Wednesday, December 30, 2009
SEA Games
I happened to be in Vientiane, Laos during the 2009 Sea Games while researching some stories for CNNGo. Below are a few photos from the Vietnam vs Laos woman's game earlier this month.
Australian Man Murdered in Sihanoukville
According to Australian media, John Edward Thompson, age 47, from Australia, was murdered in the last 24hrs in Sihanoukville. Reports say he was clubbed to death in a robbery. My condolences to his family. If we could only say this was an isolated incident! Sadly Sihanouvkille has an increasing reputation for lawlessness--particularly violent/armed robbery of tourists on the beach and sexual predators. Police must get off their lazy backsides and do something before the local tourism industry in Sihanoukville, Cambodia is destroyed.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
What Happened in Mui ne on the Boxing Day Tsunami
I’m not going to bother to write about how terrible the Tsunami was 5 years ago. There was no devastation in Vietnam, where I of course was at the time, so I’ll let others memorialize the tragedy. It was however, a turning point for Mui Ne, about which many people are unaware. It was the season the Russians came.
Until then, the islands and beaches of Central Thailand had been Russia’s playground, but when all the resorts and beaches were destroyed, Russia looked elsewhere. Russian vacationers came in droves to Vietnam’s coasts, and Mui Ne was the first place they arrived—and to some extent, never left. Until that time, Vung Tau was the former Soviet Union’s preferred outpost—largely because of the oil rigs and refineries there that were the result of a joint Viet-Soviet business venture. Mui Ne, till that time, had no Russian-owned venues. English was the second language of Mui Ne, followed by German.
Five years later the main drag is lined with signs in Russian and now waiters and receptionists clamor to practice their Russian with guests. English is still a close second, but the German tourists—though they are still here—are entirely obscured.
For the first two seasons, our Russian friends began to acquire a bit of a reputation for boisterousness and alcohol, bar fights and throwing around a lot of cash. I think Mui Ne was a bit of a new experience for them—like they’d been kids stuck inside all day at school and were finally allowed out on the playground for recess. It was funny to watch them on the beach in their unlikely fashion choices, as though they’d gone up to grandma’s attic, opened a chest of random cloths from the 70’s and 80’s, and run outside to play after trying them on.
In the following seasons our Russian friends settled in. Families came. People relocated here and opened restaurants, bars and hotels and became valuable members of the community. They showed us how warm and friendly Russian hospitality can be. Mui Ne’s identity changed because of the Boxing Day Tsunami, and for the most part, I believe it has been a welcome makeover.
Until then, the islands and beaches of Central Thailand had been Russia’s playground, but when all the resorts and beaches were destroyed, Russia looked elsewhere. Russian vacationers came in droves to Vietnam’s coasts, and Mui Ne was the first place they arrived—and to some extent, never left. Until that time, Vung Tau was the former Soviet Union’s preferred outpost—largely because of the oil rigs and refineries there that were the result of a joint Viet-Soviet business venture. Mui Ne, till that time, had no Russian-owned venues. English was the second language of Mui Ne, followed by German.
Five years later the main drag is lined with signs in Russian and now waiters and receptionists clamor to practice their Russian with guests. English is still a close second, but the German tourists—though they are still here—are entirely obscured.
For the first two seasons, our Russian friends began to acquire a bit of a reputation for boisterousness and alcohol, bar fights and throwing around a lot of cash. I think Mui Ne was a bit of a new experience for them—like they’d been kids stuck inside all day at school and were finally allowed out on the playground for recess. It was funny to watch them on the beach in their unlikely fashion choices, as though they’d gone up to grandma’s attic, opened a chest of random cloths from the 70’s and 80’s, and run outside to play after trying them on.
In the following seasons our Russian friends settled in. Families came. People relocated here and opened restaurants, bars and hotels and became valuable members of the community. They showed us how warm and friendly Russian hospitality can be. Mui Ne’s identity changed because of the Boxing Day Tsunami, and for the most part, I believe it has been a welcome makeover.
Christmas Dinner
Had a great Christmas Turkey dinner last night at Snow and finished the evening off at Joe's Cafe with brownies and hot apple brandy. Both venues had live music to boot. Many thanks to Snow and Joe's for a great evening. I hear Joe's is offering turkey and mashed potatoes and all the trimmings tonight as well...
Friday, December 25, 2009
Hard Rock Cafe Saigon
In a strange bit of news, apparently a new Hard Rock Cafe just opened in downtown Saigon. I'd seen a sign just before heading on my whirlwind guidebooking tour of SE Asia in October. I'd seen no other advertising. News on the web says it opened a few days ago. I found some prior PR stories that suggested there would be live foreign singers at the opening. I guess that didn't happen? Vietnam is notoriously difficult for bringing in foreign acts. Besides the profitability issues, there is a lot of regulation. Lyrics and song lists must be approved beforehand, with considerable fines for deviations. Also, the local producers must assume legal liability for any controversies that may arise from the behavior of the artists--so I'm told. Certainly though I wish the owners all the best. I'm sure Saigon is a better place for venues like the Hard Rock Cafe.
