Monday evening I had dinner in London Pub. Lot of foreigners and of course also Thai. I talked during dinner with Noi who had a quick bite before working again. Noi owns a small bar on the opposite side of Sukkumvit Soi Cowboy. Noi told the way she lost her lover. His name was John, not too young and english. They fall in love. John worked for the UN and had to be for his job half a year in one of the new republics of old Yugoslavia. He took Noi with him. After that half year he decided a long holiday in Thailand of course with Noi. They made a lot of pictures. John went home,to England , his wife and his computer. Saved the pictures and forgot his wife used the computer as well. ... read more

Yesterday I had dinner at Cabbages & Condoms. A restaurant of the PDA Population & Community Development Ass. with restaurants and hotels that earn money to provide financial support for education, environmental protection , Hiv/Aids prevention. Its good food and together with the bill you get a condom. Just in case you meet the right girl. The condom has two purposes. - To prevent the girl have your baby long after your flight back. - To prevent you share her diseases. So a Win Win situation. Bangkok has still a lot of traffic. For public transport they are using the old busses, the rather new metro, the skyrail a kind of metro but built over the city, a huge number of taxis and for the tourists the Tuk Tuk. It s unbelievable they still can invest ... read more

This afternoon I ate Tom Yam Kung a very spicy thai riverprawn soup. Excellent quality. Too late however I remembered that yesterday I saw the river and the water quality was not where I as prawn should like to live. Phnom Penh 1,4 million inhabitants about 20% of Cambodian population. Has not much changed in the last 10 years. Some new buildings not too high. On the route from the border lots of new small schools where children probably in 2 shifts get their lessons. People in Cambodia don t look very happy. I always wonder when I m walking around town and seeing men of 50 plus if they were victim or torturer or guard during the Khmer Rouge period 1976/1979.In this period Khmer Rouge killed something between 1.5 and 2 million people on a ... read more

- With the reunification after Nord Vietnam won the american war in 1976 Saigon has been re named into Ho Chi Min City. However in dayly use as long as it s not official it s still Saigon. - It s unbelievelable that they were able within 8 years to destroy big parts of district 1 the centre of Saigon. Big parts of the old city has been demolished and build up new, specially hotels, 5 stars and some shopping malls. It s a pity for this is not Saigon anymore this can be anywhere. - Only the Cathedral, Notre Dame, is still there but with construction problems probably lack of maintanance. Also the old Postoffice with 38 different counters for as many different services is still there and in good shape. - Saigon is over ... read more

Joined train SE 3 from Hanoi to Saigon in Danang. In my cabin were a grandmother and granddaugther and a father and his little son, all vietnamese. They had lived already 18 hours in the closed cabin and you could smell it. They were still sleeping at midday and the granddaugther was able to sleep the full 16 hours to Saigon with only one toiletstop and in Saigon she still looked tired. Now I know from a dutch guy living here how they "clean " during the trip the bedsheets and blankets and pillows. In Danang many people get of the train. They take the dirty, used things from the berths. Fold it nicely, put it in plastic and gives it to the new passenger as clean . That s part of the smell. Train was ... read more