Graeme = 1 Motor Scooters = 0

Purple haze running through my mind..

Graeme = 1  Motor Scooters = 0

Graeme and I took out our first motor scooter a few weeks ago.  No, we didn't rent one.  We sent a motor scooter with 2 people on it to the pavement!  We were coming home from dinner one night, Erin was behind us.  As we made a left onto our street and were just about to start the left turn into our parking garage I felt something on my left arm and simultaneously heard Erin shriek.  Realizing it had to be a scooter trying to pass us on the left - the wrong side of the road, which in and unto itself is not uncommon here - without beeping (btw there were two wide open lanes to our right and if you are passing someone you should be beeping).  In a split second I knew it was either gonna be them or us that went down, so, conjuring up my old ice hockey days I laid my shoulder into them as hard as I could.  It threw them off balance enough so that, as they squirreled past us, I could tell there was no hope for them and "POP"!  off flew their helmets (probably would not have done them any good anyway as a what passes for a helmet here is about as protective as a baseball hat), then their front wheel gave in from wobbling and stuck to the right and down they went.  Graeme's bike seat is in the front, so he's basically weighted directly in front of me, sort of combining our center of gravity.

Keep that center of gravity...

I am pretty sure if this happened with him on the back we'd be on the cement as well. 

Graeme and I were stopped and perfectly upright.  I was asking if they were alright as they picked themselves up off the ground.  I could tell it was just some minor road rash (but in this climate that will take just about forever to heal).  They wouldn't look our way.  There were plenty of people around (security for a few buildings, taxi drivers, etc.)  One of our Security guys just looked at me and told me to go.  Twice.  So, we went.  Erin somehow figured it was my fault and starting yelling at me but I was too pumped with adrenaline and high fiving Graeme telling him how we showed them who was the Boss!  He was pretty pumped too...

My only question is:  do we get to put two notches in our helmets b/c of 2 riders or just one b/c of only 1 scooter? 

Considering the Grandparent and Great Grandparent readership of this blog I won't go into the traffic accident statistics of SE Asia, but let's just say it's not a matter of "if" but "when"...just hoping the score remains this way forever...

Halloween kind of snuck up on us...yes we've loved seeing all the Facebook pics of kids at Pumpkin Patches, Fall foliage, people wearing sweaters and flannel....but the weather here has us mentally in August mode.  They don't celebrate it here but there are enough ex-pats that you see it around.  The local Mall puts on a big deal and Graeme's Daycare was all about it.

We started the festivities off with an event the weekend before at Erin's school.  Or at least tried to.  We got Graeme all pirated up - some serious improvising due to lack of supplies - and cruised to the event. 

Arrgghh!

Well, it rained like we've never seen it and the "outdoor" event was shoved under a mezzanine so it was wall to wall people.  I don't know if you have ever seen Graeme at a party with a lot of people, but it usually doesn't bode well.  The kid does not like crowds or chaos.  As soon as we entered the event he saw another pirate - a 6ft, 220lbs father of someone who went all out with the gear.  This sent Graeme into a tailspin that was unrecoverable.  We lasted about 10 minutes total....9 1/2 of them under duress.

Mommy-Pirate

The parade at Graeme's daycare, Kids Club, came through though.  Halloween was on a Thursday, a day Graeme does not go to daycare, but they had a parade for all the kids and parents were invited.

Wild in the streets...

Erin was able to play hooky for a little while and surprise Pirate Graeme...he was stoked!
All the kids were super cute and it was a hoot to watch them walk down the street in their neighborhood singing "Go Away Mean Witch, Go Away!".  Locals were at their doorsteps scratching their heads...

The Tiny Tot Crew....

Frogs in a bucket...

Spending the better part of the day with 44 other 2 year olds had Graeme kind of spent so we never made it actually Trick-or-Treating.  His school had sent home a map of homes from families who would be participating and have treats for kids if they went out.  Super funny because along with the map were detailed instructions on how to actually Trick-or-Treat as well as what to do if a Trick-or-Treater rings your doorbell.





