25th Feb, Day 3. A promise that will be broken or fulfilled? only time will tell... 4015km

Before continuing to talk about my time at the temple, I think a little background info is needed. On 22nd Feb, when i first came to the temple in the late afternoon, i had dinner before hanging around the temple, jus looking at everybody else doing their stuff. Around evening/night, there were 3 ppl who arrived at the temple(later got to know that they came to the temple to seek medical treatment for different illnesses) and it was their first night as well... 

After spending 1 night at the buddhist temple, i woke up the next morning and was about to leave to visit the town and to find the next sojourn for me to rest until i take my 2nd(& last) rabies injection. As expected with Vietnamese hospitality, i was invited for breakfast in the temple before i left. Everybody else had already eaten (yea, i know i am lazy and i sleep very long hours...) but they had saved food for me so it wasnt a problem. 

one of the guy who jus arrived ystd (the 3 guys who came for medical treatment) happened to have worked in Taiwan for 5 yrs and so he could speak chinese considerably well, though with a vietnamese slang. he helped translate what the all the aunties said and said that they requested me to stay for a few more days in the temple to see them and what they do around the temple. To be honest, i was looking for a place to stay for the next few days in the city, cause i still have to wait until Day 3 for my injection, so this request was very hard not to accept. I told them no problem, and spent the next 3 days in the temple, as a guest, and to see the monks and everybody else go about their daily routine.

drinking coffee, in the coffee capital of Vietnam, in the company of learned monks.

pudding with iced coffee. btw its available elsewhere in vietnam as well and is a very refreshing(& cheap) dessert

helped to move the stacks of firewood into the kitchen for the aunties to cook delicious vegan meals for me!

the young monk on the right took very good care of me, the one 2nd from right was the guy who could speak chinese.

I heard (from the guy who could speak chinese) that the young monk was always looking for me when he came back from school and always asked if i had eaten and would always bring me to the kitchen to have food. when i wake up in the morning, i would see him nearby hanging around then when he see me walking closer, he would drag me to the kitchen for breakfast cause he knew that i havent eaten. after coming back from school, he would ask around the temple if anybody had seen me and wondered where i had gone.(i usually hang around in the town from late morning to late afternoon)

During the 3 days that i spent there, i was treated very well and if you understand Vietnamese culture, a guest is often the most important person. sometimes i would feel very bad for imposing on them but i could tell that to them, it was their pleasure to have me as a guest in their temple.



ps- on a sidenote, the guy (Deng Wen Huang) who could speak chinese had a very intriguing life story. Deng had been working in Taiwan for a total of 5 yrs, on board a fishing vessel, since he was 21 yrs old. The trips were long, (up to 1-2 yrs at each time) dangerous (friends had died aboard before) and arduous ( sometimes not having any sleep for days). the pay wasnt much(by Singapore standards), started with USD150/month and it was now USD400/month and he had gotten a back injury after years of working out at sea. he planned to go back to work again after treating his back at the temple and he was willing to do so because although tough, the pay was still better than back in his village. 

One of the elder monks casually asked if i could help Deng find a job in SG because it is very difficult for them to go to SG to work because going thru a job agency would take lots of money and finding one independently is almost impossible. I had known him for a very short time (only 3 days) but thru my conversations with him, i found him to be a very honest, humble and hardworking man. 


Able to speak Chinese and Vietnamese, willing to work long hours, likable personality, i dun see why it would be impossible for him to find a job in SG that pays better than 400USD. i promised him that i would help him look for a suitable job when i get back to SG and will contact him again in July/August to tell him the outcome. I know i cannot guarantee him a job, but all I can do is promise him that i will help him look for a job when i get back to SG.


Like what my mother would always say when i call home and say i am sleeping in a local's home, "Is he a bad guy or not? be careful ah..." I only know him for 3 days and honestly, I cannot guarantee that hes a good guy but whats the worse that can happen? what about work permits? work visa? other logistics issues?

Heck, i am travelling right now and i dun have the time to research on all the things required to apply for a work permit or look for menial job offerings. but i am determined to keep my promise and the least i can do is attempt to look for a job for him when i get back home. 

So if anybody is interested in helping me do a good deed, feel free to let me know. mayb you have a relative who owns a construction company. mayb you know somebody working with foreigner work permits. mayb you dunno any shit like me but you would like to help. i really dun care as long as it gets the job done.

I can alr anticipate all the qns ppl will ask me so let me pre-empt them and list them here and state upfront that i have no answer to your qns.
"you sure hes not cheating you?"
"is it worth the time and effort?"
"will he come to SG and commit crimes?"
"blah blah blah"


So pls rmb to contact me with any info or help you have to offer me! whoever you are, i believe you exist somewhere out there so i will be waiting for your reply!!!