Return to Vietnam, on Christmas eve

Christmas eve 2006 unexpectedly turned into a most unusual experience.

While starting the less than traditional reindeer roast (yes, some of us eat them, with cranberries ) my diving instructor/explosives de-mining expert got an urgent call: two Vietnamese army trainees were in need of some immediate attention. I obviously volunteered to assist during this “Christmas Evening emergency”, which turned out to be a simple transfer from the Brussels military hospital (where they were housed, ever since most of that huge hospital basically closed down) to the Air France check-in counter in Brussels South, where the Thalys high-speed train connects Brussels with one of Paris’s airports. Their final destination was Hanoi, Vietnam, a 14 hour flight on Christmas eve.

The whole experience turned out to be real fun: due to a persistent fog covering much of Belgium, traffic in and around Brussels was a real nightmare. Driving a Belgian army emergency vehicle had its advantages though: traffic cops nodded with understanding when they saw the familiar Dovo (de-mining) sign. The two Vietnamese trainees also insisted on wearing their military uniform, adding even more decorum to the whole event.

During the ride I was utterly amazed on how bad their English actually was - I still wonder how they managed to acquire any additional knowledge about complex de-mining techniques while training in Belgium. However, they did manage to make abundantly clear that they regretted not having seen ‘real snow’, but neither have I - it last snowed in the 50’s during Christmas in Belgium

Well, they both did seem very pleased being able to return to Hanoi (currently sunny at 25°C/80°F). Wish I could have left foggy metropolitan Brussels, lit up like one gigantic Christmas tree, but ever so, well, “metropolitan”, with a most unpleasant freezing point fog covering its skyscrapers. Some shots from a couple of hours ago (downtown Brussels):

Take care, “Nguyen ba hung” - I’m pretty sure you will have more fun in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Anyway, I’m off to the kitchen, taking care of a not-so-traditional reindeer roast.
Have a peaceful Christmas eve, wherever you are