Well I slept in until 11pm. Last night's blog took forever but I wasn't sleepy thanks to a pack or strawberry oreos haha. I went to bed around three and slept in. I got up, got my fruit for breakfast, apples, watermelon, strawberries, pineapple and bananas. A lot healthier than my banana pancakes and a lot better variety too. Today I was going to take it easy on my leg, not do a heck of a lot. I bought Matt his Ho Chi Minh Sandals, and for those that don't know, they're sandals but made out of truck tires haha. They aren't comfortable or styling but a cheap set of footwear and easily replaceable. It's funny though, I'm so use to bargaining that my tactics didn't work and if I wanted the sandals I'd have to pay 70,000vnd, which I wanted to pay 50,000VND tops. I reluctantly handed over the 70,000VND and looked up how much CDN it was and it's $3.26 haha. I wanted it for $3 even. Going back to Canada and shopping will be interesting, as with crossing the street as if I crossed the way I do here back home, I'd be quickly killed.
I also handed over the design for my B/2/503rd Infantry Regiment Guidon. A guidon is pretty much like a parade flag. In a parade or a formation of troops, the flag just ID's who these 120 troops belong to. Their Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment of the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) and that's the unit we re-enact. I've always wanted one for public events, just kinda making us look more professional/military looking. At home I was considering getting one made for $150. Here it's $25 and although it digs into my budget I won't have another chance to get one done at that price. I also got a quote for N Company, 75th Infantry Rangers and it's $9 each, the amount ordered doesn't lower the price. At Moore's Militaria, normally the "One Stop Vietnam Shop" their Ranger patch for the 173rd is incorrect as the real version was basic, just saying "N" on the left, Airborne Ranger arching over the 173rd patch and just 75 on the right side while they have it "N Co." and "75th". By the way I'm a sucker for accuracy. I wouldn't be able to wear it with pride knowing it was the wrong one. For $9 I can get it professional looking like the factory made patches or for the same price get cheap quality and I'm not sure what to do. The cheap quality makes the patch rough and look like it was done by hand, which gives it character, but for the same price i could get a beautiful one. Might go with the rough one but as others will get them too I'll have to ask around. I'll see if another shop can do them for a better price though.
I also went shopping for cigarettes! It's not what you think though haha. I think I explained it in another blog but the smokes here cheap and everywhere. I found a pack of Lucky Strikes that were so close to the ones used during the war. Marlboro's and Camel's haven't changed much either. Marlboro's have a health warning on the one side. If the other side was missing it I would have picked up a pack for Josh, but alas both sides had it. I asked for a pack of Lucky Strikes and got their new pack. Language barrier and all I finally got them to understand I want the display box, not the new pack of smokes. They laughed since I just wanted the box and I asked "How much?" and the kid (yea it was a kid selling smokes) said it was up to me haha. I pulled out 1,000VND and he approved, so I got a little cardboard box like the ones in the Vietnam War to attach to my helmet for $.05CDN and right now I have them stuffed with toilet paper hahaha.
I watched the last two chapters of my Vietnam documentary which covered the Fall of the South and the last one talking to troops and the government about what happened, why it was a failure. The Fall of the South is tragic. The Peace deal left SVN's president Theiu in power, but left 150,000 enemy troops in his country which was a bad deal but the US more or less forced it on them, saying if you don't take this deal, we'll cut off all aid to SVN. Once the enemy realized the US won't help out SVN it took over Ban Me Thout in two days. The officers abandoned their men as soon as possible and more or less gave it to the enemy. The enemy planned on taking Hue, the royal city and former capital of united Vietnam and Da Nang Airbase which would cut South Vietnam in half. With little effort they took it over and the SVN army officers fled again. Next thing the enemy took over provincial capitals with ease. President Thieu then made a bad call. He told his military to fall back. Hundreds of thousands of troops turned their backs to the enemy and let them have half the country. The idea was to regroup outside of Saigon and make one big last stand which makes sense but the way they went about it, just running off in chaos was horrible. The local population went running with the army and the military chose to take an old horrible road hoping the enemy wouldn't attack. The North Vietnamese slaughtered military troops and civilians alike. 25% of the people trying to flee survived and it was credited as the worst withdraw in the history of conflict. The North Vietnamese took all the weapons, armour and aircraft the US donated to the South, as the South left vehicles with the key in the ignition when as a military you're suppose to destroy them so they can't be used against you. Xuan Loc was the last stand because after that the next city was Saigon. The ARVN fought tooth and nail and deserve all the credit for staying and fighting it out but in time they failed. Days later Saigon fell and the war was over. The ARVN troops weren't horrible and I'd hate to paint them as bad. But when your country is being invaded, you've lost 800,000 friends defending your land and 500,000 Americans fought to help you out FUCKING STICK IT OUT! Fight! Do your job because when your country is taken over, you're dead anyways or be "re-educated" and wish you were dead. Sadly because they didn't fight it's tragic that 58,000 US troops, at least 100 Canadians in the US Forces died in vain. Their hearts were in the right place, but they were training people who didn't care enough to give it everything they had. The video talking to troops and government officials, the general message was the US didn't have a plan. They sent troops but there wasn't a strategy except killing enemy troops, no government plan on what goals they were trying to reach, how they would reach them, what is victory, etc. That is how you can slaughter the enemy and still not get anywhere. The US was trying to do the right thing and I fully support what they were trying to do, but ultimately it didn't work out. The reason why is a huge long discussion with half my group and beers in hand haha. Maybe we should do a "Drunk History" video? Josh drunk explaining the politics, me talking about the battle of Dak To or the Cu Chi Tunnels and Sean covering everything else haha.
