Sai Gon in photos part 2

nap, nap, nap - nap on

not Saigon but I like the photo

wires, we got wires

and more wires

traffic watching cops

alley shot

one of many street side fruit markets in Saigon

vegetable picking at the market

trimmed down coconuts for drinking

my friend Van at the new tunnel entrance with Saigon's new
skyline raising up in the back ground

in with the new

once again not Saigon but like the photo

23-9 park

Thailand coup update, 27 June 2014

Thailand's Army commander Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha,
(AP Photo/ASTV Manager newspaper)

And the beat goes on - as Thia's live under martial law in the after math of the recent coup. Lead by the Thai Chief General Prayuth Chau-Ocha. This bloodless coup removed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from her leadership position of the Kingdom and instaled the military.

First line of business for the general was a new title  "Chief of the national council for Peace and order" (NCPO). 

The general justifed the coup d'etat as a means to bring stability to Thai politics by halting the bickering between pro and anti government factions. While laying the groundwork for a more effective and efficient Thai government of the future. 

For example, Thailand's economy shrink by 2.1% in the first half the year compared to the first quater last year. General Prayuth falted the present goverment and it's bickering detractors as the cause of the econamic decline. To get Thailand economy growing again he appointed Air Chief Marchal Ptachin Chau Tang to lay a plan that will allow for a 6.1 % economic expansion in 2015.

The kingdom's present constitution was created after the coup of 2006, resulting in the removal of PM Yingluck's brother Thakson. The coup effecivly made this constiturion nul and void which resuted in the removal of the present democratly elected government. Excisting government agencies and enterprises where allowed to continue operation but are required to justify their existence (or resign) to a council of  junta officials.  

To control political dissent the general used martial law to halt assembly of 5 of more people, including political fundraising or any meetings of a political nature. A curfew was put into effect but has since been lifted in the hopes of encouraging tourism and to raise the moral of normally, very social Thai people.

When commenting on the ban of assembly the General suggested that "all Thia's stay at home and talk quietly to themselves".

Phase one  under the military junta is the creation of a provisional charter until the new Constitution is completed. The provisional charter was released last Friday, June 27, 2014. This charter and ultimately the new constitution will create reforms affecting economic and environmental issues, energy policy's, civic issues, along with, according to the general improvement of Thailand's political and judicial system. 

The transitional 200 person Parliament will be comprised of half civilian office holders, no mention of where they will come from or how they will be picked, the other half, bet you guessed it, high ranking military officers.. 

General Prayuth has made a commitment that the new constitution will be in effect by August 15, 2015.  The ensuing election would require 3 months of organization by the junta, all will be done under the guidance of the military, what can go wrong with that. 

The general was quoted from his weekly TV address saying " You (Thai people) will get a democratically elected government by 2015. Please take it easy, we need time for reform". He went on to say "it will be a fair and just election to guarantee Thailand will be better governed in the future". 

Doug has a stomach problem

Haven't posted much lately as I've been distracted with an ongoing stomach malady,which acts up when I'm sitting or laying down and is especially bad starting about 10:30 PM.  Of course I don't do much writing lying down so logic would dictate I could work around it but because I'm sleeping very little at night, evening  is prime time for writing.  Then I have to deal with the sitting and the feelings of anxiety and that is "the rest of the story".   

No, not acid reflux, but a pressure and ensuing  pain that radiates through my abdomen, then up and up, sometimes even bringing tears to my eyes.  Visited doctors in Sai Gon, Bangkok and here in the states with little success in finding relief.  Some try and treat me for acid reflux, others look reflective and come up with homeopathy cures like "peppermint oil".  Meanwhile, I revert to my work around of Gaviscon, ruhm and coke (not all together) and walking around until a burp or fart loosen up my system.

Now I'm going to share something with you, 45 years ago at Phu Cat, Vietnam - every night (okay, not every night but it seems that way now) charlie would start a fire fight with our gun tower by the main gate next to my hut.  The rat tat tat of our 50 cal with the back up of small arms, along with the wooch of mortars were my night time lalaby's.  No serious damage seemed to come of these exchanges so it just became a part of my night life, so I thought I had it handled but maybe not.  

You read and hear all this bad press about the VA but my doctor and her nurse are interested not only in my adventures but in helping me figure out this problem.  Next Tuesday (6/24/2014) they have me scheduled for a CAT scan of my stomach. Of course when you're pushing 70 as I am your nervous about tests like this, you want to fix the problem but all the options that can effect this is worrisome.  

