My Wand3rlust

documenting my journey from a stable, professional career to a traveler around the world

[mywand3rlust]

I miss reading your blog! How's your traveling going?!

it's going great! i actually stopped using tumblr and have my blog here:

www.mywand3rlust.blogspot.com

I'm currently in Milan, Italy and enjoying it!

[mywand3rlust]

Day 27 - Nguyen Dynasty Tombs/Mausoleums

Another early day again to check out some of the many Nguyen tombs and mausoleums scattered throughout the city. Many of the emperors had these places built while they were still alive, adding their own ideas on how they should look.

Most of these tombs consist of five common elements. One, there is a stele pavilion, where the accomplishments or biography of the emperor is presented. Two, there is  a temple for worship. Three, there is some sort of structure that holds the emperors' remains. Four, there is a courtyard with statues of horses, elephants, and military personnel. Five, there are usually lotus ponds surrounding the area.

The most interesting, and least traditional of the tombs that I visited was the tomb of Khai Dinh, which mixes European and Vietnamese architecture to create a somewhat gothic structure that does not appear very inviting. Once you enter the sepulchre though, it is a definite contrast, as the room is filled with colorful mosaics made of pieces of glass and ceramic, gold plated statues, and intricate columns. Once we got back on the bus, the tour guide gave us a little bit of Vietnamese Gay history. Apparently, Khai Dinh was gay, and he did not have any sons with any of the concubines. There is speculation that the "child" that he claimed was his, and who took the throne after him, was actually his nephew. 

Somewhere in between all the tomb-hopping, we stopped at a Vietnamese Martial Arts school, where we got to see some of the traditional martial arts performed by some young kids. It was very impressive to see some of the stuff they could do. One of the students was a champion in the country and he performed something very shocking. Two spears were pressed against his neck, as he pushed through them, and we could easily see the bamboo sticks bend through the pressure. The sharp edges didn't puncture his neck, and while he was doing this, he took a glass of water to drink. Another student broke about 7 layers of ceramic bricks with his head. Both of them performed some sort of ritual to gather their energy internally before performing such stunts. 

Here is some video footage of one of the student's performances:

At the end of the day, I walked around the town and tried some more Hue delicacies, before settling on a small restaurant to have some beers. There, I met the waitress who spoke very good English. We struck up an interesting conversation about her life, aspirations, and views on love. She was a short, and dark girl, but attractive, in my opinion, in U.S. standards. She said that she doesn't feel wanted in Vietnam because most of the Vietnamese guys want light-skinned and tall Vietnamese girls. I asked her what her "type" of guy was and she said she liked tall, blonde, curly haired boys. She said she knew she couldn't find someone like this in Hue because most of the foreigners she meets are only here for a couple days, so nothing serious could ever happen. I asked her when she thought she would marry, and she said something that was similar to what I think most people in the U.S. would say. She said she didn't have a specific age, but only wanted to marry when she knew she could support herself and live comfortable. Not the traditional answer that I would have expected, so maybe there is a greater sense of independence with the women in Vietnam. She then explained that she knew that even though she has a specific "type" of guy that she wanted to marry, she knew that anybody could come into her life and she could fall in love with him, flaws and all. 

She seemed to have a pretty difficult life. She worked two jobs, as a waitress in the restaurant I was at, and as a receptionist at a backpacker hostel. This only made things worse for her in finding someone to like her. She said most Vietnamese men get jealous when she is around so many foreigners, who hug her or give her a kiss on the cheek goodbye when they see her. But she enjoyed her jobs because it gave her the opportunity to learn more English, which she loved. This particular day, she worked 14 hours. She said she used the money to help her family out, which is what most of the young Vietnamese do once they find a job. She also used the money to pay off the bank loan she took out to purchase a motorbike, which is around $1,000 USD. With all of this, she had aspirations of doing something involving cooking, but not be an actual cook, because it lacks the interaction that she so loved at the jobs she had. She hoped to someday move to Australia.

I asked her if she was generally happy. Surprisingly, she said she was, because even though she had so many obligations, she was somewhere comfortable, and close to family. Her jobs weren't necessarily difficult, even though she works long hours, so that helps, but she doesn't have much time for herself. She knows that if she were to move to Australia, it would be lonely.

I asked her more about her interests, and whether she would want to be a tour guide because you could meet a lot of people that way, but she said it wouldn't be possible because she hated history, which is a prerequisite to becoming a tour guide. This confirms what was told to me yesterday by my CS friends. Vietnamese youth don't like to study history. Such a shame since there is so much that is interesting about this country and its struggles!

At the end of the night, I took home more valuable  knowledge of the views and opinions of Vietnamese youth, who share some of the same views as I do about life and love.

Stele Pavilion at one of the tombs

  Lotus Pond at one of the tombs

  Pavilion with statues of elephants, horses, and military personnel

  The steps to the Khai Dinh tomb

  The front facade of the Khai Dinh tomb.

  Inside the Khai Dinh tomb.

  Vietnamese Martial Arts

  Vietnamese Martial Arts

  The young man just broke through the ceramic tiles with his head.

  Making incense sticks with cinnamon

  Banh Beo - Flat rice cakes with minced shrimp and a crouton

  My new waitress friend, Mo (and my awesome Hue tee-shirt)

[mywand3rlust]

Day 26 - Hue Ancient City and Citadel

Took another early sleeper bus ride from Hoi An to Hue, which took about 4 hours. I pre-booked a hotel on expedia just to save the hassle of dealing with all the motorbike drivers hounding you for a ride the moment you exit the bus. It wasn't too expensive, so it saved me a little stress and gave me a lot more luxury. I don't know if it's psychological, but I just assume the rooms are cleaner because I'm paying more than $5 to $7...

Hue was the former capital of Vietnam before Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party took over the country and relocated the capital to Saigon. The last dynasty before this takeover was the Nguyen Dynasty, probably one of the most common Vietnamese Surnames in the country (or at least Little Saigon?). The family's ruling lasted 13 generations over the span of 143 years and they are remembered all over the city with mausoleums, tombs, and an Imperial City called the Citadel, which included a Forbidden City that the emperor and a select few people were only allowed to set foot in.

I gave into a tour again. Not 1 hour after checking into my hotel and roaming the streets looking for food (I tried one of the Hue specialties - Bun Bo Hue), I ended up booking a full day tour, which I would start today and finish tomorrow. Bad idea....as I should have rested from the bus ride and just relaxed in the city. I was tired the whole time, and didn't pay as much attention to the tour guide.

We walked through the Citadel, which was the former Imperial City for the Nguyen Emperor. The entire area was surrounded by brick walls and water to prevent attacks. Inside the city were palaces, theatres, libraries, and living quarters, among other things. Much of the city was destroyed during the war, and is currently being restored. The restored structures will be complete replicas, which takes away from the authenticity of the site. I almost thing it would be better to leave it alone, or at least try to use some of the vestiges in the replicas.

Afterwards, we headed to the Thien Mu Pagoda, which is recognized by a seven-story octagonal tower in the front. We were there during one of the Monk's chanting sessions, which was very mesmorizing to watch. What I found interesting was the way some of the younger monks cut their hair. Normally I'm used to seeing Monks with their hair fully shaved, but these monks had only their bangs unshaved. We stayed there for a short period before heading on yet another boat ride down the Perfume River. Both my travel books for Vietnam recommended a boat trip down the Perfume River...but again, I was left underwhelmed as there was nothing going on in the river! Maybe it's just not the right season?

At the end of the night, I met up with two CSers who lived in Hue and had dinner and coffee with them. They took me to a restaurant to try another Hue speciality - Nem Lui, which has become yet another favorite dish of mine. We talked a little about the education and interests of Vietnamese students. Both of them spoke very good English. One of them wanted to study English literature and one day become an interpreter or translator. The other wanted to be a secretary or work in tourism. What I found very surprising from our conversations was that most Vietnamese students were not interested in history, politics, or law. They were more interested in economics and English. There's so much history within the country that I would think the students would be fascinated by it all, but apparently that isn't so. They said that most students are bored by it all.

