Hello Everyone, Chao, Bonjour and Sahbadee,
We're now in month 4 in Vietnam and still finding everything here fun (the drinks help a lot - Vietnam must be the only country in the world where being an alcoholic is a badge of honour rather than a vice as in so many countries).
We've just had our first major holiday (of more than a couple days) which we got back from last Sunday. We went over to Bangkok and then up through Laos and then back to Bangkok. We'll write about each of the major places (Vientiane, Vang Vien, Luong Prabang, Houayxay and then Bangkok) below. There is a map of where we are talking about attached as I'm sure you don't have a clue where most of those places are (I know we didn't). Oh, and so you know, we went with a mate of ours so if you se this random in many of the pictures, don't think it is a stalker - he stayed in Saigon ;-)
We flew out from Saigon on the evening of June 17th for Bangkok. Very short flight over, with us arriving in at around 9:00 and we'd checked into the hotel by 10:00. We stayed at Khaosan Road for the 5-odd hours that we were in Bangkok (which we later returned to) before catching the train up to Udon Thani (north-eastern Thailand) at 5:00 the next morning. The 5 hours that we were there we drunk a bit had a bit of the local food. Namely Greg enjoying (well not really) his first Big Mac in 5 months and Liz eating a fried cockroach (she said why not, where as Greg and Amy were both saying ‘why would you’). We were on the train most of Monday before catching a bus to Ngong Kai then a tuk-tuk to the border, a bus across the border and then a mini-bus to the Laos capital of Vientianne (pronounced Vien-chang). We stayed there one night and I think we probably did everything that they had to offer (dinner on the Mekong River and ummm oh, that was it). It was good having our first Beer Lao though, very nice beer found at supermarkets and beer outlets throughout Laos, Thailand and Cambodia (sorry, had to give it a plug, it was nice).
The next morning we caught a bus to our first major destination of Vang Vien. This was a place that we heard about from various people who have been to Laos was great; they were right. We arrived in at around 11:00 and went down to do the major day activity that most people partake in; namely tubing down the river. Now what this is basically a tractor inner tube that you hop into and float down the river. Along the way there are 9 bars all with some sort of activity. Each one of the bars feeds you with either beer, Lao Lao (very strong locally made whiskey) or buckets made to your taste. So as the stops progress, so do peoples various states of inebriation so what did the locals decide to do; well they put these big rope swings - that got bigger as the stops went on - that people used. The pictures attached show bits of it (take a close look and in a few of them we have just let go of the swing or about to hit the water - GREAT fun). Anywhoo... by the end, Greg got to the last bar and (OK, time for parents and other who may get upset or informed as to what their sons and daughters get up, if this is the case move to next paragraph, if not then keep reading) waited as Liz went off on one of her little tangents. Waiting, waiting, waiting then went looking before finally finding her back at the hotel; she was all upset as apparently she got lost and landed before she was meant to and then got chased by a guy with a gun. Sounds quite serious, until she let it slip the next morning that it was a kid with a BB Gun!! Well, maybe it was the sun that got to her, or the booze or maybe it was all the greenery around the river, who can tell, but as Bek (her sister said), only she could do something like that!!
Unfortunately we had to catch a mini bus the next morning - unfortunate because we later found out that there is quite a lot to do around the area that we didn't manage to get to, oh well maybe next time. We got to the bus station and thought that we were going to have a comfortable ride up the country. Started out with four of us in the bus and then a few more, and a few more until they managed to get 11 into the van and the drive still wanted to fit more in. We all said no to anymore people as we had paid more for comfort –wrong!! The bus ride eventually got under way and was definitely worth the trip. The countryside was wonderful, big mountains and hills untouched at all save for a couple small villages that looked like they hadn’t been touched much by the outside world for a few hundred years.
We eventually arrived in Luong Prabang (the second biggest city in Laos) which sounded like it was going to be a sleepy little town with not much to do. In the end there actually were heaps to do in and around the town, but it definitely was a small sleepy town. It was an interesting mix of both Buddhist temples and design and also the French influence in many of the houses which made the town a very nice place just to look around. While we were there we biked around town which gave us a good picture of the town outside the centre which was nice. We also did a tour to a few of the tourist ‘hot spots’ around the area. The let down was when Liz decided that she would take on a motorbike and of course came f second best. She fell on her bad knee which made the rest of the ride a bit painful. The first one was an old Buddhist cave around an hour from the town. The cave itself was set in the side of a cliff and was packed full of little Buddha’s, quite an amazing sight. The next stop were a couple stop offs in some villages where they sold numerous products like snake wine (with both a snake and scorpion in them – Liz tried it!!), paper products (lamp shades, envelopes, photo albums etc…) and silk of all descriptions. The villages were all very simple but the people there were so happy and didn’t really force the products onto us, but instead asked and then backed off which was a very nice change from Saigon. After lunch we went to a waterfall an hour out of Luan Prabang in the opposite direction. This place seemed to be a bit of a hot spot for the locals and tourists alike who all enjoyed swimming in the water below the waterfall. We had a great time up there, despite the water being cold as. We jumped off one of the smaller waterfalls which was scary but fun. On our walk back down we came across a few bears and bear cubs and also a tiger which was cool (they were in an enclosure). Gave us a good start to bears, which well talk about soon.
The next morning we went and had breakfast, already having booked our boat ticket to Houayxay (on the Thailand border in the north west of Laos). We decided to pull out the Lonely Planet to see if anything had been written about them. To our horror, we found “avoid all speedboat travel unless absolutely necessary,” “tend to be very cramped and uncomfortable” and “serious accidents, sometimes including fatalities, involving these speedboats seem to occur on an almost weekly basis.” Needless to say we were unimpressed by this but the Lonely Planet always exaggerates everything so we thought, why not. We made our way down to the boat dock and waited down there until the boat arrived. Luckily Liz had hurt her leg a couple days before as we got to sit in the front and have a bit of room to stretch out, it was still very cramped and uncomfortable. We had 2 breaks along the way which really helped break the trip and allowed us to stretch out a bit. The whole journey took us 6 hours up through the countryside along the Mekong River which was nice (scenery–wise). We got dropped an hour out of town at which point we needed to pay more for a tuk-tuk into what we thought was town but turned out to be the southern bus station and then another (again more money) tuk-tuk into town. Laos hasn’t exactly got the idea of how to treat travellers. But anyway, we got to the bustling village of Houayxay at around 4:00 where we checked into the hostel and signed all the forms for the Gibbon Experience which we left for the next morning.
