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Published: February 28th 2007
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Check these bad boys out
Sarah, Skippy and Roger The Doger showing off their freshly manicured hands. They tried to rope me into it, but I don't go in for such bourgeois decadence. Greetings Fellow Structural Integerity Designers,
Well with our mission to bring the music of Human Nature to the citizens of Ho Chi Minh almost complete it is time to think about moving on. So one last blog from the halls of the Peoples Ministry for Social Justice and Boy Bands.
So basically we have just been hanging out in Saigon meeting people, eating, drinking, laughing. But over the past three weeks Sarah has been working on a project of global proportions. About a month ago I was sitting in a cafe watching Australia play New Zealand and an older western gentlemen comes and sits next to me and in a broad Australian accent asks me how I am. We start talking and it turns out that he is an ex-SAS member who fought here during the war and he is now here working. He tells me he is a photographer and that he is working on a photographic book that is designed to show, primarily Americans, that Vietnam is not a war ravaged country and it is a country that is nothing like what they see in the movies. He then tells me that he is a member of
A Fair Dinkum Fry Up
Jaso looking on quizically at the strange sight on the plate in front of him. a charity called "The Friends of Da Nang" and that all the proceeds from the book will go to help build schools and other infrastructure in Da Nang, he said "I think I should be helping to re-build some of what I destroyed back then." He lives in Pittsburgh in the states and has two children. His name is Roger and he's a very interesting chap and a nice bloke to boot. I told him that Sarah was a photographer and that she would be very interested to speak with him about his time here in Vietnam. You see he started in the North and has taken photos all the way down the length of the country and that’s how it is going to be laid out in his book. Sarah walks in and I introduce them and straight away they start talking shop. I tuned out straight away, I had more important things to do, the cricket was on after all.
After this meeting it was decided by the pair of them that another meeting was in order to look at Rogers’s photographs and after this numbers were exchanged and Sarah was brought into the project. From that
Two brides in waiting
The future Mrs Nathan Down Em Doan and the future Mrs Macca Em Yen. If only they knew what Sarah had gotten them into.... day on until basically the time we left Saigon she was helping Roger. The book was about to be printed and considering Sarah had worked in numerous photo labs before she was the perfect candidate to help Roger...and boy did he need help. Apparently when the books were being printed the colours were all wrong and Sarah stepped in numerous times to help with corrections. Not only that she played the part of mediator when the printers kept making the same mistake and just kept on printing at which point Roger was ready to kill. She helped Roger sort out packaging, shipping and prices. Sarah has a wonderful calming influence about her and an ability to put all the stress aside, calm everyone down and sort shit out. She's Ace. Although Roger was aghast at the fact that every time you looked at her she was eating or saying she was hungry. Welcome to my world Roger. So thanks to the help of Saartje the book has been printed, packed and placed on a container ship bound for the States and for her efforts she received a special mention in the book from Roger and rightly so too I reckon.
Slight Size Difference
Jaso with Trangs Aunt Chi Hang. She wanted to leave her husband for me. Smart woman. The book is called Vietnam: Places and Faces and if you are interested in it all contact Roger here rjcostello@grandviewphotos.com Through Roiger we met a young Vietnamese girl called Skippy! Yes she works for an Australian and with typical Australian Cultural sensitivity he named her Skippy because he couldn't say her real name Uyen. Skip is awesome and she has invited Roger and us to spend Tet with her family at the coastal village of Mui Ne. Can't wait.
Before we left we went out to dinner with Em Yen and her house mate Em Doan. It was funny, they took us to a Vietnamese Steakhouse where they serve you your 'steak' and an egg on a sizzling hot plate and they give you a plate of 'chips' on the side. This plate of chips consisted of (and this is straight up) 6 small chips! It was hilarious. But I guess it wasn't just about the food, Saartje managed to successfully convince Em Doan to marry her brother Nathan and Em Yen to mary my friend Macca, congratulations fellas and well done Sarah.
As a final nod to Saigon we were invited to the home of our first
The Gang
Trang, Saartje, Jaso and Hien. Bonza little things they all are. and really good friends here in the South, Em Trang and Em Hien. Trang was flying back to Hai Phong in the North for Tet to see her family and it would be the final time we saw her. Her Aunty Chi Hang organised a small farewell party for her and insisted that we attend. It was a wonderful night with much laughter, great food and great friends. Although Sarah and I thought it was slightly bizarre sitting there eating dinner in the middle of crazy Saigon while at the same time listening to classic hits such as 'Lady in Red' 'Hello' and 'Take it easy'. Astounding! After that Sarah did a nudey run down the busy street outside. We said sad farewells to our friends whom we hope to meet again some day.
So we say goodbye to Saigon (again) and all the craziness and the noise and hustle and petrol fumes and all the great people we have met here as we prepare to slowly make our way North.
Forecast unknown but whatever it is it'll be bonza.
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Daddy Bear
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More Please
Basin, when can I expect more of your great writings? I have been waiting for MORE. please