We also discussed the aspirations of these students. Most people who can speak a foreign language have desires to either travel outside the country, or relocate to another country so that they can make more money. They believe this is the case because with the skill of another language is greater access to general knowledge of everything outside of Vietnam. They are more aware of the possibilities than other Vietnamese students who aren't as good at a foreign language.

Of course, getting a Visa into another country is a difficult, timely, and expensive process for these students. For one, the U.S. does not want to make it easy for these students to come to the country, even with a sponsor or relatives living there because they know that these students will most likely stay in the country. The application process is difficult. To top it all off, you basically have to pay your way just to get an interview for a Visa. There are so many people in between you and the American interviewer, that you have to save up a ton of money to gain access. One of the CSers friends had to pay around $10,000 USD just to get a 2-3 year Visa to Canada...

We spent the rest of the night on more trivial topics. I taught them some new English idioms like "Its raining cats and dogs" or "Don't let the cat out of the bag" and one of them interviewed me for 15 minutes for her English class about my experiences in Vietnam so far. 

Bun Bo Hue and the local Hue Beer, Huda

  Citadel - Cot Co (Flag Tower)

  Citadel - Ngo Mon Gate

  Citadel - View from inside looking towards the front

  Thien Mu Pagoda

  Thien Mu Pagoda

  Monks chanting inside the Thien Mu Pagoda

  A young monk deep in chant

  Nem Lui - DIY spring rolls

  My new friends, Thanh and Mimi

[mywand3rlust]

Day 25 - My Son Temple Complex and the Full Lunar Eclipse

Vietnam has it's own mini Angkor Wat... kind of. I took a tour bus just southwest of Hoi An to check out the My Son Temple Complex, most of which is under restoration due to the effects of U.S. bombings during the Vietnam War. The temples were not part of an ancient civilization like Angkor was, but was more used as temples for worship and offerings to the Gods. Because of this, the whole complex was walkable within an hour or so.

The temples are divided into 10 different groups, with a total of around 70 temples. Only about 20 of them are in good condition to visit, while the others are closed for restoration with the efforts of UNESCO. The temples were built by the Cham people, who I believe are from Indonesia and/or Malaysia. The dominant religion was Hinduism and most of the temples worship the god Shiva. Many of the towers are divided into three sections, where the bottom represented earth, the middle represented the spirtual world, and the top represented the realm between earth and heaven. Many of the structures were dominantly built with red brick, while a couple sections were build by stone.

On our way back from My Son, we took a boat tour down the river. I've been on so many boat tours now, that there isn't nothing really exciting about any of them anymore. I think the best one was the Can Tho Floating market tour, but all the other boat rides don't really have any significant activity occurring on the waters. On the way home, we stopped by a wood-carving village to see some of their creations. Then it started to pour on our way back to the dock. By that time, the tourguide told us we had to find our way back to our respective hotels, leaving us to fend for ourselves as we raced to the nearest shop to shelter ourselves from the water. One good tip to remember when booking a tour is to establish what type of transportation is included, as well as what is included in the price, whether it be admission to the various sites, or food/drink.

Bought a raincoat and walked home, which was different since I rarely got to see it rain in Vietnam. On the way back, I overheard another foreigner say that it was the full moon tonight and there would be festivities in the city. I headed back to the village at night and saw that there were plenty of street vendors selling lanterns to float along the river at night. I feel pretty blessed to be at the right place at the right time. First, it was the Beach Festival in Nha Trang, and now, the full moon festival in Hoi An!

It was a beautiful scene to see both Vietnamese and foreigners purchase these lanterns and drop them into the calm waters, seeing them float slowly down the river. A great way to end my stay in Hoi An before I head to Hue.

My Son - Group C monuments

  My Son - Cham Statues

  Restoration of some structures in Group H

  Heavy rains were headed our way while on our boat

  Wood Carving Village

  More Cao Lau

  I forgot what this was called, but it was rice flour noodles sandwiched between a hard cracker, and dipped in fish sauce.

Full Lunar Eclipse Festivities in Hoi An

[mywand3rlust]

Day 24 - Hoi An Ancient City

The sleeper bus ride to Hoi An was a lot better this time around since I had my own bed. Still, a long time to be on a bus, but manageable. Most of the transportation in Southeast Asia is a lot slower than compared to the U.S. since the roads aren't as developed. What would normally take 4 hours in the U.S. could take up to 10 hours in Vietnam.

Hoi An is a nice, quaint, and peaceful city. It was once a major trading post for the Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Europeans, which explains a lot of the mix of architecture around the town. Luckily, the city did not fall victim to any damage from Vietnam's wars. Everything in town is within walking distance and the ancient town area restricts the use of motorbikes and cars, which makes everything a little less stressful.

I spent the day exploring the town on bike. There were many shops specializing the custom tailored clothing and art galleries. There were about 20 different sites to visit, and you could purchase a tourist ticket to visit 5 of the sites - some of which were old houses, museums, assembly halls, pagodas, and bridges.

I decided on a Japanese covered bridge, which was built by the Japanese to gain access to trading in the area, The Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, the Hoi An museum of History and Culture, the Old House of Tan Ky, and the Hoi An handicraft workshop, which included a folk music and dance performance.

At night, I walked around the night village and stumbled upon a lantern making shop. It was beautiful seeing all the bright colors of the lanterns glowing in the night. The city is near a river, so it was also beautiful to see the calm reflection of some of the lights from the different restaurants.

One of the numerous art galleries in Hoi An. Once I own my own house, I'd love to come back and purchase some of the artwork.

  Japanese Covered Bridge

  House of Tan Ky, which is a home owned for 7 generations by the same family. There are Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese elements in the architecture of the home. Those markings on the wall represent the flood levels each year, which occur maybe twice a year in November or December. When this happens, they have to gather all the stuff to store on the second level of the home.

  You can find cheap, fresh beer all over town, ranging from 3,000 - 5,000 dong.

  Steamed seafood spring rolls

  Banana Flower Salad - Strips of banana flower mixed with prawns, lean pork, carrots, onions, and mint. Coated with sweet and sour dressing and sprinkled with friend onions and peanuts.

  Walking Street and Primitive Vehicles Only

Handicraft Workshop Folk Music and Dance Performance

A Woman making lanterns at the Handicraft Workshop

My mode of transportation for the day

Hoi An Speciality - Cao Lau - Noodles, Pork, and Lettuce with Croutons on Top, doused with a sweet dressing

Hoi An Speciality - White Rose - Shrimps encased in steamed rice paper and sprinkled with fried onions, resembling a white rose.

Some of the colorful lanterns at night.

Beautiful shot of the town at night.

[mywand3rlust]

Day 23 - Nha Trang Hot Springs

Spent the last day in Nha Trang relaxing for the most part. We stopped by the Long Son Pagoda to see a 46 ft tall Buddha statue, which could be seen from Quang's house. After that, we headed to the Thap Ba Hot Springs to soak in the mud and swim in the mineral water pools. It was a pretty lengthy process where we rinsed in warm mineral water, soaked in a tub of mud, dried in the sun, washed the mud off, soaked in a tub of mineral water, and then swam in the pool.

We had another English lesson today when Quang started talking about his company Pepsico and their biggest competitor, Coke. He wanted to know the correct pronunciation of "Coke" vs. "Cook" vs. "Cock." I tried to throw in "Kook" but he didn't want to get confused trying to learn slang.

