Cricket in Vietnam

We have been here for exactly one month today. So we thought we would celebrate with a game of family cricket - well family cricket minus Zander, but he was there in spirit (in the form of Graham) but who's counting. Josh grabbed his bat and his tennis balls and off we set for somewhere where we could play. It didn't have to be big, we are used to playing in our driveway. The problem is the grass is not for walking on here, we did find a park that had a swing set so we thought that it would be OK to play there. But the park was a muddy swamp - not really sure how you are supposed to reach the swings unless you had gumboots. Anyway we found another park which had a road through the middle of it - but as it was blocked off except for motor bikes we thought it could work. And it did, with sticks as stumps, a pile of pavers as wickets and trees as fielders we played our inaugral game of backyard cricket or maybe it should be called paver road cricket - unfortunately we got rained out but it was a lot of fun, with lots of arguments as rules were changed and modified, Josh wasn't happy with 'the landing in a puddle you're out' rule, but it was great even Mikaela enjoyed it.

Our little Pirate

We had only been in Vietnam for a week and a half when we had our first encounter with the medical practices of Vietnam. Before we left Australia Bella decided to have her ears pierced. For those of you who have never experienced Bella and needles; this was a monumental event. Her fear of needles is so huge that vaccinations are carried out only after massive planning similiar to any secret covert governmental exercise. But she did it - mind you only after trying to, unsuccessfully, convince the Beauticians to do both ears simultaneously.

Anyway we left Sydney with both ears pierced.

After only a few days she woke up one morning with a very swollen earlobe; being such concerned parents, we told her to continue to bathe it in salt water and that it would be fine. The next day it was so swollen that we could no longer see her earring. Off we go to the Pharmacy, no easy feat in vietnam, but we get cream. Two days pass and the swelling goes down. However the earring is gone! It has been swallowed by her ear lobe.
Well off we go to the emergency department of the local international hospital. The doctor was lovely, though Bella wasn't impressed when he laughed at her situation. He explained that he would give her a local then pull the earring out. I was very impressed with her - she didn't bat an eyelid. It wasn't until he got a needle out that she got concerned - the poor thing didn't realise that a local meant a needle.

Anyway they managed to give her the local, slit the back of her ear, pull the earring out together with the abscess that had developed, fill her ear lobe with antiseptic and put a bandaid on it. We were then able to go. Mind you when they told me the price was 1 million three hundred dong I nearly ended up in the hospital with a heart attack but then of course I realised it was about $60 AUD, so all was OK.

Two weeks down the track Bella's ear is fine - she does only have one earring and I think that is how she is going to stay - you must wonder what the Vietnamese think of the one earring blonde haired pirate.

3 Weeks Gone

You know when you are on holidays and if you are lucky you get two weeks but all too soon its time to go home - well I kept waiting for the time we went home. We all felt we were all on a holiday. That came crashing to end on Monday, with the kids returning to school.

Although I had been back for 2 weeks it just wasn't the same.

Sunday night came all too quick, bags were packed, uniforms ironed (albeit in Bella's case not too well - we have decided kids have to iron there own uniforms ) no need to polish shoes because footwear is a personal choice and off to bed early to hopefully get a good nights sleep to start the week. But you know what it's like when something exciting is going to happen the next day - you just can't sleep - then all your worries seem to magnify. I think all of us were worried about what life would be like if you are tall and blonde in a school filled with dark haired shorter people who, not to mention, speak a completely different language.

However we did survive the week. It was a little like a roller coaster ride with ups and downs comments like "I won't make any friends", "I can't understand anyone" "I have never done ......(fill in the blank with any number of subject topics), "It's too hot", "It's too cold" and Josh's best comment after day one "I had the best day ever but I don't want to go back tomorrow" all have filled our house at various times throughout the week but we all managed to get to Friday quite pleased with ourselves.

It is amazing though that after only one week, all three of the kids are talking about who they sat with at lunch; things new friends have said; they have new friends requests on facebook and requests of "Can I go to the movies with..." are being asked. All Matthew and I can do is sit back and say WOW. Josh has assimilated so much that in class the other day he said "Oi chua o'i" (Oh my God) which had the entire class laughing".

As another week is about to begin we are all feeling positive. I am sure that the novelty of being the only blonde kids in school will have worn off slightly and that their vegemite sandwiches will no longer be looked at with the same amusement that they have been!

Phu My Hung

Who would have thoughts that two weeks could pass so fast, actually 2 weeks and 3 days. Tomorrow is the start of reality. The kids start school. I am sure that the next few weeks will be filled with many ups and downs, let's just hope there are more ups then downs. Except of course if you are Australian girls in school uniforms , who when they put there hands in the air there belly's are exposed. Thats what happens when you go to a school where the majority of the population are much smaller then you are, the uniforms are a bit squishy.

Life in Phu My Hung has become a little more predictable. We now can find our way around. Though today we found a super market that is cheaper and more convenient then any of the others so we are still discovering. We did learn that meat that looks really good and really cheap is likely not to be beef but rather buffalo and we are not going down that path. It looks like a we are on a diet of chicken and seafood - I just have to get the kids to eat seafood that doesn't come in a box.

