The Story So Far ...

We said farewell to our work friends at the RSPCA and BBC on 14 September, farewell to our families on 3 October, and set off for Africa to save cheetahs, decorate school buildings, and look around a bit. After a trip home for Christmas, we headed for South East Asia on 6 January -- where we were stunned by Qatar and Cambodia, taught novice monks in Laos, and acted as security guards at an Elephant Festival. It was back home for four weeks to look after John's dad, before we tangoed our way through five South American countries in fifteen days. We then snooped our way through New Zealand, dipped our toes into Fiji, drove-thru California and were home from home with family in Vancouver.

Now, we are home itself. Fulfilled, happy, and ready to earn the respect of our friends and family by knuckling down and earning some money once again ...

Tuesday, 8 March 2011

Notes from Abroad 1: Zero Credibility

Nice smile, shame about the noughts

I'd always assumed that the more zeros on a country's banknotes, the more of a muddle its economy was in.  Perhaps this was based on a childhood trip to a rather chaotic Italy, where as a ten-year-old I wrestled with the 3,000 or so lira they gave me for each of my pocket-money pound notes.

Africa appeared to confirm this theory on our travels last winter.  South Africa (pretty solid economy): 11 rand to the pound.  Kenya (on the up): 125 shilling to the pound.  Uganda (still bordering on basket case): 3,650 shilling to the pound.

But Vietnam has mucked that theory up, with how-much-is-this-coffee calculations that make your head ache more than the turbo-powered coffee itself.   (Answer:  17,000 dong -- seventeen thousand --  and it still only works out at less than 50p.)  Meanwhile, the country's economy moves faster than the herd of motorbikes that powers past you on every neon lit street corner.  Everyone's got something so sell.  Nobody seems to want something for nothing.  Maybe it's because in Vietnam, everyone can aspire to be a millionaire.

John

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