Chuc Mung Nam Moi

Mmmm okay, so being new to blogs... guess we didn`t realise you had to update them. It`s now 5 countries later and almost 2 months and we haven`t updated jack. We can`t type, we`ve forgotten what work feels like and we can`t even get the apostrophes to go the right way. Still.... let`s do a retrospect.... just pretend the screen is going all wavy and you are recalling a time long past.....



Arriving in Vietnam (Sometime early Feb) we arrived into Saigon. It`s not surprising the Vietnamese are so obsessed with luck, surviving 10 minutes on the streets requires divine intervention. Scooters everywhere are ridiculous numbers of the same family, shopping and big yellow new year blossom trees. It`s Tet (Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian New Year and everyone is barking Chuc Mung Nam Moi meaning `Happy New Year` which is probably the only words we learnt in 2 weeks in Vietnam. The party builds up for about 2 weeks prior and goes for about 4 days. It`s the year of the rat, extra good luck for rats, hit and miss for anyone else and pretty bad news for any born under the year of the cat. Give all your old money away to children and hope that your yellow blossom tree flowers over the New Year holiday to improve your chances if you were born under any other year so we were told.



Changing from US dollars in Cambodia to the perfectly named DONG in Vietnam meant adding about 7 zero`s and becoming instant millionaires '. A man could never tire of paying for things with Dong. Nor being told to `put your dong away` when taking your money out in public.



The next day we headined for a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels guided by `Mr Bean`. He looked more like the old guy that owned gizmo in Gremlins than Rowan Atkinson, but he insisted we all called him that as he was as ashamed of his American name Michael Buyen, as he was fighting for the US as a half American - half Vietnamese man, during the war. The Cu Chi Tunnel experience was pretty gripping. For those of us who grew up on China Beach, Tour of Duty and Platoon it gives a whiole different perspective to see the devastation the Vietnam war caused for the country and it`s people. The tour starts with a black and white propoganda film where the damage caused to plants, people, chicken and `pots and pans is vividly portrayed along with the story of a young peasant girl who tended crops by day and single handedly wiped out US platoons by night.



Building 3 US army bases on 200 kilometres of already established tunnel systems, a nation who were used to and prepared to fight for their country, and sending a bunch of 19 year old american soldiers fighting after 16 weeks training, meant horrid loss of life. Mr Bean had spent 5 years in a `reeducation camp after the war and seemed genuinely remorseful of his part fighting against his own poeple. He eloquently described Oliver Stone as being all bullshit and cited Americas lack of aid for the 500000 children left disabled following its scorched earth policy of agent orange and napalm when losing the war.



The tour offers the chance for your own tunnel experience. 130 metres long, 60 cms wide and 1.3 metres tall, about 45 degrees, pitch black and with only one way in and one way out. They should have one of those ìf you fit in this hole you can go on this ride type things before but Mr Bean was keen to get everyone (particualrly the fat ass americans he loved so much) in there to feel the joy. Todd bailing out after 60 metres and Nic didn`t even attempt to go in.



After crazy Saigon bandit country, we headed for the coastal spot of Mui Ne for a few days. The 3 hour bus trip took 8 hours, but after that it was pretty smooth sailing with a perfcet beachside bungalow. It was sleep, eat, drink and repeat in a town still not yet aware of what it`s got, so devoid of beach sellers, tourist bars and largely devoid of people. The only downside was the beautiful beach it promised had all but vanished for the summer. Global warming or just freak weather no one seemed to be sure.



What Mui Ne does have is a Wellington strength breeze so its quickly establishing itself as a kite boarding mecca. Feeling we should do something other the aforementioned we did take a jeep tour around the geological wonders of the region. The great red canyon was about 5 feet deep and full of rubbish, the magic fairy stream was about 3 inches of water in a creek and while the red and white sand dunes were impressive, trying to slide down them on the hired boards resulted in sliding one foot and sinking two. Our guide picked up his girlfriend for a romantic jeep ride half way through leaving us the uncomfortable backseat voyeurs for young vietnamese love. Back to the eat, drink, sleep......