Address:
Hard Rock Ho Chi Minh City
Kumho Asiana Plaza
39 Le Duan Street
District 1
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Hours:
Restaurant:
Daily 11:00AM - Midnight
Merchandise:
9:30AM - Midnight
Telephone:
+84 (8) 6291 7595
+84 (8) 6291 7596
Contact:
info@hardrockcafe.vn
Address:
Hard Rock Ho Chi Minh City
Kumho Asiana Plaza
39 Le Duan Street
District 1
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Hours:
Restaurant:
Daily 11:00AM - Midnight
Merchandise:
9:30AM - Midnight
Telephone:
+84 (8) 6291 7595
+84 (8) 6291 7596
Contact:
info@hardrockcafe.vn
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Christmas in Phan Thiet 2009
Letter to the Editor: An open letter to the operators of Sankara: Yet another request to show some courtesy
Note: This letter was posted on MuiNeBeach.net on November 3 and is being relocated here. Sankara was invited to make a response but we did not receive one.
Your neighbors lie awake night after night because the noise from Sankara’s outdoor speakers is being blasted into gardens and bedrooms throughout the area. Hotel guests and resident families with young children are forced to listen to drunken discotheque customers whooping and screaming into the night at odd hours and toward morning.
The nighttime noise level projected into one of the hotels near you was measured at 86 decibels; four hotels down the road at 60+ decibels. Prolonged exposure to 85 decibels or more can cause permanent hearing damage.
Family-run hotels are are losing customers whose chance to enjoy a quiet evening has been ruined, babies are losing sleep, folks who must get up in the morning for work or school are helpless against the onslaught of noise.
What we have been asking for is just some common courtesy, nothing unreasonable: If you want to play music that’s fine but please keep it contained to your own property.
Hopefully, Sankara’s nuisance status can still be salvaged and turned into something positive!
Matt Kwantes
Letters to the Editor do not necessarily represent the opinions of MuiNeBeach.net or its owners. Would you like to express your views about issues in Mui Ne? Send us your comments.
Your neighbors lie awake night after night because the noise from Sankara’s outdoor speakers is being blasted into gardens and bedrooms throughout the area. Hotel guests and resident families with young children are forced to listen to drunken discotheque customers whooping and screaming into the night at odd hours and toward morning.
The nighttime noise level projected into one of the hotels near you was measured at 86 decibels; four hotels down the road at 60+ decibels. Prolonged exposure to 85 decibels or more can cause permanent hearing damage.
Family-run hotels are are losing customers whose chance to enjoy a quiet evening has been ruined, babies are losing sleep, folks who must get up in the morning for work or school are helpless against the onslaught of noise.
What we have been asking for is just some common courtesy, nothing unreasonable: If you want to play music that’s fine but please keep it contained to your own property.
Hopefully, Sankara’s nuisance status can still be salvaged and turned into something positive!
Matt Kwantes
Letters to the Editor do not necessarily represent the opinions of MuiNeBeach.net or its owners. Would you like to express your views about issues in Mui Ne? Send us your comments.
Avatar in Saigon
I saw Avatar this week at the Megastar Paragon in Saigon this week. I absolutely loved the move. Great visual effects, good story, great acting and animation--all around it really sucked me in and left me wanting to revisit the world of Pandora.
Be advised however that theaters in Saigon are playing some funny games with the movie. Some are falsely claiming sold-out screening, apparently to generate hype, but this is backfiring and actually discouraging people from going. When I went there were only a dozen people in the entire room, and other friend who've gone have said the same. Likewise, some theaters are falsely claiming to show the film in 3D, when in fact they are offering only normal screenings. Supposedly the only screens in 3D are at locations near the airport and in Cho Lon.
So, do go see the film in theaters while its here, but check with the theater before you go to make sure you are getting the screening you want.
Be advised however that theaters in Saigon are playing some funny games with the movie. Some are falsely claiming sold-out screening, apparently to generate hype, but this is backfiring and actually discouraging people from going. When I went there were only a dozen people in the entire room, and other friend who've gone have said the same. Likewise, some theaters are falsely claiming to show the film in 3D, when in fact they are offering only normal screenings. Supposedly the only screens in 3D are at locations near the airport and in Cho Lon.
So, do go see the film in theaters while its here, but check with the theater before you go to make sure you are getting the screening you want.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Publishing News
I seem to be getting published in December faster than I can keep track. That's always a good thing. My story on Christmas in Phan Thiet was linked from CNN's front page and appears at CNNGo. More CNNGo articles are in the works. I also have an article in this month's HCMC-based Asia Life Magazine on all the off-the-radar things to do and see in Mui Ne.
