Hmmmm...some more....

It's funny how quickly things become 'normal'. I realised two things today that, in Australia, I would have been blogging about within seconds.

1. About 2 weeks ago I stopped holding on when travelling to and from uni (or anywhere else for that matter) on the back of a motorbike. If told, when first arriving in Vietnam, that within a few months I would be happily perched on the back of a motorbike at silly speeds while wearing only a bicycle helmet (and clothes!) and not feeling the need to hold on, I would have looked at you pretty strangely and scoffed about not having a death wish. I guess that hasn't reeeeally changed - but there is very little that holding on will do to protect you should shit happen - going down with the ship, so to speak, does not offer much protection! And anyway, my hands are better used sitting on my knees and looking Vietnamese (ish) ;-)

2. About 3 weeks ago, when my mates were visiting from Taiwan, we were heading out to a mate's place before hitting the town - and a school kid crashed his motorbike into the side of our taxi. I have distinct memories of seeing the side of his face smooshed against the window. In Oztraylia, Noo Zulland et al this would have been a BIG deal - and us whiteys in the back of the taxi did squeal and do a bit of 'oh my god'ing. But then the taxi driver leaps out of the car, roars around to the side of the cab and starts yelling at the kid for breaking his wing mirror off!

Groggy kid, who was in the wrong as far as that is possible in the Saigon chaos theory motor system, got his head together enough to pick up his bike and scarpered before the taxi driver could bill him for his wing mirror...leaving us sitting there going 'oh...ok, well i guess we carry on to our night out'. But what's really worrying is that I had forgotten about it until now - no doubt soon I will be wearing a conical hat and ao dai and eating beef noodles with congealed blood for breakfast ;-)