We had to get up at 6:00 in the morning in order to get ready for the Gibbon Experience. We hopped onto the truck out to Bokeo National Park (the north-western tip of Laos) which was 3 hours out of town. The trip was quite exciting as most of it was along a brand new road that the Chinese and Thai’s are building. The truck dropped us off at the ‘base camp’ and we started our 1 hour hike up to the first of the tree houses. Just to summarise what the Gibbon Experience is; it is basically 5 tree houses that that these people built that are set in trees 50 metres up in the air. To get into the tree houses we needed to use zip lines from the ridges around into the trees. We arrived at the kitchen where we discovered an added bonus to the whole trip; a 3 month old baby bear which we named Boris. We got to play with him and he came over and started playing with us which was very nice. We got to the first tree house at around 1:00 and sat down to a cup of Laos coffee (very strong, absolutely fantastic stuff). We were amazed at how set up the tree houses actually were. They had full running water, bathroom and kitchen are features of all the tree houses. After Tree House 1 we went to our tree house (number 3) where the three of us plus a Dane which was good as we had heaps of room left to spare. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing on the zip lines and setting ourselves up for the two nights that we were there. Dinner (rice and hot Laos style food – very nice) got delivered to us by the guides in the early evening and after our travels we had an early night. The next morning the fog and rain rolled in so we were stuck in the tree hut until around 11:00. We had our breakfast (again delivered to us) and then went across the zip line to start our walk to tree house 5. The walk was an interesting one, through mud and leach infested tracks. Looking back it was quite good, but at the time it kind of sucked. We had to cross a few zip lines, some of them 500 metres long and up to 150 metres high which gave us some amazing views of the valleys and surrounding areas. We got back to our place at 3:00 and Liz and Greg spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the sun and relaxing while the other two went off and zipped round the area. That night we played cards and relaxed, ready in case we had to walk all the way out the next day (7 hours we were told and that is from base camp). The next morning it was spitting, but our guide said everything would be OK and that the truck would be there. We went down the hill before everyone else as we knew we were going to be slower because we didn’t have any shoes that were equipped for hiking through mud. The hike took us 3 hours until we met the truck coming the other way which made us very happy. The truck took us back to Houayxay where we quickly made it to the border and to the bus station half an hour after the last bus to Bangkok left. Because of that, we had to stay on the Thai side of things (Chiang Kong) for the night which was nice in itself after the busy day we had. They also had a 7 month old puppy which was nice because we got to play with him.
We got on the bus at 7:00 in the morning and arrived back to Bangkok after the 14 hour bus ride (plus 30 minutes in the cab to Khaosan Road). This was meant to be an 11 hour ride but after the monsoon rain and the Thai’s who could not manage to figure out what speed was and then appalling Bangkok traffic (worse than normal) it landed up being 3 hours longer. That was all OK though, I think we would have been tired anyway no matter how long the journey was. We eventually were all settled in by 10:00 and went to bed (at least I think we did, if we didn’t we got horribly drunk and can’t remember the night – I hope option A otherwise my ,memory is more like Nan that I would have liked at my age – see Laos etc… - again not for the parents or loved ones ;-). Two days were spent in Bangkok which was mostly spent around the MBK and Siam Square area (shopping Mecca’s). Obviously Greg did not spend too much time shopping as he likes ladies not men (for Dave, that may be cutting I know), so he spent his time around Khaosan Road or just sifting around the city. We did managed (previously organised for/by Amy) to go to the Christina Aguilera concert. This was something which we were both a little bit dubious about but during/after the concert we both realised that she is definitely a brilliant performer and the little outfits that she wears (Greg’s comments) were definitely worth it all.
We flew out on June 30th (a Saturday) and arrived back to a horribly rainy Saigon and didn’t get an air-bridge to the terminal. On top of that we had to wait at least an hour just to get our stamp out of Bangkok and then another 45 minutes to get back into Ho Chi Minh which kind of told us that maybe we should look outside of Saigon. Hmmm, maybe, after our year we should look elsewhere. That isn’t to say that we hate it here or are thinking about leaving soon, we just know that this is not our turangiwaewae (got some Maori in there, gosh darn it I’m awesome). Oh, for the people without ANY New Zealand culture in them (tut tut), turangiewaewae ‘means a place to stand’ or “home.”
Anyway, we arrived home and Greg had work at 8:00 the next morning (Sunday). That absolutely sucked but at the end of his session, he was given a very official looking envelope. He thought he was in trouble or done something wrong and was dreading opening it. He eventually opened it and to his surprise he had been given a pay rise (yes a pay rise without asking for it and after a two week hiatus, all we can say is – Vietnam; go figure). This obviously was a good start back which only got better as time went on. Despite teaching younger kids, the work actually got easier as the kids just wanted to play games and to forget about the books which he was VERY happy about.
Basically the holiday was very busy and action packed and we enjoyed ever minute of it. Laos was great to relax at and see some wonderful countryside. Bangkok was great to enable us to remember a little bit about what a modern almost western city is like after so much time in Saigon. Photos of the trip can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/greg.and.liz/WHatWeVeBenUpToLaosTHailand?authkey=kw_zemlphDQ. You may notice that the photo site that we use now has link ins with Google Earth so you can actually see where in the world we took the photos. We reckon its quite cool, brought to you by Google; FREE!!
Also, just to finish off, we have moved back into the hotel that we stayed at instead of moving into the apartment we were going to move into. The landlord of the place kept on moving the date to move in back and we decided to just say NO!! Our address now is Yellow House Hotel, 31 Bui Vien Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. W also have a “SkypeIn” number. What this enables people o do is ring a land line and then connect into our Sype (computer calling program). So text us to see if we are online (or just ring to check). The number is +61 2 90185490 from outside Australia or just 0290185490 from inside.
