Long Time No See

[Part 1]
[Edited since initial publication to include a couple new pics and better grammar and spelling]
Way, way, way overdue for a blog entry. So bear with me if it takes a few installments to cover everything that's transpired over the last month.

Christmas Eve Housewarming Party
To celebrate our new digs, and give our family-separated friends something to do, Daphne and I threw a housewarming party on Christmas Eve. At about the same time, Daphne got hired as a part time English teacher at ACET and was stuck working that night until 8. No big deal, it just meant a later start time and that the cooking and cleaning would rest solely on my shoulders.

[As usual, I wasn't done cooking yet when guests started to arrive]

[Notice the cleaning rag that guy's carrying? So many spills]

The best part about the party? Getting to sleep in the next day. Daphne and I have conflicting schedules now, so long gone are the lazy mornings. But alas, the repose was interrupted when we saw what a mess was laid outside the bedroom. Not having the foresight to have arranged for a maid to come for only 100,000VND[$6USD], we spent the afternoon cleaning up the apartment.
Meanwhile, somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, my parents were on their way to visit. They were going to spend three weeks here, but unfortunately I could only get time off for the latter two. So after a 26 hour flight and one night of rest in Saigon, I had arranged for them to fly to Hoi An the next day for a few nights until I was off from work. Daphne was kind enough to show them around town on Saturday before their flight while I was at work. By the time they left for Hoi An, she had spent more time with them than I had.

A New Motorbike
On Sunday, Daphne sends me a text while I'm at work celebrating her new purchase:a Yamaha automatic motorbike. She had gone with her friend, Yen, to pick it out and had gotten it for 7 mil VND[$390]. She had already payed the deposit on it and later that week we returned with the rest of the money to pick up the motorbike. When Daphne handed the money over, the owner counted and looked at us confused. He then wrote on a sheet of paper the number '17'. English, being Yen's second language, meant that when she had translated the price for Daphne she had made a common, though in this case expensive, pronunciation error.
Daphne was at first distraught by this turn of events, the deposit already being paid it was too late to negotiate on the price. After some careful consideration on the bike, we agreed that the original price was way too little considering that the bike was only three years old and in very good condition. So she paid the remainder and we drove home, each on our bike.
Whatever doubts Daphne had on her purchase melted away between the mechanic and our place. Initially, she had wanted us to take a taxi and have me drive the bike home since she was still inexperienced and the traffic in Saigon is a fright to the uninitiated. But I insisted that if she didn't start driving the bike immediately it would stay in the garage and rust. In just a few days, Daphne was driving the bike to work on her own.

New Years and Family Vacation
My parents arrived back on the 30th, delayed by Jetstar for the second time. Aside from a bit of food poisoning they seemed to have enjoyed their time. We took them to one of our favourite spots, Din Ky, a Chinese place that served anything from steak to shark fins soup, but that we always come to for the excellent crocodile. The next day, I have dim sum with Daphne and then go to meet my parents for a a day of touristing while she goes off to work. The problem with Saigon is that its more of a place to live in than to sight see, so planning what to do was a bit tricky. For a start, I took them to get cheap massages, then some VN iced coffee...and then I was stuck. For one thing, my parents were afraid to get on a motorbike which meant the only way to get around the city was by taxi which is way too slow. In fact, my mom was so stressed out by the traffic that even walking around the city was a problem. But after we consumed our coffees and I had flipped through the guide book, we settled on taking a taxi to a pagoda on the far side of the District. After that, a trip to our old neighbourhood in District 4 to have some baguette sandwiches at my favourite stand. Unfortunately, she was out of baguettes, so we went to a nearby bakery instead, picking a few treats up, and had a seat at another coffee spot to watch the sun fade.
That night, we had reservations at a nice, swanky place called the Temple Club to celebrate New Years Eve and for midnight we went out on the street and counted down with the rest of the town, in Vietnamese.

[Le Loi crowded by festivities]

Sleep? Only a couple of hours, because we had an early flight for Hanoi the next day. Our original flight had been canceled so I had to take the earliest time they had available in order to make it on the bus for Cat Ba Island in Ha Long Bay.