Somewhere in all these English lessons I also taught him the saying "Ignorance Is Bliss" after he decided to tell me some of the horror stories about Vietnam, like people refilling bottles of water and reselling them, even though it is plastic-sealed around the cap. There was also a huge accident on the boat river cruise my family and I had dinner on in HCMC where most of the people died after the ship capsized... And last, they was also a huge accident on a ship to Halong Bay where the ship sunk at night when everyone was sleeping. I plan on heading to Halong Bay after I reach Hanoi... which is the reason why I taught him "Ignorance is Bliss..."

Quang also told me that one of the hardest things about English in U.S. was the naming of Foods. He worked at a baseball stadium when he was in the U.S. and had a hard time when people asked him for "Nachos" or "Snow Cones" or "Ice Cream Floats". If the names of these items were more literal, he'd have an easier time.

We spend the remainder of the day at his house, and took up the opportunity to get some more nem cuon and nem neong for dinner. Quang convinced me to take the sleeping bus again, since this time around, I was able to choose a seat near the front of the bus, so I was guaranteed not to have to sleep in between two stinky guys again. He dropped me off at the bus station at night, and the ride to my next destination - Hoi An, would take another 10 hours... I hope to meet up with Quang again in the future. Maybe in the States?

Long Son Pagoda - Reclining Buddha

  Long Son Pagoda

  Nem Cuon and Nem Neong with Sugar Cane Juice

  Sleeper bus on the way to Hoi An. The guy in the center has one of the worst spots to sleep in.

[mywand3rlust]

Day 22 - Vinpearl Land Waterpark/Amusement Park/Resort

One of the attractions that the city of Nha Trang boasts is a huge island resort that includes an amusement park, waterpark, arcade, private beach, hotel, spa, golfing range, and the worlds longest cable car system over water. I think the entire resort is owned by the company, Vinpearl, as you see a huge Hollywood-like sign when you head towards the island by cable car.

This would be the first time I would ever go to a waterpark, so it would be a new experience. When we got to the ticket office, there was a huge one-hour line just to get onto the cable car to the island. Quang said that it is NEVER crowded and there are never any lines, but I guess everyone was in town for the Beach Festival and decided to take a visit.

We noticed a lot of flashy Vietnamese people with their LV purses and iPhones. Many electronics in Vietnam are much more expensive compared to the U.S. Quang told me about the some Vietnamese people's obsessions with the latest technology. People end up saving all their money to buy the new iPhone or latest designer purses, even though they could use the money to live in a better home or save it for something more important. I guess it's the same there as it is in the U.S. where consumer debt runs rampant and people save money just to show off their material possessions. I asked Quang how he could tell whether someone was actually wealthy vs. just playing the part...he said that everyone at the waterpark with iPhones and designers purses probably are just saving their money for these possessions, because the real wealthy people would be staying at the resort and spa on the other side of the island.

We had our first English lesson of the day, where he asked me to differentiate between the pronunciation of Sheet, Seat, Shit, and Sit. You never realize how hard it is to pronounce some of these words until you hear someone else attempt to do so. I gave him a sentence to recite for the rest of my stay:

"Sit on the toilet seat to take a shit and use the tissue sheet"

The water park was very fun, and there were not a lot of people in line, despite what we saw at the cable cars. Quang said that most Vietnamese people hate the sun (they desire light skin), so they didn't not go to the waterpark at high noon when we went. We went on most of the rides and I survived, although some of the slides hurt a little, especially the ones where you didn't use a raft or lifesaver.

After that, we headed to the aquarium which housed a huge walk-through underwater tank and a mermaid show. Towards the end of the night, we headed to the arcade to play some games (all of which were free, included in the price of admission) before watching a magic show and a part of the light/water show that had similar elements to the World of Color show at Disney's California Adventure. We left early and raced to the cable car line to ensure we'd get a quick ride back so that we could make it for dinner at his home. The cable car ride back in the darkness was scary. The ride took about 10 minutes to get from one side to the other, and all I could think about was what would happen if we were to drop from the cable line into the ocean...I don't think we'd survive!

Everytime Quang goes home to Nha Trang, his family has a seafood BBQ with his relatives on their roof. It was great to be included in the occasion, and everyone was so hospitable and friendly. They seemed to be a close-knit family, and I got to see 4 of his mother's sisters, all of who looked alike. The night was spent sipping beers and pepsi, and eating crabs, squid, and clams.

Another English Lesson for the day came up - The pronunciation of Squid vs. Sweet. To the native english speaker, you wouldn't think these words were very similar, but its difficult for a Vietnamese native to pronounce them.

Quang and I had an interesting conversation about the international issues regarding North Korea after dinner. It was interesting to see his view of the United States as a "superpower." I told him about the human rights issues in North Korea and he was skeptical about it because it was probably skewed by the U.S. media. I told him that there were first-hand accounts of some of these violations by people who escaped the country. He also wondered what gave the U.S. the right to tell North Korea to disarm it's nuclear weapons...which I had a hard time explaining without furthering the view of the omnipotence of the United States...

This homestay is turning out to be a very positive experience, being able to share, learn, and teach each other about random things in our lives. I even got to do laundry at his home, which would be the first time all trip that'd I'd be able to use a washing machine. I found out that I'd been using fabric softener instead of detergent for the majority of my hand washes...No wonder none of my clothes looked clean, although they smelled nice...

Cable Car ride to Vinpearl Land with the "Hollywood-esque" sign in the back.

  Great views of the Nha Trang beach in the distance

  The Multi-slide at the waterpark

  The "Mermaid" show in the underground aquarium

  Another homecooked meal - Probably one of the best soups I've had, which included sweet potatoes in a broth with small shrimps and ground pork.

  Family Rooftop BBQ with Quang's family!

[mywand3rlust]

Day 21 - Nha Trang Biennial Beach Festival

Got picked up in the morning by my new Couchsurfing friend, Quang, whom I met in Saigon. He works in trade marketing at Pepsico in Saigon, but is originally from Nha Trang, and happened to be home this weekend to see the beach festival. This would be my first live-in couch surfing experience, living with his family for a couple days. This would probably be more authentic than the homestay I experienced in Can Tho, Vietnam.

Arrived at his home in the morning where I was able to have my first homecooked meal for breakfast - a nice hearty bowl of Pho. After that, we headed to a remote area in the northern area of Nha Trang to check out some caves where Salangane Birds build nests. Apparently Nha Trang produces some of the most expensive Birds' Nest (saliva) products in the world, and these birds are miniature, which explains why it's so expensive.

We chilled in the area for about an hour, finding shade and soaking our feet in the water, and this provided a good opportunity to learn more about Vietnam. He told me a little about his job at Pepsico and the difference between trade marketing (push marketing) and marketing (pull marketing). We talked salaries and I got a sense of the wage disparity between people in U.S. and Vietnam. Of course, the cost of living is much lower in Vietnam, but it still seems that taking this into consideration, they make much less, and it's harder for them to save money. The average teenage worker at KFC in Vietnam makes about 10,000 Dong per hour ($0.50). All trip, we ended up figuring out the cost of everything in KFC hours whenever we had the chance. One beer on the beach? 1.5 KFC hours.

His desire is to move to the United States sometime in the future, finding a job in marketing. He's been to the U.S. a couple times in his life already, participating in Work/Study programs and couchsurfing throughout the states. I suggested that he should maybe work and live in highly-concentrated Vietnamese areas to improve his English and ease his way into American culture, but he wouldn't want to just move to America and work at a job that doesn't use his skills or experience. If he wanted to do that, he would have just illegally stayed in the U.S. when he was here. Instead, his strategy is to work at his company for a couple of years and hope to transfer. I told him I'd try to help him find a job here in the U.S., but the process of getting a visa would be difficult and time consuming. We'll see what happens in the near future.

We talked a little about the credit crisis in America and I learned a little about the value of money in Vietnam. About 20,100 Vietnamese Dong equals $1 USD. The inflation rates (as reported by the government) is around 3-4% every month! Quang says this is just a report by the government, but believes the inflation rate is even higher. Interest rates to take a loan out are around 18% and saving money in a bank produces around a 12% return. No one really saves money in a bank because of the inflation rates, which is the reason why it costs so much to borrow money from the bank. There isn't much of a supply.