Bye for now,
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Watch "Cabling in Laos on the Gibbon Experience" on Google Video
Your friend, greg.henderson@gmail.com, has sent you the following video from Google Video and included this message:
What we'll be doing in a couple weeks!!!
Cabling in Laos on the Gibbon Experience
34 sec - May 14, 2006
Average rating: 
Description: Steve and Dan pass each other in the treetops in Bokeo Reserve in Laos on the "Gibbon Experience". 150feet up.
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Monday, May 07, 2007
Update 3
Chao,
Just noticed it had been a while since we last send an email out so thought it might be time to let you know what's been going on with us her in Viet Nam.
First off, the trips that we've been taking:
Liz went on a trip down the Mekong Delta with a new friend of ours (Amy - a Melbournite) about 4 weeks ago now. Unfortunately Greg was working as it was an awesome trip that he shouldn't have missed. Caught the bus down to a small town in the Delta and then hopped on the boat for a trip around the Delta itself.
A couple weeks ago we went down to the Surfing and Kite Surfing Capital of Viet Nam, a place called Mui Ne. It is on the extreme south eastern tip of Viet Nam, around 4-5 hours from Saigon. It was a great trip getting away from the city and just having a bit of relaxation time.
We went on a tour around the area, not that it's that big, seeing a few cool things. We first went to a Place called Fairy Springs which is just a small creek but looks quite cool and was a good warm up for a couple of the next stops as we had to climb a 30 metre sand dune and then sit down and slide down it -> great fun. Next we went to a fishing village where we saw a whole heap of fishing boats in a small cove, see the pictures as it is had to explain in less than a thousand words (your cue to laugh, ha ha huh). After the fishing village we took the jeep out of town to a place called Red Canyon, basically just sand dunes that have hardened into a canyon formation and very cool to walk around and through. The last stop was the World Famous [In Viet Nam] Mui Ne Sand Dunes where we went sand boarding down 20-30 metre dunes. That was great fun, although the kid renting the boards all ripped us off, paid $2 dollars instead of $1, terrible really.
Once we finished our big tour, we retired to the hotel where we all had a swim in the pool and had a drink. Tough life at this place, we had to pay $2 for western styled cocktails with a strong kick and we had to sit in the pool to drink them. It don't know how we survived ;-). The following day we went to the beach (just out the hotel gate) and tried to take a dip but weren't game enough as it was cold (on Viet Nam Standards, definitely warmer than anything in NZ), so we instead went to the pool and had another cocktail, be rude not to really!! Check out was 12:00 and the bus came to pick us up soon after that to take us back to Saigon.
The next week the Parents were here which was good. Took them around the city and showed off the major sights and sounds of Saigon. Actually managed to get mum on the back of the Old Vespa on the way back from the airport, probably a mistake as she now it claiming the Vespa as "ours" and I think she thinks she's a bit of a Biky Chick, how sad ;-). They took us out on a boat on the Saigon River which gave us a bit of perspective about what was across the other side of the water. There are only 3 bridges across the other side so we don't go over there - Kind of like the North Shore of Auckland ;-). You can see some of the pictures of it, quite scary when we saw a guy swimming in the river with a huge knife sticking out of his mouth and eyes that made him look like Jack Nicholson as Jack in the Shining, waiting for him to say "Day Jonny" (translation - here's Jonny, kind of looses something in translation but no matter).
The Parents left up to Hoi An (an hour or so north of Saigon) on Thursday morning and we went down to Vung Tau. This is the place where the Australians had there R&R during the American War and was one of the best developed places I think we have seen since we arrived here. It is now used as the playground for the rich Saigonites but was empty as it was a weekday. It was quite fun down there but not ab fab. Must have been around 40 degrees when we left and because of that and not wanting to get ill from the sun, we left a couple hours early. Took the Hydrofoil there and back which was fun, rising above the waves like we were flying until we went by the wake of a big boat and came crashing back down; I suspect there is no Maritime Safety group here as we came within metres of some of the oncoming vessels, but that was fun.
We have a couple exciting trips lined up in the next couple months. The first is down to Phu Quoc Island near the Cambodian coast. It was used as a Re-Education camp after the war and is now a resort type island with backpacker prices. That should be good. Another one is going up to Laos and hopping in some inner tubes and floating down the river. Apparently they throw bamboo poles into the water to grab you then bring you in, feed you good (their good, not our good) booze then send you on your way, and that happens every 500 metres or so for around 3-4 km. Then there is also the trips to Singapore/Bangkok/KL etc... that we can do, but only when Jetstar/Tiger/Air Asia make it cheap enough (it's a whole $50 bucks at the moment although there is a sale on at the moment to Singapore for only $20, hmmmm).
And now the "other stuff":
We are moving in the next week or so. The flat was half breaking up so we decided to move to a new apartment close to the city. Our cell phone numbers will remain the same, but we will also get a land line (not that we can ring as the calls from here are horrendously expensive).
Our new address is:
93 Nguyen Phi Khanh Street,
Tan Dinh Ward,
District 01, Ho Chi Minh City,
Viet Nam.
Greg has been working hard at his school (VUS) for the last 3 months now. That's gotten better since the beginning but some of the kids are still little trouble makers. All in all it is good, the other teachers definitely make it worthwhile. Greg also had another job at an Aussie place but quit after they took some hours away because he "didn't have an American accent." Annoying but better now with only one employer and more hours there than the other one could offer. And just this morning, he got a half offer (yes I am super keen but I have to get back to you tomorrow), hopefully that will bring something, if not then oh well.
me, not so busy. still spending lots of time exploring saigon, so many little side streets with shops (look out), cafes (coffee and iced tea), can walk the same street many times and there is always something new to find. starting yoga later this week and have emailed some charities hopefully be able to get some work in the next few weeks. For all you lovely people that have sent indivduals emails we will reply in the next little while. thats about all from me.
Some of the photos over the last wee while can be found on the following page: http://picasaweb.google.com/greg.and.liz/WhatWeVeBeenUpTo02?authkey=zwRILMi3pU8
Look forward to hearing what you've been up to.
Just noticed it had been a while since we last send an email out so thought it might be time to let you know what's been going on with us her in Viet Nam.