We are not even so suprised with what is carried on the backs of motorbikes anymore - though the 6 people Zander saw is still winning the most people on a bike. Though I will add there were 4 children and 2 adults but that is where the similarities to my family end.

Seeing a fridge on the back of a bike is now common place.

Back to life in Phu My Hung. Phu My Hung is in District 7 on the outskirts of the HCMC it's a much quieter part of the city. There is more open spaces then in the city but there are still heaps of restaurants, including Pho 24 which we all love and is very cheap. A bowl of Pho costs about 35,000VND which is about $2AUD, there is not many places we can feed our whole family for $12.00 and Pho 24 is not the cheapest place to buy Pho.

We live in a villa, My Tu Canh, which provided us with much more room then any of the apartments that we looked at. Some of them where so small that I don't think we could have fitted in the lounge room at the same time. Some of them had the ugliest furniture, I know you can't judge a book by it's cover, or in this case a room by its gawdy lounge but I couldn't have lived with brown felt with flowers on it!

Anyway after a heap of apartments and villas we finally decided on this one, it's older then the others but roomy, it has a pool, and it has a 4th bedroom which Mikaela quickly grabbed as it was intended for the maid, Mikaela can now officially claim she is the 'Cinderella' of the family. The only thing that is missing is hot water in the kitchen and an oven but apparently we are now officially living like a local no one has either.

Vietnamese Plumbing

We were introduced to the intracacies of Vietnamese plumbing in our first few days in the Hotel. One of the children, not mentioning Bella's name of course, came out of the bathroom and said that the toilet wouldn't flush, she had over used toilet paper but in her defence she said "It's better to be safe then sorry" and she does have a point there, in respect to the toilet paper. Anyway we then had a toilet that didn't flush, not a pretty sight or smell in a shared bathroom. At least we had Zander and Kaela's bathroom. The following morning we explained, in somewhat broken English that we had a toilet that didn't flush. Later that morning a housemaid came up with nothing more then her walkie talkie, she went into the bathroom closed the door, then came out a few minutes later and said "fixed" or something like that! We are all still perplexed - how on earth did she clear such a huge blockage with nothing but a walkie talkie.

So there you go when you next have a blocked toilet just talk to the toilet with your walkie talkie and the problem is fixed.

Introduction to Road Rules 101

Well we have now been here for just over a week and life is a new adventure everyday. I'm sitting here at our new villa in Phu My Hung District looking over a street that really could be almost anywhere. Except for the street sweepers who have been sweeping the street all morning with the cutest little brooms, a few motorbikes going past with a variety of things on there back , and the back up generator humming in the background. Our street is wide with trees that make it cool and shady. All this is a far cry from where we have spent the last week but it is the many different faces of Vietnam.

Going back a few days...

After our dramatic arrival our Hotel was a welcome relief. Mind you trying to explain that there were 6 of us not 5 proved a challenge. They eventually found a fold out bed for Josh but couldn't locate a mattress so a few blankets later he had a made up bed on the floor by this time it was after midnight so we were all glad to collapse into bed.

The time difference, albeit slight, had us up at 6, so we headed down for an early breakfast. Brekafast in Vietnamese hotels is culinary to say the least, they had an array of local dishes like rice, noodles, pho and even rice paper rolls but they also had toast, boiled eggs, ham sandwiches, pastries, spaghetti bolognaise, a selection of cold meat and fruit. It's like they put out anything they think western culture could possibly eat. Alexander's aim was to try everything in as much quantity as he could - a goal he achieved over the week we were there.

We were all keen to hit the streets on our first morning in Ho Chi Minh so off we set. Trying to describe the streets in Ho Chi Minh city is impossible. The people, the colours, the smell all stand out but it is the motor bikes that dominant this crazy city. Everone rides a bikes here and there appears no road rules yet it seems to work. What is amazing are the things that are carried on these bikes everything from babies, entire families, fridges, huge floral arrangements. We are endeavouring to find the largest family on a bike yesterday Zander saw 6 albeit there were 4 kids and 2 adults but still an impressive

feat. To cross the road the following steps must be adhered to:
1. Forget everything you have ever learnt about road safety.

2. Just cross, anywhere

3.Walk at the same consistent pace without stopping or pausing.

4.Cross individually - a big group is a big target to hit.

5.Take no notice of traffic the bikes, the cars and the mini buses will go around you.

This is all easier said then done it is truly amazing watching the children, who I have encouraged to cross at lights or pedestrian crossings, who I have held hands with as we cross, now just crossing willy nilly.

I am sure I will get used to it.

Are we ever going to get there

After a great flight we arrive, after months of packing, weeks of stress, days of cleaning, hours of luggage hassles we are here.

We are instructed to go to the Landing Visa counter where about 30 people are queing, but we are given forms which we complete, attach photos, pay some money - Visa's obtained, and we head for immigration leaving the 30 people still waiting for visas. We go through one at a time me, Matthew, Mikaela, Joshua, Isabella and .............. Alexander has a problem he is sent back to the Landing visa counter. After only a few minutes he comes over to were we wait on the Vietnamese side and says "they said my visa isn't valid and I have to go home". I didn't know if to laugh hysterically or sob hysterically but I was most definately hysterical.

