TOUR OF DUTY/TOUR GUIDE DUTY

Well my parents finally made the trip over in Sept/Oct... since then I've been so busy it's taken me over a month just to write this post. Crazy times.

It was a two week trip and all in all a pretty big success... that is if you don't count the typhoon that made us change plans at the last minute. In the end it was all fine.. we simply went to Mui Ne instead of Hoi An.

As always... I'll let the photos (and captions) tell the story better than me...

One of many boats on the trip... this was the first one... a sampan cruising the Mekong Delta.

There were smaller boats too... this one was a canoe. I love this photo. So Dad.

Always the advertising girl this is me showing the final product at the "brick factory"... sarcasm was rife.

Hiking through the mud in the mekong... Mum's least favourite part... amusement for Dad.. terror for me.

But we got there in the end. Coconut stop. How very Vietnam.

After surviving the Mekong, we did some classic touristy things. The Reunification Palace...

Lots of tank photos....

and at the cathedral...

...and of course... the Hotel Continental "from the books & movies".

A quick side trip to Dalat where we stayed at the scary haunted Sofitel. *shudder*

In Hanoi... what a sweet photo. Soon to become Dad's desktop image no doubt.

Contemplating life on Halong Bay on our way to fancy junk... another boat.. to a boat.

But a damn nice way to see Halong Bay! Luxury all the way.

My Daddy LOVED Halong Bay... you can see it in his face.

So did Mummsy... as long as the cocktails kept coming.

Awwww how romantic (for them). Time for me to disappear to my cabin.

Being a good little tour guide (complete with guide book) in Hanoi

I do love my Vietnam history so it was great to be there for the 55 anniversary of french revolution in the north.

Tour Guide I am not.... but here's what I really do for a living.

My keepsake... a beautiful original 'cuong' painting for my apartment. Love it.

Farewell brunch at the Sheraton

Time to go home Daddy.

THE TOP TEN

After watching so much Letterman lately I thought it was about time I did a 'Top Ten' things I love about living in Vietnam.

Here goes...

MY TOP TEN THINGS I LOVE
ABOUT LIVING IN VIETNAM

NUMBER 10. FOOD. GLORIOUS FOOD.

Fresh, Flavoursome and Fabulous! The food in Vietnam is just amazing. I personally could eat Vietnamese food 3 times a day for a week with not a worry. I just love it. The best part of my time here has been spent trying strange new foods and trying to figure out what animal/plant they came from. My favourite so far is Bot Chien which is fried rice flour cake with egg. Serves with a salty sauce on Papaya. It is the VN equivalent of fries I guess... street snack food. It's SOOO good.... and so bad. I put on 13 kilos in my first year in Vietnam. I've lost 10 of those now but still can't resist a 4pm hit of Bot Chien if the staff order it. O... and that's the other thing. Food is delivered... all food. Sushi, Burgers, KFC, Salad. Just about every restaurant offers free delivery and thanks to Motobikes it's delivered hot and fresh within minutes. Last but not least - the site of a fresh cut dragon fruit still amazes me. What a beautiful sight.. the hot pink shaped skin and the white flesh with black seeds. Is it food? or Art? God was feeling creative that day.

NUMBER 9. NAUGHTY NIGHTLIFE

Some hate it but I love it. The party scene in Saigon is best described as 'Random' in my opinion. You just never know what to expect and there is something for EVERYONE - as long as you have an open mind and the right attitude. So many expats complain about the nightlife here but I have had many more fun nights out here than I ever have in Sydney or elsewhere. It's not about posing or 'being seen on the scene' - there are the same crowds at the clubs every weekend. I love the tackiness, the mixed crowd, the relaxed attitude. I love that the music can switch from Akon to Abba. I love that I can go to lunch in cargos and flip flops and end up in a club at 2am wearing the same thing and no one cares. I feel like I'm on holidays here and can be dancing with backpackers and CEO's and expats and locals all at once. It brings out the naughty in me...not that it takes much to do that. It's random... and that's why I love it.

NUMBER 8. PRETTY PRETTY EVERYWHERE

From silk lanterns to intricate decorations on my cocktail - the Vietnamese are skilled and artful and have a knack for pretty things. It's a girls dream. Pretty jewellery, Pretty bags, Pretty nails, Pretty motobikes, Pretty everything. So often I am amazed at how pretty and beautiful the smallest details are. From the chopstick handles to the way they package my lunch. I've never been a really girly girl but it's easy to feel feminine and pretty here when wearing dangly earrings, holding my silk fan and strutting in my customised pink heels. All made and bought in Vietnam.