First off, the trips that we've been taking:
Liz went on a trip down the Mekong Delta with a new friend of ours (Amy - a Melbournite) about 4 weeks ago now. Unfortunately Greg was working as it was an awesome trip that he shouldn't have missed. Caught the bus down to a small town in the Delta and then hopped on the boat for a trip around the Delta itself.
A couple weeks ago we went down to the Surfing and Kite Surfing Capital of Viet Nam, a place called Mui Ne. It is on the extreme south eastern tip of Viet Nam, around 4-5 hours from Saigon. It was a great trip getting away from the city and just having a bit of relaxation time.
We went on a tour around the area, not that it's that big, seeing a few cool things. We first went to a Place called Fairy Springs which is just a small creek but looks quite cool and was a good warm up for a couple of the next stops as we had to climb a 30 metre sand dune and then sit down and slide down it -> great fun. Next we went to a fishing village where we saw a whole heap of fishing boats in a small cove, see the pictures as it is had to explain in less than a thousand words (your cue to laugh, ha ha huh). After the fishing village we took the jeep out of town to a place called Red Canyon, basically just sand dunes that have hardened into a canyon formation and very cool to walk around and through. The last stop was the World Famous [In Viet Nam] Mui Ne Sand Dunes where we went sand boarding down 20-30 metre dunes. That was great fun, although the kid renting the boards all ripped us off, paid $2 dollars instead of $1, terrible really.
Once we finished our big tour, we retired to the hotel where we all had a swim in the pool and had a drink. Tough life at this place, we had to pay $2 for western styled cocktails with a strong kick and we had to sit in the pool to drink them. It don't know how we survived ;-). The following day we went to the beach (just out the hotel gate) and tried to take a dip but weren't game enough as it was cold (on Viet Nam Standards, definitely warmer than anything in NZ), so we instead went to the pool and had another cocktail, be rude not to really!! Check out was 12:00 and the bus came to pick us up soon after that to take us back to Saigon.
The next week the Parents were here which was good. Took them around the city and showed off the major sights and sounds of Saigon. Actually managed to get mum on the back of the Old Vespa on the way back from the airport, probably a mistake as she now it claiming the Vespa as "ours" and I think she thinks she's a bit of a Biky Chick, how sad ;-). They took us out on a boat on the Saigon River which gave us a bit of perspective about what was across the other side of the water. There are only 3 bridges across the other side so we don't go over there - Kind of like the North Shore of Auckland ;-). You can see some of the pictures of it, quite scary when we saw a guy swimming in the river with a huge knife sticking out of his mouth and eyes that made him look like Jack Nicholson as Jack in the Shining, waiting for him to say "Day Jonny" (translation - here's Jonny, kind of looses something in translation but no matter).
The Parents left up to Hoi An (an hour or so north of Saigon) on Thursday morning and we went down to Vung Tau. This is the place where the Australians had there R&R during the American War and was one of the best developed places I think we have seen since we arrived here. It is now used as the playground for the rich Saigonites but was empty as it was a weekday. It was quite fun down there but not ab fab. Must have been around 40 degrees when we left and because of that and not wanting to get ill from the sun, we left a couple hours early. Took the Hydrofoil there and back which was fun, rising above the waves like we were flying until we went by the wake of a big boat and came crashing back down; I suspect there is no Maritime Safety group here as we came within metres of some of the oncoming vessels, but that was fun.
We have a couple exciting trips lined up in the next couple months. The first is down to Phu Quoc Island near the Cambodian coast. It was used as a Re-Education camp after the war and is now a resort type island with backpacker prices. That should be good. Another one is going up to Laos and hopping in some inner tubes and floating down the river. Apparently they throw bamboo poles into the water to grab you then bring you in, feed you good (their good, not our good) booze then send you on your way, and that happens every 500 metres or so for around 3-4 km. Then there is also the trips to Singapore/Bangkok/KL etc... that we can do, but only when Jetstar/Tiger/Air Asia make it cheap enough (it's a whole $50 bucks at the moment although there is a sale on at the moment to Singapore for only $20, hmmmm).
And now the "other stuff":
We are moving in the next week or so. The flat was half breaking up so we decided to move to a new apartment close to the city. Our cell phone numbers will remain the same, but we will also get a land line (not that we can ring as the calls from here are horrendously expensive).
Our new address is:
93 Nguyen Phi Khanh Street,
Tan Dinh Ward,
District 01, Ho Chi Minh City,
Viet Nam.
Greg has been working hard at his school (VUS) for the last 3 months now. That's gotten better since the beginning but some of the kids are still little trouble makers. All in all it is good, the other teachers definitely make it worthwhile. Greg also had another job at an Aussie place but quit after they took some hours away because he "didn't have an American accent." Annoying but better now with only one employer and more hours there than the other one could offer. And just this morning, he got a half offer (yes I am super keen but I have to get back to you tomorrow), hopefully that will bring something, if not then oh well.
me, not so busy. still spending lots of time exploring saigon, so many little side streets with shops (look out), cafes (coffee and iced tea), can walk the same street many times and there is always something new to find. starting yoga later this week and have emailed some charities hopefully be able to get some work in the next few weeks. For all you lovely people that have sent indivduals emails we will reply in the next little while. thats about all from me.
Some of the photos over the last wee while can be found on the following page: http://picasaweb.google.com/greg.and.liz/WhatWeVeBeenUpTo02?authkey=zwRILMi3pU8
Look forward to hearing what you've been up to.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Update 2
Chau (Hello in Vietnamese, feels kind of like Italy sometimes),
Well it has been over a month since our last update, so we thought we should let you know how we've been going. Since we wrote last, we have moved into a new house Greg has commenced his employment (yes, he is job) and we've been on our first out of town excursion.
The house that we have moved into is in the Bin Tanh District of Ho Chi Minh City. As you probably don't have a clue where that is (I know we didn't), it is on the northern side of the city, about 30 minutes from the city right near the airport. We are living with an English guy, an American and a Belgian (and his wife + 4 month old baby).
Quite an interesting house with lots of stories to tell from all sides so it's quite fun sitting and having a few beers and just yakking. The area around the house is very nice as well with lots of cheap places to eat (rice and pork meal for US$1 for two people, or if we are feeling particularly extravagant we could go "up market and pay US$2!!).
