How time flies...

Time sure flies. I have 16 days left in Vietnam before returning home.
I am extraordinarily excited to go home. Although, I’m not quite sure how to pack everything into 20kgs. :(
Oh well....I’ll sort that out next week.

I have realised today how much I have learned and how much I have had to adapt. It's strange. I know I have changed as well. I am just not sure how much of this was a good thing in reality.
Learning how to spin a story is not what I consider a positive growth.
But, I have learned how to do this without a nervous flutter in the stomach, just a cold determination.

I have also learned how much stronger I am than some people, and how much weaker I am than others. It's very strange to realise where you fit into the bigger scheme of things.

I'm somewhere in the middle....kind of in the fuzzy middle. I think if I was Zaphod Breeblebox, I would also be okay facing the universe. I know which speck I am. :)
Slightly to the left, but not completely off-centre, smallish (it’s a b-i-g universe, please), white, but not sparkling – more shimmering, I think.

Well, I have a lot to be thankful for. At least I have had the grace to be able to learn more about myself, to know who I am, and what I am all about. I know what I am not happy about, but this no longer depresses me. It's a part of my whole being, and something I can fix over time.

I think I have reached a stage in my life where I can state, "I am content".

I have now made a decision that I am content. I am not always happy, and I am not always sad. I have found that middle path. At least for now - might change, but for now? I am content. :)

Well, that’s my deep thought for the day.

:)
Till I blog again!

Running away from home....

Yes, I ran away from home. I was trying to just chill, but of course the builders next door had other plans for me. They banged on that wall non-stop for over 40 minutes. By that time, everything was annoying me. My hair, the country, everything.

I immediately phoned for a hair appointment. If there's something that chills me down, it is having my hair done. There is just something about letting someone else take care of you that just makes you relax.
I grabbed a taxi and went down to the Hair Workshop in Hanoi Towers.

The girl who washed my hair had the longest nails known to man. It felt like she was trying scrub my scalp. Normally when they put the conditioner on, they massage your scalp for a few minutes. Oh no.......i did not get that treatment.
By the time she finished, my blood pressure had gone up a notch or two.
She then asked me very friendly if i wanted coffee or tea. I was just a bit snippy with my response.

I was not chilling down here. They cut my hair and I was irritated by that. The whole place was just irritating me. At least my hair is short again.
I then jumped in a taxi to go grab moooney, and go to Nha Tho. I wanted Tapas and to just chill. I neeeeeded to chill.
First the money. I go to the ANZ bank atm. I have an ANZ card. The account is at the very bank the ATM is situated. Machine tells me issuer of card not available. Hey??????
I try again - remember you need cash in Vietnam. Again. This issuer dude is nowhere to be found.

After swearing in all languages i know, including body, I tried the next machine.
Finally, something works. I get the money and then strolled down Le Thai To.

I have been meaning to go into the monument/temple dedicated to king Ly Thai To, so today I did it. Inside people were very busy praying. It is quite beautiful and peaceful inside.
After playing tourist, I then waddled over to Nha Tho where I have now bogged down at La Salsa.
I have got wine, I have got tapas, I have internet.
I'm good. :)
FINALLY. Finally, I'm relaxing and putting the day's irritation behind me.

I have phoned my next door neighbour who will be joining me shortly. Then I can chat away the rest of the evening......

Till I blog again!

Lazy winter days....

It's supposedly winter here in Hanoi. Strange how it feels like a late summer's day in Cape Town! :)

I realised this week that in the 6 months that I have been in Vietnam, I think I'm still working on my first 100 photo's. My cousing went to Zanzibar for one week and came back with nearly 600 photo's. Hmmm........

So, this morning I took my "old" Canon Powershot A620 and took a leisurely stroll around Truc Bach lake. I took pictures of just about everything. I will be uploading the pics to my Picasaweb site under the entry "Around Truc Bach Lake". Have a squiz!
I have promised myself that for my last month, I will choose a spot in Hanoi and spend 10 minutes taking pictures of everything, every day.

I am no photographer by any stretch of anybody's imagination, but I would like some photo's to wrap up my memories of living in Hanoi for half a year.