NUMBER 7. SMILES MAKE ME SMILE

My first advice to anyone travelling to Vietnam is "Smile. You'll be amazed at how many you get back.". No matter how bad a day I am having or how frustrated I am here - I find that if I just smile then everyone around me does the same. As a rule, Vietnamese LOVE to smile. Big smiles. Real smiles. Infectious smiles that make me smile back. What a fantastic way to live. Surrounded by smiles.

NUMBER 6. MY SANCTUARY IN SAIGON SOUTH

Some might think living in the clean, prestigious area of Phu My Hung is a cop out - I don't. I call it my Sanctuary. There are weekends when I don't even leave it. Whenever I drag my expat friends "all the way" out there they love it. Yes - it's 30 minutes in peak hour traffic from the centre of town (10 minutes at night or 20 minutes on a bike) but it's worth every minute. With parks such as this opposite my building, clean water, fresh air and generally 3 degrees cooler than the rest of the city - I ain't complaining. I also love that people in PMH are generally relaxed and happy. From the security guards to the lovers who kiss and cuddle by the river. I can't wait to go home to PMH and I appreciate it more everyday.

NUMBER 5. DA BOYS

This one is a given considering I have just started my latest attempt at dating a Nigerian footballer in Vietnam. Call me crazy (I may just be) but I decided at some point that I'd rather go for 3rd time lucky than live with the regret of passing up the above opportunity. So far no regrets. I get to experience not only living in my favourite Asian country but also get to learn about a vastly different culture. I am genuinely falling in love with West African culture now - from the spicy as hell food eaten by hand to the smooth grooves of P Square. I feel honoured and proud to call these guys my friends and I am grateful to God that he has given me my man.

NUMBER 4. CUP OF CAPHE SUA DA

I like my coffee the same way I like my men so it's appropriate that this comes next. Strong, Sweet and Intense. Caphe Sua Da is no ordinary coffee. It makes a skim latte look like a joke. For me, Caphe Sua Da represents everything I love about Vietnam. It's so concentrated and overwhelming that it has the ability to tip you from being intoxicating high on life to agitated with just the smallest overdose. Served warm it's too much to handle - but throw some ice on it and it's suddenly a refreshing treat.

NUMBER 3. MAGICAL MASSAGE

I spent over a year in Vietnam looking for a half decent massage - then I discovered this place. For someone who is addicted to massage and spent a fortune on it in Sydney I was always left disappointed by the massage in Saigon. It was either half arsed with no pressure but in a beautiful environment or painful but decent in a dodgy joint. I refer to the former as 'Basting the chicken' because I often feel like the massage girl is simply rubbing oil all over me ready to shove me in an oven and roast me. It drives me insane and I've walked out half way more than once. The latter is often just a foot massage but at least I can FEEL them and although sometimes left bruised I get my moneys worth. Enter GOLDEN LOTUS. With new premises my friends like to call this place 'The weird uncomfortable massage place' because although set up like a foot massage place they make you change into shorts & a tshirt and then give you a full body oil massage - but in a public room on chairs. It includes them sitting behind you and throwing you over their knees. The best bit is when the walk on you. I get the 2 hour 'special course' every weekend which includes a cucumber face mask. Orgasmic.

NUMBER 2. THE STREETS OF SAIGON

Another one that may surprise anyone who has travelled to Saigon. I love the streets of Saigon. I love the traffic, the noise, the smells. For me, the beep BEEP BEEP beep is like a constant symphony of Saigon. This city constantly sings with it's own song and I love the rhythm and flow of it. Cruising the streets on my motobike makes me want to scream with joy. There is no better feeling and I have, on many occasions, had a crap day and spent an hour throwing myself into the swarm of bikes that swim through the streets and felt better for it. Nothing compares. It's (almost) the best thing about living in Vietnam.

MY NUMBER ONE FAVOURITE THING ABOUT LIVING IN VIETNAM....

THE CLIMATE!