We've gone out drinking a few times over the last few weeks and every time we go out we get pulled aside by some of the locals who insist on us drinking with them. Inevitably they say they are cops and want to know where we live and what our phone number is, but I think that that's just them beating their chests a bit. We got pulled aside by one group just as we were leaving one place a couple weeks ago and they said, "here, try this." We asked what it was and they replied "banana Heanesy." I'll tell you one think, it was no where near but it sure made us stumble a bit afterwards ;-). We've found a few drinking holes around the place, including an "upmarket" casino around the corner, that is "upmarket" compared with the rest of the area but definitely no Sky City or Crown casino (they call it, 'The Bingo Club'!!).
\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>We went on our first out of town excursion a couple weeks ago. The destination was the Cu Chi tunnels, supposedly 60km from the city. Took us 2 1/2 hours on our little rented Vespa 125 as it's top speed is only 50km (and that is pushing it's little 2 stroke engine to the max) and we also got lost. One thing that we both learnt was not to follow the road signs, and instead stop and ask directions. The signs that we followed that day took us round in circles and the wrong way, it was however interesting seeing the country side even though it there was as Forest Gump said "Big Fat Rain" for around 1/2 an hour of the drive. \n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Once we got up there it was all good though. The tunnels were interesting, especially the propaganda video they played at the beginning of the tour, talking about the evil Americans and how they "destroyed this lovely weekend picnic area for the citizens of Sai Gon." We thought it was great seeing the other side of the story and how the Vietnamese saw the war. Anyhoo, the journey back only took us just under 2 hours with a few drink stops along the way. Sore bums all around though, the Vespa definitely is not a touring vehicle.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>I (Greg) have now been in his teaching job for 3 weeks. So far it is going really well. A few noisy kids, few real studiers and then some others which have obviously been put in the wrong class. I am using some of my experiences of boarding school to deal with the noisy ones. I now give them 3 warnings, after that I move into the NMT (neuro-muscular treatment) which comprises of copying pages from the book exactly, if they don't do it exactly, they do it again and again until they get it right. So far it's proving successful, if not a bit fun watching them squirm (does that make me evil, probably but oh well). \n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Other than the kids, the school is really good, I am now getting a few constant classes (so far 15 hours a week and climbing) so hopefully that will continue. The school (VUS - ",1]
);
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We went on our first out of town excursion a couple weeks ago. The destination was the Cu Chi tunnels, supposedly 60km from the city. Took us 2 1/2 hours on our little rented Vespa 125 as it's top speed is only 50km (and that is pushing it's little 2 stroke engine to the max) and we also got lost. One thing that we both learnt was not to follow the road signs, and instead stop and ask directions. The signs that we followed that day took us round in circles and the wrong way, it was however interesting seeing the country side even though it there was as Forest Gump said "Big Fat Rain" for around 1/2 an hour of the drive.
Once we got up there it was all good though. The tunnels were interesting, especially the propaganda video they played at the beginning of the tour, talking about the evil Americans and how they "destroyed this lovely weekend picnic area for the citizens of Sai Gon." We thought it was great seeing the other side of the story and how the Vietnamese saw the war. Anyhoo, the journey back only took us just under 2 hours with a few drink stops along the way. Sore bums all around though, the Vespa definitely is not a touring vehicle.
I (Greg) have now been in his teaching job for 3 weeks. So far it is going really well. A few noisy kids, few real studiers and then some others which have obviously been put in the wrong class. I am using some of my experiences of boarding school to deal with the noisy ones. I now give them 3 warnings, after that I move into the NMT (neuro-muscular treatment) which comprises of copying pages from the book exactly, if they don't do it exactly, they do it again and again until they get it right. So far it's proving successful, if not a bit fun watching them squirm (does that make me evil, probably but oh well).
Other than the kids, the school is really good, I am now getting a few constant classes (so far 15 hours a week and climbing) so hopefully that will continue. The school (VUS -
www.vus-etcs.edu.vn\n\u003c/a\>) is really well organised and considered one of the best schools in Sai Gon which is good. I've been trying to find some more work as VUS is only during some week nights and most of the weekend but it is hard trying to find anywhere that doesn't clash with that unless I go into full time (8:00-5:00 Mon-Fri) which I don't particularly want to do as it means we can't go travelling. Oh well, I'll keep looking and see what I find.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Liz has been looking around for work as well. There are a few promising leads from some schools who want to employ her. From what we have heard she meets two prerequisits, 1) she is white which a lot of the schools use as the one and only prerequisite and 2) that she is female (in Vietnam there is a distinct shortage of female teachers). Only time will tell, but all indications are good so far. \n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>My (Greg's) phone number has changed as well as we weren't getting any texts or calls from overseas (something bung with Vietnam Telecom). I've now changed and it is working fine. The number is +84 90 3479741.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Right, now the photo web sites:\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Our current offering of photos (+ a map of the city so you know where we're talking about) of what we've been doing can be found at: \u003ca href\u003d\"http://picasaweb.google.com/greg.and.liz/WhatWeVeBeenUpTo?authkey\u003dwCZByGM7O9A\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>\nhttp://picasaweb.google.com\u003cWBR\>/greg.and.liz/WhatWeVeBeenUpTo\u003cWBR\>?authkey\u003dwCZByGM7O9A\u003c/a\>\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Also, I've uploaded all the jokes that I've received over the last 2 years onto the web. They can be found at: \u003ca href\u003d\"http://picasaweb.google.com/greg.and.liz/Jokes?authkey\u003dCTtIcqlIbkY\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>http://picasaweb.google.com\u003cWBR\>/greg.and.liz/Jokes?authkey",1]
);
//-->
www.vus-etcs.edu.vn ) is really well organised and considered one of the best schools in Sai Gon which is good. I've been trying to find some more work as VUS is only during some week nights and most of the weekend but it is hard trying to find anywhere that doesn't clash with that unless I go into full time (8:00-5:00 Mon-Fri) which I don't particularly want to do as it means we can't go travelling. Oh well, I'll keep looking and see what I find.
