5 Christmases

Finally, this evening, not only do I get a break from AIS and from HCMC, I return home for Christmas for the first time since 2001. The last five of Jesus's birthdays have been spent abroad, in various locations, and here for the sake of god knows what, I will recall them briefly.

2002 - Sydney, Australia

Fresh out of University, traveling the world with three friends, Sydney is the stereotypical British backpackers Christmas - you can tell that by the 20,000 other people in Union Jack swimming trunks, and that's not even mentioning the Irish population around Bondi. Christmas Eve we hit the town in Kings Cross, Syndey's notorious backpacker/red light district (strange how those two always go together...). Here's a pic from that hazy night.

Yes, that's me in the middle being strangled by a Vodka drink. Xmas Day and it was off to the beach -- not joining the barmy army down at Bondi for the predictable embarrassment of a nation (the Brits abroad), we opted for a much more low key affair at nearby Bronte Beach.

2003 - Seoul, South Korea

The picture has nothing to do with Christmas, so tough. But it is in Seoul.


After getting the train into Seoul, this was a much frostier affair where Christmas Eve was spent fruitlessly looking for a dorm room on the campus of a huge city University (our accommodation via a friend) -- eventually giving up at 10.30pm and heading to the bars of Hongdae. Rolling out of the clubs at 4.00am we were lucky to be saved from sleeping under a bridge by a friend, who invited us back to her house. We enjoyed a traditional Christmas breakfast of rice, soup, fish and kimchi, sat cross-legged on the floor.

2004 - Koh Lanta, Thailand


Christmas here was uneventful, a holiday where I followed my family's Explore package holiday around. Unfortunately, Boxing Day was the most memorable for us, it was the morning of the 2004 Boxing Day Asian Tsunami, but that is another story altogether.

2005 - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam


This time the parents visited Vietnam, and Chi entertained us at her mother's house with a wonderful Christmas dinner.

2006 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia


This picture was taken inside the KLCC.

KL was alive and kicking on Xmas Eve, with what seemed like a million people thronging the city center around the Bukit Bintang area. Streamers, silly string and foam were flying through the air, rowdy groups of teenagers spraying passers by, and everyone was in the spirit. In the festive melee poor old Chi and I got separated -- she turned up three hours later at the hotel, around 1am...! Still in one piece however.

2007 - Bournemouth, England

Coming Soon.

Helmets Everywhere

I am sure this won't be the first blog on this topic....but here we go.

We've all seen the headlines, and driven under the red banners strung out around the city. We've heard the whining, the complaining, the excuses. But now is judgement day. According to the article 'Nation to dole out swift justice for those spur new helmet law', "beginning December 15, thousands of traffic policemen, special task forces and traffic inspectors will be deployed to supervise the wearing of helmets by all motorists." The fine is $9, or 150,000 VND.

So it was with an intrepid and curious eye I stepped out this morning. Happily there is a 99% compliance on the streets this morning.

I only saw two traffic policeman on my drive, much the same as a normal morning, only the helmetless woman they had pulled over was being photographed by the press!

Making Connections Grow (Facebook style)

My business, the infant travel agency Connections, has just grown. We have relaunched the website, www.connectionsvietnam.com. I have tried to make it more Google friendly -- added a Guide section including 'Eat', 'Drink', 'Stay' and 'See'. Also added a links section. Added our new services as well, our Saigon packages. We are putting our four city services (Cook, Meet, Learn and Dine) together into one night / two day and two night / three day packages -- all excellent value for money if you ask me. But I would say that.

Love it or hate it, Facebook is one heck of a powerful tool. There are nearly 16,000 people in the Vietnam network now, so it makes sense to create some kind of presence. The best way to find out 'what's on' in Saigon is through the Vietnam network...especially now the most popular expat mag has gone out of business (allegedly). I am still just skimming the surface therefore, with 118 members in my Connections Vietnam group. What happens is this : I created the group and invited all my friends. They of course joined not wanting to offend me, then the group shows up as a popular one in the Vietnam network. Networkers, socalites and business people browsing these groups then join to, well, 'Network'. And nothing against these people, I do the same thing. It is marketing and networking without leaving your living room. Of course, getting off your arse occasionally helps a lot too, I really must consider that sometime. See you at the next Saigon networking event people!

Thu Thiem

Saigon is a large, heavily populated city. I have visited, driven through, worked in, or lived in almost all the districts of the city. Thu Thiem however is an exception. For years I have watched the bikes streaming off the ferry and entering the flow of traffic on Ton Duc Thang. For years I have gazed at the old SANYO advertising board over the river and wondered what lurks behind. In my mind, it was a row of old sheds and not a lot else. So one Sunday when passing and with little else to do I ducked onto the small ferry, paid my 1,500 VND fee, and finally took a look at Thu Thiem.

Of course, it mostly looks like the rest of the city, and the first route I took was an anti climatic road leading to the bottom of the Saigon Bridge. That ain't nothing new. Eventually, heading back into the heart of Thu Thiem, I found what I was looking for, or at least what I suspected was here.

To me, this was amazing. After resigning myself to the fact that Saigon is a chaotic jungle full of choking fumes and ruined by traffic, I find this -- a peaceful countryside lane within ten minutes of District 1.

The road led to the Saigon river, and a view out over District Four and Seven and their various ports.

Of course this little hidden corner of the city, so far protected by water, will soon be opened up massively by the East-West highway project (including the tunnel under the Saigon River). A bridge from Binh Thanh to Thu Thiem will be finished by TET, and eventually will link to the highway, another bridge linking from Thu Thiem to District 7.

Here's the highway under construction, looking back to District One and the tunnel under the river.