15/5 - Up and Khien is singing, he gor around to singing a song about the HCM trail. He should stick to these type of songs, he's not bad, I usually get pop or kids songs. Fried egg butties for breakfast, Vietnamese style, very nice, then Khien dropped me at an internet shop while he went to wash Jack. It's got less than 1,000 Km on the clock, so its understandable.
The company who I got this round the world ticket from have come good, they have got my Aussie visa sorted out overnight. The consulate in HCM city was going to take a fortnight.
First stop today was in a minority village. BMT is a big city and we only went a few miles outside where there's a minority village and hou ses are wooden and there's not a lot of money about. It seemed strange, but it's normal for big cities all over, poor places withing spitting distance of the money places. There's a longhouse that's used for village meetings and teaching. THe roof is really high and thatched and all held together by bamboo and string. We'll pass a few of these today. The steps in are a notched tree trunk, its on stilts. There are lots of pictures of Uncle Ho, HCM, inside. He is very reviered in Vietnam, but Khien reckons he is only 80% good, because he never married. Just a long the road, an old fellow, 92, comes out to greeet us in French and with a toothless grin. He's 4 foot nothing and lively as owt. He took us to his house, up the stairs and outside there's a musical instrument he has made from bamboo and fishing line. He's really good on it. It's like a xylophone with extras. Khien got on the suspended drum until a young lad came and kicked him off. The old lad gave it some stick, I had a dabble, but was crap. Khien wasn't bad, but he'd been before, that's my excuse. The old fella was chuffed to bits to see us and be able to show off and was full of it as we left, all in French.
Next stop a big old wooden church and very nice too . It fronts as an orphanage. We'd got some pens and sweets for he kids. Khien wouldn't come in, he gets too upset when he sees the babies, so I went in. The old lad who runs it speaks rally good English. There are 184 kids here, all but 1 are minority kids, from 1 to 19 years old. The government give no support. I'm glad I didn't have too much in my nifty pink purse, I emptied it. When I got back to Khien, he was giving an English lesson. He's self taught from books and tourists. He got through university, as a biology teacher, but couldn't get a job, he reckons because his Dad was an officer in the S. Vietnamese army. His Dad has already paid too, with years of rehabilitation in prison. We moved on now heading for the HCM trail, but stopped first at another monument, this one had tanks, so the amry clown suits came out. After this we nipped to a street stall for a coffee. Khien fielded the 20 querstions and I chipped in with, thank you, son, daughter etc.... The Vietnamese are usually surprised, but pleaseed when I try to speak Vietnamese, een j usyt "thank you" makes them smile. We're off again, but not to far before pulling over. Khein pointed out we're about 15Km from Cambodia adn Laos and also the sign Duong HCM, the Ho Chi Minh trail. We'd had 3 great days already, but the scenery along this is fantastic, thick jungle all the way to the mountain tops, roadside waterfalls, smashing, if poor villages and lots of friendly people. Not to miss out, we had a good clown around at a lovely waterfall, Khien playing dead in the middle of the road, he likes his photo taken. Needless to say, the HCM trail isn't that busy a road, Khien's daft, but not that daft.
We pulled over at a minority family house. Khien spotted the Mam, a really beautiful lady, sitting on her step with 5 kids, 3 are hers. Across the ditch ans sit on the ground with the kids. I only kept one packet of sweets for the HCM trail. I wish I'd kept them all. These kids had snotty noses, some were half clothed, one nude. The sparkle in their eyes was missing from these kids, even when the sweets came out. This was a lot sadder than the orphanage. The Mam was smashing and Khien had a chat to her. The house was wooden with hard dirt floor, very little in it. There was a TV, but not a lot else. The Mam's eyes were bright, perhaps from loving the kids. Thinking about it now pulls a cloak of sadness over me. We were getting along pretty good, then 3 blokes turned up on a moto, one the husband and all drunk. I know I should not jump to conclusions, but I was a bit pissed off by it. The Mam was pleased to see him, but we weren't Khien up'd stumps and we were off. He couldn't understand the blokes language, the minority people in the mountains still use their own dialect. It is dying out in the lowland villages as the government try to integrate these people, which seems a bit of a shame. I think I mentioned Khien has a soft spot for the minority people and it shows more as we meet more of them. He has picked up a bond from somewhere.
