Hi everyone , last update before i leave Saigon Saturday for Nha Trang which is on the coast further north. I think this hotel i,m in was used to hold prisoners during the war as the rooms are the size of a cell and above the bed someone named Captain Gomez has scrathed his name on the wall and crossed of the months. Staying at the Diamond Bay Resort Nha Trang which is a bit upmarket but hell after a week here i need it. I think when the Viet Cong won the war they didn't go home to their loved ones they stayed here and become scam artists to beat the westerners for a second time. Of all the places in the world i've been this is scam city by far. Interesting day yesterday. Caught the ferry to Vung Tau (one and a half hours away) and found this fantastic seafood restraunt so close to the ocean i could nearly soak my feet under the table. Great seafood , cold beer , cooling breeze , great views and nobody to share it with . Oh well. When i left the restraunt thought i would walk along the coast for a bit. After awhile a guy on a motorbike askedif i needed a lift . Big mistake i agreed. This is where i have another encounter with corrupt cops. He did not have a second helment which didn't bother me as i have been flying around Saigon without one for a week no problem.(i know dangerous but if you looked inside some of these helments there is no way you would put them on your head). Pulled up by two motor bike cops for no friggin helment. While my driver and the young cop screamed at each other i pulled older cop aside and suggested it might be nice for me to pay for him and his wife to go to a nice restraunt. His english not good but finally got message through and everyone relaxed. He then asked if i mind if he took his girlfriend to restraunt and not his wife. (at this point i didn't give a shit who he took) Slipped him money , big smiles all round and as i shook his hand i said i hoped his girlfriend gave him an STD. He said thank you,thank you and waved as i got back on bike (no helment) and drove off. Wish i was around when the doc explains to him about STD. Hope the llttle shit remembers me. Recall an old saying (i know i have many) diplomacy is the art of saying "nice doggie" until you can find a rock. At Lees suggestion had drinks on terrace top of Majestic hotel. Very swish and romantic unfortunately i was with Kim my trusty driver and he;s definately not my type. Well all take care will touch base from Nha Trang

Hi there everyone. Saigon update . Well i always wanted to be a millionaire so i went to an ATM machine and withbrew 2 million Dong. Problem Sat night used card at another HSBC atm and the bloody thing kept my card. Linked to an account with lots of money so have spent all morning trying to sort it out. Luckily there is a Commonwealth bank branch here and they say card should not have been taken. Should have it back this arvo. Everybody in this city wants to rip you off any way they can. Taxis have meters that sometimes work 3 times the normal speed. No longer use them and have a personal motor bike taxi driver. He keeps wanting me to use his spare helment but i looked inside the friggin thing and it has stuff growing in it. Think if i used it i would get scurvy of the head so i've taken the opttion to go with head injury from an accident , probably more chance of survival. Have been to the war museum (bit biased i think) also reunification palace. ( you may remember the picture of te viet cong tank breaking through the front gates). Seeing more AFL games here than i can at home so another reason to stay here. Maybe i should move here for every football season. Thinking i will move on up the coast next week to Nha Trang which is on the coast so should be cooler and not ssuch a mad house. Was originally thinking of Cambodia next but for some reason South American keeps entering my head, anyway no rush to decide and i need to do a bit more research. Also Israel is a consideration. Well will update before i leave Saigon. Cheers all

Hi everyone , have arrived in Saigon a few hours ago. I thought i had seen traffic chaos in Babgalore India and recently Bankgkok but this place makes them look like the Nullabor plain. Unbelieveable. Things discovered so far . I think the Vietnamese spent to long in the tunnels in the war. My room is so small you could not swing a cat. In fact i think the RSPCA would prosecute any keeping a cat in such a small place. All that luxury and space in Bangkok to get this for the same price? Something wrong here. Was in room for fifteen minutes and got cabin fever so went for a walk. Oh well thats the joy of travel paradise one day hell the next. Have also discovered i'm trapped on the block the Hotel is on because there is no way to cross the street. Serious. Will observe the natives tomorrow see how it's done. No walk signals looks like you just walk out into traffic. Not sure if you do this with you eyes open or shut at this point. Went looking for an ATM machine and found a bank up the street called Donga Bank . No kidding. Going to walk in Monday and ask receptionist for the head Donga. ( for those not in the know in OZ a Donga can be a portable accomodation unit or a part ofthe male anatomy) Had meal at sidewalk market and not a sign of another whitey witthin 10 kms. Sat at a tiny table about 18 inches from the floor in a tiny plastis seat the same size as when i was in 3rd grade at school. After two beers went to leave and realised stuck in chair so had another beer while i decided to either pay for the chair and go back to the hotel with it stuck on my arse or ask for help to get it off. Maybe the place will grow on me in a couple of days , miracles apparently happen.

Hi everyone , short update, next time you here from me i will be in Vietnam. Done a few touristy things like floating markets , bridge on the river kwai. Spent today with an agent looking at apartments to lease. Definately thinking on coming back here and settle for a while. Never thought i would like Bangkok this much . Found great new renovated place fully furnished flat screen tv's maids qrtrs pool gymn 2 bedroms 3 bathrooms i can get for about $380 aus per week. Very big apartment and worth a lot more than they are asking. Will need to go to Thai embassay in Saigon to find out how long i can stay here. Maybe i should try for Thai citizenship. Pretty organised before i left Aus however i have discovered something that has turned into a blessing. My ipod, ok you are all thinking for the music right? Well yes thats partly correct hoiwever i have discovered if i go into a bar during the day for a cold beer and don't want to be asked by every bar girl from here to Hong Kong to buy them a drink and they will love me long time i stick my ear plugs in and avoid eye contact they don't come near me. I have even done this when the battery was flat. Just sat and moved my head every now and then like i was listening to something. So there you go another small tip for Darryls travel guide yet to be published.

Hi everyone , this is a short update as i'm not sure if you will receive this in English or Thai . I'm going native very quickly here and loving every minute of it. Moving on to Vietnam end of the week but to be honest it will have to be good to beat this place. Ralph the bloody place has not moved on since we were were in the navy in our 20's. Sarah it's like Bangalore on steroids and you know how we felt about that place. Tucked into a good feed last night of crispy bbq grasshoppers or at least that's what i was told. Bloody big grasshoppers if you ask me but hell when in Rome. Heading to floating markets and River Kwai Tuesday. Had tw0 turbaned Indians follow me yesterday for about two miles and in the end i had to confront the buggers to let them know i was on to them and pissed off. Then i thought maybe they were relatives of the ones Sarah and i trained in India and wanted revenge . Silly twits. Anyway going to keep this short in the hope ui'm up and running. Cheers guys Dazza

Hi everyone. Well after all the drama with the passport i,m sorted and ready to go. For those not aware i had sent my Australian passport to the viet cong in Canberra to attach an entry visa. When it arrived back i promptly put it through the washing machine. Needless to say i then had to apply for a replacement passport and then send it back to the viet cong for a replacement visa. They sent it back with a short note to the affect it's no wonder we lost the war. Anyway short of a disaster which you all know i'm capable of i have booked a flight to Bangkok two weeks time and will then leg it overland into Cambodia. Have read some horror stories about this but i figure hell i neeed the pressure . Have purchased all the travelling gear i think i will need short of an an AK47 but i can pick up a second and one in Cambodia i'm told with very few rounds expended. Bit concerned about being the oldest backpacker in the world but gee someone has to be .