Another entry.

"Honk honk"

18/4/07 – 10:34pm (Ho chi minh City)

I touched down roughly 10 hours ago at Ho Chi Minh airport. I had follow Jie’s advice, and requested a seat near to the front of the airplane. As I alighted from the plane, it became evident just how valuable that seemingly minor piece of advice had been, as I managed to check through immigrations and customs just ahead of an army of weary passengers politely and silently fighting to beat each other to the lines.

The first thing I had noticed was the piercingly hot temperature of the city. The vast amount of vehicles, along with the natural tropical climate served to effortlessly develop a quick film of sweat on my face with it’s 35 degree heat. I searched quickly for a taxi to take me to rendezvous with Philip.

I had done my homework before the trip, and learned how some termed this city the “city of motorbikes”. However, I wasn’t really prepared at all for the vast amounts of all the motorbikes! The first one I saw as my taxi departed the airport, was carrying 4 construction beams that I would estimate to be as long as 10m if not more. Somehow though, it blended in with the chaotic traffic. I discovered that in this city, few people suffer from road rage, as it’s expected that every single car and bike is going to cut in front of u anyway. In a city of chaotic drivers, nobody is considered a chaotic driver by the locals. They’re just ‘normal’. Eventually, u numb out and get used to the honking more as a subliminal background melody rather than an indication that we’re going to collide with something. ~

I’ve been told by many concerned to watch out for pickpockets, and nasty sluts that offer their services to me on the corners of suspicious alleyways. Unfortunately, I haven’t been so lucky as to have encountered any yet, but still a couple of days left, so prospects look hot.

Had a tour of Philip's company earlier, and many of his associates were kind enough to spare time out of their hectic schedules to answer my barrage of questions, and share with me their personal stories. Theirs were stories of initiative, courage, determination, failure, resolution, hard work, and smart work. One thing that particularly impressed me is their genuine passion to see the company succeed. It’s very inspirational, and I’ve gained a lot of insights as to what makes his company tick.

Tuan is the regional director of rear operations in Hanoi, and I suspected was assigned to babysit (for lack of a more appropriate word) me this evening. He treated me to a delicious and genuine Vietnamese dinner; which to my delight was gloriously fresh and plentiful. I treasured every moment, and I take my hat off to you, Tuan.

In any case, I’m currently writing this from my laptop in my room located in Somerset Apartments; a nice building that seemingly seems quite suitable for ex pats and the like. It has quite a Caribbean feel, and makes me feel in quite the mood for a grass skirt dance.

What a fantastic day.