Temple support
Star jumps - you'll bash your head family who ran a little tea, coffee, biscuits and cigarettes shop, were we frequented before going off to bed. Again, a place where Annabet was very popular & helped with their English grammar & general progression in our language. I don't think they were as pleased with my 'ey up' northern quotations, so i quietly sat with an Asahi and ate all the peanuts that they brought out. On the oposite side of the street there was a building site and every few minutes a dusty cambodian would come accross in the dark and buy a packet of super noodles or cigarettes or a mobile phone card & wait very courteously outside in the street so they kept the floors clean. The family had a very calm, friendly and polite nature that seemed to wash off on us and the other shoppers, it was a delight to end each day with them. We had also been to the Foreign Correspondents Club on the 2nd last day which was very colonial english and a complete juxtorpose with the poverty on the street directly below the balcony. The view was of the river, an elephant paraded for parties of tourists and paraplegics
Medical Staff
Rice soup & a lot of tlc ! begging for money. Another of those moments where awareness comes to the fore and leaves you with lots of questions about world poverty & purpose in life.
We left on a gas guzzling aeroplane to Siem Reap to look at some temples.
We decided to get mopeds into town & the riders stayed with us for the next 3 days as we went around the magnificent ruins of a, thankfully, not forgotten time. I had wanted to go to the one with the big faces & was both excited and sad that it was first on the bike riders itinary. A great time all round but also tinged with a few moments where it's blatantly obviouse that you are part of a massive tourist trade in the area - hundreds of people trying to get a good spot on top of a temple that gives the best view of the sunset, but thankfully it began to rain & the clouds stopped the dramatic view. We felt quite hurded like cattle that just brought everyone money & when they didn't get what money they expected, instant character changes. We haven't bought anything on the trip & annabet had to replace
Murder
Victims of torture & murder a perishing t-shirt, so we were looking at two different stalls at the options & when annabet decided, i got the second degree from a woman who claimed that she'd called me over first. Did she lay into me, i said sorry & 'sorry doesn't buy food' was thrown back in my face, followed with 'i will cry if i ever see you again'. But some of you can imagine how seriously i took this & my obvious glee at the whole scenario didn't help at all.
The temples were fantastic & looking back, the constant demands of 'buy postcaaaaad, buy bangle, buy t-shaaaaaaaaaaaaat' weren't that bad, but we felt some pleasure to be leaving for singapore & oz next.
Arriving at the Metro YMCA, we were met by Rachel, who we went to see in Medan last January, with cold bottles of water, which is very her, thinking of others first, a lovely trait that i hope she does less, now that she's pregnant. A beaming face is always nice to see in a new country. Greg, her husband, was also on his way for a break from work & indonesia. Plus I was really pleased that we
Carbs
Rich finds a mobile lard cake van could all be here on my birthday (23rd). A good old selfish need to celebrate with lots of people around. (You best all send me an email now that i'm 43 !!)
A fab and fun weekend has been had all round & the parrot puppet from Rachel will no doubt appear in a few tasteless photos of some good landscapes or places of interest down under - bet you can't wait.
we are now looking at the weather in NZ which is experiencing the coldest winter for 30years - so thermal underwear and hot water bottles in the tent maybe the chosen attire.
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