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Sunday, October 28
Again a bus ride from Phan Thiet to Saigon in 5 hours. Now we have hotel. It is not something to brag about, but there are 2 beds and bathroom and refrigerator. Now we take into account that we only give 12 U.S. $ for 2 people. Bang taken by his brother to the village 40 km from Saigon. Jens Erik and I rest at the hotel. We will soon be out to eat. It was a restaurant close to the market. Bang came back from his friends at 22.00. It was too early to go to bed. It was for some beer at a street kitchen. Bang slept in our room. He goes to the village tomorrow.
Monday, October 29
Bang drove to the village to get Jens Erik's suitcase. Jens Erik has no more clothes, so he had to get hold of his suitcase. We have been back on the market. I bought pants and a t-shirt. at 16.00 I picked up Robert at the entrance to the market. Bang had found a good restaurant at the other end of Saigon. We took a taxi there. It was a great restaurant with music. That factory owner came along with 4 friends. It was a festive evening with lots of good food and many beers. At 24.00 time we said goodbye to Robert at a bar near our hotel.
Tuesday, October 30
We are taken to Can Tho about 170 miles south of Saigon. We want to see the city and the Mekong River. Now we will install us at the hotel. I low a little tour. One of Bangs friends took out to eat. We had a taxi. It was again Hot Pot, which is very popular throughout Vietnam. They say that it is different from south to north. But you have to be native to taste the difference. We took a taxi back toward the center. We had a the Land of walking around the river. There were many people. Many couples enjoyed themselves along the river. We chose a restaurant where we could get gin and tonic and whiskey with ice. There was a great atmosphere and we saw Night Market. We did not buy anything, but there is a lot for sale. We went to bed early at 22.00. We have to get up in the morning at 4.00 and a cruise on the Mekong River.
Wednesday, October 31
It was a lovely cruise on the Mekong River. At 5.00 we sailed away. The river is a major trading center. They will sell hanging fruit of what they will sell up the mast. So buyers can see where they can buy the various fruits. From at 5.00 to 8.00, there is a wide variety of shops. Now we have seen the Mekong River around the great city of Can Tho. Yesterday we experienced life in the evenings and at night. Now in the morning hours, we reach a small city tour, before we take the tour bus back to Saigon. We did not bang with, but it went according to plan. Bang, Peter and Phung is taken to Ca Mau. They will visit a priest who they know. They will take the night bus to Saigon, so they are here tomorrow tidlig.Jens Erik and I am ready to go out to eat. We ate at a restaurant that we have eaten in the past. Hotel owner at the hotel in Can Tho is a lady of 75 years and Jens Erik was about to make an appointment for her grandchild, a girl of 31 years, on a wedding with Jens Erik's son Dan. He was apprenticed as a hotel manager. If he did he would get free room and board as long as he wanted. The girl was on it. Now we see what Dan says. It is a nice girl, but a drawback is that she can only speak Vietnamese.
Life on the Mekong River
River navigation on the Mekong River, a pause
Dan's future wife
Thursday, November 1
Jens Erik is dead and slept almost all day, but was up at 16.00, where we went out to eat. We walked a long trip in Saigon. We miss our bikes from Hanoi. It was a very long hike. Jens Erik could sleep again, when we got home. I was again on a good tour of the city. We must always think of that could find their way home.
Friday, November 2
It was again a relaxing day with little activity. We sleep all the time. There must be something in the morning. We ate at Burger King, so we are far stomach wise. It was a desperate attempt to get stomach started again. We visit often the large center close to our hotel. We have bought many things in the center. Jens Erik bought a bag for Ulla and I have only bought small items. Tomorrow we visit Thuys sister Huong. We should have done it last weekend. This would Thuy come to Saigon with his company. But there was a storm of Hanoi this weekend. No aircraft could facilitate. It is only Jens Erik and I are going to Huongs house. Bang is still in the village.