I asked Quang about the woman I met on the Funky Monkey Boat Tour and got a better understanding of her relationship with the man. He believes there's a mutual understanding between the two people. One, that the man was only there to party, have sex, find companionship while on vacation without any intent on getting married. Two, the woman understands this, but still likes to entertain the man, getting everything paid for while she entertains him.

We headed back to his house for another homecooked meal. I gave my passport to his father so that he could report it to the government. Your location is reported to the government every night you stay somewhere, whether it be at a hotel, homestay, etc. After his father reported it, we found out that I wasn't really supposed to stay over his house, and that only relatives and family are allowed to stay over. Most people who have friends over don't really report any of this though. It was OK for me to stay over this time since he wasn't aware of the restrictions. I guess it's one way the government knows exactly where I am everyday.

In the afternoon we headed to the beach to swim around and check out some of the Beach Festival activities. There, we saw a map of the islands surrounding Vietnam/China and I learned about a new recent international issue between the two countries over the ownership of a group of South China Sea islands. The territorial dispute actually involves six countries - China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, Philippines, and Malaysia, but most of the tension currently is between China and Vietnam.

I also learned that there is speculation that Vinh Van Phong, which is an area north of Nha Trang, might become the biggest harbor in S.E. Asia, surpassing Hong Kong and Singapore, and that the city will become the biggest (surpassing HCMC) in the next 100 years because the sea level is much deeper than in Hong Kong, which will allow larger ships to pass through safely. Who knows how much wealth it will bring to the country in the future.

At the end of the night, we headed back to the beach to check out the Beach Festival, which is a huge celebration that brings Vietnamese from all parts of the country to Nha Trang to celebrate the beautiful beaches in the area. I had never seen so many Vietnamese people congregated in one place, not even in Little Saigon near my hometown in Southern California. There were probably about a hundred thousand people (my estimation skills may be grossly off) walking around the streets and on the beaches. I don't think the festival planners anticipated such a huge turn out because the seating area to watch the stage show was not big enough to accomodate even 5% of the people who showed up. Nonetheless, it was an incredible moment to be able to celebrate with the people, who were very proud of their beach city. Quang and I watched the stage show on the sidelines, before almost being trampled by a float that was trying to pass through. A little poor planning there. The show featured pyrotechnics, dancing, famous singers, Vietnamese models, and a presentation of the different countries who were a part of the "39 most beautiful bays in the world." I saw the U.S. represented once with our San Francisco Bay, but am unsure if there were any others from my country.

There was a huge 15 minute fireworks show along the beach at the end of the celebration. It was fun to watch everyone get excited at some of the big moments of the show when they started clapping and "oooohing" and "ahhhing." At the end of the night, we headed to a beach party where they had a live cover band sing pop songs. Typical pop songs - Lady Gaga songs were performed 3 times, but it was really fun to dance on the beach intoxicated.

I think it says "Do Not Trespass"

  Secluded cove in the north of Nha Trang

  In the caves where the Salangane Swallows build their nests

  My new friend Quang near the rock formations in the cove

  Home-cooked lunch!

You will see many street peddlers trying to sell you these lottery tickets. Quang says that each ticket costs 5,000 dong and the seller gets 10% of the sales. It's an easy way to make a little cash since you don't have to carry anything heavy, just walk around with these tickets.

  Nem Cuon - Looks exactly like the spring rolls at Brodard back home! Quang corrected me when I called them "nem nuong." The rolls were just as good as Brodard, although I thought the sauce could be better.

  Grilled nem nuong - I'm used to seeing these in Little Saigon wrapped in cellophane and refrigerated. Inside the leaves is pork, pork skin, and black pepper. 

  The street vendor making Nem Cuon

  One of the many entrances to the Nha Trang beach festival.

  The stands could not accommodate all the guests...

  ...so they climbed the scaffolding.

  Various pictures of the stage performances.

Fireworks on the beach

Beach party to end the night right!

[mywand3rlust]

Day 20 - Funky Monkey Boat Tour

I heard a little about this boat tour from my old housemate, who sent me a link from someone else who had done this tour. It was mostly a party on a ship, with short stops at four different islands around Nha Trang. More emphasis on PARTY than anything else. All the tour companies around the city had this type of tour available, but "Funky Monkey" really pulled me in with the advertisement since it looked more like fun than any of the others.

The tour bus picked me up, along with many Vietnamese families who were probably in the city for the Beach Festival. We were shuttled to the pier, where tens of boats all floated on the dock, waiting to be packed with locals and foreigners alike. My boat consisted of mostly Vietnamese families and a couple Dutch and German guys who worked in Saigon, but were in Nha Trang for vacation. Each of them had a Vietnamese girl by their side.

The first stop was on an island that had an aquarium (Tri Nguyen) that housed many giant fishes. Nothing too exciting here, except for the fact that they had so many HUGE fishes in such SMALL tanks... There was also a small enclosed area with fishes and giant sea turtles that you could feed.

Next, we sailed to the next island, where we could snorkel along the shallow waters. I've had pretty dismal experiences snorkeling, mostly relating to me freaking out in the saltwater. Since I don't really know how to swim very well, I tend to panic easily when I'm in open waters, even when wearing a life jacket. The same thing happened here, when I jumped into the water and tried to swim to shore, which took so much energy. Once I was on shore, I realized that I would have to swim again to get back onto the boat... I snorkeled for many a couple minutes, before swimming back onto the boat, more concerned about getting back safely than looking at the pretty fishes and coral. By this point, the fun began, when some of the guests jumped off the top of the boat into the waters and relaxed on lifesavers while drinking Tiger Beers.

During this time, I noticed one of the girls,who came with one of the white guys, sitting alone on the boat, not wanting to get wet. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to get some answers from her about the relationship she had with this man. For the most part, it seemed like she was conveying the fact that they were just friends, and that she was single. I tried to ask her how the two of them met, but I didn't get an answer. She then proceeded to ask me where I was from, what type of job I had, what my phone number was, what hotel I was staying at tonight, and what I was doing tonight, emphasizing the fact that she had a lot of single girlfriends that she could introduce me to. I could only laugh in my head since I didn't know what her motives were and told her that I didn't have a phone number and I was busy tonight... I don't know if I got any of my questions answered from this inquisition...

After that, we sailed to the third island, while it was nearing lunchtime. Floating near the island, we had lunch, which was a smorgasbord of delicious Vietnamese food that alone, was worth the price of admission on this tour ($5 USD). We heartily ate and soon after it was time for Happy Hour and Live music from the "Funky Monkey" Boy Band. But before any of the festivities, there were introductions of people representing different countries and parts of Vietnam. A German Guy, Dutch Guy, and American Guy (me!) were each separately asked to come to the front, where we all sang our own renditions of "Frere Jacques" in our own native languages.

I didn't know "Frere Jacques" in English...

I felt like that girl in Sister Act 2 who didn't know the words to Mary Had a Little Lamb and had to resort to singing "The Loveboat" Theme song...

When I was onstage, I told our host that I didn't know the song in English, but only in French (which was a lie, because I only knew parts of the song in French). Anyways...who really knows this song in English???

After that, our host and the Funky Monkey Band sang different Vietnamese songs before ending the performance with a rendition of "Unchained Melody."

Floating Bar Happy Hour came next, where we all jumped into the water to get free "Funky Monkey Cocktails" while we floated in lifevests and lifesavers. Music blasted in the background, including House of Pain's "Jump Around" and The Wonder Girls' "Nobody." I did find the courage to jump in the water in my vest...who can say no to free alcohol?

