The final Thai bubbles

Jerry and I opted for one last set of dives in Phuket near Koh Phi Phi island (made famous by the movie The Beach).

We did two dives and although it was lovely and we were treated to two Leopard sharks it was much the same as before. I realize that if it is becoming common place then it is time to give it a rest.

Plus, so much of the overall experience comes down to the crew, divemasters, and other divers. This time out was the first time I was a bit disappointed in that regard. Our divemaster was a 45 year old American who had only been diving himself for less than a year. He had a bit of a self-proclaimed mid-life crisis and decided to pitch in his regular life in Seattle and come to Thailand. He has found his Thai girlfriend and is wondering why he ever life get so stressful. I am cool with that, but I have been spoiled by my previous instructors and divemasters. They all recognize that this is a service business and even though the clients are own vacation, they still deserve what they paid for. Let's just say that Dave still has one foot in his own personal discovery and hasn't made a full commitment to a new life.

Furthermore, the whole group on board is very segmented. The one diver we are all drawn to is a 8 year old Japanese boy getting his Open Water certification. His parents are obviously big into the sport, and their son seems to be picking it up fast. It was kinda fun having a conversation with him in Japanese about all the fist he saw.

A final note about diving in Thailand has to do with the lack of hooks in this country. Thailand is a developing country, and as such, it still has some simply amenities. Generally most bathrooms are a combination of a shower room, toilet and handbasin. On a dive boat this is always the case, which makes changing into and out of your swimsuit a constant struggle to keep things dry. The floor is wet. The toilet seat is wet. The handbasin is wet. So you need to develop new balancing acts just to keep from having soggy knickers. I have come dangerously close to doing a header into the wall a few times. Good thing I developed my sea legs early in life. Every time I go through this dance, I feel like screaming "For the love of a hook" (my original title for this post).

Diving dynomite!!

I can now add Phuket to my list of dive locales! I made a one day trip up to the Similan islands - too bad I couldn't afford a little longer.
The day started early, 6:30 am pick up. What is with all this earliness - I thought divers were laid back!
We had to make a 1:30 minibus ride up the coast to the pier. Perfect time for a little nap! Once we arrived there was a quick breakfast / bathroom break then onto the speedboat. There were 16 divers plus some staff, so it was a bit cramped. I didn't realize we had another 1:40 by boat to the dive ship. Just when I thought could this last any longer squished up at the back of a bouncy speedboat, it started to pour with rain. Let this be a lesson; just when you question 'Could it get any worse?', it usually does!
We arrived at the dive ship still quite soggy, but we were there to get wet anyway.
These dive ships are live aboards as well, so there were already several people aboard. You can spend one to a couple of nights onboard and do up to 5 dives a day. Paradise, but it costs a pretty penny. Next time I hope my budget can stretch to a night or two.
We had a quick briefing on the site we were headed to and then downstairs to suit up. In contrast to my instructional dives at Koh Tao, all my gear was arranged, I just need to step into it. Nice! We were rushed off the boat and were quickly descending into the new murky depths.
The fist site was 3 Trees. Apparently it is near three trees on shore, but who looks at shore when there is an underwater world to explore. As we went down you could feel the tide shifting and dragging you inland. We made a 47 min dive with a maximum depth of 32 metres. The highlight was definitely a medium sized turtle - my first. It came gliding over the edge of a boulder and didn't even give us a sideways look. Amazing. I want to abandon my buddy (sorry Jerry) and follow it all day. I also glimpsed a trumpet fish that must have been about 750 cm long. There was also a family of four clown fish in a big fat juicy anemone. Those always look so fluffy you just want to run your finger through it - but they are stingers, so not a good idea. I definitely need to look into getting an underwater camera.
When we surfaced we were picked up by the dive boat. There is something ominous about a 60 ft vessel barreling down on you. Makes you want to decent again to the safety of the sea. But obviously they know what they are doing because we were quickly scooped up, rinsed off and sent upstairs for lunch.
After about 1:45 we were ready for our next dive at Christmas Point. This site I'd quite different with far more boulders and less reef. Here the big treat were a family of five Napoleon fish. The largest of which was almost a metre on diameter. At one point I was also flanked by a couple of big barracuda. Thankfully they didn't look hungry. This site also had several swim throughs. Our dive master took us through several passage ways with a number of twists and turns. Just before our ascent we caught sight of a clown trigger fish nestled into the rocks. They look like they are wearing lipstick.
We were back up, warm shower, hot tea. All equipment managed and the speedboat was back to pick us up. We spent 6 hour getting there and back, for 2 hours of diving, but it was totally worth it. It was like being in your very own Disney movie. You got to try it!!