I hate the feeling of being cold. I hate wearing layers of clothes. I hate shivering. Living in southern Vietnam all these are a thing of the past - or at least they come with an OFF switch for the air-conditioner. I love the weather here. I never have to check the forecast it's always HOT and sometimes HOT & WET. It's usually somewhere between 28 and 33 degrees. When there is a slight breeze in the evening it feels like warm kisses against your skin. This weather makes you want to be outside - it's why Saigon is such a 'street side' city. Even on the hottest, most humid intense days - I still love it. I love the feeling of the sun burning onto my back, I love the feeling of walking into an air-cond building. From the bright sunny mornings where the blue sky to the sultry sunsets and tropical evenings. I love living in Vietnam. Everyday.

SENSATIONAL SAIGON

I love this town. The end of this little clip makes me smile... the golden glow like no other place on earth... the markets that go up every night... it's just beautiful. What a wonderful city and how lucky I am to call this my home.

Another Day. Another Dollar... or at least... Another Vietnam Dong.

Seeing as this blog is meant to be about my life in Vietnam and the experience of being an Expat I thought perhaps a ‘day in the life of’ post was required. A year and a bit on this all just seems totally normal but I do occasionally get a reality check and think ‘o my god… why do I live in Vietnam’?

So… a typical day…

Starts by being woken up by my Maid who has been coming earlier and earlier lately. She has a particular talent for making as much noise as possible to ensure I know she has arrived. She’s sweet though, speaks less English than I do Vietnamese so sign language is our only way of communicating. It can be quite amusing/frustrating.

Once dressed I cruise downstairs to Gloria Jeans where I walk into a sing song of “Good Morning ms Cara”. I do not need to order – they know it off by heart and the only that ever changes is small vs regular. It took me a while to get my coffee situation sorted here. I was initially addicted to Caphe Sua Da (extra strong drip coffee with full fat condensed milk) but soon wised up to how bad it was for you. I still like it as a treat on a weekend. My iced skim latte at GJ’s is my substitute breakfast and although it costs a bomb because I get an extra espresso shot (87,000VND!!!). There is however a great added benefit in my morning Latte – the lovely GJ’s kid order me a Mai Linh taxi. They never seem to come down my end of Phu My hung leaving me with only dodgy taxi choices. Even if I call for one they never arrive… so GJ’s is a god send.

I use to ride my motorbike to work but since the traffic cops started cracking down on foreigners with no VN licence I now only ride on weekends. I’m in the process of getting my licence so hopefully in next few weeks I’ll have it (Yes… it takes that long!).

The ride to work is always entertaining, with lots to look at. I try and take advantage of the 30 mins by catching up on emails or calling the folks at home or reviewing my Vietnamese lessons. Other days I just stare out the window and watch the crazy HCMC world go by, from Cyclos carrying motorbikes to washing machines balance precariously on the seat of bikes. There is always something bizarre and most mornings I wish I had someone to point out something strange too. Instead I just tweet or facebook it. Not really the same.

At the agency most people don’t rock up until after 9. Suits me just fine as I am so not a morning person. By the time I get in… coffee still in hand.. the music is pumping and it’s buzzing. We built the agency on the roof of a sports centre so it’s quite unique. One side looks over a soccer oval that often has big tournaments and events. The other side has a lovely little balcony where we tend to hang out a lot. (especially the smokers…).

Lately the work day has consisted of at LEAST 4 hours of meetings which drives me mental. I can handle it if there is wifi because I can at least review emails and touch base with the team via Skype. However it’s hit and miss and often we can’t pick it up. By the time I get access to email I normally have on average 30 to 40 to review. It’s not fun. Thank god wifi is pretty prevalent everywhere so downloading emails on the go is easy….. even on my phone.

Lunch is normally ordered in as it’s a) too bloody hot to venture into the Saigon humidity and b) we are too busy to stop and need to just keep working through. I love the agency at lunch… it’s totally quiet. I get more work done at lunchtime than all morning some days. The local staff tend to go out most days or eat around the big table. When I first arrived they nearly all had ‘nap time’ but that seems to have been slowly stopped. I never really had an issue with it unless they did it in the open (or behind reception desk). It’s not something that’s encouraged however. Even ordering in can become a big drama, no one can ever agree on where to order from and we almost always default to the sandwich joint Juice because they are reasonably fast and it’s easy. They also know where we are located… which helps. Our building is So 1 (Number 1)… so are ALL the other shops on our street. So if lunch doesn’t arrive it probably because the sports store down the street got it instead. Taxi’s are another issue all together. Apparently it’s because we are behind “The Palace” which of course was… number 1… so they just never changed it. Gotta love Vietnamese logic. The street itself is beautiful… massive tall trees line it and as soon as you turn the corner the temperature drops and air seems cleaner. We are 3 minutes walk from Ben Thanh market so it’s very central… just… well… random.