The last island stop was at Mot Island, which allowed many of us to lazily lie on the beach for a good hour, recovering from the day's activities. Overall a good trip that was worth the $5. Additional optional fees included the acquarium ($1), Sea Urchin Soup ($2.5), and the Mot Island Entrance ($1).

After the boat trip, I headed back to the beach to soak in more sun. I bought a kite to fly since it was a nice and windy day. The kite string ended up being very short, so my kite cowered over the other kites flying in the air. Next time, I'll make sure I purchase the higher quality kites... Spent the rest of the night lounging on the beach until dusk before having dinner at a street corner where they served beef steaks and retreated back to the hotel for the night...

Tri Nguyen Aquarium - First stop on the Funky Monkey Boat Tour

    The top of the aquarium provided beautiful views of the boats around the island.

  Feeding Sea Turtles at the Aquarium

    Preparing lunch for all the hungry guests

    Sea Urchin Soup - A mix between a rice porridge and egg drop soup with pieces of sea urchin

    Sitting on the top of the boat, starving before lunchtime

  LUNCHTIME

  The Funky Monkey Boy Band

  Funky Monkey Happy Hour/Floating Bar

Mot Island

Flying Kites at Nha Trang Beach

Having a Beer at Dusk

Beef Steak with a tomato sauce, onions, and homemade Mayonnaise, along with salad and a baguette. I had two of these for dinner.

[mywand3rlust]

Day 19 - Nha Trang Beaches

Arrived in Nha Trang at 7am in the morning and once again, was bombarded with "xe om" (motorbike) drivers trying to drive me to a hotel. Luckily, I already booked a hotel through orbitz, which ended up being more expensive than if I were to walk in and ask for a room...but I guess you pay for the assurance of knowing you have an address to head to and a room to sleep in when you arrive in the city.

The room wouldn't be ready until 10am, so I left my backpack at the hotel lobby and walked around the city looking for a spot for breakfast. All I could think about during these next three hours was SHOWER SHOWER SHOWER.

Nha Trang, host of the 2008 Miss Universe Pageant (where Lady Gaga performed before making it big), is Vietnam's primary beach resort for both tourists and locals. The main tourist area houses many hotels within 2-3 blocks of the beach. The waters are clean and clear, unlike the polluted waters of HCMC. Numerous travel agencies advertise scuba adventures, which I hear are great in this city. There are also boat tours around some of the adjacent islands, a huge waterpark on an island of its own, hot springs, museums, "booze cruises", and other sights to see.

Like any first day in a new city, I headed straight (after showering, flossing, brushing my teeth, scrubbing my face, washing my clothes, etc.) to the travel agencies to see what my options were. My friend who's hometown is in Nha Trang suggested that I go on a scuba diving adventure, but I don't think I have the courage to do it when I can't swim very well. It was also a little pricey... He also suggested I take a boat island tour, which I decided on doing tomorrow since I heard good things about it and it was only $5. He was to arrive in the city in two days and would show me around some of the other sights in the city, including the huge waterpark and the hot springs.

After booking the boat tour for tomorrow, I headed to the beach to check everything out. The beaches were very clean and the weather was cooler and windier than in all the other parts of Vietnam I've been to. The currents weren't very strong, and it dawned on me that there really doesn't seem to be a surfing culture in Vietnam, probably due to the scarcity of huge waves to ride.

The beaches were full of life as the city was preparing for a huge Beach Festival that only occurs every 2 years. I was lucky enough to arrive for this occasion. I've always wanted to see some of the special holidays or festivals in each country, but it's been tough figuring it all out and scheduling it correctly. The only other festival I am aware of is the Full Moon Party, which occurs in Thailand every full moon. It's a huge party that thousands of people participate in, especially foreigners who are touring all the backpacker party spots in S.E. Asia. I did happen to be in Vietnam for the Half Year holiday, which occurs half a year after Tet, or Vietnamese New Year. I was in Phu Quoc at the time, but I asked my friend if he celebrated, and he said he didn't and that the holiday was more celebrated by the older people in Vietnam.

After exploring the beach and having dinner, I headed back to the hotel, and just lounged around since it had been a while since I had my own room, with A/C, and hot water. I wanted to take advantage of all these luxuries before I have to live cheap and dirty again.

Nha Trang - Municipal Beach

  Saw a sports match being played that I was unfamiliar with. It was almost like volleyball, except the courts were smaller, and the players used their feet instead of their hands. They played with thick socks, and a player could hit the ball twice in a row.

  Splurging a little for lunch - Bo Luc Lac (Shaking Beef)

  Nearing sunset on the beach, although the beach was located on the east coast of Vietnam.

  The streets were closed off so that the kids could rehearse for the Beach Festival

[mywand3rlust]

Day 18 - Phu Quoc to HCMC to Nha Trang

Apparently small airports don't run 24 hours a day like major international ones. I found that out when I woke up and headed to the airport at 5:45am to catch my 7:40am flight back to HCMC. When I arrived, the airport was deserted. The taxi driver told me it opened at 6am. It was so foreign for me to see someone open the sliding doors, turn on the monitors, and set up the security scanners, since I'm so used to seeing the hustle and bustle of a large airport, filled with people going to different destinations.

The flight took a quick 30 minutes, and upon arrival, I headed straight to the nearest air-conditioned place, which happened to be the airport restaurant. Today was the first day I would not be able to shower, so I did NOT want to be sweating outside at all. I did not book a hotel room today since I had a sleeper bus scheduled at 8PM headed towards Nha Trang. We would arrive at around 7AM the following day.

I spent the next 3 hours at the airport restaurant just using the internet before my friend picked me up on his motorbike and we had lunch at the mall across the street. I ended up roaming around the mall afterwards and decided to watch Kung Fu Panda 2, where the theatre was filled with Vietnamese youth. The movie was not dubbed in Vietnamese, but instead had subtitles. I wondered if the Vietnamese would get the "Jack Black" humor of the movie, or if it would get lost in translation. For the most part, I think everyone got most of the jokes. It could possibly be because it was an animated film, which I think is easier to watch universally.

My friend picked me up after work and we had dinner at a dim sum restaurant. The dim sum was not nearly as good as anything you could find in China or in the hundreds of Chinatowns in the U.S. and the portions were smaller.

My friend dropped me off at the bus station, where I took the shittiest ride of the entire trip! The advertisements for these sleeper buses looked better than reality. The buses were older, and the beds dirtier. Each bus had 2 stories of beds, and a total of 40 beds. I was unlucky in getting a bed in the back and top. You were more prone to feel every pothole if you slept on any of the top beds, and there were 5 beds, side by side in the back, so I got stuck sleeping between two obnoxious French dudes, who for some reason felt it necessary to talk loudly whenever they felt like it throughout the 10 hour bus ride and comment on everything they saw outside the window. Their feet reeked, but so did my armpits...so it was just a bad situation for all of us. Good thing I had my headphones on, but I don't know if I'm going to continue with these buses. I have two more tickets for overnight buses heading to Hoi An, and Hanoi. I might just opt to take a sleeper train, or fly there...

DON'T GET A SLEEPER BUS TICKET UNLESS YOU GET YOUR OWN SEPARATE BED WITH NO ONE SLEEPING ON EITHER SIDE OF YOU

Empty airport in Phu Quoc

  My ride back to HCMC

[mywand3rlust]

Day 17 - Motorbiking Phu Quoc Islands

We made it a plan to wake up, grab breakfast, and hit the road by renting motorbikes so we could explore the island on our own. The entire island is around 31 miles long and 12 miles wide, so it was easy to cover a lot of ground in one day.

The last time I rode a motorbike was about 5 years ago when I rented them in Hawaii. It took a little time to get used to, but it was easy relearning how to ride one of these babies, especially since it was an automatic.

