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On My Way

The heat, the traffic, and the dogs have won out, and I’m on my way to a new apartment May 3.

The new apartment is about 2 km down the road, and is closer to the town centre, the beach, and the school.

The new apartment is smaller ( three rooms – bedroom/living room/kitchen, tiny balcony, and bathroom ), but is cheaper, at $3.2 million VND/month ( ABOUT $225 nzd ).

The Heat

Coming into summertime, the heat is becoming hard to handle. Here at 25 Quang Duc, the only room with air-conditioning is the bedroom. Where I’d rather not spend the entire day.

The Traffic

The new place is just enough off the beaten track, so that ( I hope ) I’ll no longer be bombarded with vehicle horns. As I am here, mornings around 7am – 8.30 a.m., lunchtime, and from about 4.30 pm to 7pm. The rest of the day it’s only every few minutes.

The Dogs

Here there are dozens of local dogs which need professional help. A quick bullet would also work. At almost any time, somewhere close or within hearing distance, one of these will be doing it’s nut.

It’s gotten to me. The new place is surrounded by a few less dwellings, so I’m hoping this improves.

I’ve put a deposit on the new place, and committed to a month. If it doesn’t work, I have a couple of back-up plans ( bolt-holes ).

Alea jacta est.

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Dogged

I used to love dogs, really I did.

But I tell you, these Vietnamese mutts are a different breed. I don’t like ’em at all, and the feeling’s mutual.

Their alien radar seems to be on high alert, so every time I walk past one, it can’t resist a bit of a sniff and a worrying attraction to my heels.

With my ankle still only 95% healed from the bike accident in June, I can’t risk a nip from one of these wee devils.

Barking Mad

All that aside, the worst thing about them is their yapping. But these aren’t the throaty roars of a self-respecting English-speaking dog.

Oh no, they’re the high-pitched yelping of castrati, and they take it in turns to go off their heads at any provocation.

Off their heads being the operative phrase. They need professional help, most likely because many are kept inside and/or on a chain 24/7 . With the result that every few minutes one of them lets loose with volley of protest.

In comparison with the Thais, the Vietnamese are much more security-conscious. The apartment I just moved from had five locks on the inner door. I’m not kidding.

Which explains why they keep these pitiful excuses for dogs. They make a noise. Never mind that they’d be an easy snack for a corgi, or an appetiser for a heavyweight hamster.

All dogs think they’re Rottweilers, and these things are no exception.

So it is back to the North for me, and signed up for a month.

Pros: ( relative ) peace and quiet, 2 minutes drive to the beach, and cheap-ish at 4.5 million VND / month. Cons: 20 minutes drive to work, and not as well equipped as the last apartment.

Work

Old home to new home