My Thai Beach Hut

When I was a child, and my family lived in Hong Kong, we took a vacation down to Thailand. We mainly stayed in Pattaya and Phuket. Remember, this was the late 70's so the reputation that these places have today were quite different back then. I don't recall there being any Lady Boys or 5-star resorts.

While we were in Phuket, we stayed at a resort called The Coral or Corals, something along those lines. We had our own bungalow just off the beach. This was the first time I recalled ever being in an accommodation like this, and bungalow seemed like such a grown-up word. To me it was a Hut. Much to my parent's chagrin, even to this day, I always recall that place as a hut and not a luxury bungalow.

While I have been here in Koh Tao, I have been staying in my every own Thai Hut on the beach. It is actually a perfectly adequate accommodation for what I need. It comes with a padlock entry way; no need for fancy doorknobs or bolts. Inside, it is two rooms. One large room with a double bed - or rather box spring. Again, why bother with tedious mattresses, when a box spring will do. This comes with a fitted sheet and two pillows. There is no top sheet, apparently sheets are at a premium around these parts. No worries, I have my trusty sleeping sack, so I am good to go. When it gets a bit chilly, I can also use my beach towel as a blanket.

The all in one toilet / shower room is off the side of the large room. You step down into it, presumably so that your shower water doesn't run back into the larger room. This set up works great, except after showering (which I do often since the temperatures are in the mid 30's) the floor remains wet for several hours. Therefore you have to ensure you don't wipe out on the tiles when you are making your midnight toilet break.

There is also a ceiling fan that keeps the air moving quite well. The only trouble is that is does really do anything to cool the place down. So if it is 34 degrees outside, it is at least that temperature inside. This means that I need to be out of the hut by about 10 am and can't really go back in there until 5pm when the temperature has dropped below the "cooking an egg" temperature.

Despite my initial "Oh, hell no!" thoughts, I have actually grown quite fond of my little beach hut. I shall miss it when I move over to Phuket later this week and book into a 4 star resort for four nights.

And, Mum & Dad, given my recent experience, I still believe we were in a Beach Hut all those years ago. And there is still nothing wrong with a Hut!


My Thai Beach Hut


My bedroom by the beach


Shower / toilet room

That burning sensation

Most people know that I love the water. I love being in it, sailing on it and living nearby it. So when you think that I am currently living 20 metres off the beach in a lovely hut on Koh Tao island in the Gulf of Thailand, you'd probably think I was in heaven. You'd be right, except for one thing...I burn to a crisp in sun like this.

If you want to improve your own personal economic situation invest in sunscreen companies, because I think I am keeping them afloat at the moment. I have also discover a 100% aloe vera gel call Fruit of Eden that is an absolute miracle cure. I have not peeled once.

Although I contort myself in every way possible, I still can't reach my entire back by myself. I have had to convince the guys that work my bungalow's restaurant to lube me up from time to time. They are all gay so the thought of touching a women is a bit scary. They manage the spray style ok, but there is always a flurry of giggles when I approach.

New patches of freckles sprout up everyday. I am slowly melding into one large brown blob. It is the closest I can ever hope to having a tan. The hard part is when they begin to recede, leaving gaping whitish sections. It looks like I have a dreaded skin condition.

All my beach experience in recent years has included my trusty friend, Celia. She can always be counted on to get me fully covered and recommend a proper turning time. I need you Celia - my back will never be the same!