Dragon in the Mists
The short flight to Hanoi didn't leave enough time to make up for the sleepless night before. Nor did it help that it was cold and rainy on arrival. My heart sank. My parents had left the vacation in my hands and here I've sent them up north where its cold and wet for their holiday. I hope that it will be more clear in the Bay when we get there. Driving to the bus station in a taxi, I gaze out the window, noting how different the vibe is from my first visit back in June. Where there was life now it was in hiding.
A couple of bus trips later we were at the ferry to the island. It was still pretty cold but at least it had stopped raining. Seeing the rocky crags of Cat Ba changed all of our moods. A heavy mist hung over the islands in the bay, giving them a magical charm. It was different than my first visit, but still utterly beautiful. The island itself was comparatively empty without the summer beach goers.
We rented a boat out on the bay for the following day with Slo Pony, the climbing company I used last summer. It was still occasionally rainy and cold but it didn't stop us from enjoying the scenery and doing a bit of kayaking.



When I went out on the kayak with my dad, we were directed to steer towards a place called Paradise Cave. "Ten minutes that way, turn left." So paddle we did until we get to an opening in the rock face on our left hand side that opens to another body of water. It seemed like the place, though it wasn't a cave, and there was a sign in the cliff face that read: no entry. My dad insisted that we paddle on and that the entrance must be further down the wall. But after about twenty minutes we get to another similar opening with the same sign. I infer from this that 'Cave' is an incorrect VN translation and that both openings are for the same place. My dad isn't happy with this, especially because of the sign, but I convince him to paddle in for a look. The current at the opening is strong and against us, so we have to power our way in, noticing that the floor is quite shallow at the opening and a larger boat would not be able to pass here. When we finally muscle in, the site is truly paradise. The water, so still it reflects the green rocky cliffs perfectly. I was sad not to have my camera with me. The scene was like something out of a pirate novel or Robinson Crusoe. I wouldn't have been surprised if pirates had at one point used this cove.
At this time, my dad is still nervous about the sign and the fact that we only have thirty minutes left. But I convince him that if we circle the rock on the left we'll get to the opening we saw earlier and get back faster that way. So we paddle until we get to just such an opening that resembles the one we first passed. As we make our way through, the water gets so shallow that we strike ground and have to get out to push it through. On the other side we look around and notice that we are still not out of the cove! Further to the left we see another opening in the rock and some other kayakers paddling their way to it. Surely this was the opening we were looking for. As we paddled over we noticed that the counter stream was even stronger than the first one, with the addition of sharp coral that made it too shallow for passage in parts. But we succeeded in muscling our way through[note, my dad is 63] and made our way through a beautiful stalagmite[or stalactite?] roofed tunnel with colorful see plants below us only to come out into another cove. Although there were other places we could swim to to look for the exit, we only had five minutes until we were supposed to be back on the boat and way more than five minutes of paddling to cover. So we conceded to the cove and turned around, back through the tunnel maneuvered through the coral rapid[but not without getting stuck a couple times and cutting our feet on the coral trying to get out], and muscled our way back all the way through to the boat. We were only thirty minutes late and only ten second later than another group that we managed to catch up to through vigorous paddling[used this word too much, but I don't know any other synonym]. The next day, we got on the bus to go back to Hanoi. The sky was blue, the air was warm. What a tease. But no matter, everyone had a good time and I didn't feel bad anymore about taking my parents up north. Besides, after Hanoi there was still Thailand to look forward to.
[...]

Dear Traveler

In honor of my parents coming for a visit later this month, I decided to post some helpful traveler tips based on my own observations since being here. I might edit this post later with anything else that comes to mind. Edits will be in bold.
Money
-If its in a popular guide book with one price, its already gone up after publishing.
-In tourist areas, the prices quoted are usually twice what they should be. Its better in local areas, but haggling is still acceptable.
-Don't haggle over anything involving service, like food or tailoring. Street food usually doesn't advertise their prices, but they rarely rip you off. You can politely ask your tailor for a discount if you're making a bigger purchase. In general, when it comes to service, you pay for what you get.
-In general, if something is quoted in dollars and you have dong, you should convert at a rate of 18,000VND to the dollar. However, if you're buying something expensive, they might insist on the black market rate, which will cost you more.
-Its best to bring large US bills to convert to VND. And always at a jewelery store, where you can get the better black market rate. No, its not illegal, its just that Dong isn't tradeable on the international market, so local investors need to buy large amounts of US dollars from tourists, as the state owned banks won't convert Dongs to Dollars. Is it that big of a difference? If you have $1000 dollars with you, you'll profit $80-150 just by converting your money at a jewelery store instead of a bank or post office.