I forgot to eat lunch. My breakfast is just fruit so it doesn't keep me full, but I couldn't eat a meal since it was 4:30, but I was really hungry. I bought a Toblerone bar and crossed the street to the park, which I never really hung out in before. I use to cut though the other park on the way to Ben Thanh Market but this park across from Pham Ngu Lao and De Tham has a water pond in it. I sat on a bench and wolfed down my chocolate, also forgetting that chocolate melts quickly at 35 degrees in the sun while wrapped in tinfold haha. A guy noticed I was white and started speaking English. Of course I was Canadian and his sister was moving to Vancouver and work at one of their hospitals so he was asking me about Canada. He called his sister and asked if she had any questions for me. She wanted to meet up with me haha. Little random, hanging out with some guy I just met and his sister. Well I was busy tonight so tomorrow I'm meeting them at the park and their taking me to their place to talk about Canada. Don't worry, I know, be nice to everyone you meet, but have a plan to kill them, and I will. Remember, it's hard for me to drop my guard. So that should be interesting but I gotta get up a little early to eat breakfast and then meet up with them. Hope his sister is hot haha.
I hung out in the park for a bit waiting until 5:30pm, figuring I can eat supper then. I finally saw someone jogging! This means I won't look insane jogging in a park, mind you it took me almost a month to see somebody jog here so I didn't know if it was in or out, but one person doing it is all I need and gives me no damn excuse for not running. My knee on the other hand does give me an excuse haha. I saw a dog standing near the road, and with rush hour traffic I assumed the worst would happen. I go over and whistle, call it trying to get it's attention. He looked at me and say "Yea, okay, but I still wanna cross the street". I gave up. Fine, I'll walk the dog across the street. I didn't want to turn around and walk away, then here moto horns, a crash and a sharp painful dog crying in pain. Luckily a mom and her kid were trying to walk across to, so at least they asked at one side of the shield, and it's not wrong to use people as shields in Vietnam. Remember traffic is both ways, so two lanes you're protected, then the next two lanes your ass is on the line and they're protected. So with some time we slowly crossed. The dog happily walked away and I wanted to know where it was going. I didn't want to walk it across the street only to have it get into trouble. I walked it across a quiet street and it went down an alley way. I figured it knows where it's going now and there's no dangerous roads around, just houses. I forgot to mention, but in cities alley ways aren't bad like they are in Canada, as they lead to residential homes, so it's like a street to a neighbourhood back home.
I crossed the street at the light, heading back towards my area and food. Oddly enough it was a dangerous thing crossing at the light during rush hour. It was my turn to walk, but the cars in the turning lane from the last light hadn't been able to turn, so they were in limbo trying to force their way into a sea of motos driving against it. So they're in limbo and it was a bus, so I had to wait until it moved out of my way. I went to go around it and what do you know, motos zipping into any crack around the bus, including the one I was filling. The traffic was so close and tight that nobody has room to move, so the motos don't exactly go around you. They want to and will go through you. Making things worse is that my light to cross had ended, and it was the other street's turn to go, with me in the middle. You can cross, but it takes forever since you can only go inch by inch as the motos don't have any room to get around. Complete gridlock. I finally made it across. I checked out a restaurant I hadn't been to yet. I looked at their menu on display and from one table a guy said "Okay, I gotta ask, what part of Toronto are you from?" I had my Toronto Lynx shirt on and I don't know anything about them. I told him I'm from London and it was funny that coming here the security guard at London Airport commented on my shirt haha. Turns out he grew up in Toronto, the guy that asked me tonight. We chit chatted a bit and I found something I wanted, a calzone haha. I didn't have my camera on me and I'm kicking myself for it, because they made my calzone into a crab. They gave extra dough to make arms and claws, and they gave it eyes with a peppercorns for pupils haha. An Irish guy sat down near me and had a beer. We were on a back alley street but still harassed by people wanting us to buy crap from them. He was new as he was talking to them "Oh, no thanks" and when they left he asked if they ever stop haha. I told him my tactic. They speak to you, I look and notice them but then I go back to enjoying my food and ignore them. I've seen them and what they sell, saying "no thanks" starts a conversation, "oh, good price, I give you numba 1 deal" No. "I have other styles and colours..." and saying no keeps the talking going. Notice them, shut up, enjoy your food and don't say a word. They quickly get the point, you don't waste your breathe and you still have a good time. The Irish guy said the worst was his first day not knowing the cost of anything and getting ripped off. I got my bill and a little girl came up asking me to buy. I was pulling out cash to pay for my food. My ignoring tactic wasn't working since I had my wallet open, and the Irish guy was laughing his ass off. The girl checked out my receipt, tore up a napkin and luckily I had exact change. I tossed it in the bill fold and handed it directly to someone that worked there. I grabbed my shit, laughed and wished the Irish guy good luck haha.
I headed to Swensons for dessert and it was alright. Their menu options are limitless as you can customize anything you want. But looking at their menu I've already eaten the things I liked haha. With the language barrier I'm not comfortable telling them exactly how to build the best ice cream ever, so I just switch up the ice cream as it's the simplest form of customization. Tomorrow might be my last night there as I've done most of what I want there but I will admit, best dessert place I've been to as they're ice cream and sundaes where Dairy Queen is mostly blizzards. Tonight I'll have my shower, maybe watch a movie or find the location of my map on Google Earth and get up early to meet up with those people haha. Take care.
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