Short stay

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Hey sorry it's been a while since my last post. We took a night train the night before last 12 or 13 hours to Hue. Train travel is the way to go. We had a car with sleeper compartmets in it...basically like 6 coffins crammed into a room. But I slept through most of the journey so it's like time travel....much better than trying to sleep in a seat. And it's fairly cheap too. This afternoon we've gotta get going because the girls' visas expire soon and we wanted to check out Hoi An. So we got about a 4 hour bus ride ahead of us today.
It's funny the way the travelling community is so tight. I keep running into the same people all the time and I've only been here like a week. Travellers all get along well because they're all just here for the same reasons, so I haven't really met anyone I don't like. And the Irish seem to be the most fun when there's beer around.
There's so much history in Vietnam that you could go checking out religious sites and ancient monuments all day. The best way to get around: freakin' mopeds man. I haven't rented one but to catch a ride on the back is a blast.
*I'll have to buy a camera soon and get some pictures up. Some of the things I've seen are truly amazing. And some of it is just plan hilarious, like a whole family cruising along on one moped, or like a demolition crew standing like 40 feet up on a rickety concrete roof as the bust it up with sledge hammers (and wearing sandals).
Lindsay and Emily are a total blessing to travel with, but they're way too smart for me. I bet they think I'm retarded. I hope they enjoy having me around as much as I enjoy their company.
The food here is really good and really cheap. In Hue you can get a big plate of noodles with beef and vegetables for $1.30 and a large beer for $0.80. On the street in Hanoi you could get noodle soup for luch for about $0.30 ***Tyler Loos you would love it! Red bull is $0.30 ! ***
Forgive me for always being amazed at the cheapness but I just can't believe it. If you ate 3 meals a day and stayed in a hotel it would cost you about 8 or 9 bucks to live for a day. That gives me a lot of time to spend over here, but I've been spending a quite a bit more money daily than that. (moped rides, tourist fees, and beer)
I don't really miss Canada at all but today I had a rumble in my belly which required immediate relief. I found a toilet but was unaware that this would be my first "where's the toilet paper?" experience. That's right, but there was a hose to spray with so I wasn't at a total loss. The wetness of the back of my shorts afterward was slightly embarrasing though. I'm sure I'll master the proper technique. Chopsticks are getting easier every day.
I really want to bring home gifts for everyone, there's some cool shops here but I don't want to start collecting a bunch of stuff to carry around for a year. Hoi An is famous for its tailor shops. You can get super swanky garments made for real cheap. I'd love to get a suit tailored and mail it home, just so I could show up my pals in their Value Village suits with my perfect fitted Versace suit or whatever(not that I don't love the Value Village suits too).
So far I've discovered that people here generally are genuinely happy. It's different to see kids running around playing with a rock for fun all day across the street from their parents' shop/house. They don't need nintendo or hollywood movies or damn cell phones to keep them busy. I won't be missing any of those luxuries. And I'm not sure if a fat Vietnamese person even exists, unlike many of us. They are hard working friendly people, and I don't have a single bad thing to say about them. Oops! Gotta go catch that bus! Talk to you all later!

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Comments

[Alica]

Cool!