Navigating the streets was easy too since the main roads were not nearly as claustrophobic as in Ho Chi Minh City. Once outside the major towns, we were free to roam about in complete peace, sometimes veering off the concrete and onto orange dirt roads, trying to stumble upon new sights. It was literally breathtaking, driving 60-80 km/hr, yelling at the top of your lungs as the wind (and small insects and gravel) blew in your face.

We headed northwest on the island and reached a secluded area where there was only one resort, and we explored the beach there. The water was so shallow, that you could literally walk across, as if you were walking on water. There were little ships, painted in different shades of pastel blue and green, docked near shore. They were probably fishing for crabs.

After getting a drink at the resort and relaxing near the ocean, we headed west to try and see some of the national park, which makes up about 70 percent of the entire island. We passed by a pepper farm, which is one of the main products grown on the island. Fish sauce is also famous here, and certain parts of the town reeked (or perfumed, depending on who you are asking) of this Vietnamese condiment. It was a challenge getting through some of the dirt roads because of the potholes and muddy waters, but challenging in a fun way. I guess the best tip you could follow is to not hesitate or slow down when you traverse through, or you may get stuck or fall over.

We got lost (more like shoo-ed away by the locals) when were trying to find a certain beach to relax at. A little boy ended up guiding us on our way back (even though I had GPS and didn't need the help), and then when he showed us the way, he demanded 30,000 dong from us. Another tactic of someone giving help, and another thing I dislike about travelling. You never know what the honest intentions of others are. They could either genuinely want to help you out, or they could only be trying to make a couple bucks. We ended up giving him around 15,000 dong, shaking our finger at him before we ditched him.

By the afternoon, we headed back to our bungalows to catch some sun at our beach – Truong Beach. After four hours of biking, I got sunburned on my shoulders and thighs. The waters were choppy and warm, and I walked around the shore to explore some of the other areas. There were jellyfish in the ocean, although the only two I saw were washed up on shore. There were also huge rock formations that were perfect for bouldering! I attempted to climb some of them but didn't want to try to top it without a spotter or crash pad.

At dusk, we headed out on our motorbikes again to grab dinner and stumbled on the local night market there, which served lots of fresh seafood. I was so excited to try everything, since the prices were all very cheap for FRESH seafood. I got a large sea snail, some small sea snails, clams, and a sea urchin. Probably the best clams I've ever had, because they were so fresh, you could still taste the ocean in them. They were barbequed and seasoned with peanuts, green onions, garlic, and oil. The large sea snail was also very good. It was like a huge chunk of meat, hard to cut, but delicious. The sea urchin was also barbequed, and the only time I'd ever tried sea urchin was as Uni at a sushi bar. I definitely prefer it raw, instead of barbequed. The small sea snails were the worst part of the meal because they were unseasoned. There really wasn't a taste to any of them.

I'm headed to Nha Trang next, which is another coastal beach town and hopefully, there will be even better seafood there!

We called it a night early since I had to wake up tomorrow early (again) to catch a flight back to HCMC.

Motorbiking through the islands

  Mr. CPA burning rubber full throttle at 60km/hr

  Matching Gold Helmet to go with the Gold Bike

  As Michael put it - "Walking across the sea the way Jesus did"

  Small ships fishing for crabs

  Getting drinks at a private resort

  The damage on my feet

  Large sea snails

  Various seafood ready to be BBQ'd at the night market

  Our dinner being cooked

  The BEST part of dinner - clams!

Phu Quoc Night Market

[mywand3rlust]

Day 16 - Rach Gia to Phu Quoc Islands

Another early morning to get onboard the "Superdong III" to the Phu Quoc Islands. I think I'm going to be waking up early for the majority of this trip, which will be different than during my bout of unemployment prior to traveling. There's no way I'll ever snooze over 15 minutes though, or else I'll lose out on something, whether it be time, money, or just traveling experience.

The "Superdong III" was a newish boat that went pretty fast. The whole trip took about 2 hours I think, and most of the passengers were Vietnamese locals who were probably heading to the islands on vacation. Upon boarding, you are bombarded with Vietnamese music played over a slideshow of the sights to see on the Phu Quoc islands. Once the boat left the dock, the whole cabin was shown "The Gods Must Be Crazy" on the televisions - very random. I've never seen the movie before, and I couldn't hear anything through the television, and I was half asleep, but I was trying to figure out if the movie was racist or not. It looked like a funny movie that I'd want to watch though.

Once we arrived at the islands, we were again greeted by a swarm of taxi and motorbike drivers trying to get our business. My friends told me that everytime they took transportation near an airport or bus stop, they would soon realize that they were overcharged. We tried to get away from the pier and walk into the city to get a better deal, but there wasn't a "city" in the vicinity, so we had to settle for a driver's incessant attempts at getting us to hire him. We were able to lower the price by 10,000 dong though. My friends had information on some cheap bungalows in the area, and we drove to them, able to bargain for a room to share for $15 a night. Another good deal, right next to the beach, with our own porch and 2 hammocks. It would look like a relaxing time on a beach island indeed.

It was raining and overcast all day today, so it would be a relaxing recovery day in our bungalows. I spent most of the time resting and updating this blog. We went to the local restaurant next door for dinner and talked a little about the differences in Health Care in the UK vs. US. Public healthcare in the U.K. is paid for through taxes, although you can opt for private services at a cost. My two friends were from London, and apparently, everyone from London hates every English person who lives outside of London, and vice versa I think... I also learned a little about the travel culture in the U.K. Most students have a "gap" year between high school and university where they decide to travel either in South America, India, or Southeast Asia. My two friends got loans from their parents and got a job prior to save a little cash to go on these trips. They live pretty frugally on the trip and bargain like crazy, but I see from their experience that it really is possible to travel while you are young and not experienced in the workforce. I don't think most people in the U.S. believe that. I certainly wouldn't have believed I could afford a trip to SE Asia, but now I think it is possible for anyone, with just a couple thousand bucks. The biggest expense is the plane ticket, but if you can get that covered, you could probably survive off $15 a day. My two friends were travelling for 3 months!

The night ended after 4 bottles of beer each, and a couple rounds of "Shithead." Relaxing day indeed.

Superdong III

  A view from our front porch

  Low season - complete seclusion

  Relaxing on a rainy day

[mywand3rlust]

Day 15 - Can Tho Floating Markets to Rach Gia

Woke up to around 50 bug bites all over my feet! I'm not sure if it was due to bed bugs or mosquitoes. I foolishly didn't wear insect repellent the night before during dinnertime, so that might have been the cause.

My homestay group took a small tour around the village, where we stopped at the small local outside market that starts at around 4AM! These local vendors sell at this market instead of the floating market because they don't have enough goods to justify selling down the river.

Afterwards, we took a boat tour to the Can Tho floating markets, which was exciting to see because it was one of the largest markets in the area due to its centralized location. Boats would arrive from over 100km away to sell in this area, sometimes staying for days in the water until their inventory was completely sold. This was a legitimate market, where locals from all around southern Vietnam came to purchase and sell mostly agriculture. Small boats selling coffee, drinks, and noodles also floated along the river, targeting most of the touring boats.

The rest of the morning was spent at a rice factory, another market, and lunch in the city's park. I tried snake for the first time, which was pretty good as a satay. The meat was rough and chewy, so it reminded me of eating grilled squid.

In the afternoon, I split from the tour and headed towards Rach Gia so that I could take a boat to the Phu Quoc islands. After overpaying the tourguide for a bus ticket to the coastal town, I was left alone on the sidewalk, unsure of which bus to wait for. Probably one of the most nerve-wrecking moments, I wondered what I would do if no one came... I didn't have the tour guide's phone number, and most of the people in the surrounding area didn't speak much English. Luckily, a bus came and took me to the bus station, where I was asked to pay for the bus ticket again! I don't know if I was scammed by the tour guide, or if the bus station was trying to get more money out of me, but I refused to pay saying that I already paid the tour guide (even though I didn't have a receipt or any proof...) After a while of bickering, I took my cell phone out and began to call the tour company, and at that moment, the bus station just gave me a ticket and led me to the bus. I heard that having a cell phone and making calls usually gets people to quit scamming.