I'm hooked!

March 17
I have just finished my first two open water dives and that's it - I'm in for life!

My first thought was, "Damn, I wish I had started this sooner". I am pretty sure I will be doing the next levels; Adventure Diver and Advanced Open Water. I've got the time, money and Koh Tao is an amazing place to do this stuff.

At first I thought I would be a bit freaked out about breathing underwater, but it came quite naturally. I kept thinking, "okay, you are about 10 meters underwater, you could freak out, choke and stop breathing"...but it never seemed an issue. Even when we ran through all the skills (lost regulator, flooded mask, out of air scenario, etc) it all seemed reasonable.

Wow - I guess I really am part fish! Maybe that is why I never eat seafood or fish.

Update: March 18
Just completed the Open Water course with flying colours, and now I have just signed up for the Advanced Open Water course and will be starting tomorrow! No time like the present!

Update: March 19
Next two dives under my belt. That makes six dives in three days. And tomorrow we do three dives; two in the morning, and a night dive! I am going to be so tired after all of that. Good thing I can just chill on the beach for a couple of days.

Today's skills were Buoyancy and Navigation. You can probably see why those two things are important! I still have a lot of work to do for Buoyancy. You have to be really careful about where you put your weights. At one point I kept tipping backwards. I guess the junk in my truck is heavier (less buoyant) than I thought! With a lot of experience, you should be able to hover pretty effortlessly by controlling how quickly and smoothly you inhale and exhale. For a beginner like me, I still look more like a yo-yo. I have stopped bumping off the bottom, but still plenty of room for improvement.

Navigation was pretty cool too. We did a lot of work with a compass. I think if I am going to really get into this sport, I am going to have to invest in a dive computer. More toys!!

At the end of the navigation lesson our instructor waved us goodbye and left us for the last 25 mins. We were still chaperoned by another (more experienced) diver. But his only responsibility was to ensure we didn't leave the dive site altogether and to give us the warning when it was time to ascend. We made it back to our boat having made several passes around the site. Although I now know more about navigating underwater, the most important thing I learnt was just how easy it is to get confused and lost. I have always had a health respect for the water, that has now been heightened!

Update: March 20
Well I am now a certified Advanced Open Water diver! Nine dives in four days and it was spectacular!

Today's divers were Deep Water, Fish Identification and a Night Dive. I was expecting the Deep water one to be pretty nerve racking. We went to 28m. Other than being a bit colder, and more murky, it was the same as all the other dives. No biggie.

The fish identification dive was very easy. Essentially we swam around with a couple of picture cards and looked at fish and coral. Because we had the whole 40 mins to just chill and watch fish we actually covered a lot of ground. It was a totally relaxing dive.

The night dive was what I was really looking forward to - and it delivered! It was the classic feeling of being down deep with only a beam of light coming out of your torch. As you slide the light over the reef, things popped into view and then quickly disappeared into the darkness. I had the theme tune to Jaws buzzing in the back of my head for a bit. You really have to get comfortable with the dark, because you can't see 80% of what is around you. That is of course until another group shows up and it turns into a flickering light show. Damn tourist!

All in all it was a great way to spend my first week in Thailand. I have an amazing set of qualifications that I hope to put to good use many times this year. If you are even thinking about it, I would say go for it, especially if you can get yourself to an amazing place like Koh Tao.

Thanks New Way Diving, Alex & Ben (my classmates for my Open Water), Laura (my buddy for my Advanced) and my instructor, Peter.


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The Asian Squat

There is a unique sitting position that all Asian country's people can take, and that no Western could maintain for long - the Asian Squat.


Basically, your feet are slightly wider than shoulder width apart and you bend completely at the knees until your bum is just hovering above the ground. You are essentially accordioned with your weight balanced over your feet. It is very solid. Men, women and children can all perform this feat with ease.


It is a useful position for eating, working, and chatting with friends. I have seen motorcycle repairman working on engines, families eating dinner, women washing clothes, children watching TV and many more examples. They just plop right down, assume the position and when they are done, pop right back up again. No heaving, no propping up, no support of any kind.


