The return of Tanja...

For a year in Barcelona, I was Tanja. You would think that the proximity to France would mean that Danielle wasn't too much of a stretch, but invariably people called me Tanja. After a while, I gave up- Tanja, my alter ego?, won. Mainly I gave up beacuase when we insisted our names were Frances, Leo and Danielle people were very upset that the names translated as 'French', 'I read' and 'Daniel'.


Tanja was reborn again to day by the easy riders. Again, they were all taught french at school here in Vietnam- my guide even went to a French school. Maybe I'll just be Tanja again for a while- just to see what it's like...

Today has been special- I have had both Grundy and John rave about the easy riders, but I don't think I really understood what we were doing. I feel like I've learn't so much about the Vietnamese today. On the back of their Hondas we drove for miles through stunning valleys and terraced fields. I have visted flower farms, seen every tpye of vegetable you can imagine being grown, seen temples, blacksmiths, brooms being made, mushrooms being grown (in bags strung up in tents!), rice wine being made. The most amazing was silk- we saw the silk worms being fed and then visited a factory where they spun the cucoons into silk. It's an incredibly and very intricate process. Both Sarah and I bought silk scarves for a pound- I just couldn't stand the idea of it ending up in tie rack for 9.99.

But the real beauty of this was being with these guys was like having a passport into these peoples lives- not just because they explained everything to us, but also beause we were warmly welcome into homes everywhere we went. The Vietnamese are just such warm people- warm like the Thai people but more genuine and still interested in tourists.

I've also decided that Vietnam is the least communist country I've ever been to (which only numbers 3, but Cuba and China are both so different)If fact, there is nothing communist about this place- they have private property and profit, they pay for their education (and healthcare?) and are about to pay income tax. I guess the only question is has America won the war with Vietnam through economics, or was the entire war based on a misunderstanding about 'communism'in Vietnam? either way it makes me sad- but the latter saddest. It's Cuba all over again- America responsing to the word communist like a red flag to a bull. Castro wasn't even a communist to start with... Still at least now the word has become old, and the world 'nuclear' seems to be the buzz word to jolt fear into the minds of millions (Grundy- I expect you to have an opinion on all this!!!)

anyways, enough of this essay! Just spent the last two hours discussing A.I. with a guy from Barcelona and an Italian- very embarrassing that I am proficient in neither language and have lived in both places! Ei ya... xxxx