Min dae, as they say! Now suddenly I want to squeeze in trips left right and centre! My first trip is planned for the 8th of December, which is to Halong Bay.
Next would be a trip up north. I have yet to decide between two trips, so watch this space.

Tomorrow is the Hanoi International Woman's Club Festival Charity bazaar here in Hanoi. It will be held at UNIS school and I will be working at the South African Embassy table. I cannot wait! It's going to be soo much fun! :)
If anybody's in Hanoi tomorrow - come join in!!!

Till I blog again!

Being weird in Vietnam

Yes, i know the blog was nearly declared deceased.But tonight, I have something to share. Something that amused me. :)
I came home starving.....but, I also felt like having an easy stroll. I have been struggling with a stomach that's not well, so it was going to have to be a nice, easy, slow stroll......I strolled down to Papa Joe's and had supper.

After supper I decided to gently continue this very enjoyable stroll.I must've been about 100 m from Papa Joe's when I noticed bikes bearing down on me.
On the sidewalk.
Yes. You read correctly.

That's when i noticed that in the double lane road, the very busy double lane road next to the lake, there was this huge branch blocking off the one lane.It basically stuffed up traffic good.....which would be why the bikes decided to use the sidewalk.
I decided to do what I would do at home. Move the branch. I went over and started dragging on it. Damn, branch is heavier than anticipated. Okay. Time to get serious. I took my handbag off of my shoulder and put it somewhere reeeeelatively out of reach (eeeeek!!!), and then got down to business.
I lugged that branch onto the sidewalk......nearly taking out a bike in the process. Yes, a bike on the sidewalk! Feeling quite good about myself......good deed for the day and all that.....I went back to fetch my handbag. As I bent down to pick it up, this bike stopped next to me and this French guy asks me, Are you okay...do you need assistance? I was a bit taken aback, to say the least.....I just grinned (i was feeling good!), and said, No, I just moved the branch. I'm fine.
His comment? Why?
Why?What does he mean WHY? This is what I must be doing wrong. I saw people looking at me, but I assumed it's in absolute adoration.........uhm.......... i mean thankfulness..........now I realise that they just thought me very, very weird.All I could come up with was, "well it was either move the branch or get run over by a bike".
Oh well, it's fun being weird in Vietnam!Till I blog again!

RWC Final 2007 – Jaspa’s, Hanoi, Viet Nam

Wow. And wow and wowowowowowow!!!!
First and foremost I want to congratulate our southern “blues broers” for keeping up the southern hemisphere’s name and coming in third in the Rugby World Cup by beating France. Again.
Congratulations Argentina!

Last night (Saturday, 20 October), or at least this morning, was the RWC final. I was not all convinced to go... I mean 2 am ain’t funny, but in the end the fact that it was the final and that South Africa is facing off England, made me get up and go. Man, am I glad I went.
First, I forgot my cell in the taxi. It’s the first time since I got my third phone that I did not wear it around my neck, and there we are. This time, I had the taxi number, I called for a taxi and therefore had a registered starting and end point. We immediately called my number, but it must have been in a funny spot, cos it did not go through. So, I though..... Damnit, I did it again (sorry Britney!)
I have to thank Jaspa’s staff for assisting me so much. After 30 minutes Hanoi taxi phoned to indicate that they have found the phone and will bring it to me at 01:00 am. Maaaan, was I ecstatic!
Then I could get ready for the rugby!!! Some South Africans that I met at the first SA game came in and I went to join them. Jaspa’s was packed by the time the rugby start, with a whole lot of English supporters and about 12 of us. YES, I’m counting the Italian guy. He was wearing the real RWC South African jersey, so I think he counts. :) The guys were pumped......they were singing waaay before the game started and getting the whole group excited and me just plain damn nervous.
Across from us was this group of young English supporters who I could see was not liking the fact that we are so “happy” and “excited” and sure we’re going to win.
Then the game started. As expected it was a bit of a tennis match. But, as one of the pommies later explained to me.....they did not really have the backline to beat us, so they had to kick. And every time they kicked, they kicked deep into our territory, so the best way to get out......is to kick again. Oh well, who cares?
I have this vivid memory of the kid across from us, shouting to us, “You are not invincible”. We all looked at him with a bit of surprise......who the hell said we were? There’s a reason we were all nervous!
There was the heart stopping moment when England scored a try, and we all agreed it was a try. But, then I noticed that the guy’s foot dragged the side line. My heart nearly stopped. The video ref ruled “disallowed”, and we were very much still in the game.
Did the English kid across from us loooost it. You see, even though we were boisterous before the game started, we were relatively quiet during the game as everybody was seriously watching the game. Of course, we were also outnumbered by much, so there’s no real use trying to scream over “swing low”! The kid was blaming the ref, and I could just see that in his book, they won. *roll eyes*