Transport
-Taxis. The best options are either Vinasun or Mai Linh. They are metered and fair. Many other taxi companies don't use a meter and charge too much, or if they do use a meter it counts faster.
-Xe oms, or motorbike taxis. Travel within the same district is 5-15,000VND, 15-25,000VND to get to the next district over, depending how far. Rarely should a trip cost 30,000VND.
-Always have your direction written down, be sure to include all accents and District number[District can be represented by Q.] If you try to say it, they probably won't understand your accent, or they'll think you said something else and take you in the wrong direction.
-They'll always claim to know that they know where it is even if they don't. Don't be surprised if they stop along the way to ask other xe oms for directions. And don't bother pointing to it on a map, as many of them don't know how to read a map.
-Agree to the price of a trip with a xe om before you get on.
-When crossing the street, move at a steady pace, and with confidence. Traffic will move around you. Whatever you do, don't run, and don't make any sudden stops or movements. The traffic will move around you just fine so long as they can read and understand how your moving across the street.
-For cheap flights in SE Asia: Jetstar, Tiger, Airasia, Vietnam Airlines.

Food
-Bring a pack of dry napkins, many places only have wet napkins, which they charge you for[only 1,000VND]. With all the spicy food, a wetnap won't do the job for your nose.
-You don't always get what you think you ordered. For starters, don't try to read Vietnamese, just point and clarify. Also, you come into a place and order a fish from the menu that you end up really liking, then you come back the next day, ordering the same fish, and getting something completely different. Also, always have a backup ready on the menu. Its not uncommon for them to come back five minutes after you placed your order saying, 'sorry, finished.'
-If you find a hair in your food, observe, and let it pass.
-There are no refunds, no free dessert, and its hard enough to get them to take back the meal if they brought the wrong thing.
-Service. It sucks. But there's also no tipping. On occasions when you do tip, don't do percents, just tip between 10-20,000VND.
-Fights. Don't get involved. It might seem like its just between two people, but if you interfere, so will the whole neighbourhood.
-If your food comes first don't wait for the other person's food, just start eating. Your food will get cold.
-No, those aren't free samples, its a shrine with an offering of food. Don't touch it.

Other
-Most practical items you may need on your trip are readily available here and can be bought for cheaper. So save your luggage space for the souvenirs you'll be bringing back.
-Sunglasses. Not just for the sun, but to keep dust out of your eyes while on a motorbike. Applicable near a beach, construction areas and the dry season[now] in general.
-Face mask. Not for disease. Again, dust on the motorbike. Though, I never wear one, I find it too stuffy. But my throat has been scratchy since the rains stopped, so you may not want to follow suite.
-Sunscreen and mosquito repellant. It's pretty useless in the big cities but there are parts of it that are exceptions. Bring small bottles just in case.
-Drugs. No prescription needed and they're cheaper too.

