Life in Ho Chi Minh City

So life in the above city- hereafter referred to as HCMC for the sake of my fingers!- continues in the breathless pace that is Saigon. The traffic remains crazy, the traffic lights are fun and I have a 2nd degree burn on my leg from the exhaust of one of the motor bike taxis! I managed to then get it infected and had to pay yet another visit to yet another hospital. I must start calling this blog "Travels around hospitals of the world!" Anyway they fixed me up but I nearly fainted when they charged me 3 million Vietnamese Dong. Its only about 100 quid but its a lot of money for one doctors visit- thank God for travel insurance!

I must mention that I'm becoming a bit of a celebrity in HCMC. I have done 2 interviews and photos for local newspapers which was quite fun. Then to my horror today a film crew turned up and filmed us packing the food!!! Picture the scene: its 100 degrees and about 90% humidity. The room is small with ovens all blazing and there is about 20 people crammed into the small space. Sweat is dripping off us all and I am red in the face (the Vietnamese people not so much!!) Then this perfectly dressed, absolutely beautiful little Vietnamese woman pops up out of nowhere and says brightly "I interview you now yes?" Of course the proper answer is "No you maniac get out of my face!!" but instead I politely say "Yes of course no problem!" The camera man is close enough to examine your fillings and I really just want a shower and some make up!

The pictures included are of the full day tour that we did to the Cao Dai temple and the Cu Chi tunnels. Both were amazing. The temple is one of the only places in the world that a mix of religions are practised under one name. The name of the religion escapes me at the moment, but its a combination of Catholicism, Buddhism and Hinduism. We were priviledged to observe the worshipping ceremony that takes place which was beautiful, and very different to anything else I've ever seen before. The photos are of the entrance and the ceiling decorations. It was quite the most extravagant building I've ever seen! The other photo is me getting to grips with the M60 at the Cu Chi tunnels. They charge to for the bullets and then you carry on. Its the first time in my life that I've fired a gun and it will certainly be the last. It was terrifying and the kickback on the shoulder is incredible! I may have already commented on the tunnels but its worth saying again. They are tiny. The Vietnamese are very small so they fit down them but even then its a tight fit. I cannot imagine how awful it must have been to fight a war in them and be bombed and stuck there for days. The Vietnamese have even more of my respect after seeing that!

So I think thats all for now. I'm sad that I don't have more time here but there is a big wide world out there and I'm dying to explore it!

Till next time.

Disappearing off the face of the earth

Oops. So the blog has been sooo neglected of late. I just checked out the last post and its so old! Things have changed quite a bit since then!

First of all South Africa. I finished there a few days ago. It was an awesome experience but I'm glad to be on the move again. Also the area that I was staying in was so white and bland that it could have been anywhere.

Egypt- it was sooo amazing! We went to Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Dahab, Jordan and then back to Cairo. The people that I met were fun and I'm so glad that I met them. I think my favourite parts were the pyramids- obviously!- and probably Jordan, although it was very expensive. I could have spent longer in Jordan quite easily. Petra was beautiful and fantastic and I loved it. We also did gorge walking and quite a bit of climbing, including climbing 800 steps to an ancient monastry. In the 120 degree heat, thats not easy! Of course I also met Mido who became my constant companion for much of my time in Egypt and is still in contact so thats an added extra!

But to bring this old blogger right up to date, enough of the past!! I am currently blogging from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam (also known as Saigon and both are considered correct). This place has to be one of my favourite places that I've visited. I think that the people are responsible for most of that. They are welcoming and sweet and warm and ready to laugh at almost anything- including me!! They will also bend over backward to please you and make you happy. I am working in a charity cookhouse for sick people, both those who are in hospital and those who have been released but still need some assistance. So in the morning I get there and we chop all the veggies and tofu (all the food that we cook is vegetarian which is good for me!). Then the food is cooked and we all eat some of it for breakfast/lunch. The food is amazing and certainly way better than the stuff that we give our patients at home! After food we rest- in a cute little room upstairs on a bamboo mat. Then the food has to be bagged and packed, then we go and deliver it. This is my favourite part of the day. First we go to the hospital and leave their food there. Then we go to a different area and set up a kind of soup kitchen where the poor patients can come with their containers and collect some food. These people can eat! The rice that they can consume is amazing and they are all soooo skinny its ridiculous! The Vietnamese are naturally small anyway- the women all look like 12 year old children. We all laugh at the clothes shops. The mannequins that they use are European and the clothes here are too small even for the mannequins!!! Even the men are tiny- Tien picked me up at the airport and I was afraid that he was about to snap in half when he picked up my ruckie. He is 3 inches shorter and at least 100 lbs less than I am! Carlee, one of the other volunteers gets many stares because she is over 6 ft tall and they are not really used to that!

