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Page 6 of Squirrel Travel Blog Posts
March 31st 2006
Phuc (pronounced "fup") is 13 years old. He is smart as a whip and speaks english well,"what’s up love?" I believe were his first words to me. Phuc supports his family of 7 by working both days and nights on the streets selling postcards from a plastic bag. Mom, Dad, 1 brother, 2 sisters and grandmom all live on the boat, which consists of a few rotting bamboo mats for a roof to help cover from the rain. Today I met Phuc's cousin, Bich. Bich is 22 with an 18 month old daughter. She is from another village outside of Hoi An and came here for work when the father left the baby. She has borrowed a boat to live on, but has nothing. And when I mean nothing, I mean nothing. She works 7AM to ... read more
The Unplanned Plan
Published: August 2nd 2006Asia » Vietnam » South Central Coast » Quảng Nam » Hoi An
March 31st 2006
Trusting my gut over the years has been challenging, it usually defies logic, and very often refuses to conform to what would seem to be normal and rational, but it has always chosen the best paths for me, even if I can’t see it at the time. I need to say this first, because I am still amazed how a continuing chain of gut decisions along with dozens of “coincidences” had lead me Monday morning to sit at the hotel lobby internet next to Karen Leonard. I had a strong feeling to come to Vietnam, to fly to Da Nang, to come to Hoi An, even a strong feeling to choose this hotel. I wanted to volunteer in this town, no particular reason why, just gut feelings. I spent last week researching what opportunities are around. ... read more
Flashy Letters & Special Hair
Published: March 25th 2006Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh CityMarch 23rd 2006
I play it safe the next few days and stick to the sites and restaurants recommended by every backpackers travel bible, the Lonely Planet. I try not to whip it out in public (as if I don’t look like a tourist already), so I spend time in my room studying the maps and names of the streets. The language is really so difficult for me, all of the letters come with accessories meaning they have little accents which range from dots to dashes to squiggly “hats” and pointy shoes, the “D” even has a scarf...and all of them have a different tone. For example, you can say the word MA but depending on the accent and tone it can mean either: ghost, mother, which, rice seedling, tomb, or horse. (?) I am learning most of my ... read more
March 21st 2006
GOOD MORNING VIETNAM! (you know that title was coming) I start my first day in Vietnam at 7am on a cyclo (see photo), I am willingly scammed to be taken to the first site on my list, the War Remnants Museum. Scam meaning, I pay $2 when I know it’s worth $1 for the ride. But since crossing the streets safely are a major life risk (remember frogger?), I accept. Conversations began with my new friend about his life and how he used to be a doctor before the war but the “re-education” changed everything. -HISTORY LESSON- Before the war many cyclo drivers were doctors, teachers and journalists, but like their friends they were punished for siding with the Americans. After the cease fire tens of thousands of them were stripped of their citizenship and sent ... read more
March 19th 2006
Today is my last day here in Australia. Rachael, Jason and Maroubra Beach have been more than generous by providing me with one of the most relaxing vacations I have ever had, a good prep for the lifestyle that is soon to come... Thanks Rach & Jas!... read more
March 18th 2006
It takes 1,439 stairs to reach the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The recommended Bridge Climb Tour gets you there and it provides for an ultimate view of Sydney along with informative and interesting facts as you chill at the top. For example, one of the workers had fallen off during construction, he landed in the water, pin drop position but the impact was so intense that it embedded the soles of his work boots into his feet. Fascinating. Anyhow, seeing the city from that view enabled me to get a full city tour at a glance...the Opera House, Lunar Park, even Russell Crowe's 14 million dollar condo, not that he lives here, but so the Gladiator has a comfy place to stay when he visits his home country. Sydney has been an absolute pleasure ... read more
March 9th 2006
So it's Thursday....Wednesday...Thursday, depending on whatever country you are living in, and I really don't have that much to say, except that here is where I am spending my vacation, and it is exactly what a vacation should be. I've done nothing more than...well, nothing really. Not that nothing doesn't feel like nothing, it feels like something. Sorta like negative space is positive space....sorta like when in Graphic Design I try to convince my clients time and time again that the WHITE SPACE in their ad does not have to be filled...the emptiness, the nothingness...it's a good thing. And it's surely what makes the positive space, the somethingness...exist. Does that make sense? I guess put simply, it's the quiet downtime that is treasured as much as the chaos and exiliration of traveling and all of life's ... read more
March 1st 2006
39C was where I spent my Sunday night. No, it is not a room number, it was my seat number on an overseas flight to Australia. (By the way I have a bone to pick with whoever was sitting in 40C and thought that it was a good idea to play YAHTZEE throughout the night, who plays that anyway?) I guess I have some thoughts on this since I had about 30 hours to think about it. Anyway, it does weird things to your head, not to mention your body. Consistent exposure to dry recycled plane air makes blinking and swallowing quite unpleasant as your natural bodily fluids begin to dry up, no matter how much water you drink. I also had a good handful of nosebleeds, which is not a complaint at all, I don’t ... read more
February 21st 2006
This past weekend Sandy and I reconnected in Jaco Beach, and are now staying with Jimena. Sandy is experiencing first hand all that Jaco has to offer... the best is the wonderful tropical climate, amazing landscape, gorgeous sunsets and night skies filled with stars. And staring at those stars, I ALMOST regret not doing what I wanted to do first as a child. Before an artist, I wanted to be an astronaut. I remember clearly the day I rid the idea in my head, maybe about 5 years old. I excitably told my mom about the dream to which she replied "Sherry...you get carsick on the way to the shore, how to you expect to go to outer space without throwing up?" BWOOOOP. Just like that, the idea extinguished. She was right, and dramamine wasn’t around ... read more
February 16th 2006
Tomorrow I leave San Carlos and head down to Jaco, the surfer party beach town that I fled from 2 years ago. I am returning to visit the friends I left behind, OK, actually just one friend...Jimena. But I will also be reconnecting with Sandy. Sandy got sucked into the beauty of Montezuma beach last weekend, and there she remained the entire week, so I've been flying solo this week. Solo works well for me, I'd say a good 95 percent of the time, But then there's those 5 percent times, like this past Valentine's Day in which I spent the night watching Finding Nemo on my laptop in my apartment, had and avocado for dinner and fell asleep by 8pm. I also checked my email 4 times and the internet cafe, which stayed open just ... read more
I began traveling in my early twenties and found that the experience offered a mind opening perspective of life in relation to the lives of others around the world. Since then, I've explored over 40 different countries, immersed in their cultures and customs, many of which lack the freedom of artistic creation and expression. Recognizing the many opportunities she was afforded in life, like an art education, would become the driving force behind my motivation...... full info
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