Now there’s a thought!
Booked a 3 day trip of the Mekong Delta country from Saigon culminating with the Slow Boat from Chau Doc to Phonem Phen. They combined the 1, 2 & 3 day trips so that we were 30 some odd people leaving Saigon, the group got a bit smaller the 2nd day then down to abut a dozen the 3rd & when lunch at time the ones returning to Saigon split off I was the only one left to continue on to Cambodia, kind of thinking outside the box I guess.
The trip led to a much better understanding of the people & way the communist system is practiced locally using a lot of free enterprise with many new industrial parks. There is a greater population than I expected so that cheap labor pool combined with the ease of transportation makes it ideal for manufacturing.
When we toured the Floating Market there was an empty boat there parked by it’s self the tour guide pointed out a coconut leaf painted on it which in Vietnam is a For Sale sign.
Now when sorting out the information from the trip a part of which was that some of the produce vendors came from as far as a 2 day trip, stayed at the market until the load was sold then went home for more, that seemed like a not bad life.
So the thought of the day was being a roving produce vendor plying The Mekong Delta might not be a bad thing. Live on your floating home on the river & produce doesn’t whine bitch & complain the way people do when it’s being transported, hot weather & a communist government that doesn’t pretend otherwise but supports the small entrepreneur!
Tags: Travel
busman7
Dave
Hope you are having a great day. can’t wait for your next update.
Dave G
The trip from Saigon to Phnom Penh was a long, hectic (can never accuse the Vietnamese of not giving you your money’s worth) then visited the killing fields here yesterday so need some time to get my thoughts together, but should have an update soon
Saw the movie, The Killing Fields, good movie but very disturbing.
Have you heard from James?
Dave G
But what is really disturbing is the fact that the Khmer Rouge government had a seat at the UN with full backing of the US!
The more one travels the more one sees of the US interference that causes death & torture all over the world, one can only come to the conclusion that Fidel’s name for the US “The Evil Empire” is spot on!!!
Have exchanged a couple pm’s with James & others from Dos Centavos just taking a wait & see sabbatical.
I saw the film too….very sad and disturbing and im with you Dave..what the heck are they doing with the UN
What was that book about Central America and the CIA… i remember you talking about it Dave the last time you were at our place…. I had read and seen lots of documentary back in the 80’s enough to make me ask lots of questions…..wild…
my friend who did the same trek as you but 6yrs ago said the bones and skulls from the killing fields were a terrible shocking sight…
you’ll be back…..you always do….listen to me Dave….i’m always right lol…well usually 😛
The book was “The CIA against Che” & tells how the CIA used Nazi warcriminals they spirited away from the trials in the effort to find him & when they finally caught him & some of the 50 men in his force they ordered his execution with the full knowledge of the president & forced the Bolivian army to carry it out.
Now the US has the nerve to call Cuba a terrorist nation, talk about the pot calling the kettle black!! The US should have been charged with war crimes itself for some of the things it pulled in Vietnam not to mention the way they attained their base at Garcia Diego etc etc they make Bin Ladden look like a pussy cal LOL
It’s all a matter of public perception, ever seen the movie ‘Wag the dog’….scaarry.
The crap the US govt. manages to pull off is astounding. But just take a look at our own PM , now he is on a mission to ‘save the poor and starving women and children of the world’. Don’t even get me started.
Dave G