I am working on being able to maintain this pose for more than a minute. But so far, I haven't been at all successful. I recall as a child being quite good at it. I guess flexibility is one of those things you loose with age if you don't use it.


This stance is just an example of the Asian mentality; skills developed centuries ago out of necessity and yet still highly efficient. No need for chairs when you perform a perfectly balanced squat.

My Thai Kohs: Samui and the Tao

Koh means island in Thai.

I had to spend a night in Koh Samui on my way to Koh Tao. I had been here 17 years ago on vacation from Japan. Things have changed quite substantially.

Koh Samui used to be a sleepy little island that attracted those traveler who didn't want the crowds of the resort laden Phuket. My friend Liz and I hadn't necessarily been bargain hunting for accommodation when we ended up with a wooden hut, oscillating fan and a toilet and sink in the corner. That was actually the common fare at the time. There was one high end resort that was reported to have air-conditioning. Now Samui is what Phuket was at the time. A non stop row of backpacker hostels, mid range hotels and high end resorts. Almost every square inch of the place is filled with tourist focused services.

I stayed at a very adequate hotel at the far end of Chaweng Beach. It was called the First Samui Hotel & Resort. I can promise you, it was not the first from what remembered! I found it on Booking.com. Plug alert...I love that site it has provided me with two great hotels so far; one in Hong Kong and now Samui. My only two disappointments are 1) they don't cover all my destinations, and 2) the hotels don't generally get back to you if you have included a question in the booking (so you just need to contact them directly).
Sadly, or perhaps not, my stay in Samui was less than 24 hrs. I was off the next morning (not before I had a dip in the ocean) to Koh Tao via high speed catamaran. The ferry service in Thailand is great. They connect all the islands as well as with trains and buses on the mainland. You can get from Samui to Bangkok in 12 hrs for about US$26.

When we arrived at Koh Tao, my dive school picked me up and took me to my accommodation, which they had arranged for me. They also pay for the accommodation for the four days I am at the course. Driving from the pier, I noticed that most places along the road were geared up for divers, but there was a casualness to them compared to the overly polished Samui.

I was a bit taken aback when we arrived at Bow Thong Bungalows; a wooden hut, ceiling fan (step up from oscillating) and toilet and sink (this time there was a door. I guess I found my old Samui after all.

There is definitely a diver / party atmosphere here. However, luckily I am at the far end of the beach, so I can enjoy the hubbub, by retreating to relative quiet (except for the damn birds in the morning) when I want to.

This is a slice of paradise for sure.

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Temples of Cambodia

It has been a whirlwind of temples here in Seim Reap. In total we hit 15 in three days. I think that has to be a personal best for me (and a record I am not looking to break anytime soon).

Our guide was very knowledgeable and provided a lot of information about each location. He would point out whether a temple had been Buddhist and then transitioned to Hindu (aka remove all the Buddha statues or simply knock off their heads) or which King had commissioned the temple. He also knew the best places in each place to get a good photo. He managed to get us in and out of each place during the least crowded times. We virtually had Angkor Wat to ourselves because he suggested we bring our breakfast with us for after sunrise.

Each temple had a unique quality and tone. Some are on single platforms, others rise up on multiple platforms which means steep steps to be negotiated if you wanted to make it up. It was always worth it. My butt hasn't been in such good shape in years. I will need to find a way to keep this exercise up.

The highlights were Ta Prohm, Bayon and of course, Angkor Wat. Although it seems almost sacrilegious to only call out those three.

A delicate balance at Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm is widely known as the jungle temple as it has been left relatively untouched since it was rediscovered. It has large trees that grow throughout. It is actually a symbiotic relationship. The structures and the trees would fall over if not for the weight and support from the other. You can roam quite freely around the structure, although you can find yourself well down a passage only to realize that the way has been blocked by fallen walls so you need to backtrack. This temple has featured in a few movies, the most famous of which is Laura Croft: Tomb Raider. All the men on the trip were hoping to see Angelina Jolie swing past them. My interruption would not have impressed, so I kept it to myself! This temple will eventual fall to ruins. So, come soon if you want to get the full effect.

