To the Bleeding Hearts of the World...

Vietnam may not be for you.

While travelling by motorbike to Tam Coc, a town surrounded by time sculpted limestone, we found ourselves behind a most pitiful sight. A man was zipping along the highway with not one but two whole pig carcasses strapped to the back of his motorbike. I was at first only mildly shocked at seeing two full grown pigs with all limbs and accessories attached pass by me. I'm sure that the man was taking them to market to sell. I'm equally sure that the sacrifice of two of his prize pigs was something that deeply troubled him because I'm sure that the pigs had become like part of the family. Surely such a sacrifice would only be made if it were deemed absolutely necessary. I'd be willing to bet that the money gained from the sale of the pigs was to be used for a life saving surgery for his youngest of five children. I'm also relatively confident that the pigs were sacrificed in the most humane manner possible while still preserving the meat.

Well, before my happy thoughts of the man and the life of the pigs could come to an end the pig stacked on top started to move. Not only did it start to move but it started to squeal and kick and thrash. All of this movement disturbed the slumbering pig on the bottom and he too began to display his displeasure with being stacked upon and lashed to the back of a motorbike. With both pigs attempting to throw their considerable weights around in order to free themselves of this hell, the bike started to swivel and very nearly went over. The whole episode was over fairly quickly, but not before my brain had the chance to remember the details in order to replay them in tonight's nightmare.

Before they settled down comfortable on top of one another, the pigs did manage to deal the man a pretty hefty blow in the kidneys.

The score:
Pigs-1
Man- 2 million dong (about $130) richer