Zoophobic? Might want to reconsider Vietnam as your expat destination
Last activity 28 October 2024 by Aidan in HCMC
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OFFS!You may not believe this, but as I hit "send" on my last text, from the doorway I heard"Dahlin? Dahlin look!" (darling).She was standing there, grinning from ear to ear, with a dead snake slinked across the end of a heavy stick.God bless her little "nhà quê" soul.At this point in time it wouldn't have surprised me if she cooked and ate it. I often joke with her that Vietnamese will eat anything with four legs, except the table. Her response has always been, "We eat snake too".- @Aidan in HCMC
Having eaten snake a few times, I can honestly say it's not overly exciting.- @colinoscapee
@Aidan in HCMCSo now that you have me well and truly freaked out, are the fauna of which you speak in the cities as well as the countryside?Roger- @RTLisSB
@Aidan in HCMCSo now that you have me well and truly freaked out, are the fauna of which you speak in the cities as well as the countryside?Roger- @RTLisSB
Monkeys?... That was a real one-off. Though I've seen a few pet simians, I've yet to be boarded again since then.
@Aidan in HCMC
Monkeys?... That was a real one-off. Though I've seen a few pet simians, I've yet to be boarded again since then.
@Aidan in HCMC- @OceanBeach92107
Monkeys?... That was a real one-off. Though I've seen a few pet simians, I've yet to be boarded again since then.
@Aidan in HCMC- @OceanBeach92107OMG yes, we had same thing but at temple on road leading to Ho May Park, we got off bikes I walked across road to get a drink while kids and missus went to go up steps to temple, a monkey walked over to her bike and grabbed her helmet and ran off! I got up and walked across to try to get it back and one of the boys ran to help out, the monkey got very aggressive dropped the helmet and ran towards as.We got out the way quick as the monkey troop all started getting angry so we all headed towards the bike's just to watch one of them grab my drink run up a tree and pull the lid and straw away and drank it.We made the group decission we didn't like monkeys and moved on.- @Andybris2020
Monkeys?... That was a real one-off. Though I've seen a few pet simians, I've yet to be boarded again since then.
@Aidan in HCMC- @OceanBeach92107OMG yes, we had same thing but at temple on road leading to Ho May Park, we got off bikes I walked across road to get a drink while kids and missus went to go up steps to temple, a monkey walked over to her bike and grabbed her helmet and ran off! I got up and walked across to try to get it back and one of the boys ran to help out, the monkey got very aggressive dropped the helmet and ran towards as.We got out the way quick as the monkey troop all started getting angry so we all headed towards the bike's just to watch one of them grab my drink run up a tree and pull the lid and straw away and drank it.We made the group decission we didn't like monkeys and moved on.- @Andybris2020I hate monkeys, horrible creatures.- @colinoscapee
@Aidan in HCMCSo now that you have me well and truly freaked out, are the fauna of which you speak in the cities as well as the countryside?Roger- @RTLisSB
At this point in time it wouldn't have surprised me if she cooked and ate it. I often joke with her that Vietnamese will eat anything with four legs, except the table. Her response has always been, "We eat snake too".- @Aidan in HCMC
@RTLisSBWell... something to ponder on. Let's do birds count instead. I bet you will hardly see a bird flying freely around the sky regardless where you are. You may not need my answer for this ain't you.- @alexneoh
@RTLisSBWell... something to ponder on. Let's do birds count instead. I bet you will hardly see a bird flying freely around the sky regardless where you are. You may not need my answer for this ain't you.- @alexneohI'm intrigued. Habitat loss? Pollution?Roger- @RTLisSB
@RTLisSBMost definitely eaten. My very first morning after arriving in VN, downtown Saigon, I noticed an almost total lack of birds.Right outside my front door a year or two ago in Thai Nguyen I watched the bird catchers ply their trade.They'd ladder up to the top of a utility pole and attach horizontally a 1.5 meter long aluminum rod, and a small speaker and playack device.Press play, and the sound of small birds would emanate from its speaker box. Once back at ground level, I saw at least 20 small birds flock to the sound and perch on the aluminum rod, only to become stuck to it by some very effective/strong glue. This after only 3 or 4 minutes of the recording being played.These very small birds, literally crammed into cages, are sold as food in Saigon.- @Aidan in HCMC
I hate monkeys, horrible creatures.- @colinoscapee
After reading to SWMBO my post and some of the replies, her response was one reflecting both brevity and logic."Like I say you before. No be afraid. Just kill, ok?"Hard to argue with that.- @Aidan in HCMC
I'm not sure whether gastrointestinal parasites qualify as fauna, but I encourage visitors and expats alike to follow the advice of these doctors.At my household, I have been taught that twice a year we are to give ourselves a thorough "flushing".Dr. Tran Thanh Duong, head of the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, states..."Half of Vietnam’s population infected with parasitic worms...". This article is from 2015, but the information is still, of course, pertinent.And Dr Cynthia Dacanay, herself an expat, stated in 2016, "Việt Nam is among the Asian countries with the highest rate of worm infections, according to the World Health Organization".Please remember, twice a year, even when there are no obvious indications of infection or infestation.Deworming is effortless, painless, and it could save your life.- @Aidan in HCMC
I'm not sure whether gastrointestinal parasites qualify as fauna, but I encourage visitors and expats alike to follow the advice of these doctors.At my household, I have been taught that twice a year we are to give ourselves a thorough "flushing".Dr. Tran Thanh Duong, head of the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, states..."Half of Vietnam’s population infected with parasitic worms...". This article is from 2015, but the information is still, of course, pertinent.And Dr Cynthia Dacanay, herself an expat, stated in 2016, "Việt Nam is among the Asian countries with the highest rate of worm infections, according to the World Health Organization".Please remember, twice a year, even when there are no obvious indications of infection or infestation.Deworming is effortless, painless, and it could save your life.- @Aidan in HCMCWell this might explain why 45kg VN women can eat 3x more seafood (or anything else) per sitting than I can.- @Brick23
@RTLisSBHi Roger. There are many inexpensive anti-parasitics available here at every pharmacy, the efficacy of which I have no data.Here we alternate between albendazole, mebendazole, and ivermectin (my preference). Loads of information available on these drugs. Each are widely available at any of the larger pharmacies.(I've heard rumours that ivermectin just might be effective for other types of infection too)- @Aidan in HCMC
Cheryl
Oh, and lest I forget, geckos! Yeah sure, they're harmless and cute, and make"great pets", that is until they get to be 30 cm big (almost 12"). I kid you not.
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