On the move

Over the last months I have spent my rare leisure time writing articles for academic journals until late night. Also I started doing something good for me and go to the gym again at least twice a week and use the pool as much as I can, almost every day for at least 20 minutes. I am now for the first time holding an official work permit for Vietnam and am also a permanent resident of the Socialist Republic. I still enjoy the lovely place that I am living at and learn much at work and beyond. Other than that there is nothing much new, except possibly for the fact that the next months will be quite some traveling. I just arrived in Kuala Lumpur for an EarthCheck workshop which I will attend to learn more about sustainability and carbon reduction in the tourism and hospitality industry. It will be a good investment with regard to working in this direction in the future. I am on the move again.

In May, there will be a trip with business partners to Laos and Cambodia which will for sure be interesting. I haven't been to Laos and it is one of the few countries in the world where time seems to have stood still. The capital Vientiane is said to be a tranquil town whereas other Southeast Asian major cities are usually downright the opposite. Another few days with meetings in Bangkok will follow. In June finally I will go on my long-desired trip to Bali with many plans for the stay. As in Saigon not much has happened over the last months and life consisted mainly of work, and a few nice weekends at home and on the shore, below just some impressions from everyday life in Saigon:

(9^th April 2011)

 new high rise over old houses, the commercial word kills all originality

 

on level 49 inside the new Bitexco financial tower - tallest building in the country

 

livingroom above the city

 

Saigon central from the top

District 4 from above

rush hour slowly starting on Nguyen Tat Thanh Street

view from the tower to Binh Thanh District, with my apartment on the river-island indicated

 

my home resort seen from the river upon a sunset cruise

a bridge over one of the arms or Saigon River not far from my place

a mystic water temple somewhere in the outskirts of Saigon between Binh Thanh and Thu Duc

the city is ever growing and property developments replace mangroves and palms...

...as the economy is accelerating at unseen speed

the new skyline at night, a city and the whole world steering into an unpredictable future

 

in between on Pham Ngu Lao Avenue an old circus…

…telling the story of the Vietnamese people

people here can sleep anywhere, anyway, a non-spectacular example

a hotel lobby in Ho Chi Minh City: cooling dowm the air temperature by 10 degree Celsius for air-conditioning and then burning oil for design purposes - environmental sins in the hospitality industry

a short surf trip to Vung Tau, 5am waves viewed from the hotel room

a truckload full of ice midnight on a street in downtown Saigon

everything under control