Liz has been looking around for work as well. There are a few promising leads from some schools who want to employ her. From what we have heard she meets two prerequisits, 1) she is white which a lot of the schools use as the one and only prerequisite and 2) that she is female (in Vietnam there is a distinct shortage of female teachers). Only time will tell, but all indications are good so far.
My (Greg's) phone number has changed as well as we weren't getting any texts or calls from overseas (something bung with Vietnam Telecom). I've now changed and it is working fine. The number is +84 90 3479741.
Right, now the photo web sites:
Our current offering of photos (+ a map of the city so you know where we're talking about) of what we've been doing can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/greg.and.liz/WhatWeVeBeenUpTo?authkey=wCZByGM7O9A
Also, I've uploaded all the jokes that I've received over the last 2 years onto the web. They can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/greg.and.liz/Jokes?authkey
\u003dCTtIcqlIbkY\n\u003c/a\>\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Anyway, let us know how you've been going and what you've been up to. We always look forward to e-mails from everyone else letting us know how you've been.\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Not sure whether we put it in the previous e-mail, but there is a standing invitation to come to Sai Gon and visit. We don't have any space at our place unfortunately, but there are lots of accommodation options in town that are dirt cheap without the dirt quality. I (Greg) will even pick you up on the old Vespa if you so desire, that way you can experience some of the madness on the streets first hand ;-).\n\u003cbr clear\u003d\"all\"\>\u003cbr\>lots of love\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>\u003cbr\>Greg and Liz Henderson\u003cbr\>e-mail: \u003ca href\u003d\"mailto:greg.henderson@gmail.com\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>greg.henderson@gmail.com\u003c/a\> \u003c/div\>\n",0]
);
//-->
=CTtIcqlIbkY
Anyway, let us know how you've been going and what you've been up to. We always look forward to e-mails from everyone else letting us know how you've been.
Not sure whether we put it in the previous e-mail, but there is a standing invitation to come to Sai Gon and visit. We don't have any space at our place unfortunately, but there are lots of accommodation options in town that are dirt cheap without the dirt quality. I (Greg) will even pick you up on the old Vespa if you so desire, that way you can experience some of the madness on the streets first hand ;-). lots of love
Well it has been over a month since our last update, so we thought we should let you know how we've been going. Since we wrote last, we have moved into a new house Greg has commenced his employment (yes, he is job) and we've been on our first out of town excursion.
The house that we have moved into is in the Bin Tanh District of Ho Chi Minh City. As you probably don't have a clue where that is (I know we didn't), it is on the northern side of the city, about 30 minutes from the city right near the airport. We are living with an English guy, an American and a Belgian (and his wife + 4 month old baby).
Quite an interesting house with lots of stories to tell from all sides so it's quite fun sitting and having a few beers and just yakking. The area around the house is very nice as well with lots of cheap places to eat (rice and pork meal for US$1 for two people, or if we are feeling particularly extravagant we could go "up market and pay US$2!!).
We've gone out drinking a few times over the last few weeks and every time we go out we get pulled aside by some of the locals who insist on us drinking with them. Inevitably they say they are cops and want to know where we live and what our phone number is, but I think that that's just them beating their chests a bit. We got pulled aside by one group just as we were leaving one place a couple weeks ago and they said, "here, try this." We asked what it was and they replied "banana Heanesy." I'll tell you one think, it was no where near but it sure made us stumble a bit afterwards ;-). We've found a few drinking holes around the place, including an "upmarket" casino around the corner, that is "upmarket" compared with the rest of the area but definitely no Sky City or Crown casino (they call it, 'The Bingo Club'!!).
\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>We went on our first out of town excursion a couple weeks ago. The destination was the Cu Chi tunnels, supposedly 60km from the city. Took us 2 1/2 hours on our little rented Vespa 125 as it's top speed is only 50km (and that is pushing it's little 2 stroke engine to the max) and we also got lost. One thing that we both learnt was not to follow the road signs, and instead stop and ask directions. The signs that we followed that day took us round in circles and the wrong way, it was however interesting seeing the country side even though it there was as Forest Gump said "Big Fat Rain" for around 1/2 an hour of the drive. \n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Once we got up there it was all good though. The tunnels were interesting, especially the propaganda video they played at the beginning of the tour, talking about the evil Americans and how they "destroyed this lovely weekend picnic area for the citizens of Sai Gon." We thought it was great seeing the other side of the story and how the Vietnamese saw the war. Anyhoo, the journey back only took us just under 2 hours with a few drink stops along the way. Sore bums all around though, the Vespa definitely is not a touring vehicle.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>I (Greg) have now been in his teaching job for 3 weeks. So far it is going really well. A few noisy kids, few real studiers and then some others which have obviously been put in the wrong class. I am using some of my experiences of boarding school to deal with the noisy ones. I now give them 3 warnings, after that I move into the NMT (neuro-muscular treatment) which comprises of copying pages from the book exactly, if they don't do it exactly, they do it again and again until they get it right. So far it's proving successful, if not a bit fun watching them squirm (does that make me evil, probably but oh well). \n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Other than the kids, the school is really good, I am now getting a few constant classes (so far 15 hours a week and climbing) so hopefully that will continue. The school (VUS - ",1]
);
//-->
We went on our first out of town excursion a couple weeks ago. The destination was the Cu Chi tunnels, supposedly 60km from the city. Took us 2 1/2 hours on our little rented Vespa 125 as it's top speed is only 50km (and that is pushing it's little 2 stroke engine to the max) and we also got lost. One thing that we both learnt was not to follow the road signs, and instead stop and ask directions. The signs that we followed that day took us round in circles and the wrong way, it was however interesting seeing the country side even though it there was as Forest Gump said "Big Fat Rain" for around 1/2 an hour of the drive.
Once we got up there it was all good though. The tunnels were interesting, especially the propaganda video they played at the beginning of the tour, talking about the evil Americans and how they "destroyed this lovely weekend picnic area for the citizens of Sai Gon." We thought it was great seeing the other side of the story and how the Vietnamese saw the war. Anyhoo, the journey back only took us just under 2 hours with a few drink stops along the way. Sore bums all around though, the Vespa definitely is not a touring vehicle.