The volunteer house is cool- its very basic accommodation but its fine and the other volunteers are great. We are all doing loads of different projects but we all hang out in the evenings and go for dinner, drinks etc. The work is tiring for everyone, especially because of the climate. Its not always sunny but its always hot. And the humidity is a killer. You have a constant layer of sweat all over your skin just from sitting still!

So far Vietnam is great! I haven't had much chance yet to check out Saigon but there are loads of museums and cool places to visit. There is also the opportunity to travel a lot over the weekends so I think I am going to visit the Mekong Delta, Hanoi and maybe Sappa. I also have some time once I finish work at the end of the month, so I can do some moving around then.

So thats it! Blog updated! I want to add some photos but the reader here doesn't recognise my USB cable for some reason. So I will have to figure out how to organise that at some point! But in the meantime you will have to be happy with just my ramblings!!

Till next time

Shamefully White

So I've been promising myself for sometime that I would get around to an entry on the whole political situation and the apartheid thing. Finally here it is!

About 3 or 4 weeks ago I visited the District 6 museum which, surprise surprise, in in District 6. This was one of the districts that was allocated as "White Only" when apartheid took its grip in the early 60's. This was despite the fact that the area was already full of black and coloured folks. By the way its ok to say coloured here, it means someone who is not pure black and not pure white. For example one of our tour guides Ursula has a black father and a Chinese mother so she is coloured.

Anyway, there were many districts that were allocated as white only and the government got really busy moving out all the black folks to make room for the tetchy white folks who wanted the area because it was nearer to the city centre and had better amenities and so on. The way these removals were done was horrific. The government just sent trucks with no warning and folks sometimes had as little as 20 minutes to pack up the homes that they had been living in for 20 years, and their families and move out. Their belongings were tossed into the trucks and no one cared whether they got damaged or not. This obviously was traumatic enough but to make matters worse, the black were then moved into areas that were far away from Cape Town and the areas that they knew. They had to travel for 4 hours sometimes to get to work, costing a lot of money and meaning that they left for work at 4am. Their social networks were cut off as they were removed from their friends and they had no money to keep in touch. Often they lost their jobs because they were late or couldn't afford to get there. The black areas became known as areas that were high in the crime rate and in illegal activities, but no one ever made the connection between this and the fact that people had been moved too far away. Instead everyone shrugged their shoulders and said "What can you expect from the blacks?". Add to this the fact that "Whites Only" sign started creeping in everywhere, the blacks had no reasonable access to amenities, medical care and so on, and its not surprising that the tensions rose in the way they did. About 10 years after the start of apartheid, a group of young black men made a peaceful walking protest against it as their children were not getting good education. They were gunned down by the (white) police and most of them were killed for expressing their opinion. One of the photos above is of the monument that was set up- rather late!- by the government in their memory.

Even now in South Africa things are not really any different. The country is only 15 years out of apartheid- isn't that incredible!- so its unrealistic to expect massive changes as yet. The funny thing is that when you talk to Ursula about the differences, she says that in some ways the black and coloureds were better off under apartheid. This is what she had to say:

"As a coloured person I had "Cape Coloured" marked on my identity card so that any government officials could identify me and decide that I should not be in the white area. Apartheid was a terrible time for us all and very scary, as the government could do as they pleased with us and no one would stop them. However, at least when they decided at that time to move us, they would build us decent homes to live in, proper brick homes that were dry and had electricity. But now, the black people are just left to live in townships. They are still separated from whites because they have no education or prospects so can't afford to live in a decent house. They have been forced to build these tin shacks in these townships (the biggest in Cape Town, Khayaleitcha, hold nearly 2 million black and coloured people) and the government say that they dont have to help beacause people are making their choice. My people are not making choices, they have had this way of life thrust upon them and the government do even less now to assist than they did before."