The last 5 minutes of the game, one of the guys initiated the standard Ole, ole, ole and everybody joined in with much enthusiasm. Man, was this a poetic justice win. England kicked their way into the final, and we kicked our way to the cup. Whoop!!!
It was a sweet victory for us at Jaspas (yes i’m sure in the rest of the world as well!). When we jumped up to celebrate, the little pommie with the loud mouth was trying to get us to acknowledge that the try was a try and that we aren’t the real winners. We just laughed. If the shoe was on the other foot..... and after all, the score (as they say) was on the board. No matter if it was just penalties.
I could not have asked for a better place to watch the final. The air in Jaspa’s was just plain electrifying and to me that was as close as could be to actually being there!
The only embarrassing thing for me was that I have never bothered to learn our new National Anthem. So, at the start of the game, I did not know the words. South Africa, I will learn. When I stand in front of foreigners again, I will be able to sing for my country. I promise.
It is now 09:24, and I’ve just had an English breakfast to celebrate. It’s been a long evening, and I’ve only had 2 hours sleep. Vietnam, I thank you for an unforgettable experience with the RWC.
My boytjies! To the boys in green and gold, THANK YOU for making us proud!

ONLINE!!! Let's rejoice....

After DAAAAAYYYYYSSSS of no internet, we seem to have a connection tonight. It is a difficult thing to keep running here. Sheesh.

Okay, so I went to bat trang again this weekend. I just didn't think I had enough bracelets, so i went and bought some more! The bus trip to Bat Trang is very interesting. I mean, getting off is tricky. The bus kiiiiiinda stops. But, not really.
So, you push the stop button, and then you must brace yourself. Then you must jump!

It's not like the bus actually gives you a chance to step away from the bus.........you must just make sure that you are not in the way. :)

I must still install 3gp player, so i'll add a movie later.... :) Don't want to push our internet connection toooo much.

what else is new? Oh yeah....read an interesting article the other day. Vietnam is busy with a big drive to promote the use of helmets whenever you drive. The problem is that apparently they are not really making a differential between bikes, motorbiks or cars.
Can you picture people sitting with helmets in cars????
My biggest worry is......are they expecting passengers to wear those too??? Oh man....i'm gonna look reaaaly stoopid.

anyhoo.....That's it for tonight. Like I said....don't want to overdo the internet!
Till I blog again!

Bat Trang experience

I went to Bat Trang today. To quote my National Geographic Traveller book.
"On the Red River 14 km southeast of town, Bat Trang ("bowl workshop") is a 500 year old village of thatched huts whose pieces are among the collections at the Louvre".
It is the best known pottery centre in Vietnam.

Huong (one of my colleagues) and myself went by bus to Bat Trang. It was an interesting trip in the sense that the road is a bit wonky. Very bumpy and when the busdriver stops, you kinda slide forward in your seat. Very serious about stopping dead, now. :)

We spent the whole morning walking through the flea market style with me acting tourist. I bought all sorts of trinkets as well as some bowls and spoons to take home. Oh, almost forgot, also some work to hang on my wall. :)

I saw so many things that I would've loved to buy. But, for once I thought my way through things. I saw theeee most beautiful coffee set ( probably considered a tea set, but in the eye of the beholder.....), but then I thought of the coffee set I already owned which is rarely used. Really no need to buy another one.

It was a most enjoyable day. I did not spend as much money as I thought I would, but I did get all my presents bought. :)

So, the week awaits me now......and I'm a bad South African. I'm not in the mood for company tonight, so therefore, I shall not see the game between SA and Fiji.
I will attempt to keep track of the game online.

Till I blog again!