I (Greg) have now been in his teaching job for 3 weeks. So far it is going really well. A few noisy kids, few real studiers and then some others which have obviously been put in the wrong class. I am using some of my experiences of boarding school to deal with the noisy ones. I now give them 3 warnings, after that I move into the NMT (neuro-muscular treatment) which comprises of copying pages from the book exactly, if they don't do it exactly, they do it again and again until they get it right. So far it's proving successful, if not a bit fun watching them squirm (does that make me evil, probably but oh well).
Other than the kids, the school is really good, I am now getting a few constant classes (so far 15 hours a week and climbing) so hopefully that will continue. The school (VUS -
www.vus-etcs.edu.vn\n\u003c/a\>) is really well organised and considered one of the best schools in Sai Gon which is good. I've been trying to find some more work as VUS is only during some week nights and most of the weekend but it is hard trying to find anywhere that doesn't clash with that unless I go into full time (8:00-5:00 Mon-Fri) which I don't particularly want to do as it means we can't go travelling. Oh well, I'll keep looking and see what I find.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Liz has been looking around for work as well. There are a few promising leads from some schools who want to employ her. From what we have heard she meets two prerequisits, 1) she is white which a lot of the schools use as the one and only prerequisite and 2) that she is female (in Vietnam there is a distinct shortage of female teachers). Only time will tell, but all indications are good so far. \n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>My (Greg's) phone number has changed as well as we weren't getting any texts or calls from overseas (something bung with Vietnam Telecom). I've now changed and it is working fine. The number is +84 90 3479741.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Right, now the photo web sites:\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Our current offering of photos (+ a map of the city so you know where we're talking about) of what we've been doing can be found at: \u003ca href\u003d\"http://picasaweb.google.com/greg.and.liz/WhatWeVeBeenUpTo?authkey\u003dwCZByGM7O9A\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>\nhttp://picasaweb.google.com\u003cWBR\>/greg.and.liz/WhatWeVeBeenUpTo\u003cWBR\>?authkey\u003dwCZByGM7O9A\u003c/a\>\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Also, I've uploaded all the jokes that I've received over the last 2 years onto the web. They can be found at: \u003ca href\u003d\"http://picasaweb.google.com/greg.and.liz/Jokes?authkey\u003dCTtIcqlIbkY\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>http://picasaweb.google.com\u003cWBR\>/greg.and.liz/Jokes?authkey",1]
);
//-->
www.vus-etcs.edu.vn ) is really well organised and considered one of the best schools in Sai Gon which is good. I've been trying to find some more work as VUS is only during some week nights and most of the weekend but it is hard trying to find anywhere that doesn't clash with that unless I go into full time (8:00-5:00 Mon-Fri) which I don't particularly want to do as it means we can't go travelling. Oh well, I'll keep looking and see what I find.
Liz has been looking around for work as well. There are a few promising leads from some schools who want to employ her. From what we have heard she meets two prerequisits, 1) she is white which a lot of the schools use as the one and only prerequisite and 2) that she is female (in Vietnam there is a distinct shortage of female teachers). Only time will tell, but all indications are good so far.
My (Greg's) phone number has changed as well as we weren't getting any texts or calls from overseas (something bung with Vietnam Telecom). I've now changed and it is working fine. The number is +84 90 3479741.
Right, now the photo web sites:
Our current offering of photos (+ a map of the city so you know where we're talking about) of what we've been doing can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/greg.and.liz/WhatWeVeBeenUpTo?authkey=wCZByGM7O9A
Also, I've uploaded all the jokes that I've received over the last 2 years onto the web. They can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/greg.and.liz/Jokes?authkey
\u003dCTtIcqlIbkY\n\u003c/a\>\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Anyway, let us know how you've been going and what you've been up to. We always look forward to e-mails from everyone else letting us know how you've been.\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Not sure whether we put it in the previous e-mail, but there is a standing invitation to come to Sai Gon and visit. We don't have any space at our place unfortunately, but there are lots of accommodation options in town that are dirt cheap without the dirt quality. I (Greg) will even pick you up on the old Vespa if you so desire, that way you can experience some of the madness on the streets first hand ;-).\n\u003cbr clear\u003d\"all\"\>\u003cbr\>lots of love\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>\u003cbr\>Greg and Liz Henderson\u003cbr\>e-mail: \u003ca href\u003d\"mailto:greg.henderson@gmail.com\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>greg.henderson@gmail.com\u003c/a\> \u003c/div\>\n",0]
);
//-->
=CTtIcqlIbkY
Anyway, let us know how you've been going and what you've been up to. We always look forward to e-mails from everyone else letting us know how you've been.
Not sure whether we put it in the previous e-mail, but there is a standing invitation to come to Sai Gon and visit. We don't have any space at our place unfortunately, but there are lots of accommodation options in town that are dirt cheap without the dirt quality. I (Greg) will even pick you up on the old Vespa if you so desire, that way you can experience some of the madness on the streets first hand ;-). lots of love
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Update 1
Hello hello hello,
We are now near the end of our first week in Nam. So far things have been going really well. It has been quite quiet here over the last few days as it is Tet which is Vietnamese New Year which the Good Book (aka the Lonely Planet) describes as New Years, Christmas and Birthdays all rolled into one (we can see why).
The first couple days we were here we cruised around town seeing the many many sights and sounds that Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh City) has to offer. It is, ummm, how to say this, ummmm, harrowing walking around the city here. People generally take traffic lights and foot paths as advice and then tend not to pay attention to them. General rule we learnt, walk slowly accross the road without stopping or slowing down, seems to work. We took a ride on a motor cycle (US$1 p/h!!) which was fun, sure got the blood pumping missing buses and cars by only centimetres.
We have been to several markets where there is super cheap stuff available. Louis Vuitton (?sp) handbags for US$40, CDs and DVDs for a couple bucks and western books (any you could want) for only a few bucks -> they are ALL authentic too which is ab fab!! ;-)
Beer is super cheap, we are now hooked on Saigon Green a very creamy lager which is just yummy and only US$0.70 for a 450 ml bottle. Liz is hooked on Da Lat wine, which I like to compare to a mix of toilet water and dish washing liquid - WUMMY.