From Goat Barbecue To Sheraton Ball Room

I've been getting more comfortable with planning lessons over the months. No longer do I need thirty minutes to an hour the day before to plan my lessons. Now, I just open the book fifteen minutes before class and I know what I'm going to teach and how. This has really helped having a social life, too. So even if I have to wake up at 5:30am to get ready for school, I can still go out on the weekends.
After class on Saturday, Daphne and I went to meet our friend Rob[the one that crashed my bike a couple months back] and some of his work friends at a local goat place. It was a big place with a very small menu: steamed goat, roasted goat, grilled goat, sour mixed goat. The food was really good, we ordered the steamed goat which came in a large clay hotpot with goat meat, goat brain, and some other parts of the goat we couldn't identify but were delicious none the less. One of the guys notices that a lot of the servers are at the doorway watching some drama going on outside. As we're debating what they could be rubbernecking about, I decided to be nosey and go have a look. Just outside was a tow truck with a very familiar motorbike loaded on the back. I run up to the tow man yelling, "My bike! My bike! What are you doing to my bike!" The towman and the officer nearby were more than a little surprised to see me. They were expecting to tow conflict free, and in that area of town they least expected to see a foreigner come out yelling at them. Neither of them could speak English, and the towman was already making movements to unload my bike, keeping his eyes on the officer for the go-ahead. The officer was confused, tried to explain something, but failing through the language barrier. I hand him my ownership papers. A nearby local who speak some English asked the translated question of whether the bike was mine or a rental. I lied, saying that I rented, as I am unlicensed I would surely have gotten my bike taken away if I admitted to owning it. Thankfully, the bike was lowered and my papers handed back to me. Apparently, where I parked it was for a food stall that had closed up since I had been eating my goat and all the other bikes had left with it, leaving just mine. There was an official parking lot across the way that I was supposed to park in. What luck. To have noticed the servers watching when I did, and to have been nosey enough to inquire about it. I would've been rather sore to have come out of there and not had my bike anywhere in sight? Where do you go if your bike gets towed here? How do you even know it was towed and not stolen? Not a clue. And I'd be happy if I never had to find out.
Last night we had our company Christmas party. They had it at the Sheraton with a massive buffet and free flowing open bar. It was nice event and the food was excellent, but the down side was that since the school had so many employees and the Sheraton was so expensive, we couldn't bring any guests. Daphne talked me into going anyways and made dinner arrangements with our friend Rob[of crashing motorbikes] so I wouldn't feel guilty for going without her. Luckily, instead of stamping hands when we entered, some people got stickers on their shoulders that didn't do a good job sticking. It wasn't long until stickers were finding their ways off of ILA shoulders and onto those of Daphne and Rob. When we were heading home, the garage security was asking for another 15000VND on top of the 8000VND I had already paid for parking. The average price of parking in the city is 3-5oooVND. I kept a smile, shook my head and told him, 'no, pay already' over and over, pretending that his English wasn't good enough for me to understand. When he finally said, 'you pay more, you know, you foreigner,' the smile came off my face and the engine turned on. He quietly moved himself out of my way and pretended not to notice. Up the ramp we went and into the night.

New Home

We've finally settled in our new place in District Five, though as you'll see from the pictures, the place still needs a personal touch.






Okay, so it has plenty of personal touch, but not our own. Frankly, photos of heart shapes and baby hands aren't our style. So I'm going to find a photolab and get some of my pictures printed to take over the frames on the walls. As for the rest of the furnishings, we're rather happy with it. Not only was the place fully furnished, as though made to model for an Ikea catalog picture, but it also came with plates, bowls, silverware, pots, pans, and other kitchen necessities that we won't need to buy now. Not to mention a fake Christmas tree which you can see for yourself if you come to our Christmas Eve housewarming party.
We're still getting acquainted with our neighbourhood, which is very different from where we lived in District Four. District Five is pretty much China town, consisting of most of the ethnic Chinese-Vietnamese population of Saigon. A couple of the main differences we've noticed here is the large amount of Cantonese food[including my new favorite, Duck Noodle Soup] and Daphne can actually talk to people now. One of the downsides we've noticed, however, is that there are more westerners here, which means that the locals aren't as warm to us as they were in D. 4, where westerners were few and far between. We found out later that apparently a lot of teachers actually live in our building, from ILA and other schools as well.
One dissatisfying element, however, is the millipedes we keep finding in the house. They aren't many, they're easy to get rid of[much easier than the ant problem of my last place] but its always disgusting to find them crawling around on the floor. We're not exactly sure where they're coming from, but the little garden that lives on our balcony is a likely culprit.

We'll be making a shopping trip for pesticides soon. Aside from that, we're quite happy. The place is cozy and cheaper than our last place. Daphne does miss the wardrobe space we used to have, but not the fluorescent lighting. And we definitely miss the old neighbourhood, we still go back there to have lunch now and then at one of our old haunts. But we're also having fun discovering this new area, and what secrets its hiding.

