Week 4/9

Seems strange to say I have only been here a little over 3 weeks because its like I have been here the entire 8 weeks with Clayton. Maybe its because so many things have happened-especially this week. This last week, in particular, reminded me that I am very far away from my family. When we moved here, I justified it as, ‘well, I will fly home the same number of times I would if I lived in Portland, so its not really any different.’ However, if I had been living in Portland this week, I likely would have flown home…not so easy from Vietnam. But maybe it’s easier being away from everything so familiar so I can live in my dream bubble of denial. I can pretend that my Grandpa is still here, that I will still get to see him again when I go home. I’m just delaying reality, I suppose, but I like it over here in my own little world.

Last Sunday, we ventured to the Saigon Botanical Gardens and Zoo. We intended to just go to the Botanical Gardens, but they are one in the same here. Hmmm, we thought, well, I suppose just get a ticket then…hoping that we weren’t spending $15 on a zoo that the local guide warns: “For the animal lovers out there, beware, as some of the living conditions leave a lot to be desired.” But, turns out it was $12,000 dong…or only $0.57 USD! Not breaking the bank here anyway. AND no strip searching of bags-I was actually able to smuggle in a water bottle…at a zoo! The marketing strategies of the western world have not yet caught up to Vietnam because they also let you walk right through the front gates with an entire cooler of food and beverages-whoa. It was an entertaining morning though, and I say morning because we only lasted from about 9-11 am before we were literally beside ourselves with discomfort from the heat and sweat staining our clothes. Clearly, we were not accustomed to the temperature as most of the locals were fully covered: sweatshirts, hoods, pants and even TOE SOCKS with their sandals. God forbid you get any sun to color the careful bleaching job you just did on your skin. ‘Same same, but different’ as the Vietnamese would say. They bleach their skin, we color ours.

We guessed that we had only seen about ½ of the zoo by the time we fled to an air-conditioned café. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the living conditions for the animals were just fine. They seemed like they had fresh fruits, veggies, etc, ample space and a suitable environment as far as I could tell. The problem was not the living conditions, the problem was the lack of control the zoo cared to take over feeding the animals or littering into their living spaces. I’m pretty sure the sign at the front gate read, “Botanical and Zoological Gardens” and not “Feed the animals all your western processed crap food, including the wrappers, Botanical and Zoological Gardens”. But then again, I don’t speak Vietnamese… So, when you see the baby hippo widening its jaws, its not going for that little kid that is about 2 feet away…its waiting for the bits of food that people throw into its mouth. And yes, you can actually get that close to the adult hippo as well-maybe the Vietnamese don’t look as appetizing to them, but I’m certainly not getting that close, short flimsy guardrail or not! I could see the headlines flashing through my mind, “US citizen eaten by hippo at Saigon Zoo”. But it really was people that made any living conditions bad-another example was the alligator & croc exhibit. You could walk over the whole thing on a footbridge, and conveniently toss your garbage on them. I’m sure if the punishment was to go and retrieve the object yourself, their space would be litter free, which I put in the suggestions box J It could also be the fact that the garbage cans are animals with open mouths-looking so suspiciously like an animal who wants to eat the trash. Differentiating that between an actual live animal may be difficult for them, I suppose. And the garbage cans were about 100 ft from each other, so if you happened to be stuck somewhere in the middle, not within reaching distance, the inconvenience of getting to one seemed extraordinary judging by the amount of trash lying around the grounds. But we’re not in Kansas anymore Toto.

The rest of the week was filled with delicious dinners (Jane turned out to be a fabulous cook), overcoming my fear of scuba equipment, and the purchase of a couple of rockin’ bicycles. I faced my fear of diving in a safe and confined pool, so I am now certified to dive 12 meters. However, the chances of that happening are slim because I am still terrified of sharks and sting rays and jellyfish…even cute little Nemo the clownfish is a biter! But I may have to deal with an anxiety attack sooner than later because Clayton is biting at the bit to see some actual sea life (can’t we just see it on our plates at dinner??)

Then the last thing we did this weekend was take our new bikes on a spin around town. We splurged for the 1 gear commuter bike, complete with basket on the front and optional seat & footrests on the back for a second rider (however, the weight limit is 50 kg, so we thought, best to get 2 bikes…). My last bicycle that I ever owned I got as a Christmas present when I was 12 years old, so 1 speeder or not, this was an exciting day for me! With Clayton still in his cast and sling, single handedly navigating and me, still getting used to the feeling of a bicycle, it’s a wonder why we didn’t get more strange looks! (For the past few years, I have spent most of my time on a stationary spin bike or lying on the ground, borrowed bicycle safely cushioned by my fall).

More to come next week for sure! And if you could all say one joke today in memory of my Grandpa, who had the best sense of humor, it would make his day…wherever he is.