A long time

It has been a terribly long time since I have been in touch with many of you. Many things have happened.

Mom and Dad had a great time in Bali. Y'know, being paradise and all......just friggin' wonderful.

Off Mom, Dad and I went to Jogjakarta. What is there, you ask? Just a couple temples. One of them being the largest Buddhist temple in the world. Looks like a big pile of stones, actually. Mom did a great job in the heat and climbed to the top with her bionic knees. Kudos to you, old lady. Dad's own Buddha was highly regarded by the locals.....sort of a trend that followed him through Asia, actually. In Canada, not so attractive. But here, get your groove on, Old Man!

Dad established himself as one hell of a bargain finder. The guy was buying the biggest pieces of shit for the lowest possible price. In fact, one local lady said to our driver that he was tough for a Bule. I am certain she only made 40% profit on that transaction. A toothless grin all the way to the closest Nasi Goreng kaki lima.

At this point I don't think mom had the shits!

Christmas was great! After opening all of his presents Caden complained that he did not get enough. Santa is such an asshole!

Vic and Kathleen arrived on the 27th and we had some great visits. Many bottles of wine, macaroni and Cheerios were had by all.

Off to Vietnam we went! First stop, Ho Chi Mihn City (or Saigon to you non-communists).

Wonderful city. I highly recommend it. Stuff is CHEAP! T-shirts for $3. Dry-fit Adidas for $5. After bragging about the 'smokin' deal he got on a North Face backpack, Dad realized he paid a whopping 90 cents more then me.....at a place where there was no haggling. Great job, Buddy!

Sales pitch of the trip has to go to some little hussy that asked Vic what he was looking for. Vic replied "Nothing". She then grabs him by the arm, pulls him into her shop and says "I'll show you nothing!". I don't recall if be bought 'nothing'.

I still don't think mom had the shits, yet. But she sure was cringing whenever we ate.

One of the things I realized......We buy too much crap! When we buy crap, there is just another truckload of it to buy, again. Somebody has to make this crap and from what I have experienced in Asia- the people making our crap don't have a great life because of it! Don't think we are making life wonderful for them by giving them jobs. They are better off without us needing trinkets, do-dads and wingdings.

Unfortunately, I like trinkets, do-dads and wingdings. Now I just feel bad about it.

New Years Eve in Saigon was very cool. Marni and I went for a walk around the main public park that was filled with food stalls, live bands and hundreds of thousands of people. I was asked if I wanted a little 'Boom boom'....and not by Marni. I have seen enough Vietnam movies to understand what that meant.

We then went to the Mekong Delta. Some of the most fertile lands in Asia. People lived, more or less, on the river as its many tributaries act as roadways. We went to the floating market where all the boats, loaded with goods, just sit on the water. You float up, get what you need and head out. Seeing the beer boat reassured me we were no longer in a Muslim country.

Off to Da Nang and a little city called Hoian. You would know the name Da Nang from many Vietnam movies from back in the day. In contrary to movie culture, the Americans did not win and frankly, didn't have a hope in winning. Da Nang was a beautiful area that I hope we have a chance to return to. Beaches, history (both recent and ancient), cheap stuff and good food.

Mom probably had the shits, here.

Up to Hanoi for another couple of days. We didn't spend too much time as we were off to the Hai Long Bay. This bay is a World Heritage site and is what you would expect in an Asian painting. I could not describe what it looked like.

We spent two night on a Junk that fed us very well. Unfortunately, it was about 10 degree. The first time I have been cold since leaving Canada. In fact, one day it was warmer in Calgary then on the Bay. We were able to do things such as eat dinner in a cave, go kayaking through other caves and rock formations and eat the freshest fish you could ever imagine. One of the highlights for me was visiting a remote fishing village that is pretty much self-sufficient. They are getting some help from the boat companies but they have schools, little shops and they get a fair price for their fish. Interestingly, there were many dogs. Not for food (I know what your thinking).

Mom definitely had the shits, here.

We spent another lovely night in Hanoi. We went for 'Local' food and a little hole in the wall place. Think of the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. Literally, that is what it was. No questions about what you want- everybody gets beef. What size? Medium. Price? Yes. Great noodles, though. Mom soldiered through it. Nobody got sick from the food.