Of course, working in Adland is always unpredictable and therefore there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ day. You can probably tell by my previous post that we have a great team and although I am completely overloaded I still enjoy my job and besides complete exhaustion it’s very rewarding. It’s not really that different to Adland in Sydney… just more interesting because you are dealing with a foreign culture (and Vietnamese culture is incredibly complex). You have to trust that the copy is correct and never presume that something will be completed just because you asked it to be (it never is).

It’s rainy season now, so the afternoons quite often bring a big tropical storm with big fat rain and some claps of lightning and thunder. I’ve never seen rain like here in Vietnam, it’s drenching. I love it because it washes everything and it’s normally over and done with quickly. Not like in oz where it spits and spats and rains for a full day. Unfortunately the roof in our agency leaks so with rain comes dripping on computers/printers etc… never fun.

Once the work day is done which is normally about 7 we head for dinner. It’s normally the expats in the office who grab food together. We try new restaurants and it can range from $50 steaks to $1 noodles. Our latest favourites are the street side ‘spicy noodle man’, BBQ Fish at Ben Thanh night markets and Sushi Bar. Right now we are on ‘operation vegetables’ as we’ve discovered we eat hardly any vegetables anymore. I swear.. for 3 days this week not a single vegetable passed my lips. It’s crazy. No wonder I have put on so much weight (which I am slowly losing again thanks to crack whore diet pills – that’s a whole post in itself… stay tuned).

Dinner nearly always turns to discussions about work and often moves on to drinks somewhere else so by the time I get home it’s closer to midnight so I’m pooped and crash and then do it all over again the next day. I come home to a nice clean apartment, all my bills paid (the occasional shirt ruined). I am starting to take it for granted now but it’s still lovely.

In between all of this I still find time to have crazy, unconventional romances with footballers and also keep in touch with my peeps in Australia. I never appreciated Facebook so much until I moved here and thanks to it I still feel connected to my world in Sydney and it hopefully will make it easier to return…. If I ever decide to do so. I’m in no hurry.

Gloria Jeans at Grandview. Aka my Mai Linh taxi stand.

Let's hope I don't end up like this one! (I stronly advise AGAINST doing an image search for Mai Linh if you ever want to feel safe in one again)

Our lovely street... I recently found out it's named after a famous princess. Awwww!

BBQ Fish at Ben Thanh. Melts in your mouth... but can take up to an hour!

WORK, REST & PLAY.

Ok, as promised here is a less dramatic (and depressing) update than the last one. Giving you a more balanced picture of the last few months. Of course, there is more to life than men and although love has played a leading role – it’s not only part.

As I have mentioned, one of the most rewarding parts of moving to Vietnam has been working for a great independent creative agency. Run by smart, young, and ever so slightly mental people, it’s a passionate environment and makes going to work in the morning seem less like work. There is a fine line here between work and play so keeping the balance can be the hardest part. Saigon is a great town to work in, but work can often lead to dinner and/or drinks… and I’ve never been one to play on school nights and be able to back it up at work the next day. We even set up our own crazy blog which takes the piss out of “Asian Poses”. Check it out here.

I’m incredibly lucky to have found some good friends here in Saigon and have had some truly memorable times over the last few months. Highlights would have to be going to Vung Tau/Long Tan for Anzac Day with a bunch of Aussies to watch the dawn service. Spooky and beautiful to be in a rubber plantation at 5am but well worth it. Recently we also randomly ended up partying on a multi-million dollar yacht on the Saigon River… yes… I know that sounds crazy… but it’s true. That story deserves a blog all of its own but let’s just say

We’ve had some great shoots and client events which have been fun too. My clients are bloody fabulous I have to say… both from a brand perspective and the people I get to work with. Setting up the agency and working in a creative industry in Vietnam is not easy… but it’s seriously worth it when the work produced is this good.

So… whilst most people’s lives require a great personal life in order to balance their less that great working life… mine is the opposite. My ‘day’ doesn’t start at 5pm…. It just keeps going. Monday’s aren’t dreaded and I more often get ‘Sundayistis’ than ‘Mondayitis’. I consider myself quite lucky considering a LOT more of my life is spent at work than elsewhere.