If you are a member of the Hawken family the weather is something that has a hold on you in life.  Something in our DNA has us transfixed...following the weather here is a challenge.  Well, first off, there isn't much to follow.  We just changed seasons, from "wet" to "dry".  To be honest it didn't change a whole lot.  We get fewer thunderstorms in the afternoon now but they still occasionally pop up.  And it's hot.  It's hot when you wake up, all day and at night.  We've just traded humidity based heat for tropical sun based heat with the season change.

Living in a Communist Socialist country with Government controlled media, we don't hear too much about what's going on.  We rely mostly on US websites and who knows who they are relying on for the information about here??  So one day last week Erin came home a few hours early.  The US Embassy had closed all the schools because there was a Typhoon expected to hit HCMC between 3pm and 8pm - Erin got out at 2:30pm.  We scoured the web and found nothing. 

Why bother having an attached roof when you can just sandbag it?

We made sure the candles, matches and water were stocked (even without a Typhoon the power here is shut off periodically).  We watched outside as locals prepared by putting sandbags on sheet metal rooftops - because they probably are not attached at all.  Building codes here are a bit, ummm, lax?  And we waited...nothing.  Then at 8pm, almost on the dot, the rain started.  But that was it.  Just rain.





It would be incredibly rare for HCMC to take a direct hit from a Typhoon.  Central Vietnam gets slammed about 12 times per year.  We never hear anything about it even though lives are lost, houses fly away and towns are destroyed. (sound familiar Klauser family?)

Rainy days...

So all we got was rain.  It rained through the night and the next day.  That is pretty rare for here. A long rainstorm might last an hour or two, but usually only 30-45min.

Graeme and I put our rainy-day-fort-building-skills to the test and weathered it out.






But back to the lack of information....about a day later I got an email from my Uncle Ted (Hi Uncle Ted!)...in his email he signed off telling us to be safe with the approaching storm.  I figured he meant the one we just missed out on...for some reason it stuck in my head so I got online and Googled around.  Well, hello Typhoon Hayian!  Had no idea it even existed and about 36 hours later the Philippines were rocked and all reports had it heading our way!  Not a peep was being spoken about it here...Well, Skype, FB and email lit up from everyone in the West checking in on us, setting up scheduled times to talk through the approach of the storm for updates, etc.  It is a tough one to predict because there is no Gulf Stream in the South China Sea so once that thing got through the Phillipines it was anyone's guess where it was going.  Plus it covered so much territory it could have affected the entire country all at once.

Pretty much Charlie has us on a need to know basis and as far as I can figure out, when we need to know something we get a call from the US Embassy a half hour before it's supposed to hit the fan....we were following the info online from the same sources you were and we are only a 2hr flight away from the Philippines.  Our hearts and thoughts are with the Filipino's as well as anyone with Family or Friends there.  There is a heavy Fililpino population back in the Bay Area as well as here - just hoping everyone connected is as safe as can be.  Scary.  We are very grateful for the "pass" Mother Nature and hope to never wake up and see Jim Cantore standing here.  We are also grateful for everyone thinking of us as well as checking in on us...

To say the least living here is interesting from a media/information viewpoint.  To help put it in perspective - a few weeks ago they tried to eliminate CNN and CNN.Com from Vietnam as well we got a letter reminding us that Social Media is only for sharing personal information, not political information, viewpoints, etc. They just threw a few people in jail for doing just that ...Click Here if you want to dig deeper.

We have been able to get out and have some fun locally.  We made it over to District 2 for an Art Auction for kids and Graeme was able to make his own T-Shirt.

Look out Mossimo...

"G" label...

Cruizin'...

Nothing like a cactus on a hot day.

Pirate training

 We also hit up Snap Cafe - a great eatery with a built in playground, all under thatch cover so the sun gets through but doesn't beat you up.  Unplanned, we ended up meeting 4 other families here from Graeme's daycare (great minds think alike).  It's a great place because the kids run wild while you eat and hang out with the other parents.  There isn't a whole bunch for kids in HCMC so this place is a treat.  It's quite a trek to get there, so this was only our second visit. 

"Man, I hope Daddy is watching!"

Some sort of milestone happened for Graeme though...out of nowhere he was playing without the assistance of Mommy or Daddy!  He was content running around with the other kids, parent free.  A first.  And a pleasure to watch as I sat and ate my hamburger without interruption.

