My friend Gunther flew back to Germany yesterday. I've spoken about him before, how he supports a family of Vietnamese who live over the river on Cam Nam island who he met in 2001. The matriarch oF the family Emma gave tours on the river and Gunther met her by chance on a tour. I just found out that Emma also had a stall near the Banana Split from which I had bought a few knick knacks over the years not knowing she was Gunthers friend. When he left, everyone from the Le house, My Le, Hai ,Ziggy and me went to Da Nang to see him off. I travelled with his other family jam packed in a people mover, I think at least a dozen of us.

It was a sad occasion as it now appears Gunther has a bone cancer in his thigh and I would think the prognosis would not be good. The doctor who diagnosed it told Emma not to tell him as it would depress him but I suspect he had a good idea what it was. He said they can cut my leg off I am still coming back here. He has no children or immediate family in Germany and has willed everything to his Vietnamese family. When Le and Hai went to see him one day he pulled out a bunch of envelopes with money in them for Hai's birthday, Le's Birthday, and another for Le for International Womens day which is a big deal here. He also had birthday envelopes for Nhi and Na. It was too much for Le and Hai and they both broke down.

I must admit I shed a few tears at the airport over someone I hardly knew. We used to sit outside Le's shop every day and do the word puzzle in the Viet News and Gunther would tell me how many cars he had counted coming past the previous day. OK not every day he would tell me, but for someone who worked for the taxation department in Germany for so long, numbers were important to him. Before he left Danang I asked him if he had a computer so we could send him some photos but he said after using one for 37 years he never wants to see one again. He doesn't even have a mobile phone.

His family clustered around the security clearance area and in the distance you could just catch a glimpse of him as he went through the usual x-ray the bags business, but at least he could sit in his wheelchair. They waited and waited, a crowd of 10 or so with me in the middle towering above them with tears rolling down my face. They looked at me strangely and Emma gave me tissues but I found out later that she was heart broken about poor Gunther as we talked in the bus on the way home. She kept asking me if German doctors were good and whether he would return. Well what could I say but that German doctors are the best in the world.

I have successfully fended off Lan and our brief flirtation with her coming to Australia to work while she lived at my house, is over. As my sister keeps telling me "Get rid of the Gimme girls" and she was certainly one.

Lydia and family arrive tomorrow and Le goes to An Khe while Na returns from An Khe. 

I am looking forward to seeing Andy Linda, Andrea and Lydia and I'm sure I can get a few laughs out of them when I tell them the twists and turns I have been through.

And a big shout out to Kiwi Keith who I had lunch with at Hiens new place recently. He has dedicated himself to speaking Vietnamese and to see him talking, fairly fluently, to Hien is an inspiration. I'm afraid I'm too old to learn anything but basic phrases but I saw Le's grandson watching a language program on TV for 5 year olds and I think I could learn from it. At least learn to count. 

Ziggy and the exploding remote.. Ziggy who lives in the new Le house recently bought a new smart TV so he could watch the German news and movies on YouTube or Yootoobee as the Vietnamese call it. It came with two remotes one for internet TV and one for normal TV which doesn't work as there is no antenna (Marley VN is getting digital next year they need about 50 million new antennas, want a job?) and one for the internet TV. Le was at his house showing a friend around while Ziggy was trying to get his TV working. Much pointing and clicking of remote with no result as Ziggy reached boiling point. Le tried to tell him he was using the wrong remote but he was past listening until finally he threw the remote on the floor smashing it into smithereens. Serious loss of face for Ziggy as the Vietnamese hate anyone showing temper or getting angry.  He insisted that it was  Vietnamese components that were at fault, another loss of face as they don't like their country criticised by ignorant foreigners. He insisted the TV had to go back to the shop and substituted which they did and the shop man explained to him about the separate remotes so he finally got his internet TV. Le told me later she will not deal with him again, she has enough stress, so her daughter Nhi is now the go to girl for Ziggy.