In book news, Insight Guide to Cambodia and Laos, for which evaluated the book and updated the Cambodia section, should be out any day now, as well as DK Eyewitness Vietnam, for which I updated the entire book. I'm currently working on other titles for Cambodia and Thailand as well.
In book news, Insight Guide to Cambodia and Laos, for which evaluated the book and updated the Cambodia section, should be out any day now, as well as DK Eyewitness Vietnam, for which I updated the entire book. I'm currently working on other titles for Cambodia and Thailand as well.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Copenhagen May Spell Doom for Vietnam Tourism
One of the many, perhaps unintended consequences of drastic new limitations and taxes on carbon emissions resulting from the Copenhagen agreements now being formulated will be massive increases in airplane ticket prices, as well as bus tickets and other forms of transportation. In a region already suffering from drops in tourist numbers due to the world's slouching economy, this is grave news indeed. Of course reduction in travel is not limited to Vietnam. This will be a problem for the tourism industry worldwide.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
New Driver's Licenses
Great. The Government has announced it will be issuing new driver's licenses soon (read about it here). I can just imagine being stopped, hauling out my current license, and being fined, perhaps even before they are available, for not having the "new license." As this hasn't happened yet, I won't imagine it though.
Environmental Fraud
In 2004 and 2005 we had a drought in Binh Thuan Province. Rivers dried up, cattle died, crops withered and there were epic dust storms that swept through Phan Thiet city. The countryside was harsh, hot, rocky and full of cactus.
At my own home my well dried up. I had to make a frequent choice between watering the fruit trees and taking a bath. I frequently took baths at the beach so I could water the garden, but it was all to no avail. Eventually the rose bushes withered and died. When it finally did rain, I collected the runoff from my roof and hoarded the water in large bins in the kitchen. I was convinced this was global warming—the man-made global warming that Al Gore, the UN, environmentalists and Hollywood had warned us about for the last 2 decades.
Then in 2006 it rained and got cooler in Binh Thuan. In 2007 it continued. In 2008 and 2009 there were even floods. Roads in the countryside became impassible because there was so much water. We occasionally had rain during dry season—in fact in 2009 there was no clearly distinguishable dry season in Binh Thuan. The countryside remained lush and cool throughout the year, and birds and insects remained instead of retreating or dying like they normally would. Temperatures remained reasonable, and there was no sign of the droughts we had in 2004 and 2005.
Last week it was discovered that the scientists who formulated all the theories on global warming have been lying to us. Their servers were hacked and hundreds of damning emails have been released to the public (though many media outlets have neglected to cover the story given how much they have to lose due to their investment in covering global warming). It’s all been a big fraud and they’ve been hiding the truth to protect themselves, their reputations, and their grant money. Even further, they admitted to destroying the original data that their fraud was supposedly based on. There has been no evidence of overall global temperature rises in the last 150 years, let alone evidence of climate change due to man.
I’d like to think we can move on with life, pursue real science and leave the hoax in the past. Unfortunately I know that won’t happen. The marriage of politics, science, the news media and Hollywood is indivisible. As long as spreading lies helps them maintain their power, they’ll never let go.
For more on the climate change fraud scandal over the weekend, read this article and this article, both of which happen to be with Fox News.
At my own home my well dried up. I had to make a frequent choice between watering the fruit trees and taking a bath. I frequently took baths at the beach so I could water the garden, but it was all to no avail. Eventually the rose bushes withered and died. When it finally did rain, I collected the runoff from my roof and hoarded the water in large bins in the kitchen. I was convinced this was global warming—the man-made global warming that Al Gore, the UN, environmentalists and Hollywood had warned us about for the last 2 decades.
Then in 2006 it rained and got cooler in Binh Thuan. In 2007 it continued. In 2008 and 2009 there were even floods. Roads in the countryside became impassible because there was so much water. We occasionally had rain during dry season—in fact in 2009 there was no clearly distinguishable dry season in Binh Thuan. The countryside remained lush and cool throughout the year, and birds and insects remained instead of retreating or dying like they normally would. Temperatures remained reasonable, and there was no sign of the droughts we had in 2004 and 2005.
Last week it was discovered that the scientists who formulated all the theories on global warming have been lying to us. Their servers were hacked and hundreds of damning emails have been released to the public (though many media outlets have neglected to cover the story given how much they have to lose due to their investment in covering global warming). It’s all been a big fraud and they’ve been hiding the truth to protect themselves, their reputations, and their grant money. Even further, they admitted to destroying the original data that their fraud was supposedly based on. There has been no evidence of overall global temperature rises in the last 150 years, let alone evidence of climate change due to man.
I’d like to think we can move on with life, pursue real science and leave the hoax in the past. Unfortunately I know that won’t happen. The marriage of politics, science, the news media and Hollywood is indivisible. As long as spreading lies helps them maintain their power, they’ll never let go.
For more on the climate change fraud scandal over the weekend, read this article and this article, both of which happen to be with Fox News.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)