7.00 breakfast again

28/4 - Packed and over to the riverside cafe for another 7.00 am Trung meeting. Phuc was there too, still said the same as you thought. A little later a young lady and her sister showed up and sat at a table nearby. They rent a shop from Trung, he lives upstairs. They got badgered into joining us. The lass who rents it is a beautician. She looked at me and just sighed. I think the sigh said, beyond help. She was determined to teach me some Vietnamese, which was very nice. I can now say "I love you glass." in Vietnamese. I have forgotten the rest. Her sister just kept scowling at me, but between the 2 of them, they livened up the morning. Trung and Phuc can sit and doss for Vietnam, so I disappeared for a while to pay some bills on the internet, that my secretary daughter had informed me of. When I got back Phuc and the ladies were gone, but Lin was there from Vinh Sang, not a good swap. I am staying at Vinh Sang tonight, the night I was cornered into a night or so ago. It is on the island An Binh, so I picked up my bags and we left for the ferry. Trung is not so confident on his moto, but we got there in the end. I was not sure about coming over here. I thought they would leave me to have a bit of free time, but not so, Trung and Lin escorted me everywhere, which is good, but the conversation is not very fluent and can get hard work, but they are showing me around, so a bit of English help is a fair swap. Being unsure was soon wiped away anyway. There was a couple of hundred metres to walk with my bag, Trung took the small one, so I had a real dab on when we made it. Diep, my unofficial, adopted, daughter came running up to me and gave me a big hug, sweat and all, she tried to rip the rucksack off my back to carry it for me and when I wouldnt let her, she started wafting me with her nun la, (I think) Vietnamese coned hat, when I dumped my pack she was pulling my T-shirt away from my back and wafting me. She is a lovely character. Dung came over to say hello too. She is a stunner. Diep had to disappear, but Dung sat with us for some fried noodles and veg and took pity on me filling up my bowl when she spotted it was empty. Yet another slight on my chopstick skills, or she is just polite, or probably both. I got checked into my room. A wooden box on stilts over the Mekong and very nice too. Lin seems to be running the show and suggests we go for a swim. Trung had spotted my fins and was dying to try them out. Lin helped himself to my coconut toffees and started throwing them down his neck. I told him to leave them on my bed, so was a bit miffed when he produced them from his pocket later and finished them off. The swim was in the Mekong. I have been dying to go in. It is a bit murky and like a warm bath. It was a good do. I am not getting enough exercise on this trip, so the more the better. Luckily enough I am not getting too much beer either. Mind you I could meet up with our Beccy in Australia. We were sat drying off and Lin is hustling us to go and get changed to go for karaoke in the bar/restaurant. I was getting a bit hacked off with being driven along, so dragged my heels a bit. When we got back to the room, he was hustling us to get dressed, so I dragged my heels a bit and sat watching the Mekong, chilling. My sisters may be right, perhaps I am an awkward bugger. Trung made a brew too, now this is more like it. Hustle time arrived again, but now was changed from karaoke to billiards without pockets, French billiards. It must be a pasttime here, because these 2 gave me a right hiding. It's hustle time again and we are off for karaoke, so I dragged my heels and sipped my iced coffee. My sisters are right. Lin is becoming a real pain in the backside, but once he sat at the keyboards he's pretty good. There's not another soul in the place, but Trung is giving it rice on the karaoke, he is pretty good too. Dung came over and they sang some duets. She's a singing stunner and she got even better when she took us for some rice wine, free rice wine. Can it get any better. It is very nice. I think this is what the rowdy old fellas were feeding me the other day, but watered down. This stuff is spirit, not wine, it gives that warm glow as it travels down your throat. It is brewed here in the bar. The still is at the back. Apparently, like all good things, it comes in different qualities. This was good stuff. Lin had to go to work elsewhere, what a shame. Dung is trying to learn English, so she brought her book over and we had a bit of a lesson. I can't help getting the feeling I am not the best person to teach English. Diep has been busy all day, so far, but keeps popping over and introducing me to her mates as her Dad. It always gets a laugh, perhaps because she is Vietnamese and 4 foot nothing and I am 6 foot 2 and white. Before I knew it mealtime was back. I let Trung do the ordering and I ordered a beer. His English is coming on a bit, but I get respite during the food. He can chuck it down his neck. The food was a do-it-yourself seafood hotpot, lau ca, I think. It was smashing again. When we were done, the lass who had been waiting on, Xuan, I don't have a clue how to say it, came over and sat with us. The staff here are really friendly and casual, except for Diep, she is friendly and bubbly. Trung has to translate, Xuan is divorced and looking for a husband as far as I can tell. Her 5 year old son is living with his Dad, because he is rich and Xuan works all month getting 2 days off only, to go and see her son. Something stinks and it is not me. Lots of fodder here for the grumpy old man. She is very nice, but I didn't volunteer to be hubby 2. I am not sure if she is sizing up Trung. Dung turned up after work, to make divorcee number 4. It is like Blind Date. We had a natter, with Trung translating still, now he is flagging. I think the translation is less than 50% good, but a damn site better than I can do. We called it a night as he was flagging and had to moto home, the electric had gone again too. He never seems to work, so that wasn't a problem. He was telling me that Dung supports her parents and brother. The country seems in good state, but perhaps it is not. He told me that inflation is very high and the price of rice has gone up again this week. Bloody politicians are useless.
Trung came back to my room to pick up some gear and tried to arrange a 7.00 pick up for coffee, but managed to get out of that one, it was a close call. It's been a smashing night and still is, so I dragged my chair out onto the walkway around my box and contemplated the Mekong and read a bit. Some lads had setup some rods dangling over the edge, through the weeds after catfish. It is loved around here. One of the lads appeared and spoke great English with a French accent. He is Vietnamese and lives in Quebec. He comes back to Vietnam to miss the Canadian winters, what a good life. He suddenly scarpered, he had a bite on a rod on the other walkway. There was a right rucus and some running around, so I went over in the dark to see 3 of them land a catfish about 12 - 15 lbs. I don't think they are regular fishermen, one of them ended up in the Mekong amongst the weeds. I called it quits and went to bed leaving these 3 excited like little school boys. I heard a rucus in the night. When I met the lad in the morning, they had caught a bigger catfish later on. He was still excited in the morning. He had photos to show his family.