And The Curtain Falls

I've just learned that my internet problems aren't the cause of a lame ISP but instead a government action. Facebook is banned. As well as other sites that are popular forms of social communication[so not Myspace]. I believe that my blog is also blocked, as I have to use a web proxy to make this post. There are several theories going around as to why the ban, some say the government fears security breaches through the display of private information, others say it has something to do with an upcoming election. Whatever the reason, its rather annoying and hopefully will be temporary, as I can't post photographs using a proxy.
But I can still write. So let me take this rare chance to poke out from under the ISP curtain. On Friday, Daphne and I stopped by our future apartment to sort some stuff out. We found a nearby Chinese restaurant where after having some good soup we decided to make it one of our future regulars[we have so many places in our current neighbourhood to drink and eat, where will we go now?].
I took an alternate, exploratory route back home when something in my bike started making a clicking noise and causing it to jump. Slowly, and with continued auditory threats from the bike, we made our way to my local bike shop where I always go to get work done[2:30pm].
The first mechanic to deal handle it said I needed a new chain for the wheel and also a new brake. Well enough. Though after paying for that and getting on the bike, I had to do a U-turn almost immediately when I realized the problem persisted. So he drove the bike around, came back, tightened some screw and gave me back the keys. Again, another U-turn and I was getting frustrated. So another mechanic, my regular, had a drive and came back telling me the engine and the gears are messed up. They took the entire engine and gear box apart, showing me all the pieces that needed to be replaced and quoting a price to the tune of 900,000 VND[$50][4:30pm]. Now, by Western standards this isn't much for a bike repair, but in fact this is four times more than any other job I've had done on the bike, and this isn't including the 200,000 VND I had just spent on replacing a chain that wasn't the problem. Discount? Not negotiable. So they told us to come back at 7.
We headed home, picking up two cartons of soy milk on the way. When we got to the door of my apartment on the 11th floor, I searched my pocket for the keys, which were still on the key chain in the bike shop. Lamenting our gross error, we decided to not bother with going back but instead to have a drink down at a street bar until 7. I left the soy milk by the door, hoping it would go undisturbed, and we made our way down.
While drinking at the street bar, we were joined by an old drunk who proceeded to joyfully tell his life story to us. In Vietnamese. Completely disregarding that we couldn't understand. As he used his foreign hand gestures and fast talk to tell his stories, Daphne and I took turns using our imagination to translate for eachother what he was saying. "He fell in love with a French girl during the war, and then something about his legs getting blown off by a grenade."Actually, his legs were just fine, but everytime we did this he would rejoice that he was being understood and shake my hand and offer cheers. Behind him, other locals were dictating with their hands that the gentleman was not just drunk, but insane. Still, it was quite amusing and helped the time pass.
At 7 we made our way back to the bike shop, only to find that they weren't finished putting the bike back together. Another hour we waited, as we watched them reassemble the bike, and a new bill was presented to me, with an addition of nearly 300,000 VND for extra parts. This was quite upsetting and pushed me over the edge. I tried explaining to them, even though they didn't understand any English, that they can't add more things without first consulting me. But they just kept pointing at the parts they replaced and treating me like I was stupid and didn't understand. There was a lot of fussing, hand gestures, mechanics arguing with other mechanics, until finally, the bike was back together and the guy took it for a test drive. Only to find out that it was still broken. So they appologize, agree to the 900,000 bill, and ask me to come back the next day for the bike[8:30pm].
We had held out for dinner until the bike was fixed and now were starving, so we grabbed a taxi to the backpacker area for dinner. It was a good meal and helped distract us from the events of the day, until Daphne looks at me and asks,"Did you get the house key?" Twice in one day, I had forgotten the key. Luckily I still have a roommate[for just another week] and he was able to leave the door unlocked for us. I'll be making extra copies of my next apartment key, that's for sure.
Went the next day after work to pick up my bike. It was running like new, but the price was back to where it was the night before. But as they had replaced another part and didn't charge for it, I took it as a consolation, accepted that I'm in a country with different service standards, and consoled myself with the fact that my bike was now running as if it were brand new. Paying for the bike, I went to get Daphne and we went to have Indian for dinner. At dinner, she offered a toast to my bike being fixed, but I dared not accept, fearing to take chances with jinxes.
Still, even though my bike is working well now, I think I'm ready for something new. So I'll be on the lookout for a new moto and selling my old one soon.

