Well we have finished our orientation and will start teaching on Monday. Most of us still don't have out work permits sorted and have had to do several runs into Saigon to our respective consulates....am guessing I will have to go later this week as, after having my paperwork for 2 weeks it was returned to me on Friday with the HR person telling me it needs to be authenticated - which I have already had done before I left Australia so I am questioning the need to get it done again!! Cannot work out what the hell they have done with it for the past 2 weeks but suspect it has just been sitting in some HR persons desk!!

Have been given our teaching allocation and I will be teaching Intermediate students from all schools within the University. The down side is that I have to start teaching at 0730 and we all know I am not morning person!! The lessons are 4 hours long....heavens only knows what I will do with them for that amount of time. So essentially my days will start with getting up at 0530, getting ready and having breakfast at the hotel before the bus picks us up at 0640 to take us out to the Uni. I will then teach from 0730 - 1130 and after lunch do planning until 1530 when the bus takes us back to our hotel. I suspect we will then enjoy a few beers before finding somewhere to eat dinner and trying to get an early night.

Time to start exploring my new home. Thu Dau Mot (TDM) is the capital of Binh Duong Province about 1 hour motorbike ride from Ho Chi Minh City. Thu Dau Mot is a small city of about 250,000 people, and, to many, a preferred place to live in because of its better traffic and pollution conditions Although it is only about 30 kms from Saigon it takes about an hour drive due to the heavy traffic which seems to be constant 24/7. The city seems to be a blend of old and new with much of the new construction being undertaken by Becamex - the company that also own the university where I am teaching. Driving from Saigon it is difficult to differentiate when Saigon finishes and TDM starts but I have been reliably informed it is the bridge across the Saigon River!! Whilst TDM has a small population the town is VERY spread out which means loads of walking to get anywhere. I don't mind walking but the heat does make it difficult.

we are in the middle of rainy season which basically means it is hot day and night with torrential downpours of rain at the most inopportune times.... usually when I am out walking or of an evening when we end up staying at the bars drinking till it stops....not good for my liver!!

Spent the weekend exploring more of Thu Dau Mot and finding there is more to the town than I originally thought. Found the market and the waterfront yesterday. Explorled part of the market which is where all the locals come to but their fresh fruit, vegs and meat. It was really nice just to watch the local people go about their daily lives. Other parts of the market seem to sell everything from clothes, to everyday items.Will probably have to do a run there when we get our apartments to stock up on the necessary items. Walking along the side streets we spotted people selling all kinds of things off the back of bicycles including fresh flowers and goldfish in plastic bags!! Spent some time just sitting in a riverside cafe drinking avocado smoothies (my new favorite non-alcoholic beverage!) and watching the world go by. Although it is difficult to walk around the town after watching the traffic I don't think I will be getting a motorbike or scooter any time soon. Havoc and chaos seem to be the order of the day especially at intersections where it gets worse with everyone just trying to go where they want and no-one giving way!!! Kenny (our hotel manager) took a few of us out for drinks last night and we had our first Vietnamese lesson with him trying to teach us the different tones.....oh dear.....i think this is going to be even more difficult than Mandarin.

More exploring today and found a rather impressive cathedral which is being restored and a large temple complex which contains the largest reclining Buddha in Vietnam.

Hoi Khanh Temple (Chùa Hội Khánh) is a historic Buddhist temple built in 1741. The temple has been refurbished and expanded many times, but retains its old-fashioned architecture. The temple is located only 150 m away from the road. Beyond the triple gates inscribed with depictions of dragons and phoenixes, the temple lies on a quiet plot of land, with many trees, in particular, four eucalyptus trees more than a century old that were planted shortly after the temple was rebuilt.

The preaching hall and the eastern sanctuary were rebuilt in 1917, and the western sanctuary was rebuilt in 1984. The main ceremonial hall was rebuilt in 1990–1991. On February 29, 1992, the Board of the Buddhist Association of Song Be Province organised the restoration of the historical statues of the temple. The total built-up area occupied by the main hall, preaching hall, western and eastern sanctuary of the temple is 700 square metres. In the main hall are statues of Gautama Buddha, Ksitigarbha and other bodhisattvas, all made of wood with a golden paint exterior. There are statues of 18 arahants around the main hall. The wooden statues were carved in the late 19th century by local craftsmen from Thủ Đầu Một.

Over the more than 250 years of its existence, ten abbots have presided over the temple. The cremated remains of the nine past abbots have been enshrined in stupas on the temple grounds. These are Thích Đại Ngạn, Thích Chân Kính, Thích Chánh Đắc, Thích Trí Tập, Thích Thiện Quới, Thích Từ Văn, Thích Ấn Bửu - Thiện Quới, Thích Thiện Hương and Thích Quảng Viên. The current abbot is Thích Huệ Thông, who is also the current Secretary-General of the provincial Buddhist association.

Hội Khánh temple has long been a centre of Buddhist scholarship in the region. Many of the monks trained at the temple have gone on to open and preside over other temples in the area. One notable monk to have come from Hội Khánh was Thích Từ Văn who was regarded as the leading monk of his time from southern Vietnam. In 1920, he was invited to Marseilles, France to give talks on the dharma. His efforts were instrumental in the setting up of Hoi Khanh Temple in Marseilles.

From 1923 to 1926, a group of anti-colonial activists who advocated Vietnamese independence from France, met at the temple. One of the activists was Nguyễn Sinh Sắc, the father of Ho Chi Minh. The temple is currently the headquarters of the provincial Buddhist association and has been listed by the Vietnamese government as having heritage value on the grounds of being significant in national culture.

The things you find as you walk around!!!! Looking forward to more exploring next weekend but it is time for me to call it a night. That 0530 wake up call is looming largely in my mind!!

Bye for now. xxx