Meanwhile I've got part 2 of photos of Saigon and I'm working on something on Thai politics and an update to the effect of martial law in the kingdom.

Street side sandal repair - 

skateboarding video featuring my son Ian Rice - No Me Gusta

Falls under the beyond category, as my son Ian shows off his mastery of the skateboard.  Professional quality video, except for the first few minutes of dialog between a camera crew member and a retired policeman.   From then on it's non stop action.    Enjoy!

Coup d'etat in Thailand and you

Thai military personnel stand guard at the Government House in Bangkok. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

"Amazing Thailand" the phrase coined by the  "Tourist Authority of Thailand" (TAT) has come to have a much deeper meaning than a slogan touting the beauty and culture of the country. As Thailand now is struggling under the yoke of military rule after experiencing it's twelve military coup d'etat since 1932, plus the seven attempted ones that were not successful. So while many emerging nations have outgrown coup d'etat, in Thailand it remains a deeply embedded part of Thai politics.

In recent times the bloodless coup d'etat in 2006 removing the extremely popular PM Thaksin Shinawatra while he was out of the country has had Thai leadership struggling to find it's way. Thaksin was swept into the office of PM in 2001 with the overwhelming support of  rural farmers. His popularity in rural areas in Thailand was in part due to his proposed micro loan program targeting rice farmers and offering affordable healthcare for those in need.  He also drew support from many in big business because as he was one of them, they liked his no nonsense CEO style of governance. While the moneyed Bangkok elite and the military were not impressed and wanted a PM that was more sympathetic to their needs. It seems to me that the Bangkok moneyed elite decided that one way or another Thaksin had to go.  Political wrangling was tried, his Thai Rack Thai (TRT) party was disbanded and outlawed, then it was charges of corruption in his telecommunications deal but he still didn't go away and so the military stepped in and removed him based  on accusations of corruption and misuse of power.  So Since the coup in 2006 Mr. Shinawatra has been in a self imposed exile while still maintaining much of his influence in Thai politics.

In the 2011 election Thaksin Shinawatra's sister Yingluck Shinawatra, a 46 year old businessperson with no direct political experience but with two degrees in politics, lead her newly founded Pheu Thai party to victory and became the new Prime Minister. Yingluck became the first Thai women to gain the office of Prime Minister. Taking over the reins of Thailand and for a while bringing stability back to the country.  In 2013 she and her party were successful in getting re elected. Though once again, like what happened to her brother, the accusations started - she was a just a puppet of her brother, then more serious charges about her abuse of power which ultimately resorted in her being forced her office the 20th of last month. Leading up to the May the 22nd coup by the military who took over leadership of the country, voiding the constitution and instituting military law.

The junta ruling Thailand is headed up by Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha who was due to retire in September of this year but guess runing Thailand is a better gig so he will probably be around for a while.

Meanwhile, what your  probably most interesting in is the effect all this has on you if you if you are planning a visit to Thailand.

The country is on lock down - well sorta - a curfew was set at 10:00 pm - 5:00 am but this has been eased to 12:00 - 4:00. Then recently Ko Sumi, Pattaya and Phuket had the curfew lifted.  Next week it will be lifted in Chiang Mai, Krabi, Phang Nga, Hat Yai, Cha-am,Hua Hin and Trang according to the TAT (Tourist Authority of Thailand). No reports of anyone arriving in country after the curfew and having a problem getting to their hotel.

Falang (foreigners) are not the target so tourists will be treated kindly but for Thais this is a hard time..  

Thanks for for being here,    Doug  

   

Review - Cathay Pacific, have their policy's and are sticking to it

                                      


I'm a long time Cathay customer and will continue to be but that doesn't mean I like the way they treat customers. The airline is changing and this is  about that and due to that the bad experience I experienced with Cathay's customer service manager.

However, other than my specific my present specific complaint I've noticed a general decline in  customer service over the past few years.  This might be caused by the corporations demands for improved  profitability.  To this end it seems as though their is a decrease in support staff which might explain the sometimes curt actions by their staff. Though, in fact my flying experience is that the friendly sky's are a thing of the past not only with Cathay and most airlines.

The deteriorating service is something I passed off until a year ago when the hip I damaged while visiting Sai Gon had me in needing a little special attention on my flights back to the states. Oh ya, they gave me priority boarding and arranged for a wheelchair to get through Hong Kong airport but it was a mechanical thing with no compassion. I grumbled quietly to myself about poor me but didn't say anything. Maybe if I had spoken up all would have been different. I was thinking old school air travel when you were treated special even if you weren't a sad half crippled person such as myself but it takes more than a subtle expression to get what you want.    