Lots of westerners in our area as we are in the backpacker quarter. Heaps of Frenchies, Yanks and English and a couple random dutch people too. Lots of them are just transiting, some have been here a while and given us some very good advice on things to do around the country.
I (Greg) go in for my work orientation on Thursday and hopefully start early the week after. It should be good, my TESOL (teaching English) course is almost done now so I feel fully qualified to teach (or perhaps not, I am not sure). Ther'll be two teachers in the class room when I teach - A Vietnamese translator and myself so things should be pretty smooth going.
\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>The hostel which we are staying in is right in the middle of the backpacker quarter. It is clean and staffed 24 hours a day, including selling Saigon Beer at NO extra premium. So when I (Greg) feel like a beer at 4:00 in the morning, I can have one!! Also get brekkie in the morning so Liz doesn't need to cook me my eggs and toast ;-).\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>We've got a web page set up for all of our photos (\u003ca href\u003d\"http://picasaweb.google.com/greg.and.liz/SaiGon?authkey\u003dFb1xFG98lAw\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>http://picasaweb.google.com\u003cWBR\>/greg.and.liz/SaiGon?authkey\u003cWBR\>\u003dFb1xFG98lAw\u003c/a\>). Check it out to see some of the sights that we've seen.\n\u003cbr clear\u003d\"all\"\>\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Our new mobile numbers are:\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Greg: +84 97 9458391\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Liz: +84 97 8369252\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Hope things are all good with you and we both wish you a very Chum Mung Nam Moi (Happy New Year). oink oink\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Oh, and it is the middle of winter and 32 degrees at 8:00 at night!! GREAT after NZ.\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Byee\u003c/div\>",1]
);
//-->
The hostel which we are staying in is right in the middle of the backpacker quarter. It is clean and staffed 24 hours a day, including selling Saigon Beer at NO extra premium. So when I (Greg) feel like a beer at 4:00 in the morning, I can have one!! Also get brekkie in the morning so Liz doesn't need to cook me my eggs and toast ;-).
We've got a web page set up for all of our photos (http://picasaweb.google.com/greg.and.liz/SaiGon?authkey=Fb1xFG98lAw). Check it out to see some of the sights that we've seen.
Our new mobile numbers are:
Greg: +84 97 9458391
Liz: +84 97 8369252
Hope things are all good with you and we both wish you a very Chum Mung Nam Moi (Happy New Year). oink oink
Oh, and it is the middle of winter and 32 degrees at 8:00 at night!! GREAT after NZ.
Byee
We are now near the end of our first week in Nam. So far things have been going really well. It has been quite quiet here over the last few days as it is Tet which is Vietnamese New Year which the Good Book (aka the Lonely Planet) describes as New Years, Christmas and Birthdays all rolled into one (we can see why).
The first couple days we were here we cruised around town seeing the many many sights and sounds that Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh City) has to offer. It is, ummm, how to say this, ummmm, harrowing walking around the city here. People generally take traffic lights and foot paths as advice and then tend not to pay attention to them. General rule we learnt, walk slowly accross the road without stopping or slowing down, seems to work. We took a ride on a motor cycle (US$1 p/h!!) which was fun, sure got the blood pumping missing buses and cars by only centimetres.
We have been to several markets where there is super cheap stuff available. Louis Vuitton (?sp) handbags for US$40, CDs and DVDs for a couple bucks and western books (any you could want) for only a few bucks -> they are ALL authentic too which is ab fab!! ;-)
Beer is super cheap, we are now hooked on Saigon Green a very creamy lager which is just yummy and only US$0.70 for a 450 ml bottle. Liz is hooked on Da Lat wine, which I like to compare to a mix of toilet water and dish washing liquid - WUMMY.
Lots of westerners in our area as we are in the backpacker quarter. Heaps of Frenchies, Yanks and English and a couple random dutch people too. Lots of them are just transiting, some have been here a while and given us some very good advice on things to do around the country.
I (Greg) go in for my work orientation on Thursday and hopefully start early the week after. It should be good, my TESOL (teaching English) course is almost done now so I feel fully qualified to teach (or perhaps not, I am not sure). Ther'll be two teachers in the class room when I teach - A Vietnamese translator and myself so things should be pretty smooth going.
\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>The hostel which we are staying in is right in the middle of the backpacker quarter. It is clean and staffed 24 hours a day, including selling Saigon Beer at NO extra premium. So when I (Greg) feel like a beer at 4:00 in the morning, I can have one!! Also get brekkie in the morning so Liz doesn't need to cook me my eggs and toast ;-).\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>We've got a web page set up for all of our photos (\u003ca href\u003d\"http://picasaweb.google.com/greg.and.liz/SaiGon?authkey\u003dFb1xFG98lAw\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>http://picasaweb.google.com\u003cWBR\>/greg.and.liz/SaiGon?authkey\u003cWBR\>\u003dFb1xFG98lAw\u003c/a\>). Check it out to see some of the sights that we've seen.\n\u003cbr clear\u003d\"all\"\>\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Our new mobile numbers are:\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Greg: +84 97 9458391\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Liz: +84 97 8369252\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Hope things are all good with you and we both wish you a very Chum Mung Nam Moi (Happy New Year). oink oink\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Oh, and it is the middle of winter and 32 degrees at 8:00 at night!! GREAT after NZ.\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Byee\u003c/div\>",1]
);
//-->
The hostel which we are staying in is right in the middle of the backpacker quarter. It is clean and staffed 24 hours a day, including selling Saigon Beer at NO extra premium. So when I (Greg) feel like a beer at 4:00 in the morning, I can have one!! Also get brekkie in the morning so Liz doesn't need to cook me my eggs and toast ;-).
We've got a web page set up for all of our photos (http://picasaweb.google.com/greg.and.liz/SaiGon?authkey=Fb1xFG98lAw). Check it out to see some of the sights that we've seen.
Our new mobile numbers are:
Greg: +84 97 9458391
Liz: +84 97 8369252
Hope things are all good with you and we both wish you a very Chum Mung Nam Moi (Happy New Year). oink oink
Oh, and it is the middle of winter and 32 degrees at 8:00 at night!! GREAT after NZ.
Byee
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