So apartheid may not officially exist in South Africa any more but unofficially its still very much in existence. The lower ranking and poorer paid jobs here are held down by black people- the shop workers and construction workers, the road sweepers and sadly the homeless people who sleep on the beach are all black. The doctors and dentists are all white and drive big, fancy cars. They live in places like Table View and the blacks live in the townships.

Isn't that shit? I've never felt so ashamed to be white.

Buzzin' in the heid!

So much has happened recently that that's exactly how I feel! However, I will attempt to condense it all somewhat....

So I finished work last week- an awful feeling. I've had a few issues with HOH and the way that it is run, but the bottom line is that you are there for the benefit of the kids and after 6 weeks they become very much part of your normal life. So I miss them greatly and I plan to pop in and visit just before I go for good.

We went on the Cape Point tour last week (wee photie included!) which was tremendous. We went to Hout Bay, Simons Town, then onto to Seal Island, Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. It was magical to see all the places that I've read about and learned about at school and to put it all into reality.

Then I started my diving course on Friday. The first session was just watching DVD's and learning the theoretical stuff- which is far more lengthy that I ever imagined by the way! But Saturday was great. We went to Seapoint about 30 mins along the road to get to the swimming pool. Before you run away with the image of a chlorinated, heated, indoor swimming pool, let me disabuse you of that notion. The pool is outside, filled by the sea which crashes in next to it and on Saturday it was about 7 degrees in temperature. In other words, bloody freezing!!! Our first task was to swim 400 metres in our swimming costumes with no wet suit- somewhat good for blowing the cobwebs away! Then we were supposed to complete 5 dives with different tasks- we only got 3 done. Some of the stuff is really hard and it takes a bit of time to get used to breathing underwater, especially with 50 pounds of gear on your back! I had to come away early as I was feeling ill and I missed the lesson on Sunday so now I have to catch up cos this weekend we go into the sea for 4 real dives!!!

The swimming in freezing water didn't assist my cold in any way and yesterday I had to finally relent and go to the doc. The first thing he said when he looked at my throat was "Ewwwwwww!" so I'm guessing it wasn't good! Throat infection, glandular infection and chest infection all diagnosed so now I have to take a million horse pills and rest- bleuuch!

I also made the decison to go on a second wine tour which was great fun- hey it had nothing to do with the wine, all my friends were going too! So much wine, cheese and chocolate consumed yet agin- not too great for the diet but yuummeeee!

The photos l-r are: Bonnie, Chelsey and me. The 30+ girls on the Cape Point tour. Me at the Cape of Good Hope, the most SW point in Africa. Lunchtime for Simdi who is thriving and getting big- ish!

So its nearly time to get going again- I'm sure I've said that before! I go to Kruger National Park for a short safari on 25th, then I'm off to Sahrm El Sheik for a 9 day break. I've booked self catering accommodation so I get my own little place. Then on the 13th I'm off on a 17 day tour of Egypt which sounds amazing. Then back to SA for a couple of days and then off to Vietnam on 3rd October. I'll miss SA- its been refreshing and good fun and more than therapeutic after the horrors of Nairobi. But I'm also looking forward to getting somewhere new. I read in a travel book somewhere that the "mark of a gypsy traveller is he who never rests, who appreciates where he is but who is also looking to the next location, the next horizon, the next challenge".

Sounds good to me!!

Just an update

So I haven't really been keeping up with the blog in the way that I should be- oops!! Trouble is that lots happens and I don't really have time and then I can't remember whats going on !!

