Hong Kong

Saturday, August 5 – Hong Kong

Many oddities in Viet Nam. When covering a brief module on sexual assault investigations, the words “penis” and “vagina” are part of an example I use to highlight a point. Well, it turns out there is no approved term for “vagina’ in Vietnamese. The term used by the translator is “her flower”. Of course, it’s a male dominated society to there are many terms for “penis”. All grand and flattering I'm sure.

A taxi driver will be playing old Boney M tapes (Rah, Rah Rasputin. Remember that one?) but look at you blankly when you ask to go to the most popular ex-pat restaurant downtown. All directions to cab drivers are given by handing over the business card of the place you want to go to (most have small maps on the back also). At the airport book shop, you can get English language versions of Uncle Ho’s writings on the war, liberation, and the military. General Giap's works on the war are also available in English. You can get many Agatha Christie novels in English, and the works of Dickens in English. You can get 3, 4 and 5 year old paperbacks in English. You can’t get an English paper, magazine or current best seller novel. But you can get the biography of Bill Gates in Vietnamese. You can’t buy a bottle of cold water, but you can buy boxes of duty free cigars or high end cognac.

Interesting place.

In Hong Kong now. A city apparently devoted to shopping and nothing else. Took the Star Ferry over to Kowloon just for the harbour view.

Home tomorrow.

Mark

Viet Nam

I've attached a map of the country to show where I've been: Hai Duong and Hanoi in the north (Halong Bay, further north earlier this year - 70 km from the border with China), DaNang in the middle of the country on the South China Sea, and Ho Chi Minh and Sadec in the south.

There is a railway north to south, and it's supposed to be a great way to see the country. Maybe on another trip...

Hai Duong

Hai Duong (pronounced: High Tzoong) is an industrial/manufacturing town about 90 minutes drive north east of Hanoi, halfway to Haiphong. Not much to see for tourists. However, tourists are fascinating to the locals. I got followed by kids on the street and stared at by everyone when I went out of the hotel. Very poor.

The picture of me and one of the police students from a recent class here in Viet Nam illustrates why children follow me and people stare.... Obviously, the picture was taken at one of the many "friendship luncheons".

Little colour compared to the bright lights of Hanoi, and nothing at all compared to Ho Chi Minh City. Stayed at a new 7 story hotel, complete with giant cockroaches and shower water that has a distinctive odour. Four nights of the absolute hardest bed I've ever slept on. Woke up hourly too stiff to roll over. Took the comforter and tried to use that to cushion the mattress. No help at all.

The only English language text I could find in the hotel was on the TV remote (2 English language stations) and the remote for the AC. Bathroom taps leaked, leaving a constant stream across the tile bathroom floor. Tail end of a monsoon swept through yesterday afternoon. My windows leaked, and I had a small stream of rain water across my sitting room tile floor. And I had one of the best rooms in the place!

Had dinner last night in a "local" restaurant that featured numersous different ways to serve cat, dog and fighting cock. Interesting enough - each of those animals were loose in the courtyard. Free range dinner. I stayed with the huge prawns. Very tasty with local beer.

These pictures are from the top floor of the hotel (sort of a panorama view), from the balcony outside our classroom. Nice little canal (NOT suitable for swimming) across the street from the hotel. Very wide boulevards, but very few cars. Lots of bicycles and motor bikes. Notice no highrises?

Big deal in town while I was there - huge table tennis tournement.

Off to Hong Kong tomorrow (and Starbucks at the airport!) for one night, then onwards home. Back here in November, with trips back to the provinces.

Now, I'm quite tired of steamed white rice.

Mark