Flo Brokop

Well, this will be my second to last entry in this travel blog. I wanted to update you on our last days in China, and then do a bit of reflecting on my whole Asia experience. I am actually writing this while I’m sitting in the comfort of my basement at home in front of my high speed computer and high speed internet connection. Accessing internet in China was harder than in Vietnam or Cambodia - not because it didn’t exist, but because of the cost. We were staying fabulous 5 star hotels which must assume that since you can afford to rent a room, you can afford $30.00 per hour for internet. I don’t mean to be cheap, but that is a rip off! We managed to find a few “internet bars” to return e-mail ... read more

Hello everyone: I'm in China with Larry at last. We had a little challenge meeting up, but I'll tell you all that story on my return ... have to leave something to talk about! We have been in Beijing for 3 days now and seen tons. Tiennamen Square, The Forbidden City, Earth Temple, The Temple of Heaven, Ming Tombs, The Olympic sites, and today we walked the Great Wall of China and visited the Summer Palace. We have a wonderful tour guide. Better yet, Larry and I are the only members of our tour group. We feel like celebrities as our private driver drops us off at the site gates, our tour guide buys our entry tickets and then we wander through the beautiful sites getting detailed explanations in fabulous English! Our hotel is also beautiful ... read more

I left the warmth of southern Vietnam to arrive in Hanoi to cooler temperatures and rain. I only had 2 days of rain since January 20, so I have been very spoiled. Not only was it raining in Hanoi, but the temperatures were considerably cooler, 16 C. , but it felt much colder. I was lucky enough to be able to stay at my friend, Carmen Bissonnette's brother's home in Hanoi. The home, as probably most homes in Vietnam, does not have central heating, so I must admit that I slept in most of my clothes the first night in his home. Denis, and his wife Van Ang are wonderful hosts. Denis works as an instructor for the Open University in Hanoi in the Travel and Tourism department. With his many connections, he was able to ... read more

It's hard to believe that my time in Vietnam is almost at an end. I decided to cut my volunteer teaching time short by one week because I really wanted to spend a little more time seeing places in Vietnam before meeting Larry in Beijing. But before letting me leave, my evening students took Gloria, Leanne and I on a field trip - literally. I had mentioned once that I had only seen rice fields from a distance and never actually seen rice growing. So the group took us to a small B&B type of place outside the city and we not only saw rice fields but sugar cane, mango trees, corn fields, coconut palms and a whole assortment of vegetation. The owner of the property, using a horse-drawn cart, took us on a tour throughout ... read more

I have not been as diligent at publishing lately. I think because I've settled into the routine and rhythm of Nha Trang. When I took my Intro to ESL course at NorQuest, one of the instructors talked about stages of "culture shock". I remember him talking about how one of the stages was an embracing of the culture accompanied by rejection of the traveller's home culture. I won't say that I have rejected our culture at home - I sure miss the conveniences and ease of many things at home, but most of all I miss the people. But I can say that I've fallen into an easy acceptance of the pace of life and the routine here. That's not to say that it's a "Hey, man - don't worry - be happy" kind of pace, ... read more