Its been a bittersweet time recently as people that I have become very attached to have left and I find that difficult. Steph left on Monday and I felt really upset about that as we have literally spent every waking moment of the last 4 weeks together! (We did a second sky dive in honour of her leaving- magic time and I've included a piccie!) We worked together and played and partied together so it feels strange that she is not here now. Chelsey left the week before and left a great hole in the company. Also I went out on Thursday night with Bonnie, someone else that I really hit it off with. However, we went to a place called Mandelas which was the best fun I have had in SA so far. The organisation pick you up and ply you with local drink on the bus as you pick up all the others. Then they take you to a township in Hout Bay which is about an hours drive from Table View, and give you a bit of the history of the creation of townships (I'm going to do a whole other entry on the townships and apartheid so bear with me!) Then we go to a local shebeen (or pub) and the locals just hang out with you and drink beer. Dirt floor, basic electricity and the best singers and dancers that I have ever met. Once again a glimpse of the Africa that I know and love. Home cooked local food- samp and beans, mealie pap and chakalaka (maize and beans, maize porridge and spicy veggie stew)- all delicious in the extreme. Then jukebox music and dancing and having fun till its time to go home. Food, transport, entertainment and alcohol as well as a unique experience all for R225 which is about 9 quid- much cheapness!

Things at work are fine- I only have 4 shifts left to do. Then I think I'm going to travel SA for about a week (the Garden Route), then go to Kruger National Park with Rhian, one of the other volunteers and then probably take a bus trip in Egypt to take in Luxor, Alexandria and all the places that I didn't get to in February. I also have my diving course to do next week which I'm looking forward to in the extreme!

The house is busy as always with the comings and goings of different volunteers for different projects- you do get tired of being welcoming to new people at times! We sleep in the outside bedroom so sometimes its nice to get away from the crowd. In the main the volunteers are girls, and in the main they are in their early 20's so I confess to feeling like a proper old fart at times!

Oh I nearly forgot to say that at last I have managed to get myself a bike!!!!! I will of course have to leave it behind when I go but it means that I have transport for the next couple of weeks. Brand new mountain bike, air pump and lock for R800- about 55 quid!! I plan to go out cycling today as the predicted rain has not materialised and its beautiful and sunny.

Oh the photos- well one is of Table Mountain- yeah if you didn't get that one you shouldn't be allowed out on your own! I plan to go and climb it next week. Apparently it only takes about 2-3 hours. The other is simply footprints in the sand which is a reference to the Footprints poem which I love. The coast here is so beautiful and most addictive. I can't stop taking photos. There is a little coffee shop called Carluccis just around the corner from work where I go to get a hit of caffeine in my lunch hour and I always take my book to read. However between chatting to the extremely pleasant owner (who has my Sprite Zero and my flat white coffee ready for me every day when I go in!) and gazing at the wonderful ocean, I never get much reading done!

Thats about it for this time. Nearly time to move on again. Doesn't life just pass you by!

I survived!

For those of you who have possibly been on another planet for the last few days and dont know, I did a sky dive yesterday. It has to be the coolest and most exciting thing I've ever done, and I'm off to do it again in a week's time ( when we booked it I was like "Errrmmm, thats still a tandem dive right? Even though its our second jump?" The guy was like "No, we chuck you out of a plane from 9000 feet on your own after 20 mins instruction and one jump." Cheeky bastard....)

Anyway the dive- when we got to the jump height I began to think that maybe I wouldn't be able to do it after all- 9000 feet is incredibly high, in case no one realises! We also got a fantastic day for it, very clear and sunny so we could see the ground clearly from that height and were able to start contemplating it in death terms! There is a rush of high speed wind when they roll up the side of the plane (these things are tiny, 6 of us were cramped in it- the skydiving was probably safer!) then I had to watch Steph do the jump first. Her last words as she dived were "Holy fucking shiiitttttt....." then she was gone. Then it was my turn. "Sit on the side of the plane, swing your legs back, put your head against my shoulder. One two three- jump!" 40 seconds of freefall at 120mph before the parachute opens then a leisurely descent admiring Table Mountain and the West coast of the Cape. Beautiful. Can't wait for the second time. Oh and I also have it all on DVD to prove that I did it!

Mama Africa's last night for dinner to celebrate- great food and fabulous African live band which had the place jumping. Had a fab night and didn't get home till 10 am this morning. Ach well, you only live once right!

