The Midnight Run in Saigon
A bit of mystery, a bit of intrigue, that is what it felt like last night as we welcomed our dog, Tika, to our new home in Vietnam. She left the safe comfort of her boarding kennel in England on Wednesday in a dog crate where she spent the next three days with a respite in an airport pet lounge in Frankfurt Germany. We were told that she would land at 4:30pm on Friday and would be transported to our home around 6:00pm after the paperwork cleared. At 6:30pm we were taking extra glances at the front gate, waiting for the bell to ring. By 7:00pm, we were getting anxious. As the hours passed and phone calls went back and forth she finally appeared. In the dark of the night, one motorcycle arrived and then another. With the first motorcycle...I gasped. I thought... surely not...they would not strap her crate to the back of a motorcycle. I have seen everything on motorcycles around the streets of Ho Chi Minh City...a large dog crate teetering on one would not get a second glance.
And then....a sigh of relief....a truck started to back down our driveway...
and there she was...our Tika...home again.
My thoughts went flashing back to her arrival from New Zealand to England
just two and a half years ago. Talking about contrasts...she arrived in England in the midst
of a snowstorm. Up to that point she had travelled with us from Australia to New Zealand
and then to England and there she landed... her first experience with snow.
She is a travelling trooper!
 |
| Tika's arrival in England...here |
She is now surveying her new home...checking out the smells,
sights and sounds..as we all do.
It did not take long for her to get in the swim of things...
show that dog a pool and she is in like flint.
Ok...I may have gone to far with the hat....
The good news is that her travelling crate days are over...for a while.
She can hang her hat in Vietnam for a few years...until the next time.
Note:
Scarf above is my creative genius at work.
We all went off for a walk this morning and realised the dog lead did not arrive with her.
I found an extra long scarf of mine..tied it to her collar and off we went.
That good old Vietnamese ingenuity is already doing it's magic. :)
Before I go, I just have to say again how very grateful I am for
the words of kindness and encouragement that have come my way.
Words can not begin to describe how much you have helped these past few days.
If anyone is reading along and thinking of starting a blog...I say..just do it!
It will add a dimension to your world you could not have imagined.
If you would like to chat about it...drop me a line..I will happily guide you along.
jeannecollageoflife@gmail.com
Until next time..signing out in Saigon ( Ho Chi Minh City)..
where a massage awaits.
:)
xxxxxxxxxxxx
...always scary moments as we wait for the family members left behind to make the journey along.
ReplyDeleteI remember Meg the cocker-spaniel arriving in Tokyo, then Atlanta, then Bangkok. When we moved from Thailand to England, we realized 6 months of quarantine for a 14 year-old dearly loved pet was too much to ask, so we sent her to my mother to spend her last few months in a lush English-style garden home of Victoria BC. Mum fed her toast and sometimes pate until Meg finally ended her days.
So happy that sweet Tikka has arrived safely. Tell her to watch out for the south-east asian critters in the garden. We once had a five-foot iguana stare Meg down in the backyard!
Tikka will soon be able to do a world trip on her miles!!
ReplyDeletexx
Your dog is home and a massage for you ... sounds perfect. YOU are a traveling trouper yourself. Tika must have learned from you.
ReplyDeleteFondly,
Glenda
ps. It is always Saigon in my mind :)
I once stayed in a beautiful flat in Paris painted just this colour...in fact it went from lighter shades to the darkest mango in the kitchen. I loved that flat more than you can imagine, and believe you too will learn to love that orange ! "Traveller, there are no paths...paths are made by walking." ( Antonio Machado )
ReplyDeleteI am glad Tika is home now! She is indeed a travelling dog! Both of you can relax now, you with your massage and Tika discovering her new home, even swimming in your pool.
ReplyDeletea massage awaits me, too :) i'll bet it's different when the vietnamese do it! do tell!
ReplyDeleteglad Tika made it!