The faces of Bayon

Bayon temple is a multi-platformed structure that features face carvings throughout. There are many columns on the top platform, each has a large face carved into each direction. There are also hundreds of smaller faces and figures in every nook and cranny. You constantly have a feeling of being watched. I must have taken 50 photos, but none really did it justice.

Angkor Wat at sunrise

Finally, Angkor Wat didn't disappoint. Well, it did in one aspect...the stairs. I had been warned by several people to be prepared for the incredibly steer and narrow steps. Well, sadly they closed the top platform to visitors last year. So I was left with only a photo op. I must admit, it would have taken some heavy willpower to get up them (or more so, down them), but I think I could have made it. Parts of the temple are under renovation, hence the scaffolding in my full view shots. Even so, there is definitely a mystic quality to Angkor Wat. The Cambodian people also respect and understand what this site means to their economy, and treat it and its visitors with a lot of respect. It was a public temple, welcoming all people to seek spiritual solace and it still offers itself up for those of us that are non-believers and gives us a place to reflect.

My experiences so far this year have had very Buddhist leanings. I am not a convert, but I can now say that I have a truer vision of its teachings and its offerings to people.

Sales force to be recogned with

Child sellers descend on us as we make our way to the bus

Throughout my travels so far in Southeast Asia I have come across my far share of street side sellers. Their wears tend to be variations on a theme. There are enough scarves in this part of the world to wrap the world over.

For the most part they are all quite pushy, but not aggressive. They let you know what they have on offer and sometimes add in a 'lucky lucky' or 'beautiful lady' to help reel you in, but generally speaking they let you off the hook if you give them a 'no, thank you'.

Here in Cambodia I think they send the kids to special schools for selling. Kids as young as 4 years old are racing after you with their baskets of goods rattling off prices and rationales for their particular product (which is no different from the child next to them). They ask where you are from and the list off the capital city, government structures, languages spoken, and climate info. All the while showing you their goods and coming up with multiple options - 1 for $2, 2 for$3, and 3 for $5. Most kids can run this routine in multiple languages and do it without breaking a sweat.

They get close to you and pick up key aspects of your demeanor to help them sell. If you are wearing a particular colour, they will pull the same colour scarf from their pile and tell you that it looks good on your skin. They will say 'your friend buy one, you should buy like your friend'. They tell you to buy souvenir for your mother or aunt (most goods are geared towards women). When you say you already have the same one (cuz you finally gave in and bought it yesterday), they quickly flip to another product with extra zeal because they now know you are willing to buy. You can't win.

On the way into a temple they are a bit softer in their approach, but they hit a fever pitch as you head back towards the bus. They remember who they approached and will go for you again. "You remember me, you buy only from me". Prices start falling or more items are offered up for the same amount. I was able to get six bracelets for a dollar, where minutes before my tour mate was only offered four. And by the time I was on the bus the count had risen to eight.

Everything is dirt cheap so it is always tempting. The thought of loading up my bag is keeping me from succumbing to too many items.

One of my favourite memories of Cambodia will definitely be the children's chant of "1 dollar, just 1 dollar".

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Phnom Penh

Our day in Phnom Penh can not be easily forgotten. We had a full day tour throughout the various monuments around the city. It was a long, hot and emotional day.

Although we visited the Royal Palace and National Museum, their impact paled in comparison to the Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields location.

I didn't really know a lot about the Khmer Rouge regime. I only knew that it was a genocide lead by Pol Pot in the late 70's.

The Genocide Museum is the former prison known as Security Office 21 or S-21. Before it was a prison it had been a school. It was incredibly eerie to walk through classrooms that had been turn to torture chambers and cell blocks.