Good times...

Daycare buddies...

We took a trip over to Chinatown in HCMC, an area called Cholon...there is a HUGE market there called Binh Tay Market.  It's pretty much a wholesale market - where the people from other markets and retail stores buy their goods.  So the prices here are way cheaper then anywhere else.  Some vendors won't sell you onesy-twosy's but most will cut you a deal on whatever you want.  Name a brand of shoe, bag, accessorie and you can find it's knock off here.  Need junkfood?  Footwear? There is about 100,000sqft of dedicated space for each...pretty amazing.

Candy?

One of several halls...

While over there we hopped on some cyclo's and took a tour to Buddhist Pagoda's built by the Chinese.   The cyclo's are a good way to see things on the street that don't catch your eye when in a taxi or on a bicycle..They are pretty cool. 

The only way to ride..

got snacks?

Ummm...which one is for the cable?

Garden apartments..

Not made for 6 footers that is for sure..

Mother nature eats buildings here

Lighting incense cone for G-Nan

G-Nan's cone....

Saying a prayer for G-Nan

With Erin's Grandmother's (G Nan) passing heavily on our minds, we lit several incense sticks for her as well as put her name on a red sheet of paper and lit an incense cone and had it hung in the temple for her.  It takes a long time for the cone to burn and in the end the paper burns with it.

We told Graeme G-Nan could hear him talking to her while we were there and he was telling her how much he misses her and how much he loves her.  It was very sweet.

Well, I know this turned out to be a lengthy note.  We appreciate you reading it (especially if you made it this far!).  I promise next time more pictures ;)

We also want to, again, thank everyone for thinking of us and reaching out during the Typhoon Haiyan event.  Our thoughts and hearts are with those affected by it and can only hope for a speedy recovery for all. 

Hoà Bình,

The Hawken's in HCMC
#thetaoofgraeme

Holiday in Cambodia...

Our view 10 steps from our hut for a week...about as crowded as it ever got.

Have you ever dreamed of that perfect vacation where you were on a tiny island with just your crew, sleeping in a hut steps away from a deserted private beach; gentle surf lapping up on the beach as a lullaby;  a few over-sized iguana's for roommates to keep the local mosquito population in check; waking to share a sunrise walk on the beach with Macaque monkeys; no other structures other then a restaurant/bar/community area putting out great food, cold beers and friendly conversation?  Yeah, us too.  We've searched the internet almost to the end trying to book that vacation.  To be honest, we've even booked that vacation a few times, only for it to not be true.  Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to a dream come true - Lazy Beach, Cambodia.

This is not a joke...

Commute to our hut.

Commuter traffic.

Our first big trip!  Fall Break hit mid October for Erin and we hightailed it over to Cambodia.  We traveled via land (charter bus then private van then fishing boat) versus air (much much cheaper this way).  I would like to brag about how smart we were and how much research we did to put the trip together but that was not the case.  A co-worker of Erin's had been to this beach resort before and planned then entire thing from A to Z.  Our Mom's didn't raise no dummies - when she made the offer to jump on board with 2 other families with kids - we were in!  Didn't hurt that the amount of international traveling their families have done can fill several passports, so we basically just had to show up at the bus on time, the rest was figured out for us!

Our final destination was Lazy Beach on the island of Koh Rong Saloem about a 2 hour boat ride from Sihanoukville.

A 2 hr bus run to the border of Vietnam and Cambodia.  Pretty chill ride. One amazing thing is that for about 1 1/2 hours of it you are still in Ho Chi Minh City.  Man, this place sprawls forever!  Crossing the border via land was interesting.  Unlike in an airport, you have to first check out of Vietnam, then cross through nomansland and check into Cambodia.  Also unlike an airport, the rabidness of Vietnam's corruption rears its ugly head.  We got to see this for the first time in person.  Let's just say, in Vietnam there is no problem a few hundred thousand Dong cannot fix.  Let's just say that it's not something that is attempted to be hidden (get pulled over on a scooter and the police will just say "money, money" - no bother to check for i.d. or explain, just pay me!).

Border crossing goes to the highest bidder!

