Rant no.2: the Vietnamese

We are both seriously fed up with hassle. We cannot remember the last time we left the hotel room and got 2 minutes of peace. Today, Tom has been:

• called a monkey while having his hair pulled by a lady who was measuring him for a suit
• headbutted in the stomach by a seemingly mildmannered man out promenading with his wife
• slapped hard on the backside by an old lady from whom he had just purchased a mars bar

When you add to this the man who grabbed his calf and massaged it in a cafe in Chau Doc and the endless shouting of 'hello', 'motorbike', 'tuk tuk' and 'looky looky', it is getting too much.

We had a great meal tonight. But were forced to read 4 books of comments about the proprietors tours to a fishing village throughout. We are fed up of everyone chasing us down the street asking us what we want to do today. And worst of all, in Vietnam, when after it gets too much you eventually and politely say 'we'll let you know tomorrow if we wish to spend $10 watching your mother make clay pots', they scowl, have a proper mard and stomp off.

For that reason the Vietnamese are not endearing themselves to us.

End of rant.