Last month on my latest return from Saigon  it all came to a head, not on the plane but at their ticketing office in Sa Gon, over the phone and ended with e-mail  with  Racheal Barretto, "Customer Relations Executive".  This was all over my attempt to change my return city from Bangkok to Sai Gon.   I had done this many times in the past, though it required a penalty charge, which I was OK with but this time it seemed the only way was to toss my return ticket and buy a new one but nodody acually suggested that. From my start in person at Cathay's ticket office in Sai Gon to ending in terse e-mails  from the Customer Relations Executive.  Guess all this would have been easier to stomach if I would have been given a solid reason or some options. For this ticket I had used my miles to upgrade to economy deluxe but what difference should that make.  Anyway, It was the same flight from the Hong Kong to SFO but just a different departing city from the original ticket.

The reason I wanted to change was that I was having trouble getting around on my recently rebuilt leg but all I got was changing a ticket was against  Cathay policy and not in so many words, now please go away.

Just wanted to share this as I still believe Cathay is good to fly with but wanted to get the warning out that you need to make sure you're up on their policy's before hopping aboard.  Kinda like the motorbike or tuk-tuk guy where you need to discuss everything and agree before you pillion. 

Odds and ends from Vietnam - eats, drinks and the ladies

Mogambo
50 Pasteur St, dist 1
HCM 

Getting myself up to date so its got me scouring my notebooks and reviewing my photos for interesting stuff.

Firstly lets talk about eats, drinks and cute Vietnamese ladies.

                                               Mogambo

Starting with my favorite eating, drinking and all around hang out spot, Mogambo. This is old style cool Saigon, expat friendly and kicked back, kind of like a Vietnamese version of cheers in a jungle motif with Lani, the gregarious owner in the middle of the action.  Lani and her American husband (sad to say he is no longer with us) originally opened on Thi Sach St, guessing at least 14 years ago, anyway that was about the time of my first visit (1999).  In the photo you see Lani in the background and two of her wonderful wait staff, Linh and Deip.   Mogambo as in keeping with it's original American founders roots has an American based menu with what else but hamburgs at it's core.  However, there is also good but basic Mexican fare.  My friend swears by the nachos but to me it just doesn't seem right to be eating nachos in Vietnam but I'm a fan of their hamburgs, go figure, as its also far from traditional Vietnamese food. Oh ya, just about forgot about their homemade apple pie, baked  fresh daily. Overall Lani has a good mix of European and Vietnamese entries also along with a good wine list.

Bar seats are the best for you and your ice cold Saigon beer as you can easily chat up the cute and friendly wait staff or Lani while eavesdropping on the expats down the bar from you and their conversations about the goings on in Saigon..








                                                                    Number 5 Bar


After hamberging down and a couple drinks at Mogambo it's time to head out.  Push back your bar stool, wish everyone well, stumble out the door, look to your left and it's  Number five bar.  You say to yourself, if you're anything like me - just a quick stop for the preverbal nightcap - good intentions anyway.

Number 5 it is said got its name because it was the owner Heinz's 5 location, the others were closed for one reason or another by powers other than Heinz's.

Mogambo is pretty compact with a bar lining one side with just enough room behind it for a server and the other side of the room is fitted with a couple booths and a few tables.  Though I'm thinking they must have  seating upstairs or somewhere out of the main area as I often see groups pass through and disappear.   Anyway, Loni never turns anyone away.   While Number 5 is a different deal, probably twice the size as Mogambo with an oval shaped bar in the center, tables lining both walls and in front as you walk in, pool table and on again off again live music emanating from one of the back corners.

Number 5 has food but mostly the bar snack stuff except for a pretty good roast dinner (posted on the wall) but the big draw is the great looking and friendly waitstaff and did I mention the mini skirt clad, great looking and friendly waitstaff.  Also, for the I wanna peak early guys there's the 100,000 dong all you can drink ice cold draft beers from 3:00 til 7:00 pm. This is a no hassle happy hour deal, one of the great looking ladies behind the bar will set a coaster on the bar in front of you, ask your name for the tab and your preference Tiger or San Miguel (San Miguel for me) and until happy hour is over they will make sure you always have beer.