Here's to Better Internet in December

Haven't been able to post in a while. There are certain sites that my server just won't do at times. Facebook has been a 'no go' for a week now. Next month my lease with Anh ends and Daphne and I will be moving in to our new place. I'll still be on the eleventh floor, but in District 5 instead of 4. There's no riverside view, but its still good and the place is better furnished, as well as $100 cheaper a month. Hopefully the internet will be better there too.
Bought new flip flops. After searching through several high-end shoe boutiques in posh crackerland, Geox, Clarks, Aldo, Timberland, I couldn't find any pair that could serve as a fitting replacement for my wrecked Tevas. Not to mention the high price tags. But on a drive through District 3 we found a street full of local shoe shops. In the first stall I checked, I found a great pair, and got the price down to only 130,00VND[<$8USD].
In other news, I've learned to play Chinese chess and Daphne's teaching yoga now at a couple places in town. My parents are coming for the holidays, so I'll have a special 'tips for travelers' blog up in a couple weeks. Also, house warming/Christmas party, tba.

Chicken Rice Full Moon

Halloween and a full moon, what good luck. Back in Ohio, I remember that the commute between my university and Cincinnati would go through a forest rich in autumn colours. While there the weather cools and the green browns, in Saigon what trees there are haven't changed their hue and won't. The dry season will be starting soon, however, so that'll be a first for me.
My school goes crazy for Halloween, kids go from room to room asking for candy, and then throwing paper at each other. They prefer tricks over treats. After my class got raided by a neighbouring room, we dropped in on them to exact revenge. The other class held the door fast to prevent our entry as my students struggled to get the door opened. In the push and pull the door actually broke off the dry wall. Oops.
Also, the younger kids got to pay a visit to the ILA haunted 'house', a converted classroom on the fifth floor across from the bathrooms.


My students were so scared to go in, only three in a class of eighteen even tried, of those only two made it through. And there were many tears. My favorite part of Halloween? I got to wear flip flops instead of dress shoes to work as part of my pirate 'costume'. First time my feet didn't hurt at the end of a weekend.
Halloween night Daphne and I joined our friends and former CELTA colleagues, Rob and Sylven, at Muntaz for some Indian food and then went to the club up in the Sheraton for their Halloween party to meet up with my roommate, Anh. It was a good time, but having to wake up at 5am the next morning for work, I couldn't stay out that long.
Today, my real weekend[Monday], we had several errands to run through out the day. Taking lunch at a chicken rice place, we got into a bit of a disagreement with the proprietor. First, never ask for chicken, or you end up getting fish. The words are very similar but the inflection is opposite. So 'asking' chicken yields fish. But we do get our chicken,regretting we didn't get the fish instead, which was cold and chewy. Finishing the meal, we got the bill and it was for 134,000 VND[$7USD]. Ok, so this probably doesn't seem like much, but this is Vietnam. It shouldn't have been half that price. The chicken rice was 90,000 and should've been more like 45-50,000. I had a word with the owner and called foul. Put 105 on the table[still more than I should] and she got angry. She blocked the entrance, threatening to call the cops. Daphne and I told her to go ahead, we weren't going to pay the other 30, not because its expensive, but for the principle. She fiddled with her phone but kept putting it away and instead yelling at passing locals to bare witness. But I could tell by their faces that she wasn't winning favour with them. Especially after I showed them another customer's receipt I had found there, showing that they were charged only 40,000 for the chicken rice. In the end, both Daphne and I had reached our time limit for how long our principles would hold out against a dispute over $1.50. So I paid up and we left. Outside, one of the women watching walked with us and motioned that the place was bad and not worth coming back to. For Anh's two cents, he said, 'so basically what happened was, you were white in Vietnam.' But usually when a merchant gets caught gauging they correct themselves. This woman just went berserk, not willing to lose face in front of me, but instead losing face in front of her neighbours. My two cents? People go crazy when the moon is full.