Over 30,000 people were tortured and killed here, including 20,000 children; only seven people survived. People were tortured until they confessed to crimes against the Khmer Rouge. These confession were in most part false, people just hoped to be released. Once a confession was fulfilled, the victim was sent to the Killing Fields for execution. Those who did not confess were tortured to death.

We also visited one of the nearby Killing Fields were people were killed and dumped into mass graves. The atrocities committed here are unthinkable.

When I had a moment to sit quietly I realized that I was holding my breath. I was finding hard to hold back my tears for a time and a people I knew little about. But yet, you only need to know that what happened here is similar to so many other places both past and present. I have had the chance to visit Rwanda and felt the same way. My greatest fear is that in years to come more memorial museums will be built to honour those who are still dying senselessly today in places like Darfur or Zimbabwe.

Saigon

Arriving is Saigon was a welcome return to big city life. However, unlike Hanoi, Saigon was not completely destroyed in the various wars, so much of the French grandeur remains.

There are wide boulevards and spacious grounds around the monuments. Plus there is a cosmopolitan feel to the city. Perhaps because there are so many other foreigners here, but also because there are Vietnamese from other parts of the country here as well.

We had a walking tour of the downtown core; Opera House, the Post Office, Reunification Palace, and the War Remnant Museum were the highlights.

I was astounded by the opulence of the post office. In Canada, most of our post offices have been closed down and you now have to scrounge around in the back of a pharmacy to do manage your postal services. I guess it is a reflection of the importance we place on services.

I had to return to the post office in the afternoon to send a parcel to my aunt in England. I have finally had enough of carrying around so much stuff. I have sent on my cold weather clothes. I have been able to get my bag down to a more respectable 17.9 kg. I am still hoping to cut that back a bit more, but for now I am pleased to be a bit lighter.

When I arrived at the post office with my box, I was ushered to a window for International parcels. They gentleman behind the counter asked if I wanted air mail or sea mail and when I told him I wanted sea mail he produced 6forms for me to fill in (I wonder how many you need for air mail). Each form is different but they all require the exact same information. Thankfully, I had been through this before in Hanoi, so I was prepared. Once I got my paperwork done, he opened my box and started to remove everything, carefully checking it against one of the forms. I had spent about 20 mins packing the box in my hotel room and was certain we'd never get it all back in. However, his skill far surpassed mine, as he quickly repacked everything and even managed to gain an bit of space at the top. Then he began to tape shut the box with official looking blue tape. He closed all the seams first, the he switched to white tape and covered the entire box. I mean, it was now almost hermetically sealed. it is going to take at least 30 mins to get into that thing. The white tape made for an nice background for the paperwork. I was then shuttled down a few wickets to pay. In the end, it cost about $40 US, plus a 20,000 Dong ($1.30 US) packaging fee.

Saigon is a fantastic city and I wish I could have had a bit longer there. I really only saw the core and I am guessing there is a tremendous amount more. Actually, I think you say that about the whole country. Vietnam will definitely go on the list of places I would be happy to come back to.

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Mekong Delta

We were able to spend a day and a half on the Mekong Delta near Saigon. We came directly from the airport, so Saigon will have to wait.

I was quite excited to see this region and understand how the local people used the waterway systems.

The delta is really two larger rivers converging and creating a series of canals across a vast island. It makes for a unique life on and around the water. Whole families live and work together in one boat. Children are rarely sent to school for any education. They learn how to manage the family business and get married with people from other floating villages.

We stayed on the main island overnight, but both days were highlighted by river tours. We saw typical markets, a brick making factories, a fruit plant nursery, and were treated to a lovely lunch. We traveled between each location by boat so we could also experience the change in tides and currents. It was quite distinct when you came out of one canal into the larger river, we would suddenly get pushed or pulled along depending on whether we were going with or against the flow.

We also got to do a short village walk were we were shown how people make fish sauce (very smelly), rice paper, and popped rice (the closest I have come to popped corn since I left Canada).

