Vung Tau - Background - Part I

Let's start with a small introduction of Vung Tau then. This place is small coastal city about 125 Km from the Saigon. It first came into prominence as an R&R stop for Americans and Australians during the 'Nam war. And after that once they found OIL here, it turned into the only oil town in the whole of Vietnam. So when you compare it to the rest of the country, you'll find that the people here are pretty well off from small businesses supporting the oil and sea-port industries. It's proximity to Ho Chi Minh makes it an ideal place for the locals to make this a weekend getaway. So that makes VT a town with an inordinately large number of Cafes, Bars and Restaurants.

A new start

I intend to make this a blog as a small introduction to people planning to come down to Vung Tau or maybe even Vietnam. There's already so much written about Ho Chi Minh City and the rests of the places on the tourist map, that I will be of little help there, though Vung Tau somehow remains untouched by too many expats tourists as yet.

The place is not too far from HCM or Saigon, whichever you prefer. About an hour and a half by the ferry during the day, and if you miss it, you can always negotiate a cab. The ride can last anywhere between 1.5 to 3 hours depending on the time of the day and costs about 50 dollars after bargaining. I'd be careful about which taxi I choose - MaiLinh and VinaSun would be the best bets, but be careful of all the imitations out there!
The road is decent enough, a few rough patches, but otherwise smooth, though on this point not too many non-desis would agree with me.The public transport buses are much much cheaper but not all to safe to travel in.

Well that's small opening post on how to reach Vung Tau. Hopefully I'll update something new everyday!

Life

I am at a los of words today, three two months gone by and every day I'd think of all the new avenues I was exploring in life. It is as such times when you are riding on the crest of a wave in this wide ocean that you catch a glimpse of what awaits you. A dear friend passed away today and I am a millon miles away, a chance mail my only connection to those that I spent my college years with.

What's to say but express a few sad words on a pathetic messenger to a dost, send a few sad smilies and get on with life, afterall what else can you do, rush back home just in time to see the funeral fires die down, face his devastated family with a morose face and say what, more importantly to whom. Fuck globalization.

Hey! How's it going!!

That's the catch phrase of living in Alberta.
Three days in the job and I think that I may like it. Well other than the fact that there is a wind chill warning out there, -44 C in the wind and you freeze in minutes. Well I might go out in the field tomorrow and all I am praying for is a nice comfortable run where I get bored to death sitting in the nice and warm truck.

Haven't had a chance to talk to any of the other people from NEST or OFS but I'll get around to it soon enough. I finally break though in the food and the pay departments. Tomorrow I get to see my first salary and tonite I stocked up on breadbuttereggs. I'll start off slowly in the cooking department, a few basic scrambled eggs and toasts, nothing more than mixing and heating initially, but I do plan to expand my kitchen during or after the school period. There's an Indian groceries store in Calgary and it is pretty well stocked up.

One thing that's most bothersome yet exciting is that you are surrounded by all these new people, an entirely different culture, whether it's India and abroad, thus a chance to start life afresh, mould it in a different style each time, explore a different facet and there is always something unique about it each time. Perhaps it is because I grew up in such an environment that I really like travelling, staying put at anyplace for longer than a couple of years, not my cup of tea. Well better turn in now or I'll be cursing myself in the morning. I just hope I don't get called to a job in the middle of the night... I won't be able to answer the phone!

When does the night begin

I have always been a child of the night. I start feeling sleepy with the first rays of the sun and become more active as the night matures. Am I alone out here, I wonder, or are there others like me, nightrunners each lost in their own world, also thinking the same. Out there whiling away the time when we are at our best and handing over the reigns of the world to the weak that wander in the sunlight. I like this place, I really like it here. Here the sun lives a very short life everyday. Here the night's domain spreads far and wide, gripping the land in its cold, cold hands, here I am ALIVE

A short journey

Have you ever gazed into the distance and tried to imagine what wonders lie beyond your horizon, waiting for you to take a step forward and bring them within grasp, or as you go by fields and across streets, what might your life have been, had you been there instead of where you are right now. I did, and I also stepped out of the car to give reigns to my imagination and found out a hard, cold truth of life, There is a reason people use air-conditioners in Canada. Oh and if you ever get the feeling that wift of curiosity is slowly trying to entice the juvenile, youthful part of your brain, overpower it with a strong brew of common sense and a dash of cold air.
Oh yes I was in Canada, traing for my job, and today we did a fire prevention course with a hands on for extinguishing fires. When it's this cold out in the open, you want to warm up your hands by the fireside, not put it out!
One good thing about the hotel and the training centre, lots of hot chocolate! I go thorough almost 4-5 glasses each day and it is nice. Our instructor for the course, a guy a named Demo, is a pretty nice guy, we get 10 minutes break every hour and there is a TT table as well.
One more thing before I call it quits, tried seeing the movie 'DON' today, and was only able to sit thru it cause there were other prople for company. It sucked.

October Snow

I'm in Airdrie, Canada and its -19 degrees outside, Oh yes, this is just the start of winter.
Since my last entry the year has been pretty eventful. First to come was my trip to Manali, in May, then a host of engagements and marriages in the family, me starting to learn french and finally a flight to Calgary to start off on my first job. Giving all the details now would be a bit too boring, so I'll slip them in every once in a while. Right now, I am undergoing training to survive my job as a field engineer in the oilfield services. The good news is that I am not alone and my colleagues are a real nice set of guys and gals, the bad news is the winter, or as the put it here, the slight 'chill' in the air. I hope to make regular entries from now on, so this blog will act as a record of the daily weather reports!

Oh and if you ever visit the place in winter, never try to pee by the road side, it freezes before it hits the ground..