If you are not up to a rant and a long one at that, skip this installment and wait for a happier one. I am sure there will be one soon.
Leaving Vietnam. Hit the wall - had enough. Interestingly enough I am writing this on my first plane ride since arriving in Bangkok, what seems so long ago, and I am sitting behind a couple I met in the Departure lounge who have the exact same sentiment. I told them I stayed at least two days too long and they said they stayed at least two weeks too long. We both look forward to perhaps not being scammed or at least attempted to be scammed every transaction and, maybe, meeting more nice than not in Laos.
We are on our way to Luang Prabang .....Yikes! Case in point - food has just arrived. About 30 minutes ago I asked is there food on this flight? The Vietnam Air staff member, who speaks perfect English, and processes only two flights - one to Laos and one to Cambodia, said, no, no food, only drinks so buy something to take. I believed her - what incentive is there to lie about that? I had also asked is the plane full? No - but there are 70 passengers. so I buy Pringles - checking the date because there are some cans still around from the very early 2000's., go to three places - three prices......and now - food and drink on the plane that has about 20 passengers. They seem to lie because it is more fun than not. No one who spends any time here gets it. Ah....I rant. I leave. I am sick of Vietnam. Many beautiful things to see but so many negative experiences with the people. I think maybe it is the north as the south warned me - maybe one day I will go back and read the blogs and see if there was a dividing line geographically. Or, more probably, a fatigue factor of bulls*** and I hit it a couple of days ago in Halong and today was the icing on the cake. Was time to flee before looking for hostages.
Last night, returned exhausted from the Halong Bay - Sapa seven day excursion. I returned to the Hotel I had previously stayed at and brought a Russian couple with me from the trip so they could have a look and book for their return to Hanoi in a few weeks. This Hotel had been good - ok, the women working there, it is a family owned operation, are outstanding and nice and kind and the men are lazy and rude and horrible.
This morning, after my first Skype call from Donna - there will never be another long distance call by me at home now that I have mastered Skype - please sign up and we can talk - so easy, no wonder Europe and Asia are leaving us in the dark - they haven't paid for a call for years!!!.. I shall cancel my landline now and just use the cell as I was keeping the landline for long distance.
Anyway, come down for breakfast, and hear the argument. Men here seem to scream all the time so it was unclear if it is normal yelling, or angry yelling. I ask my nice friend and she tells me she is so sorry I have to hear that but it is angry fighting. It seems that Buddy has lost all of the family's money on online sports betting and the fight is on.
Eventually it gets much more aggressive and I ask if we could do something.   My friend ( the manager?, at least the one who does all the work while the men sit around on the internet all day and treat you with disdain if you ask them anything) , just keeps saying ï am so sorry - you are customer, this is not right"  "you should not hear this" Then we hear a big slap/punch and screaming - I run around the corner to the front desk to find the jerk screaming at his wife (found out he was her husband) and she is now cowering behind the desk. I tell the guy to back off and the manager lady tells me to go sit down, and she is clearly very afraid. Another family member, male, is there during all of the beginning stuff and at this point he goes out the door to sit on his motorcycle. Two minutes later all hell breaks out and buddy has hauled his wife over the counter, ripping the granite counter top off the counter and it fell to the marble floor smashing and creating a really loud crash. He then starts to punch her head numerous times and I try to get near him to create a diversion for her to escape and he takes a run for me. Clearly he is a wild crazy man intent on finishing her off. She gets herself back behind the counter and onto the floor, screaming in pain and crying while trying to cover her head up and he goes around and kicks the s*** out of her head while one of the two of the other women and I yell and try to get near him. He kicks and kicks then pummels her body with his fists and we can only stand there and watch in horror - me screaming, him screaming at her and she getting beaten. I ask the cowering other women if we could get help somewhere, police? Anywhere? And she says no. There is no help.
He stops for a few minutes - goes back to the computer to look at his bets. By this time, a nice couple from Montreal who I met in Halong Bay come barreling down the stairs, (I recommended this Hotel to them) and we all try to determine the injuries and pick up the crumpled woman. All the time, the two women are saying we are so sorry you see this - all through their tears. We check her head - can't find any cuts but clearly she is out of it and the two women haul her down the hall to a back room. The jerk gets up and goes past us - I thought he was going for her again, but this time he goes into a different room and stays there a while. My friend comes out - we talk to her about concussions, checking irises, etc but she won't let us see the injured women, instead she suggests we have some tea. She is crying and I think took a few shots but still is keen on doing her job.
The jerk comes out, heads right back to the computer - there are two internet terminals for guests to use and the Canadian couple tells me they got back to Hanoi four days ago and that that guy had been sitting in front of both terminals day and night - same clothes, there in the early morning and there when they returned back late, for the last three days hogging both computers and frantically making cell phone calls placing bets. One afternoon, the Canadian girl wanted to use the internet, so her boyfriend told the jerk she wanted to use it and he moved his chair a bit so the Canadian guy jumped on it and had to close 16 pages of betting pages. He said the guy was furious and kicked his girlfriend off the computer and went back to his frantic betting. His wife - the injured one, had been sitting on the couch beside the computers, day in and day out, watching her husband gamble.
So back to the melee. The three of us (we Canadians are a noble bunch), start picking up the granite pieces and putting the desk back together as the jerk sits there. Both the other Vietnamese women are crying and the jerk is checking out his bleeding hand. He gets up to tend to it and the Canadian guy goes to the computers and closes all his pages and Goggles - Vietnam - Domestic Violence. It was a brilliant move as jerk face returns to find that on his screen. Not happy but not willing to beat up a man. Then the Canadian guy tells us all it is International Women's Day . (Really it was) .
The relative who left to sit on his motorbike comes back just as I am checking out so I had a little discussion with him about the definitions of courage and cowardice. I helped him by using simple terms and he did seem to get it. I wouldn't place any bets (no pun intended) that things will be different next time.
Hello Laos. Looking out the window it seems like a lot of the country is burning. They burn the clear cuts and we can smell it already on the plane. Supposedly it was 38 degrees in Luang Prabang yesterday so I hope it is not only the weather that will be different from Vietnam.
Sorry for the rant but this is my diary and it was a tough day watching all that happen and be so powerless to help. The last time I jumped in I did get two broken wrists but at least it stopped the beating. This time I could only see bad from every angle. So much unfairness and cruelty in this world.