Longish story short one of our passengers had an old Passport # that matched up to their current Residence card.  The new passport had a different # but was current.  So they brought both.  Should be no problem as everything matches up, stamp and go on through, right?  Not so.  Charlie wanted $40usd (on top of the usual $20usd for a visa) extra to make it all nice-like.  That's a bit beyond a "commission" (200% the original price?) not to mention that we already pre-paid a $5usd bribe per person through the travel bus company to make sure everything was smooth.  Well they talked him down to $20usd and were sure to let him know they didn't consider it a "tip" as he had mentioned, rather extortion.  People were literally handing passports over with money dangling out of them.  They even have guys in blue uniforms hanging around.  Throw them your passport with $5-$10usd and poof!  you are first across...imagine that.

We spent one night in Sihanoakville at a nice place with a pool for the kids and caught the boat in the morning over to the island.  This was not a vacation to immerse ourselves into the culture or go searching for ourselves.  This was about relaxing.  Relaxing after moving to a new country, taking a jaunt back to the US for a minute, starting a new job, etc., etc.  And man, did we book the right trip....

11 people in our crew - 5 kids from 2-12 years old.  All very well traveled individuals we were hanging out with to say the least.  Everyone got along swimmingly and not once did we get any tantrums, or even close to one, from any of the kids.  Amazing when you consider about 12 hours of bus travel, 2 hour boat ride, border crossings, etc.

Our crew...

Ready for action....

3 to a seat at this size...saves on gas.

You call that a "boat"?

 
Not much drama on the way out.  A little bit of rough sea's that the converted fishing boat took head on, but nothing we couldn't handle.  When we got there the tide was too low to pull up to the dock so you 2 choices.  Either take a dingy in or swim.  Ummm.....I swam.  I did my best to make the crew at Main Beach, Erskine Lakes high dive proud, climbed up to the roof and launched.  A first for me, swimming to my destination!  So cool....

Land ho!

Our days consisted of waking for a walk at sunrise (well, Graeme and Erin did - Daddy slept a bit later after hanging a little later at the restaurant talking with the locals who work there) usually accompanied by some monkeys and water buffalo dung.  Followed by a lazy breakfast where you could catch up with your friends while staring at the ocean view.  The kids all played games - and a big high-five to the older kids who had the patience of angels to teach a 2 year old how to play Risk, Battleship and Jenga - as we decided if we should swim first or laze on the beach first?  The rest of the day took care of itself....

The waves and water were just perfect, especially for the kids.  Holding steady at about 78 degrees, it was about waist deep until just past the sand bar, so Graeme could stand for the most part.  As we know, he loves the ocean.  He also loves taking on the waves.  He's not such a fan of going over them or under them.  He likes to try and go THROUGH them!  The surf never gets big here (bummer for me) but the gutless 1-2 footers were perfect for Graeme.  As far out as you chose to go, you could still count the grains of sand on the bottom - that's how clear the water was.

Should went under that one...

These waves won't know what hit them...

Charge!

First wave!

Checking out the rights...

I got it Dad!

Let's see how the lefts are...

Graeme caught his first waves here.  I started out by pushing him sans-boogie board to body surf a few.  He glided a bit on some of them.  Then we jumped on the board.  He was a natural!  Not sure if he's gonna be goofy or regular - he like going both right, left and straight.  He took to them quite naturally if I don't say so myself.  Need to get him on a surfboard soon!





It's a small island.  One day it was a bit windy at our beach.  We took a 20 minute walk on a path through the jungle to other side to see what that beach had to offer.  Ummm...yeah.  Saracen Bay.
Not too bad.

Saracen Bay - all to ourselves.

Yup, no one else.

Buds!

Hanging with mom....

It was such a relaxing and recharging trip.  You couldn't find a better solution to get away from such a busy city as HCMC.  Aside from a few too many mosquito bites (Graeme got hammered, stinks being the lowest to the ground).  Really an unbelievable place and if anyone ever comes to visit and wants to go we will be more then happy to show you the way!