Busy week ahead- working Mon and Tues (by the by its amazing that at the end of 3 12 hour shifts you can think "I never want to see another fucking kid or hear another Barney song for the rest of my life." Then by the end of your 2 days off you are thinking "I wonder how Sisi's cold is? I wonder if Klunks is walking yet? I wonder how Adrian is doing?" And you are actually looking forward to seeing them. Crazy but true!) I've attempted to add a photo of Adrian smiling away and hopefully its worked. This kid came to us 2 weeks ag. He's 17 months old, HIV positive, mum is dead and he has been living on the street with dad who is an alcoholic. He has been woefully neglected and left very much to his own devices, terrible chronic excema and some behavioural problems. Also one of the sweetest kids I've ever known.

Then on Wednesday we are off to stay the night at Vicky B and B- the smallet hotel in the world! Also hope this image has successfully been added! Its in the black township and the rooms are small but very beautiful. Vicky started it about 10 years ago in the hope that white tourists would come and stay there and they do!

Thursday off to visit Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for political reasons for so long. (By the way his 90th birthday here was such a big deal- every time you go to the ATM it says on the screen Happy Birthday Madiba- his tribal name and a mark of respect. Go South Africa!) Then Friday we are going paragliding- I've already done it but its fun to do it again. Then working the weekend and that will be another week gone by. 3 weeks in already- I cant believe it!

As always I have more to say and add but enough is enough! I still have email to do so I must rest. I've had no sleep ya know- feel sorry for me........?!

Till next time!

Livin the good life in SA!

Well, so far I can't complain in the least about SA although I'm sure I'll be able to find something. The area that I am staying in is painfully white and affluent, the shops and activites are great and I'm not short of company or of things to do- what more could I possibely need?!

The volunteer house is set up so that folks come and go on a regular basis so sometimes its a bit difficult trying to decide who is who and what project they are doing. Aviva has numerous projects on the go, all over South Africa so sometimes folks only stay here for 1 or 2 nights before moving on to go to work. The main volunteers that I am working with on the same project are all getting ready to finish up in about a week, and I will miss them very much but there are more coming in a few days so the house will remain busy!

Work- hmmm.... Well suffice it to say that the woman who runs Home of Hope (Elanor) and I have not exactly gelled. We will definitely not be bosom buddies for the rest of our lives, there is no doubt about that! However, she is a committed and passionate woman who has dedicated all of her life to caring for kids who have been neglected and I have to respect and admire her for that. She and Richard, her husband run the home from their own house and have people coming and going at all hours of the day and night. They also have their own kids that they are bringing up and they have adopted 3 kids from the home also. So they are pretty busy!

The kids are great. All under 2. They all have different histories but all have been neglected abused or abandoned for different reasons. We currently have 4 HIV babies, one preemie, and one who is on a tracheotomy and needs very special care. One of my favourites, a little girl who is approximately 9 months old, was raped by her father. She now screams the place down when you lie her down to change her or bath her.

The routine is pretty crazy when you have 12 to look after. Dressing and breakfast in the morning, then some activities, then lunch and naps ( yeah right!) then supper and baths and bed by 6pm. 12 hour days, but they are so busy that they don't feel long at all!

Spare time- well, I have a skydive booked for Saturday, I want to go sandboarding, I'm dying to try kitesurfing and I'm on the hunt for a bike- again- so that I can cycle the coast line. It's perfect as its so scenic and not at all strenuous. We also just hang out, go out for dinner and drink a lot of wine- hey its South Africa, it would be rude not to! Oh, and theres also a great gym about 10 minutes walk from here so I joined on the spot. They have great facilities and an indoor heated swimming pool- result!

Although there is loads to see and do and I'm really happy, I had a strange experience yesterday. We went on the cultural tour, which is part of the package that Aviva offer. Its a lot to do with the apartheid years and the terrible stuff that black and coloured people (its OK to say that here!) had to go through. All very interesting but the best part was the visit to the township. Suddenly I was back in the Africa that I know and love- where folks stop and say hello, where there is an energy and vibrancy that I recognise, where its busy and crazy and fun. Table View where we stay is beautiful and luxurious but frankly you could be anywhere. So it was nice to have a glimpse of real Africa again and I'm going next week to stay for a couple of nights in the township to soak up the atmosphere.

Anyway thats all for now. I have more that I want to say on some stuff but my fingers are getting really sore and this entry is long enough. Also its freezing in this corner and I want to get back to the lovely roaring fire that we have tonight (did I mention that its freezing and raining and blowing a gale and snowing! I feel right at home!!!)