After two-and-a-half years, we had to say goodbye to our lovely Ms Hoa. She has been the best. Charlie and Roma love her and do we. We would have been useless in Saigon without her. Thank you Ms Hoa.
Final Days in Siagon
One Last Belt Test - 20th June
Great belt test for the kids. Roma received her Yellow Belt and Charlie jumped up to a Green Belt. Thanks Mr Marius.
Fun Times in Saigon
Testimonial Game at Saigon Saints - 15th June
A couple of teachers from school, David Rosenberg and Richard Langley are leaving the Saigon (and their football team) after a fair while in the city. A testimonial game was played for them and a couple of other lads who are leaving.
So a bunch of Saints' Players, players from other teams and a selction of others (me included) got to don the boots and run around for a under-30's vs over-30's match. There was a fantastic result with the over-30's coming back from 2 goals down early on to equalise (you're truly) with just two minutes to go and then winning a penalty shootout.
I've never felt so out of shape and so unskilled, with almost everyone there being 10 years younger with quite a few being half my age. Stll, tonnes of fun.
3 Down - June 9th
After weeks of very little action, the tooth finally made it's way into the world and then off to the Tooth Fairy. 70 000 later, a very happy little girl showed off her handy work.
It will be a very sad day when we leave Ms Hoa.
Asian Cup Final: Australia vs Japan - June 2014
The Women's Asian Cup was held in Saigon this year. We were lucky enough to make it to the final. A great time with a good atmosphere, even though we were outnumbered by7 Japanese supporters. For the record Japan won 1 - nil.
We're off - 12th May 2014
A big photo for a big occasion. Ruth and I scored jobs in Suzhou, China. So we're off. August 1st 2014.
Dan with his contract.
DIBS Night No. 3
A bike ride around Saigon (organised by Andrew) before a good meal.
Star Wars Day - May the 4th
Hard to say why, but there is a big bastard duck in the pond down in Phu My Hung. Not sure why but it's gotta be worth a visit.
View of Thao Dien and the city from Wedding Island
Pool Party at Jodi's - May 3rd
A cool video showing some sites in Saigon.
Views of Stuff
Love what they've done with the place! The view from Charlie's room. Commonly referred to as "The Dump".
DIBS Night - April 2014
For our 2nd DIBS meeting, Lachie and Jane made the picks. We were picked up by a xeom and whisked into the city for a quick noodle dish before heading off to out final destination - Saigon Xua and Nay.
Dai Nam Park - April 4
Quote of the Week - 29th March
Roma sees some shooting on the TV.
Me: Don't watch this Roma, it's violent. Roma: I like violence. Charlie: It's inappropriate.
This might sum up Roma and Charlie for their whole life.
Belt Test - March 22
One red and one black stripe for Roma and 1 yellow belt for Charlie. Not even excited.
Saigon and Teeth
4 teeth (2 impacted) to come out. Do you (a) pay $3000 for the privilege of removal in Brisbane or (b) travel to Saigon and pay $600 for the return airfare, $250 for an MRI, $250 for the operation and $50 for a helluva lot of drugs.
Answer: Saigon of course.
Before
After
Cu Chi Tunnels - March 2014
Great day on the Saigon River. Down to Cu Chi Tunnels. Checked out the tunnels, traps, tanks and munitions. We then shot off a few rounds with an AK47. Home was via a cricket farm where we ate a few of the unlucky ones while discussing life with a former North Vietnamese soldier. Saw a few dogs off to market. It was a fantastic day with Buffalo Tours.
Quote of the day from our Vietnamese guide:
Don't eat your own pet. Eat your neighbours. There's less guilt.
A Bad case of the Mekongs
Another good day checking things just outside Saigon. A day on the Mekong is always excellent with a trip to the brick factory (again), coconut factory, a paddle on a canoe and a lunch and cooking show.
Tim Tams
It came to our attention that by living outside Australia, Charlie and Roma had missed out on an essential part of being Australian. That was, to eat a Tim Tam. Imagine being 8 and 7 and never having experienced the Tim Tam suck. Fortunately, our friend Meredith spotted Tim Tams while holidaying in KL and bought us a packet. Captured on camera - the moment our kids truly became Australian.
It's hard to describe the mixed emotions. On one hand the kids have experienced something new. On the other, I'll always have to share my Tim Tams with them. One packet divided by two is a lot better than 1 packet divided by 4 (see how a Maths degree can help with everyday calculations).
DIBS Club - inaugural Meeting
A new chapter has begun in Saigon - the first meeting of the AIS Blue Chair Club. After much discussion and deliberation it was decided to calls ourselves the Dodgy Irritable Bowl Syndrome Club, partly to distinguish ourselves from other Blue Chair Clubs and also as a reminder that sometimes good food going in doesn't always equate to a happy ending (it was also a better of the two suggestions - the other being 'The Loose Brown Stool').
The object: to try new, cheap Vietnamese food.
The method: the first Wednesday of each month. A different person chooses the restaurant each month.
The players: a group of IS teachers (slightly dated).
Nha Hang Bien Duong,
45 Nguyen Thai Hoc, District 1.
Great menu (plentiful and amusing)
Cheap beer
Jane's friend finding the best cigarettes in the world for only $3
Smoked Duck (Ruth liked the beef)
Short, short dresses on the waitresses
Our mascot
Speaking to a Bank! - March 3rd
It's always good to be corrected when you've made a mistake. You learn from those experiences. It's nice to be humbled when you get things wrong.
I'm not sure how much I learned today though. When ringing about an issue with my bank today, ANZ, I was naturally asked to prove my identity. I didn't know my password so I was asked a myriad of questions - my account number, my wife's name, my last transaction, my passport number, etc, etc. I did really well until I got to the difficult questions. Here is the list of questions I failed to answer correctly.
1. My password (as mentioned above).
2. My phone number - I'm pretty good with numbers and since I've only had 1 number here in Vietnam, I was pretty confident I got it right, but alas.........
3. Apparently I don't know my home address. Interesting really as, again, we have only lived at one address since we arrived.
4. My birthdate. It is unfortunate that, due to the early onset of Alzheimer's, I was unable to remember my birthday. I told the operator that after 47 years on this planet I was pretty confident I knew the date, but I was assured that I had, in fact, got this wrong too.
I am all the better for today's experience.
Saturday Night Get together - Feb 2014
It's always nice to catch up with friends over the weekend. Our little on, off, on again dinner at Jane and Lachie's was a relaxing dinner. BBQ, salads, wine. Could we still be living is Qld. Yep - except that most of the other guests are Melbournians. But they can't help it, I guess.
Roma turns 7
Roma got to celebrate her birthday with an Art Party. Jane put on a lovely afternoon painting shirts. Then the girls came back to our house for a heap of junk food (because they don't get enough). Using one of her birthday presents, Roma managed to blow out her candles without infecting her friends with the latest superbug. Very considerate, Mo.
Roma learns to ride a bike
(we're working on posture)
At the Market
The weekend grocery shopping
Today's pet is tomorrow's dinner
Australia Day 2014
A lovely way to celebrate Australia day is with a pool party. Jodi put on a lovely day for us. No cricket to watch but there was a game played on the street. The kids then retired to the living room to watch the Australian Open.
Visit from the past
Our old friend Linda (in terms of years since last seen), showed up with her friend Natalie for three days in Saigon. Our last night was at the deck.