Okay, back to the girls, the oval bar that you just pulled a bar stool up too, holds bunches of  gorgeous Vietnamese ladies wearing different outfits every night but always variations of short skirts and low cut tops.  They stand or perch on the other side of the bar and talk with you like your the most wonderful man in the world.   You can show your gratitude by her a drink and leaving a tip but it's up to you.  Note: all tips go into a tip jar so if you're really smitten and want to be remembered, palm some money and pass it to her as you leave.



                                                                           Bread and Butter

                                                                                                               

Dan owner- Bread and Butter
40/24 Bui Vien St
dist 1,  Saigon

No girls but hamburgs, fish and chips and simple western fare at Bread and Butter owned and managed by an american named Dan..  Oh ya and any kind of beer you want as long as it's Huda from Hue.  It's pretty good stuff that Huda, maybe worth
the trip just for that.  Bread and butter is a little place that could be referred to as the proverbial hole in the wall establishment, down one alley over from De Tham, between Pham Ngu Lao and Bui Vien Street.

I'm not a fan of the Pham Ngu Lao backpacker area but it's a good spot to find little cafes and restaurants catering to western expats as Dan does at Bread and Butter.  Though unlike Mogambo or Number 5 bar where you find a mix of professions, Bread and Butter is popular mostly with the expat English teachers set.  I'm thinking part of this is that Dan does some teaching also.  Inside isn't much, kind of an old school Vietnam thing, un airconditioned, with a bar and a couple tables along with Dan's lending library.  The library is based  on the honor system, meaning you take a book and either bring it back or replace it with another.  Once again a good place to pick on some or in this case take part in some interesting conversations, especially discussions about US based conspiracy stuff or to the other extreme, dancing with the stars.  

Still pawing through my notebooks and photos, so will have more coming soon..


                                                                 

Until next time - Doug

An alley is a hem in Sai Gon - (original posted May, 2014)

As a kid growing up in Flint, Michigan my grandparent’s lived  only about a few blocks away us. Though, even living as close as they did I often thought of my visits to their place as an adventure. You see, beyond their backyard they had an alley, mom said – “dangerous people lurk in alleys and strange things happen there so if I knew what was good for me, I was to stay clear”. So as any boy might, at the warnings of his mother, I became obsessed with the alley and the part of my grandparent’s back yard bordering it.

Now my grandpa, though unspoken on this, never the less seemed to understand and would often let me peek through the bushes separating his back yard from the alley, look away as I peered around the corner, or for a most excellent adventure, slide into the alley for a moment. As a quiet and very serious man my grandpas had little time for his own adventures but think he wanted more for me, as he would sit me on his lap and share and explain his latest National Geographic magazine. Though, I think it was those forbidden forays into the alley he allowed, that had the biggest influence in my adult adventures.



So now let’s take a gigantic leap from 1950’s flint to March 2011, in Saigon, Vietnam and it’s the alley thing all over again, no mom it’s now ok to go out in it and as a matter of fact I have to in order to get to my rented room. Though, still the danger, but not the unknown type as when I was a kid in Flint but now it’s the very real danger of motorbikes and bicycles wizing by trying to beat the light on the intersection it skirts around. My alley is as most; the center of life and living for the people around it and for me as well as my room entrance is off it and my balcony over looks it. It’s also a place where, along its edges and against its buildings, food is sold, motorbikes are repaired, garbage is sorted and folks just hang out. Vietnamese take all this for granted but I think these urban alleys are amazing in how are they bring everyone in and around the alley together.

Now, mind you, this alley is not a large area, otherwise it would be a street. We are talking about a place maybe 300 ft long by 12 - 15 ft wide, but within this relative small space there is a lot of stuff happening.

The food sellers – one end for the morning set, tables line the side with tarps strung over the top, open air kitchen, dishes done in tubs – the other end in the evening it’s the same thing. All this is put up and torn down when the serving is over and the area is cleaned so you would never know they had been there. Across from my room is the motorbike repair guy which my landlord says he has been at it in his little alley spot for 20 years – no shop but a box and a large metal bowl on the curb with all his tools and there again he sets up in the morning and in the evening picks up everything and stuffs his box and bowl in someone’s place, like under one of my landlords chairs down stairs and goes home. Down a ways, at about 6:00 PM, a big pile of stuff shows up along the far side of the alley and then a lady appears, sorts through it, guessing she is separating plastic from paper and then they are gone, both her and the pile.