As all good things come to an end,  we sadly departed Lazy Beach, said our goodbyes to the local dogs and motored back to Sihanoakville.  From there we thought it would be cool to take a detour on our way to Phnom Penh with our private van and check out Kirirom National Park along the way.  On paper a fantastic idea.  Break up the drive, get above sea level into some fresh mountain air, go for a hike to a waterfall, majestic mountain views....

Cambodian river cabana's

The drive proved to be a bit more then we had hoped for and turned a long day in a van into a really really really long day in the van.  The views were amazing.  The air was sweet and aromatic, cool on the face.  Our van drive was a champion pushing the 2 cylinder baby-bus up 2,500ft elevation while navigating dirt roads, semi-paved roads and elephant sized potholes.  When we got to the top there was a little village along a river.  The water cascaded down a bit through a few pools... this was the "waterfall".  You could rent space in these little huts and hang out and order some food from the locals. Graeme mixed it up a bit with some of the local kids but by the time we got there we really didn't have time to relax as we needed to be back on the road so as not to have to navigate the route in the dark.  It was cool to see, we were just a bit spent.  We hit a temple on the way down the hill to stretch our legs a bit more then we hotfooted it to Phnom Penh.

Steps to the temple..

One of these things is doing the wrong thing....

So cute and what a smile!

Tuk Tuk here, Tuk Tuk there, here a Tuk, there a Tuk....

I will be the first to admit I knew very little about Cambodia and it's history before this trip.  To go one step further, I knew very little about it until I actually read about it while on this trip.  I got myself up to speed (well, the Readers Digest version) while at Lazy Beach.  We spent 2 nights and one day in Phnom Penh.  Incredible history aside - it's a wonder that we were even able to be there after what happened only 35 years ago - it's a really cool city.  Much easier to navigate as a tourist then HCMC is.  They are attracting international chefs who are taking advantage of the local ingredients and just doing great things.  Tuk Tuk's are abound and cheap enough so you don't walk too much in the heat.

I'll wrap up Phnom Penh with the statement that we will be back.  There is too much more to see and too much more to learn about this incredible culture.  With the comfort level their tourist business is set up at, it's affordability (we did this entire trip for the price what airfare would have been had we flown 45 minutes to Cambodia) and the smiles the Cambodians provide on a daily basis, it's scandalous not to return many times.  Hey, Erin and I were even introduced to each other by a Cambodian ;)

If you would like to see all the pictures from the trip click here.

Sunset over Lazy Beach

Life is not always gorgeous morning walks or incredible sunrises.  We came home to the news that Graeme had lost his Great Grandmother, Thelma Dumbrill (he calls her G-Nan).  Erin's Grandmother was battling cancer and brave to the end, passed away last Friday.

Graeme is very fortunate to have had the pleasure of knowing 5 Great Grandparents.  He especially has been able to spend an abundance of time with G-Nan and the two of them have developed quite a bond.  She was one of only a few people who can get him belly-laughing, he requests a book she gave him with her recorded voice telling the story often.  When we were just home in California last month he was able to spend a few days at her house.  The two of them playing and laughing for hours.  Something so simple as pouring change out of a bowl and then putting it back in....I don't know why but it sent to both of them to the moon.  Such a happy memory for his last moments with his G-Nan.

When I started this blog I said I wasn't sure where it would go.  I try not to sugar coat everything.  I want people to really know how Graeme, Erin and I are doing, what we are up to and basically what it is like living abroad, starting a new life in a foreign land.  When things like this happen it is extremely difficult to express how we feel.  Being so far when losing a loved one is not easy.  Being home and close to everyone and losing a loved one is not easy.  Our hearts are pouring out for Erin's Grandfather (G-Pop to Graeme), her mother and her siblings.  G-Nan was a huge presence in their lives and will be missed dearly.  But now she is not suffering anymore, and to be honest we feel she is even closer to us now as she isn't limited by her body anymore.

A true inspiration, coming to America with a 6 month old child (Erin's Mom), G-Nan and G-Pop created a life and spawned 4 generations - thinking nothing of sacrificing anything they had if it helped their family.

Please keep a thought for Erin's family at this time and in keeping spirit with the culture we are living in I found this Buddhist quote that seemed appropriate:

 “Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.”

 Hoà Bình,

The Hawken's in HCMC
#thetaoofgraeme