Another photo journal below of some of my favourite people/places/parties from the last few months.

Having late night street side noodles at "spicy noodle man" after a long day at work.

Two very good men who are very good friends and who have no hesitation in advising me about my less than perfect boyfriend choices.

Celebrating my one year in Vietnam

And FINALLY Ms Joeii arrived in town. YAY!

Showing off the best of VN... Qing Nail Spa... which is also a wine bar.. with free wifi. Perfect place for work catch up.

Partying on the Saigon River on multi-million dollar cruiser with friends.. totally unplanned... totally awesome night.

Another day at work... shooting TVC and getting our 'celebrity' photo for the record.

THE UPDATE

How on earth do I begin to summarise the 3 months since I last updated this blog? And not breakdown doing it? To be honest I’ve been avoiding doing this update as putting it up here makes it so… official. However on Saturday night at a club I got recognised from my twitter account and this blog… so I figured it was time to set the record set.

Firstly, soon after I was released from hospital I flew to HK to visit my Fiancé for the weekend. I returned on the Sunday night.... single.... after discovering that he had been leaving with a French girl. That pretty much sums up that situation.

Since that time, he has returned to VN, only to discover that I had started dating his friend/arch rival already. In hindsight, probably not the smartest idea in the world. At the time though, I believed that ‘fate’ had delivered me an amazing guy and the previous Nigerian footballer had just been a training run. Turns out that was not the case and after a couple of months the new guy decided he liked his previous Vietnamese girlfriend better. Leaving me to deal with not only being single in Saigon but now being outcast from ‘da boys’ I once considered my other family. I can't say I handled the whole the brilliantly, and hence the it is mostly my fault that even after the relationships ended the friendships did also. No doubt years from now, the boys will all be good friends again and look back laughing at that aussie girl who got in the middle of them.

For me, it’s certainly made life a bit different in Vietnam and not always in a good way. I guess in a way I kind of had two different worlds here – my expat-style advertising life and my down to earth fun life with the footballers. The only times they crossed over were about 4am in Go2 Bar. I liked that and I enjoyed my time getting to know that world. I learnt a lot about Nigerian culture, food and people and also became more spiritually aligned as I was introduced to alternative forms of Christianity. I also had a lot of fun with them and of course… experienced great love. Twice over.I was also inspired, at least by the short and sweet romance to learn Vietnamese and get fit again. Heartbreak is also great for dropping the kilos so I’ve discovered – along with crazy diet pills.

Thankfully I have also had a fantastic work crew and company which has kept me going and made things not only bearable but entertaining and fun too. I’ve also been fortunate enough to score a new position which has meant a lot more responsibility and the opportunity to build my dream team. My first task was bringing over my old account manager from Oz, and she arrive at the end of May. It was worth the wait and she’s been a god send to me and the agency. I’m incredibly grateful to work at such an awesome company, with cool people on great clients.

That pretty much brings things up to date. I will try to update again soon with some more recent pictures and less dramatic (hopefully) news.

Photo montage for this post is a tribute to my favourite boys and a reminder of the good times I enjoyed with them. They'll probably hate me posting these online - but this blog is my story and this is a chapter of my life in Vietnam that I'm proud to say I lived, and loved, and learnt from.

Lonely & Apollo after his brief visit 'home' to Saigon from HK.

Apollo & the coolest dude in Saigon.

My HK boys saying goodbye to me at the airport.

The HKFA brigade. 3 Gorgeous boys.

Posers... but so hot.

My 'brother' Lonely, Mikey Mike and I clubbing in Saigon.

These 3 look like actual brothers, not just bros. Lonely, Samson & Uwanaka in Saigon.

The best dressed man in Vietnam. The infamous Foreign Nigger.

The Devil in White. Beautiful.

So many snuggle shots to remember - but I love this one.

The boys enjoy Nigerian Chicken Stew at my place. Such a great day.

So many sweet innocent soccer players on this page, this one aint one of them. I admit it. I like bad boys.

Another favourite shot - Lonely & The Devil on my sofa. Looking so happy.

Foreign Nigger & Lonley watching the game in Tay Ninh.

The final word. The one I'll miss the most.