We finished up with a typical food market on the mainland. We were warned before entering that we were likely to see some disturbing items on offer. For the most part it wasn't too bad, but if you're squeamish at all (Manish), you will want to give it a miss. Ninety percent of the fish and animals were live, but with a quick nod to the shop keeper they became plucked, skinned, deboned and fileted. The butcher skills are quite remarkable. And nothing is left behind. You might request that your fish be fileted, but you get a separate bag with all the entrails and fins. That will make the base of your soup stock. When I was a child living in Hong Kong, Stanley Market was similar to this. If you can get pass the blood, it does give you a real appreciation for what 'fresh' really means. It is also a good lesson to everyone to see what food really looks like before it becomes just meat.

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Hoi An

Hoi An was a sleepy little town full of fast working tailors. You can have an outfit made in less than a day. Order it in the morning and pick it up at night. I picked up a skirt for $7 US.



The streets are lined with tailor shops. They all have basically the same examples of their work on the mannequins out front. Plus the fabrics on offer vary very little. You selection really comes down to how you feel about the shop keeper. Some are very pushy while others work the 'lucky' angle. In the end, I suspect that most of the work is done by a few offsite locations. It all seems to be done at the same time in the day and the quality is very similar. Regardless, it makes for an interesting break to temples and monuments.



That is not to say those don't exist in Hoi An. In fact, it is a heritage town with an Old Town section that is blocked to car traffic where many significant temples and historical houses are on offer. As a visitor you can pick up a three day pass which gives you access to a variety of places.



Hoi An is also close to the beach. We had stop at China Beach on our way down to Hoi An from Hue. It was fabulous to paddle around in the sea even if it was only for about 30 mins. There is something so regenerative about splashing around in the salt water. The waves were even big enough to do a bit of body surfing. If only I had a boogie board!

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Internet cafe - Hue style

I had started to fall way behind on my photo uploading and was getting nervous that my new camera's 2GB memory card would run out of space before I had a chance to clear it. So I took myself off to a local Internet cafe.

As I wondered along the streets of Hue, looking for a suitable spot, I noticed a lot of grandparents taking care of their grandchildren; playing with them, feeding them and just hanging out. The Asian mentality of family bounding is well and truly prevalent in Vietnam.

I came across a small sign pointing down a long hallway which touted "Super Fast Internet". I couldn't see any computers, but there was blaring music and a health grouping of bikes and scooters out front. I headed in.

The hallway open out into a large room with about 16 computers all closely packed together. There were already about 4 other people there, all playing games and IMing about 5 people at once.
I was sat next to this one young guy who was chain smoking, playing a Vietnamese version of Pac Man and IMing several people, plus he was in charge of the music. This meant that his machine had speakers and he was signed into a P2P music sharing service. When I arrived, Rihanna was blaring out.

I got started on my photo uploading which seemed to be moving at a pretty health pace. As I waited for my 125 images to upload, I checked in on messages and facebook.

Within about 20 minutes the place was filling up with high school kids. All of them signed into networked shoot'em up games. They were all playing each other. Every time someone got a good shot on someone the place would erupt into taunts and laughter. My upload speed for my photos plummeted.

Within another 30 minutes the place cleared out again. These kids all seemed well seasoned in terms of how many minutes they could eak out for the minimum charge of 2000 Dong (just under 10 cents)

The smoking DJ next to me took his leave as well. He was quickly replaced by a younger guy who asked me (in very broken English and lots of hand signals) if I wanted the coveted seat. I declined by pointed to some tracks I wanted to hear on the music service. My selections met with his approval, so we had Shaggy and Kanya West for the next round.

The next wave of people flooded in and the gaming chaos started all over again.

All in all I sat there for nearly two hours. I got caught up on email and news. I only got 50 images uploaded but I had a great time jamming with the locals.

I am sure there was an ancient temple nearby of great historical importance, but in my mind it is just as important to have these modern day exchanges. It is somehow reassuring to know that school kids in this part of the world manage to find time to slip in a few mindless games on the way from school, just like kids back home.

Those young children I saw earlier so content with their grandparents as playmates, will be blasting the hell out of their friend's avatars in a few years too.

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