After frantic phone calls to contacts, of which at 10pm, they were never going to be successfull here we were stranded at Ho Chi Minh Airport, 5 of us in Vietnam and one of us still in No Man's Land and it's 10.30pm. We didn't have a clue what to do except maybe sleep at the airport until the morning. We knew someone was picking us up at the airport but we knew if we went through the arrival gates Zander would be on his own. After trying to catch someone who looked like the could help us we managed to get a lady who told us that he should go back to the Landing Visa and ask them to look up his file number. After another hour his Visa was extended - the original one had the wrong dates, it had him arriving in June for a month but they finally extended it - it did cost him another $75.00 but I couldn't care less we were all in Vietnam. The plus side was the person collecting us was still here. So here we stand amongst an enormous amount of luggage in the heat of Vietnam after an adventurous journey but thankfully altogether for what I can't help but think will be the last time we arrive somewhere as a family, all 6 of us together.

Farewell Australia Hello Vietnam

It seemed a bit of a waste to come all the way to Darwin and do nothing - but that's exactly what we did. We sat around the pool which was undercover almost in the carpark, definately no need for my Suntan Lotion that I bought, but at least the buying of the suntan lotion provided Mikaela with many hours of amusement - according to this teenager suntan lotion was such an old word! I think the inference was her mother is old and out of touch.
4pm came as did our bus for the airport, I'm sure the hotel was glad to see the back of us, if we asked them one more time if we could get into the room which stored our luggage I think they might have locked us in the room!
Darwin airport was certainly fun for Alexander. You have to visualise us moving through baggage check, we all have hand luggage and laptops, the laptops have to be removed from their bags and put into a separate container, the playstation and Wii which we had, at the last minute, stashed in Bella's hand luggage also had to be unpacked and Josh being ever so cautious, insists on removing his necklace just in case - so all in all it takes a while. Alexander's hand luggage was grabbed for a more thorough personal check - out comes a charger and they try again, but again its rejected. This happens a number of times with more and more things being removed as possibly being the offensive item that kept showing through on the x ray. At this point baggage check is getting more and more crowded as we act like a dam in their system - eventually there is nothing left in his bag but it was still going off - they then removed the bottom insert of the bag and found it - the offending item - a metal bookmark!!I won't say what was going through my mind but it certainly wasn't a bookmark. OK we're done Zander repacks his hand luggage, puts computers away and we move on, only for Zander to be requested for a drug swipe on him and his luggage - honestly next time he is on his own. All clear and finally we move towards customs and immigration.
More bag checking again, out come the laptops, the chargers, the Wii and the playstation all the hand luggage goes through - this time it's my turn to be knocked back - for of all things liquid in my luggage, out comes all the liquid things - foundation, creams, shampoos all into plastic bags, I even have to throw away anything over 100ml, including my suntan lotion. Finally we are all through laptops repacked, hand luggage repacked in my case and we can finally go to the gate, with Josh whining all the way that his laptop bag is too heavy, I guess it's been a long day. There is not much to do in Darwin airport with only one duty free shop and one cafe so we played UNO, yes UNO, and the children spent all our remaining Australian coins on junk food.
Finally our flight is called and we're off until I realise that my laptop is gone, my heart dropped, the only place I could possibly have left it was at the last customs check, my mind was racing wondering if I could possibly run back to the customs check to see if it was there. Then Matthew said "check Joshs bag" there it was - no wonder the poor kid thought his bag was heavy he had been carrying around his laptop and mine.
Finally we can say goodbye to Australia.

The Top End

A four hour flight is not too bad, Just enough time to watch most of the latest Harry Potter movie with Josh, eat our sushi rolls, have a nanna nap and begin to get leg cramps. Oh to be like Alexander who was asleep before the flight had left the runway!
Darwin is hot and humid. Managed to find a mini bus to take all of us to our hotel only probelm was that I couldn't remember the name of our hotel, which was OK because I had the receipt on my laptop - except my laptop was flat! So here we are in Darwin searching Wotif.com for a hotel which started with A. Thankfully there are not too many hotels in Darwin that start with A so we managed to find it. I was not having a great start to Darwin I managed to loose the receipt for the return bus trip before I even got on the bus, its probably buried somewhere in the pile of luggage. You could almost hear the groans of the other passengers on the bus when we get off the bus to look for a receipt. As we were driving to our hotel we hear this very excited yell "Oh look an autobarn" the entire bus, including us turn and look at Josh but I guess fatigue was setting in we all just shrugged our shoulders and left him to his excitment.
Thankfully the "A" hotel was ours and we could check in, change out of winter clothes for quite possibly the last time in quite a while - except Alexander of course - and hit the streets of Darwin.
My trip to Darwin continued on its downward spiral as I ushered my family across the road against the lights and nearly got us all run over! Not a promising start. How will I manage to cross the road in a country that drives on the wrong side if I struggle in my own country. I guess I am about to find out as tomorrow we farewell Australia.