Back on the trail, the stunning scenery eventually removes the sadness cloak. If I come back to Vietnam, I will do this again, stocking up on food before hitting the HCM trail, to dish out along the way. As we got closer to tonights stopover we passed through villages with kids walking home from school, again we got loads of waves and hellos, it really lifts my spirits, not that they need lifting, but I feel even better. I even got a high five from one kid on the trail, probably a truant, him and his mates were having too much fun. All along my trip I've been thinking "This is a great life". Now I am shouting it to Khien, I'm having so much fun.
Into the hotel in Phuoc Son, showered and a walk down the road to a restaurant and another good meal. Khien wasn't so quick on the draw tonight with the beers. I think it was because of the company. He will marry a Vietnamese girl, I reckon, but loves blonde lasses and another Easy Rider from Na Tranh, who Khien knows, walked in with a tall, blonde, Aussie lass. Mr Charmer was all of a sudden tongue tied. It was funny to watch. The harder he tried the worse he became, but the Aussie lass, Hannah, dug him out of the holes he was getting in. She seemed like she would have liked a beer, but hadn't realised wer were having more than one, before she got whisked away. We only had 2 or 3, then back to bed. Khien is really good company and is keen to learn things, as well as dish his knowledge out.
http://picasaweb.google.com/brooks.gilbert/DalatToLakLake
http://picasaweb.google.com/brooks.gilbert/LacLakeToBuonMaThout
We pulled over at a minority family house. Khien spotted the Mam, a really beautiful lady, sitting on her step with 5 kids, 3 are hers. Across the ditch ans sit on the ground with the kids. I only kept one packet of sweets for the HCM trail. I wish I'd kept them all. These kids had snotty noses, some were half clothed, one nude. The sparkle in their eyes was missing from these kids, even when the sweets came out. This was a lot sadder than the orphanage. The Mam was smashing and Khien had a chat to her. The house was wooden with hard dirt floor, very little in it. There was a TV, but not a lot else. The Mam's eyes were bright, perhaps from loving the kids. Thinking about it now pulls a cloak of sadness over me. We were getting along pretty good, then 3 blokes turned up on a moto, one the husband and all drunk. I know I should not jump to conclusions, but I was a bit pissed off by it. The Mam was pleased to see him, but we weren't Khien up'd stumps and we were off. He couldn't understand the blokes language, the minority people in the mountains still use their own dialect. It is dying out in the lowland villages as the government try to integrate these people, which seems a bit of a shame. I think I mentioned Khien has a soft spot for the minority people and it shows more as we meet more of them. He has picked up a bond from somewhere.
Back on the trail, the stunning scenery eventually removes the sadness cloak. If I come back to Vietnam, I will do this again, stocking up on food before hitting the HCM trail, to dish out along the way. As we got closer to tonights stopover we passed through villages with kids walking home from school, again we got loads of waves and hellos, it really lifts my spirits, not that they need lifting, but I feel even better. I even got a high five from one kid on the trail, probably a truant, him and his mates were having too much fun. All along my trip I've been thinking "This is a great life". Now I am shouting it to Khien, I'm having so much fun.
Into the hotel in Phuoc Son, showered and a walk down the road to a restaurant and another good meal. Khien wasn't so quick on the draw tonight with the beers. I think it was because of the company. He will marry a Vietnamese girl, I reckon, but loves blonde lasses and another Easy Rider from Na Tranh, who Khien knows, walked in with a tall, blonde, Aussie lass. Mr Charmer was all of a sudden tongue tied. It was funny to watch. The harder he tried the worse he became, but the Aussie lass, Hannah, dug him out of the holes he was getting in. She seemed like she would have liked a beer, but hadn't realised wer were having more than one, before she got whisked away. We only had 2 or 3, then back to bed. Khien is really good company and is keen to learn things, as well as dish his knowledge out.
http://picasaweb.google.com/brooks.gilbert/DalatToLakLake
http://picasaweb.google.com/brooks.gilbert/LacLakeToBuonMaThout
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