A side from the businesses that set along the sides of the alley, do their thing, fold up shop and go home only to repeat it again tomorrow, there are people walking and chatting from 4:30 in the morning till around 9:00 at night, kids playing, mom’s walking their babies, retires sitting around little tables playing board games, motorbikes parked, some with people lounging a top chatting or texting into their cell phones and through the middle of all this is a steady stream of motorbikes bustling by in both directions.

It’s what in the states city planners might refer to as a mixed use area, the alley edges are like canyon walls as the homes and businesses fit tightly together forming a solid 3 or 4 stories high cliff face, each opening directly into the canyon like floor. For example we have an LP gas distribution center with motorbikes used for delivery, office machine business, lawyer, Vietnamese traditional medical clinic, cell phone store, several other food related shops, rooming houses like where I stay, private residences and a hand full of others that I have no idea what they do.

However, I’m comfortable in my canyon in urban Saigon, it’s noisy, especially when the motorbike guy is fixing a horn, a bit warn around the edges and I’ve had a couple real close encounters of the speeding motorbike kind. Funny, now that I think about it, I have the same kind of comfortable feeling here that I had hanging out with my Grandpa, in his garage, by his alley, in Flint a zillion years ago.

What goes around comes around, maybe it’s Karma.

Sai Gon in photos part 1 -

dinning street side - always ask for the table with the view

Commercial dish washer Sai Gon style

we got wires

new greenery 23-9 park

street side cafe

street side market

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recycling Sai Gon style

 When visiting Sai Gon get out on the street and you'll be richly rewarded.  Yup, noisy, crowded, crazy but alway interesting.  

Oh ya and safe, though you'll hear Vietnamese talk about motorbike cowboys who race by stealing purses, jewelry, cameras and phones off of unsuspecting pedestrians.  Though  keep in mind this is a very large city with a population of over 11 million and their are bound to be a few bad apples mangoes. However, after 14 years of wandering the city at all times day and night I've never had a first hand experience with this.  Though just as a general rule in Sai Gon or wherever a  body should always stay aware of what's going on around them and take appropriate precautions to stay out of harms way and safeguard their valuables.  

All these photos were taken in District 1 of Sai Gon and it's flat and so easily walkable.

I offer this as an additional tip - make sure when you leave your hotel you pick up a hotel name card (business card) so then you can walk around until yourself hopelessly lost, or exhausted  grab a motorbike taxi or a car type taxi and show them the name card, ask how much and you're off. 

burning effigies on a street corner 

Notre Dame Cathedral

Peoples Committee Building 

get your motor running Le Loi Street in front of Saigon Center

motorbike show room

Sai Gon's got Starbucks

emerging fire hydrant

watermelon carver

23-9 park, event security - police


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Thailand's Top Court Ousts Prime Minister Yingluck -

Thailand's Top Court Ousts PM

voice of Anerica

• 
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May 07, 2014 6:07 PM

Thailand's caretaker Cabinet has appointed an acting prime minister, after the Constitutional Court ordered Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and several Cabinet members to step down.

The Cabinet appointed Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong Boonsongphaisan to take over.

The Bangkok court unanimously ruled Wednesday that Prime Minister Yingluck improperly transferred her national security chief to another job in 2011. It said the move was unconstitutional and done for her own benefit.

Prime ministers are usually chosen by the country's lower house of parliament. But Ms. Yingluck dissolved that body last year when she called for early elections to try to resolve the country's political crisis.

Ms. Yingluck insists she did nothing wrong. Her supporters say the charges are politically motivated. They plan to protest her forced resignation.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki is urging all sides to resolve their political differences peacefully, saying violence is unacceptable.

She said any resolution on Thailand should include an election for a new government.

Anti-government street protests in Thailand have killed about 25 people since the start of the year.

After failing to force Ms. Yingluck to resign, the opposition turned to the courts. Opposition leaders say Ms. Yingluck's government is hopelessly corrupt and controlled by her brother, ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Mr. Thaksin was removed from office in a 2006 military coup. The billionaire businessman is still very influential in Thailand. He lives in exile to escape corruption charges.

Thailand's political turmoil pits Bangkok's urban middle class and royalist elite against the mostly poor, rural supporters of Ms. Yingluck and Mr. Thaksin.

How to Drink From a Coconut

Say you're in the jungle and you've finished off your sports drink. Here is all you need to know about tapping into a coconut for it's juice. Nature's own sports drink, coconut juice ..

A machete does the cutting best but with patience a jackknife could get the job done.  Also Using found objects, like sharp stones might work but you need to be very patient and determined.