'Nam That Tune? Hotel Bloody California!!!

"Life in Vung Tau is like living in a bubble."  So said more than one of my work colleagues over the course of my stay there.  And they were right.  Not much actually happens in the small coastal town, hence the complete lack of posts over the last 6 months.

Now, that's not to say that there is nothing going on.  At the weekend, swarms of Vietnamese tourists from neighbouring Ho Chi Minh City descend upon the place to make use of the beaches and to get away from the chaotic mess that was formerly known as Saigon.  Teenaged-boys put their own lives on the line (as well as everyone else's!!) by racing down the comparatively-deserted streets. Copious amounts of beer are downed.  The theme from 'Titanic' is mangled over and over again in the numerous karaoke joints dotted around. The Eagles' most famous song is played relentlessly, eating away at your soul.  Should the Californian outfit ever find themselves in need of cash, they could do much worse than checking out the bars of Vung Tau where they would be guaranteed a bumper pay-day.

Speaking of those bars, it cannot go by without being said that 'Hotel California' ad infinitum is not the only thing that can grate.  Unfortunately, the city does have a reputation of having a sleazy underbelly.  This reputation is not undeserved.  Harking back to the 60s and the American War, Vung Tau was the place where allied-Australian soldiers could go to find reprieve from the realities of conflict.  Here they could find plenty to drink and plenty of company with whom to drink.  Little has changed over the years and those same servicemen seem to drift back in retirement in search of those happy memories (the fact that the girls they encounter now may be grandchildren of the women they 'courted' 40 years ago doesn't seem to matter).  Coupled with the booming oil industry and the constant stream of off-shore workers coming back to the mainland to spend their hard-earned pay, Vung Tau doesn't seem in a hurry to shake off its seedy image.  The Gary Glitter affair speaks for itself.

Despite all this, I will have some pleasant memories of life in Vung Tau.  Living on a peninsula with the beach practically on your doorstep is not something to grumble at.  Being able to spend an hour or two at the seaside before work is something I will miss, as is the delicious seafood you can get at ridiculously-low prices.  For the equivalent of $5 I could eat a feast of crab, squid, shrimp, clams and fish in a restaurant overlooking the sea.  A few times, myself and a few of the other teachers went to the local dog track and blew our money on the races (some shady deals going on there, I'm sure).  And then there were the real highlights of life in Vung Tau; the continuous sunshine and good weather being perfect for barbecues and the trip out to sea on a chartered boat for another colleague's stag party.

However, I miss my girlfriend, who is now back in Iran, and 9 months of long-distance is far too much.  It's time for another adventure and another new place to explore.