The bus ride was probably the worst so far because the roads were a little less developed on the way to Phu Quoc. Bumpy and hot, all I wanted to do was sleep the whole 3 hours down... but it was tough because all I could hear were the obnoxious stories being told by 2 American dudes, living in Beijing as an English teacher and a computer engineer and travelling for vacation in Vietnam, telling two Londoners about their sexual escapades throughout SE Asia in an offensive way towards both women and Asians. They sort of spoke of Chinese students as if they were lower beings, or non-human. I wanted to punch them in their faces.

When we reached Rach Gia, I tagged along with the two Londoners since they were also headed to the Phu Quoc Islands. We looked for the ticketbooth to sell boatrides to Phu Quoc on the "Superdong III" and afterwards, walked around looking for the cheapest guesthouse we could stay at. With their brilliant bargaining skills, we were each able to get rooms for $5 a night! I never would have thought I'd ever stay somewhere that cheap, since I expected even the cheapest places to be around $10-$15, but apparently, it's pretty easy to find places this cheap since it's low season right now. You just have to deal with no A/C and cold water...

The city of Rach Gia was pretty quiet, and there weren't too many tourists in the area. My two new friends and I went to look for food and there were only maybe 2 restaurants open in the area. We settled on a restaurant/home that served only one dish - porkchops with rice and a fried egg. Probably one of the better meals of the trip. Sometimes it's better not having a choice of what to eat. It forces you to try whatever is available.

Learned a new card game as well, called "Shithead" that is loads of fun. I suppose it's a game that is learned by backpackers and passed along to new friends throughout travels because it's pretty unpredictible, and hard to form really good strategies because the momentum of the game can change at any time. I can't wait to teach my friends at home so we can play it as a drinking game.

The night in the guest house was probably the worst night so far in the trip. I kept waking up because my feet kept itching and I tried my best not to scratch. I wrapped my whole body in my duvet cover in hopes that I would not get bitten again, but i think that made it worse, since it didn't allow my skin to breathe... You don't think a bug bite would make you miserable, but 50+ all over your feet really do...

Getting across the river in the morning at the local village in Can Tho

  Enjoying coffee at the Can Tho local village market

  Boys learning their father's trade at the Can Tho Floating Market

  The kids in Vietnam are so eager to wave and say "hello" to every foreigner they see.

  Sellers in the Can Tho Floating Market have bamboo poles that indicate the types of goods they offer.

  Buyers purchasing pumpkins at the Can Tho Floating Market

  Selling produce at another market in Can Tho

  Snake Satay

[mywand3rlust]

Day 14 - Mekong Delta and Homestay

Day one of a two day tour of the Mekong Delta, a waterway system in South Vietnam known for it's floating markets, rice production, and fruit orchards, among other things.

Woke up bright and early again to get on a bus. Stood around with all the other foreigners on the side of the street to get on our respective buses, depending on if we were taking a 1, 2, or 3 day tour. For some reason, all the foreigners took the 1 and 3 day tours, so I got on a bus with 2 Vietnamese families and 1 Kiwi.  I didn't know if I got on the wrong bus or not. We had a mini group of about 12 people.

The first stop was in Cai Be, which was about a 3 hour bumpy bus ride. It didn't help that I took my malaria meds on an empty stomach and I felt nauseous the whole way. When we arrived at Cai Be, we took a boat around the delta and canals and stopped at a village that made rice desserts and rice paper- the wrapping that is used in many Vietnamese dishes including spring rolls. We then stopped at another village that raised bee farms and produced honey products including Royal Queen Jelly. The jelly is not actually honey, but the nutrients that worker bees provide to the Queen to make her live longer. I'm not sure of the efficacy of such products on treatment for humans though.

Afterwards, we had lunch at a village and were able to see some of the daily life of these people. Some of them were in the canals hunting for sea snails, others were swimming in the waters or rowing small boats. I had a conversation with the tourmate from New Zealand, who told me a little about the history of New Zealand and how the country is adamant about separating itself from Australia. He also told me a little about the travel culture of recent college grads. It's pretty common for Kiwis and Aussies to fly to London to start their travels, maybe rent a flat and a minivan, find a job there, and travel around Europe and everywhere else. It's an entirely different expectation for college grads there compared to America, where everyone is so focused on starting their careers right after college.

We traveled to Vinh Long, where we walked around the markets. All the markets in Vietnam pretty much sell the same produce, meats, and other goods. At the end of the night, we took a bus ride to Can Tho and part of the tour group stayed at a hotel while another part participated in a homestay.

I opted in on the homestay and it was a little scary at first because we were transported by taxi at night to the village, and it took a while to get there because the taxi driver got lost in the darkness of the small alleyways of the small village. To top it off, it was raining and none of us knew what to expect with the homestay. When we arrived, we were greeted by one of the villagers, who took us on a boat to cross a small river to his home.

I assumed the homestay would be an authentic live-in experience where I would live with a family and do the things they do on a regular basis, but it was more of a "tourist" version of a homestay. Everyone who signed up for it were taken to this one family's home, but there were separate bungalows for each party, separate from the house that the host lived in. We all sat together at dinner and helped wrap spring rolls before they were fried. We then had a big meal of fresh fish spring rolls and fried vegetarian rolls (made of sweet potatoes and peas). But the tourists all had dinner together, and afterwards we all just sat and chatted for a couple hours.

It was good though to meet new people. Met a couple of people from Switzerland, a couple people from Singapore, and a couple people from the U.S. Learned a little about Singaporean politics and their economy, which is mostly service and manufacturing based. Since the country is so small, they have absolutely no agriculture, and pretty much imports all its food. They recently had an important election where some independent party members won some seats in the government, which was a big deal because the dominant political party - the People's Action Party has long been in full power since the country first gained independence. The country also requires men to serve in the military for a certain amount of time since the country is so small, similar to Israel. What was surprising was that they also had that requirement in Switzerland, even though it's a "neutral" country.

At the end of the night, we all toasted and had rice wine before retreating to our own bungalows.

Riding along the delta in Cai Be

  Making rice paper - notice where the paper is being dried, which is where it get's its weaving pattern when you purchase it in the markets

  Puffing rice to make rice desserts - The pieces of rice are cooked in a pan of hot black sand

  Handling pythons at the honey bee farm. The fear is masked by the happy face.

  A woman collecting sea snails in the canals

  Rowing along the canals

  My bungalow at the homestay

  Wrapping spring rolls

  Our homestay dinner

[mywand3rlust]

Day 13 - Meeting Couchsurfers in HCMC/First Day On My Own

So this is it...the first day travelling on my own! I woke up to have breakfast with my family before saying goodbye as they left for the airport. I spent last night researching hotel/hostel options for today, before deciding that I would just walk over to the tourist section of District 1 and find a place to sleep on the spot.

I walked over to the area for the first time, and it was just like all the other tourist areas in Bangkok and Siem Reap – lots of massage parlors, bars, hotels, travel agencies, and convenience stores. Seeing that I had my backpacks on while walking around, a couple of hotel receptionists yelled out at me to see if I wanted to room with them. One of them offered a room for $10 USD, and after thinking about it, I opted to go to a different hotel that I read positive reviews for and had recommendations from friends for. I figure I could always find cheap places throughout my trip, but I wanted my first night alone to go without a hitch, a conservative move on my part.

The hotel was a good experience. The women who worked there were extremely friendly and helpful, and the room was clean and the air conditioning worked perfectly. The only negatives were that I didn't have a window, the room was like a box, and I had to walk up 8 flights of stairs each time I left and came back to the hotel, but for $16, it was a good deal and worth it. I'll splurge once in a while when I feel I NEED to relax in comfort.

