Lunch cost a bit more than usual today.

I don't think we could say we had truly lived in Vietnam until we had experienced street crime. While I was just tucking into my delicious bo luc lac at Red Cafe today, our friend Tommy came running in to call us all out because something had happened to the bikes which were parked just out front. "Something" turned out to be 2 guys, now vanished, who had tried to steal 3 of them by using screwdrivers to break the steering locks. When Phil, Sue and I tried to start our bikes with our keys, they wouldn't go in or turn and we were stuck! As well as Tommy, one of the witnesses who had chased the idiots off was a plain clothes police man who called two other blue shirted guys who talked a lot, checked the bikes and confirmed that yes they had been tampered with and there was a lot of this sort of crime going on right now in this area. For this service we think he expected a tip but we didn't pay anything. To get the bikes going again Tommy, the Vietnamese speaking local hero of the hour, called the nearest Honda shop who sent a couple of guys around to hot-wire the bikes so we could follow them to the shop. This took a while. They arrived just before a heavy downpour so Sue and I enjoyed another coffee while everyone waited for the rain to stop and the bikes to go.

Phil was watching closely to learn how to hot-wire a motorbike.

Once the bikes were on the road again the two repair guys took off with Phil and Tommy in hot pursuit. Sue and I did our best to follow until Phil's highly identifiable bass guitar case disappeared in the distant traffic so of course the 2 of us ended up initially at the wrong honda shop. Once we found the right place Tommy chatted to the team and told us the price - and now we know it costs almost 5 times as much to fix the steering and lock and replace the key for a Honda Airblade as it does for a Honda Vision - no idea why. 10 seconds work with a screwdriver took over 2 hours to repair including travel time as the whole thingumy that the key goes in had to be replaced.

It pays not to wear makeup when you are going to be sitting around getting hot and tired as your face and head just get sweaty.

Just waiting for her ride to be fixed.

Phil and Tommy waiting at the Honda shop, pondering the price of lunch.

I couldn't believe it when I turned around to see how the work on my bike was progressing and saw it stripped completely bare! 10 seconds work with a screwdriver meant the seat lock also had to be replaced which meant my lovely bike had to be completely taken apart.

A Honda Vision Skeleton!

Arriving home shortly after 5pm (we had left for church at 8.30am) with our new sets of keys we decided it was Isaac's job to go out and get dinner because a) We had been unable to pick up our usual supplies from the supermarket and organics store in D2 and b) He had been home chilling and playing x-box ever since lunch at Red Cafe, a place we may not return to as there is no security guard watching the bikes.

Vietnamese Vocab 101

We are into what will be our final 4 week block of language classes under the tutelage of the fabulously patient Miss Thao at Saigon Language School in District 3. Learning to speak Vietnamese is really really hard. The main difficulty for me is that there isn't often any connection between the way a Vietnamese word is spelled or said and it's English translation. The few English "hooks" that I've been able to invent, much to the kid's eye-rolling amusement, sure stick a lot more firmly in my brain.

1. To do exercise = tập thể dục. It's pronounced "tup ter yoop" but it sure looks like "tap the duck" and trying to tap the duck would certainly be an effective form of exercise if the duck didn't wish to be tapped, right?

2. Telephone = điện thoại. If you try calling your friend and she doesn't answer "den twai" again later!

3. Snow = tuyết. Sounds a little bit like tweet? Just like the sound a cold little birdy would make if it was lost in the snow.

4. Australia = Úc. To say it right, you go "oop"and puff your cheeks out as if a fly has flown into your mouth!

5. Begin = bắt đầu. "Bat dow" A bit of a stretch but anyone want to start a game of bat-down?

6. Table = bàn pronounced "bang" like the sound of hitting a table really hard with your hand.

7. Husband = chồng and when ng comes after o it's an "m" sound so this is similar to chum or charm as in Prince Charming.

8. Singer = ca si said "ca shee" So her dress is flashy and she earns a lot of cashy.

9. Tummy = bụng Say. No. More. Actually it's pronounced boom as in "boom baby!"

10. Bank = ngân hàng. We used to hang bank thieves but that practice has ceased so these days none hang.

11. To move house = dọn nhà pronounced "yon yah" as in "we're moving to that there house over yonyah" Remember these don't have to be actually said out loud to anyone to work as a memory aid.

12. boss = sếp as in shepherd: the boss of the sheep.

13. to live = sống which is actually said "shom" but I will always think living is like a song.

14. secretary = thư ký. She has to have two keys.

15. report = báo cáo pronounced bow cow. Ok, for this one you have to imagine a farmer whose cows have the attitute of humble servants who report to him all the happenings on the farm and bow before him. "Bow cow" then means "make your report!".