CLIENT LOYALTY

For someone who has been in Advertising now for almost 12 years, I tend to be quite loyal to my client's products. I still buy Bond's and Berlei bra's over other brands and keep a keen eye on any news relating too RSVP. Since working in Saigon, I've been working on a huge beverage brand... so that one is pretty easy to stay loyal too. My other client however is a large French-Vietnamese Hospital. It's a new account for us and a product that is quite difficult to get your head around. I've done the hospital tour, read all the brochures, met the doctors, sat in the lobby... but nothing is comparable to being a patient yourself. Which, unfortunately I ended up being this last week.

A couple of weeks ago I had a pretty bad flu. After a late night meeting I got home to find I had a fever of over 39 degrees. By the next morning I was in full flu mode. A couple of days later I went and saw a Doctor at the Hospital who said it was most likely just an annual flu and got some tests done... went home and laid low. A few days later, as predicted, I was feeling better and headed back to work. More late nights and within 48 hours I was back in bed with another fever, headaches, vomit ting and the works. This time twice as bad. I headed back to the doctor for my follow up appointment... he took one look at me and admitted me to the ward. They couldn't ever quite diagnose what the problem was. Just some kind of virus/flu/infection. I was put on an IV drip, Anti-biotics and Painkillers etc. The hospital itself was great. The rooms are nice, food (not that I could eat it) looked ok and it's run very well. Unfortunately they only had a shared room available and I just couldn't stand it. Especially when the 'relatives' were going to sleep the night in the same room. I got moved to another double room with no 2nd person and that was better. On the third day, I had to share again... this time with an old lady halfway into the next life... and I lost the plot. I insisted I would be better off at home in my own lovely apartment and after much who haa with the doctors was allowed to leave.

So, now I feel fully immersed in my clients brand and product. I feel I truly understand them from a consumers point of view and some of the challenges they encounter. Although ending up in Hospital... in Vietnam... is by no means fun... it was an experience that I feel I have learned from. So it's not all bad.

The biggest lesson of all was that I really need my future Husband here with me. It was awful being alone and so sick and him not even being able to come and visit me. As his season is almost over we are in the process of trying to get him a visa to come back to VN. Not an easy task at the moment. Please say a little prayer for us when you have a moment. We need all the help we can get.

I have had another full week off work and arrived back yesterday morning to chaos. My test results are still not all clear and I am heading back to the Hospital again this afternoon to get more done. I have parked my bike for a while as I am worried about inhaling all the Saigon germy air whilst my immune system is still recovering. The next few weeks I will be keeping very quiet and attempting to get back to the strong, healthy Aussie girl who arrived here almost 1 year ago.

BIKEY BIKE GO DOWN

It was bound to happen at some point... my first accident on my bike.  Thank the lord it was relatively minor and right outside my apartment building.

It was late, around 9pm and I was coming home from work after another long day.  I turned left into my apartment building driveway and two kids on a big bicycle came up the inside of me...on the wrong side of the road of course...and with no lighting/helmets.   The bike was far too big for them... as is normal here and they couldn't stop in time and hence crashed straight into me.

Bike went down... I went with it.   

Luckily I wasn't going very fast and the bike simply fell over sideways... not a big skid or anything.    I pretty much fell on top of the two kids on the bike but they weren't hurt.  I was more bruised from landing on their bike than anything else.   I jumped up and the security guards from my building came racing out and once they saw the kids (and I) were ok... they started yelling at them.  They promptly got on their bike (which was just a bit wobbly) and rode away.  If the guards hadn't been there I am sure they would have wanted money.. but whatever the guards yelled at them in Vietnamese made them run for their life.

They helped me up, checked my bike, which just had a few scratches and my broken mirror and I went on my way with them surrounding me coo'ing "Khong Sao Madame... Khong Sao" (it will be ok).

I got my bike fixed over the weekend and my grazing was pretty minor.  The bruises are damn impressive... massive big blue/yellow/green stunners.   I was pretty sore over the weekend but I am ok now.  Quite proud of my war wounds and very grateful that I am alive to tell this story.

Just another day in Viet Nam.

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES, COME ON, LET'S CELEBRATE!

So many celebrations... so little energy left.

Well the last month in Saigon has been even more exciting and eventful and seems to have really hit a high! My head is in the clouds and it's been lovely.