Saturday, November 3
After breakfast with PHO soup we went to the big park. We got talking to a young student group, and especially Hanh and Thang was talkative. We talked with them for over 2 hours. They wanted to learn English and had many questions for us. Especially Hanh would know much about our views on Vietnam. We ate lunch with them. They'll give sound, we took a taxi to Huong and hops home. We got an excellent dinner with many specialties. Lovely dinner and again lots of beer. Jump drove us back to the hotel. Now at 22.30 and we go to bed. There was more that day than the previous 2 days. It is positive.
Thuys sister's home in Saigon. Huong, Hop, and Thang Trang
Visiting Huong from facebook
Visiting Huong from facebook
Sunday, November 4
Today is Sunday. Sunday, there is no teaching at the university. That means many students walk around the park. Jens Erik and I could not find a place on our breakfast restaurant, so we walked around the park. We had probably walked around for about half an hour before we were surrounded by young people as part of their education and English language skills would talk to us. I believe that we spoke with 5 groups and maybe more. Many had paper with questions. There were also many people with their cell phone recorded our voice. The mobile phone was also a small video camera. There were also exchanged many e-mail addresses and phone numbers. We sat in the park for more than 2 hours. We talked about everything, They were very inquisitive and very smiley. Eventually we had to have the air and went to the gym to get flushed neck. After lunch we went back to the hotel to rest. I went to the hairdresser and then went to the park. Here I met some of the students again. They invited me out to the university. We took the local bus to 5000 VD corresponding to 1.50 dollars. They promised to follow me back to the park. I'm not known in Saigon. Again an exciting experience. I was no more than just come back before a heavy rainstorm broke out. We sat outside a business out of the rain. Bang had come away from the village and would sleep with us at night. Bang went out to visit friends. Jens Erik and I was prepared to be at the hotel. Yes we were just about to go to bed when Bang rang. I'll come and pick you up in 20 minutes and immediately became our sleep plan changed. Bang came on a motorcycle and put the motorcycle at the hotel. We took a taxi to the restaurant, which he had chosen. There sat two of his friends. Again an exciting meal. We were first at home after at 24.00.
Student
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park with John Soap MacTavish. The image is downloaded on facebook.
park with John Soap MacTavish. The image is downloaded on facebook.
Monday, November 5
We started walking in the park when it's Monday, there were almost no students. But the ball nice to go here under the shady trees. We went back to the market. I managed to get a shirt to 8 U.S. $ = 48 pounds. Now we are ready for lunch. It's easy to get into conversation with others. Now we are also open to talk. We ate a delicious lunch at our hotel. We are the only westerners. Here comes the Vietnamese from offices and banks. The teeming with people. We got many dishes for only 1 Ѕ U.S. $ = 9 pounds. After lunch we had a meeting with the students. It was disrupted by rain, so they came so late after we had eaten dinner. It was become dark, so we postponed the meeting until tomorrow.
Student
Student
Student
Tuesday, November 6
The last full day in Vietnam. After breakfast went Jens Erik and I have a long trip because we had to find an internet cafe. There had been many mails. I have to look at when I get home. We visited the park again and came back to talk with the sturende. We skipped lunch. We skellu meeting Thu Ha in the park at 16.00. She was a little late and came with his girlfriend Hang. Bang came from the village at 17.30. We took a taxi out to Bangs cousin, who had invited the great dinner. Many dishes, beer, brandy and whiskey. There was toasted and sung. Jens Erik was back at the table, while Bang and I went out to talk to girls. In Vietnam, the only men who drink and toast. So Jens Erik had to hold up. In this way he got more than Bang and me. He did well. He did well most of the time.
Wednesday, November 7
Jens Erik slept all morning. Bang visited friends. I spoke with students. We took a taxi to one of Bangs friends. We had a nice lunch and then we visited a special bar. We took a taxi to the airport and now we are waiting for flights to Bangkok.
Thursday, November 8
We sit at Bangkok airport and the time is past midnight. We fly at 1.20. The trip from Saigon to Bangkok went fine. When we were through security was lucky not to me. 2 spoons, some pens and dice had to go through separately. A long trip is nearing the end and everyone is very tired.