No touristy sites for me today. I ended up talking to some people and getting really diverse perspectives on all sorts of topics. I met my first two couchsurfing buddies and had lunch and dinner with them.

My first buddy picked me up on her motorbike and took me to a good vegetarian vietnamese restaurant. It was my first time on this trip that I rode on a motorbike in the dense traffic. It was scary at first because cars and bikes are going towards you in all directions, and as a passenger, you don't have any control of the direction of your bike, but after a while, it became exhilarating to be able to experience all the chaos and action first hand.

My couchsurfing buddy was Austrialian and has been living in Vietnam for 7 years, spending most of her time teaching English to people of all ages. She has recently taken a break from work to just relax and actually see more of the world. She recently came back from Bangkok, and showed me some of the new tattoos she got from a teacher there, and it kind of sparked my interest in getting one. We talked about some of her experiences travelling to other SE Asian countries and her favorites were Burma and Laos. I asked her why she decided on coming to live in Vietnam, and she said that she just fell in love with the people here because they are all so friendly, despite all the poverty around the area. She travelled to other SE Asian countries, but for some reason, there was something special about Vietnam. I asked her if she ever planned on leaving the country, but at least in the near future, she doesn't see herself leaving. I thought it was very exciting, but also brave of her to be able to leave her home country to live in another country for so long. Many people travel to other countries to teach English, but I think those are only temporary plans for people who want to travel, but for her, it was more than that. It was the love of the culture and the people.

Despite being in Vietnam for seven years, she said she hasn't quite mastered the language yet. The Vietnamese people are pretty lenient on someone who is learning the language for the first time, but after maybe four years, they expect you to be able to speak fluently. I got her perspective on the political opinions of the people of the country and her experiences teaching English. We also shared stories about our lives and she offered me tips on staying safe while travelling. A very good first experience with CS!

After being dropped off at my hotel, I walked around the area to check out the travel agencies to see what I could book myself. On the first day, I already broke my intentions of taking things slowly and doing things spontaneously. I booked many activities for myself in Vietnam over the next 2 weeks... I ended up booking a 2 day/1 night tour of the Mekong Delta, with its famous floating markets, for tomorrow. I also planned on taking a bus ride to Rach Gia and then taking a boat to the Phu Quoc islands. I booked a flight from Phu Quoc back to HCMC. I booked an open bus ticket from HCMC to Nha Trang to Hoi An to Hue to Hanoi. I booked a 3 night/2 day trip to Sapa, in the Northern part of Vietnam, and I booked a 2 day/1 night trip to Halong Bay... I already feel tired just thinking about the next few weeks!

After all this planning, I met up with another couchsurfing friend for dinner and Boba milk tea after. Again, he picked me up at the hotel and we rode on his motorbike to a Hue-influenced restaurant where I had some of the best spring rolls I've ever had! The restaurant had many tourists, but it seemed authentic. Afterwards, we rode on his bike through the rain to a tea house. Again, pretty scary riding on a bike while it was raining and at night, but again, it felt so good and free riding the streets with the rain falling from the sky. This buddy was born in Nha Trang and now resides in HCMC for work. It was fun talking to him about his opinions of Americans because he did the whole couchsurfing thing a couple years back, visiting New York, Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, and California. He also did a work/study program for almost half a year in the U.S. He said his favorite place in the U.S. was Chicago. He spoke of living with a bunch of college students near the outskirts of Los Angeles (he didn't remember the university) and was shocked at how dirty we students were. I laughed at this as I would agree with him on that. He told me about his experience with the “weed” and party culture of college, which again, I laughed at. I asked him what he usually did on the weekends, and he said that most Vietnamese people don't really go out to dance or drink beer like Americans do. The most popular thing to do is drink coffee at a coffee shop or maybe watch a movie in the theatres. He told me about a Beach Festival that is being held in Nha Trang in a couple weeks, and I hope to be able to visit.

Already a jam-packed and tiring day, I met another friend late at night for a drink at a bar in the tourist area. Part Laotian, Thai, and Vietnamese, he was in Vietnam for work. We met up with his other two friends, who both taught English. One was originally from Pennsylvania, while the other was Part Chinese/Part Filipino, originally from the Phillippines.

Already such an enriching trip, meeting many different people, and learning about many diverse cultures.

Despite being in Vietnam for seven years, she said she hasn't quite mastered the language yet. The Vietnamese people are pretty lenient on someone who is learning the language for the first time, but after maybe four years, they expect you to be able to speak fluently. I got her perspective on the political opinions of the people of the country and her experiences teaching English. We also shared stories about our lives and she offered me tips on staying safe while travelling. A very good first experience with CS! After being dropped off at my hotel, I walked around the area to check out the travel agencies to see what I could book myself. On the first day, I already broke my intentions of taking things slowly and doing things spontaneously. I booked many activities for myself in Vietnam over the next 2 weeks... I ended up booking a 2 day/1 night tour of the Mekong Delta, with its famous floating markets, for tomorrow. I also planned on taking a bus ride to Rach Gia and then taking a boat to the Phu Quoc islands. I booked a flight from Phu Quoc back to HCMC. I booked an open bus ticket from HCMC to Nha Trang to Hoi An to Hue to Hanoi. I booked a 3 night/2 day trip to Sapa, in the Northern part of Vietnam, and I booked a 2 day/1 night trip to Halong Bay... I already feel tired just thinking about the next few weeks! After all this planning, I met up with another couchsurfing friend for dinner and Boba milk tea after. Again, he picked me up at the hotel and we rode on his motorbike to a Hue-influenced restaurant where I had some of the best spring rolls I've ever had! The restaurant had many tourists, but it seemed authentic. Afterwards, we rode on his bike through the rain to a tea house. Again, pretty scary riding on a bike while it was raining and at night, but again, it felt so good and free riding the streets with the rain falling from the sky. This buddy was born in Nha Trang and now resides in HCMC for work. It was fun talking to him about his opinions of Americans because he did the whole couchsurfing thing a couple years back, visiting New York, Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, and California. He also did a work/study program for almost half a year in the U.S. He said his favorite place in the U.S. was Chicago. He spoke of living with a bunch of college students near the outskirts of Los Angeles (he didn't remember the university) and was shocked at how dirty we students were. I laughed at this as I would agree with him on that. He told me about his experience with the “weed” and party culture of college, which again, I laughed at. I asked him what he usually did on the weekends, and he said that most Vietnamese people don't really go out to dance or drink beer like Americans do. The most popular thing to do is drink coffee at a coffee shop or maybe watch a movie in the theatres. He told me about a Beach Festival that is being held in Nha Trang in a couple weeks, and I hope to be able to visit. Already a jam-packed and tiring day, I met another friend late at night for a drink at a bar in the tourist area. Part Laotian, Thai, and Vietnamese, he was in Vietnam for work. We met up with his other two friends, who both taught English. One was originally from Pennsylvania, while the other was Part Chinese/Part Filipino, originally from the Phillippines. Already such an enriching trip, meeting many different people, and learning about many diverse cultures.

Riding on my first motorbike in Vietnam with my first CS friend

  Lunch - Vermicelli made with Cassava and Vegetable Soup

  Dinner - Grilled Meat Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

[mywand3rlust]

Day 12 - Bangkok back to HCMC

Spent the last day in Bangkok in the air-conditioned supermall Paragon Siam. They had an orchard competition and showcase of the winning entries throughout the center of the mall. Nothing too eventful today as it was another travel day back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Travel days take such a toll, because even though it's a lot of sitting in airports and on airplanes, it's pretty stressful and uncomfortable. You sleep a lot, maybe even oversleep, and then you end up even more exhausted. It definitely shouldn't be considered a “recuperation” day in your travels if you plan on traveling for a while.

No Sex in the Taxi Cab