Work has been frantic, but with great rewards and overall very enjoyable. Leah came over to Vietnam for Christmas to visit her man. Christmas here is just bizarre. Depending on what your definition of Christmas "Spirit" is... it could be good or bad. For me, Christmas is about not so much about fairy lights and tinsel, although I love all of that too. It's more about giving back, to family and friends. Reflecting on the year that has past and sharing the love. It's not even about presents, it's about people coming together and enjoying each other's company. it

's about celebrating and being grateful to God. As a Christian, it has deeper meaning... but overall it's a spiritual time.

The streets of Saigon were beautiful, billions of fairy lights, masses of tinsel, every hotel, shop, business decorated to the max. There were trees and snowmen and every little kid seemed to have a santa suit. It was the most "Christmasy" place I have ever seen. There was however, in my humble opinion, no spirit. It's great that vietnamese love the chintz and glintz that is Christmas - but all the things that mean "Christmas" to me, for them, are saved for Tet (Lunar New Year). This is when they travel home to visit their family to celebrate the new year. All the meaning and feeling is saved for that. Christmas in Vietnam is nothing more than material. It's bling bling bling, but with nothing underneath. It wasn't Christmas for me.

My darling boy was meant to come and visit for Christmas but unfortunately could not make it. Instead, I booked a ticket to fly to HK to see him on New Year's Day. As the flight left at 6am it meant NYE was fun, but low key. Just celebrating with Leah and Nelson at a great spanish restaurant with a live band. Very nice.

The trip to Hong Kong turned out to be one I will never forget. Of course, it is always wonderful to see my man, but this time was extra special. Unfortunately I was so busy that I spent almost the whole long weekend working - and I am serious, I worked from 9am to 9pm almost everyday I was there. My darling mr Apollo did however manage to sneak me out for a casual dinner on the Saturday night. It was all a decoy however for what he really had planned... a

proposal.

So I left Hong Kong with a gorgeous ruby and diamond ring on my 4th finger and thrilled that I am soon to be his wife. I am humbled and honoured to be his girl.

Returning to Saigon there was much celebrating about the engagement, followed by my birthday the following Friday. I have to say it was one of the best weeks of my life. Despite working insane hours, it's been fantastic.

As they say... a picture says a thousand words so I will let the pictures tell the story...

Leah and I, ready to end the year on a high.

Whistles are fun.

Two Aussies and a naughty Nigerian.

Back in Hong Kong with my man

The moment after THE moment

The stunning ring. Pink ruby and diamond band

The lovely cake the crew at work organise for me. So sweet.

Loving the pornstar earring that Hai gave me for my birthday. The tiara stayed on all night.

My mate Mike.

The gorgeous Hai... my dancing King.

Henieken is fun.

But this was what really deserved celebration. :)

SLOSHED IN SAIGON

OK,  not much really to update. It's been 6 and a half months now and all seems to be travelling well.    The best thing has been now riding my motobike.   I am loving it.   I zoom into work everyday and can easily pop in and have dinner somewhere on my way home.  I tend to stick to places that I know I can park at for free and where someone parks my bike for me (high gutters are still my enemy).

My darling boy and I are still going strong long distance.  I have been to HK twice now and he just came back to Saigon this last weekend.  We hope to be together for Christmas or New Years too.

Most of my life here is taken up with work as the role and agency is rather challenging.  When not at work I am either recovering or partying.   I'm made some lovely friends here but unfortunately they seem to be mostly male (not that I am really complaining). I am now on a mission to try and find more female friends!

Of course I still miss my doggy and my family.  I've never not had a pet so I get bad fluffy animal cravings and nothing can replace my suki dog.   I would love to go home in the next few months but I want to bring my man with me so we are waiting to see what happens.

My Vietnamese is not really improving.  I learn a word or two here and there but really want to get some formal lessons now and sort it out.    I know enough to get by are rarely find myself stuck in a pickle.  My vocabulary tends to now involve my bike.  I recently learnt the words "RuaXe" for "Bike Wash" but have not actually got around to washing the bike!

Anyway, here's some photos of fun times over the last few months in Saigon.   Looking at these makes me want to detox!

At Lush - where I met my man, almost 6 months to the day.

With my dancing king Hai who works with me.

Having a nice dinner and bottle of wine at Vasco's to celebrate Apollo's return.

Roadside Romance - a sweet gesture from Apollo on our way home.

The most lethal beer in Vietnam.  BA BA BA (333)

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At Rio Saigon with a strang mix of Aussie & Vietnamese friends

Leah, in town to visit her man (Apollo's friend)

Advertising guru does promo girl pose