Tika is a very special dog to warrant a motorcycle escort.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to your new home tika,
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have everyone together! She looks like she has already made herself at home.
Jeanne, I am ure that you know that we are praying for you and hope that your stay there is filled with adventures and lots of fun. Take care of yourself!
A big hug to you Jeanne,
Elizabeth
Ah, good!!
ReplyDeleteEdward and I can breathe easier now, knowing Tika is safe, sound and back with her pack!
Let the adventure begin!!
That first look says it all. 'Can we stop travelling for a while now please?'
ReplyDeleteGlad she has arrived safely and, from the swim, I think she has settled in already, but then, she is a well-travelled dog and used to it.
Dear Jeanne - so happy that your move has gone smoothly and you are all now ensconced in your new home - just the boxes to deal with now hopefully! Off now for the summer and going to Sydney to visit my daughter - really looking forward to it......thinking of you as you begin your new expat life in Vietnam - I know you will embrace all the new and unfamiliar experiences and make them your own just as you did in London - enjoy and keep us posted! Very very best wishes - looking forward to sharing all your adventures! Love Susie. P.S If you deal with everything with the same good humour you have applied to the 'mango' house, all bodes well for a serene time ahead!!!
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I was a bit worried about Tika. I'm so glad she's been reunited safely with you all. She looks so sweet. Can you tell I'm a crazy dog lover? But that's another story.
ReplyDeleteI love following along the adventures of Jeanne-world traveler!
Leslie (aka Gwen Moss blog)
Glad she didn't have to spend too long in quarantine. Judging from her lovely swimming photo, I guess she thinks the trip was worth it.
ReplyDeleteYour family is complete now that Tika is with you all, what a resilient dog she is and a wonderful traveller. I'm sure she is going to enjoy so wonderful days in that pool.
ReplyDeleteWhat a magnificent adventure you and yours are on!
ReplyDeletexo Carole
Hello Jeanne
ReplyDeleteYou can now relax. You have all arrived. I keep thinking of Tika. If only she had a blog and could post her experiences and account of who she met. Life from her vantage point would be most interesting.
Glad you are all safe and sound and ready for many more purple scarf adventures.
Helen xx
Jeanne, You are now a family again. All safe and sound! Life can throw just about anything at you, and as long as you have your family around, you can face it. In the months ahead, it will be interesting to hear how you are doing adjusting to a new culture, language, weather, etc. Take your time adjusting- and I'm sure there's some grief thrown in there too! Tika is a trooper, but so are you! I'm glad you have a swimming pool!
ReplyDeleteDear Jeanne
ReplyDeleteWhat a sense of relief you must have experienced as Tika was finally with you in your new dwelling place. Your creatively designed leash is lovely, and certainly more beautiful than most you will find in a marketplace. A swim...yes that sounds good...so very warm here this summer...maybe the river will be a welcome place later today...
Nice to see Tika's crate stashed, and with the hat and scarf/leash atop it is rather a memorial to her arrival in your home.
Now the adventures begin and how I look forward to hearing from you on the blog as you venture out and find those wonderful hidden treasures of the new city and share them with us.
A massage...wonderful, relaxing time for you.
Peace,
Kristin
If only Tika had a blog...what adventures :) Welcome 'home', Jeanne!
ReplyDeleteAfter noting your humidity I just wondered...is Tika to have a haircut or will you put her ears up in chopsticks (when you learn how!) too?!!!!! xx
ReplyDeleteOh Jeanne, I have been awaiting this news. I'm so relieved to hear Tika arrived safely. Happy days! J x BTW I think you mean 'in like Flynn' - as in Errol, a former Hobartian!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness of all of the posts to miss! I did think with your last post when I commented on Tika's photo "Oh good, she arrived safely" but I loved seeing the proof! I can only imagine how nervous you must have been until she did...my heart would have been thumping in my chest!!!
ReplyDeletexo,
h