photos - walk through dist 1, Sai Gon - police to dog meat

Sai Gon is  so interesting, so many things going on, like an onion you peel back one layer and you find another view.  It is the kind of place, let your senses guide you and you won't be disappointed.

ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) clad young women

vanishing french agriculture

Add caption

we got donuts

roundabout dist 1

push cart recycler

push cart recycler

we got wires -  Pham Nhu Loa backpackers area

hem (alley) dining and street vendors

dist 1 street side vendor serving  rush hour traffic

flower on my balcony 

chop stick dryer

Hem (alley) eatery specializing in  omlets

Team - mobile fruit vendors

omnipresent police

Ben Thanh market flower sellers 

recognise this

pagoda

another night motorbiking in Saigon

yup, got a hunger for dog - here you are

20 years - curb side fixing 

polices prisoner transport truck - ref. no ac in the back

Bin Tham Market

shoe shine boys - strategy session

xe om driver looking for a fare

old and new dist 1

thanks for stopping by - Doug

Sai Gon - Get your motorbike on -

Get your motorbike on

motorbike salesman

                                                 

highway patrol Vietnamese style

take a nap

Saigon is crowded, a little grimy around the edges, air is chocked full of exhaust fumes and the noise of motorbikes, truck and bus horns along with the ambient sound of 11 million or so people going about their lives.  At any one given time you'll see Rolls Royce’s, Bentley's, big, high end 
Mercedes and BMW's along with push carts, bicycles and so many motorbikes that they overflow onto the sidewalks.  Most piloted by steely eyed,expressionless drivers moving at such a sedate speed that it’s not uncommon to see motorbike drivers chatting with each other between bikes. Adding to the crazy, surreal traffic scene - pillion riders (passengers) holding large panes of glass, plumbing pipe, animals, fish tanks including water and fish, plants and trees, televisions and assorted computer components. Often you will see solo motorbike guys balances all sorts of cargo on the bike, propane gas tanks, bottled water, cases of beer, gallon containers of cooking oil, bunches of bananas, of course refrigerators, fans and air-conditioning units, mega bunches of empty plastic bottles for recycling, pigs 

get  your motor running

boutique motorbike shop

and chickens and just pretty much anything that has to be transported.

An example of this was at one of the places I stayed, they had a new refrigerator delivered and it arrived riding pillion, the driver steadying it with one hand and operating the bike with the other.  As I've mentioned this is a common way of delivery but what I hope isn't common is that when the driver got the frig inside he lost his grip, recovered but ended up setting it down on his toe and I'm sure those standard issue flip flops weren't much help against the impact. However, those Vietnamese are a tough folk, saw him wince but no sound was uttered, just lifted it off his toe, pulled out the old frig, slid the new one in, carried out the old one out and positioned it on the back of the seat on 

modern motorbike food vendor

old style food vendor

his bike, slid in front of it, all the time steadying it with one hand and his free hand to drive off.

No matter how many times I see some of these events I'm never failed to be amazed.  The number one example is the bike carrying a large sheet of glass or mirror steadied by the pillion rider and I'm talking large, like three foot wide by four foot or so high. The sheet sitting on the passenger's lap with his outstretched, bare hands holding the edges of the pane.  

Then you have the one where a pillion passenger sitting in the seat backwards holding the handle of a two wheeler, like used in warehouses to move freight, and strapped on it is tank filled with welding gas as they move through traffic. Then there is the friend helping his buddy with a non running motor bike by driving his bike and pushing the other with his outstretched, flip flop sheathed foot and keeping up with traffic.

motorbike pickup

Yes,  its mind boggling the kind of stuff motorbikes transport but even crazier is the way they have been modified to do special things, adding a trailer hitch to carry additional cargo in cargo trailer, the addition of two wheels in the back for handicapped drivers, racks built over the back part of the seat to hold bottled water or propane gas and only the imagination limits the modifications and uses of the commonly motorbike that is the USA are called scooters.    

Thanks for stopping by 
Doug

                                              

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!