Still can't believe you are in Vietnam. So sorry to hear about your earlier health scare. I'm relieved you are feeling better. It could have been much, much worse (both the sickness and the cure). I look forward to your blog every day. My favorite line in this one is "On a buffalo with flute." Of course. What better place to hang out and play music?
Not what you were expecting.. OMG you poor thing! That must have been pretty scary for you, what a nightmare! Nice of Michelle to stay with you throughout your brief stay in hospital that must have been quite a weight of your mind while the Dr’s played at being Dr’s. His name wasn’t Mengeles was it??? Stay safe. H.
Monsoons... Well, the first really big rain was not until today. But by then it was a totally welcome relief from the heat! How as the honeymoon, Ms. Van Heaver???
I was going to say Rio, too... Love, love your blogs. Travis and Matt are also becoming huge fans. The one about Cantonese opera had me in stitches. I, too, have never met a dull or non-awesome Aussie in my life. Hey- one question. How's the "monsoon" season? All it's cracked up to be? Miss you. Stay safe!
Souvenirs... Actually, they are mostly Buddhist charms and bracelets and figurines. I didn't see any cow crap, but I guess that's because it's freely available in the bus parking lot!
Nosy Miss Helen ;) Helen - I am happy to answer questions! I am mostly doing stuff as I go; I don't like being tied down to a schedule for too long at a time. As my recent illness in Vietnam shows, I have had to spend a couple of extra days in Hanoi than I had planned. It is really easy to book as you go! I have definitely met lots of interesting and very nice people. I've stayed in both dorms and double rooms at hotels. The hostels vary in quality; ask to see a room before you decide on it. Sometimes if you find someone else to share a room (not that hard to do), you can get a good double hotel room with AC and cable TV for a buck or two more than you'd pay to sleep in a 10-bed dorm. That said, hostels are still the best places to meet other travelers, if you start to get lonely. Best of luck with your travels!
Packing Annie - I hope your trip goes well. As far as advice goes, I would say that you might be able to do without even ONE long-sleeved shirt if you were staying in SE Asia. The only reason you might want one is if you find yourself deep in the jungle on a trek and want to avoid mosquito bites. I suggest you also bring some camisole/tank-top shirts, and possibly a second bathing suit - you'll be wearing them in touristy areas for sure. Skirts are the very BEST! I just sleep in a t-shirt or my underwear. hope this helps!
Thank the lord Thank the lord that your bag was not stolen, and that Michelle was there to help you. You survived your first tricky challenge. Hats off to her for running interference with the hospital doc. I think you will have more challenges, and your stuff may get stolen at some point. But this was a good learning experience -- you can survive things like this. But you should also be careful. Hang in there, Miss Becky.
Hey Rebecca, I really really enjoy your blog/advices and will be following the rest of yr trip. I read it all yesterday.
I am also a woman who will be traveling solo for 6 months in Asia from end September.
I am already preparing my packing list... as I only one to be carrying a 40l backpack. (hopefully this is enough)
Based on the picture/list, I understand you only brought one long sleeve item (+your raincoat).... since you are living the life... is it enough? I will be visiting similar countries than yours but also North of India, Indonesia and have difficulty to select the tops I should bring...
Any advices in terms of sleepwear?
Have fun and keep your smile
A
Whoa Ho!! Wow, I just cannot get my head around the idea that you are roaming around North Vietnam and visiting Ho Chi Minh. Being born in 1948 means that I was in college during much of the period of the Vietnam War. Many of my friends were either drafted and sent to Vietnam or lived in constant fear of being drafted and sent to Vietnam. All the young guys viewed a tour in Vietnam as almost certain death. The newspapers were filled on a daily basis with the casulties of the war that was being fought on the other side of the world for reasons that were someone nebulous. Sound familiar to anyone? It is hard for me to see Vietnam as anything other than a place where tens of thousands of Americans died. Visiting the Vietnam War Memorial still brings tears to my eyes. I guess that my parents generation would feel the same way about visiting Germany or Japan after WWII. I guess indeed "Time heals all wounds."
Travel Question Hi Rebecca,
May l ask if you are booking trips on route or are they already pre planned. Also, l will be a lone traveller late next year, so are you meeting lots of interesting people and travelling with them or mainly doing it all alone?
Are you staying in some good clean hostels with bathroom etc or are you sharing in dorms. Darn nosy really aren't l eh Thanks in advance Helen
Where in the world is Becky? Thanks Becky, I needed to look up both Andorra and Macau. Your pictures and messages are great. I suppose some rooms in Vegas are exactly like you described, the hush of anticipation. I've never been in any of them.
Souvenirs???? Just wondering what kind of souvenirs one has to choose from under the world's largest Buddha? Hopefully they are not made from the abundant offerings left by the bovines!!! However that said, I have been in souvenir shops in Texas where they actually sell such souvenirs, however the are referred to as "Bull Shit". Keep on having fun. Love, Mom
Huge statues What about the giant Christ statue in Rio? According to Wikipedia: The statue stands 30 metres (98 ft) wide and 38 metres (120 ft) tall with its pedestal. It weighs 635 tons (700 short tons), and is located at the peak of the 700 metres (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city. that sounds pretty big to me!
Well, this one in Rio de Janeiro is pretty big... ...and never underestimate the industry of your fellow North Americans. I'm PM'ing you some from places such as (where else?) Arkansas.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Corcovado_statue01_2005-03-14.jpg
Keep them coming Reading all of your blog l realise this isn't your first trip away! Impressive.. I'm heading to South-east Asia next year for my very first long term trip so it's interesting to read what you'll find and how you'll get on, so plenty of tips please! Loving your story's too... Have a blast and stay safe. H.
Audio Issues I'm not sure what the problem could be, it has worked for me on the computer I'm using. There might be some sort of plug-in you need? I looked at the site's help page but no joy there. The only suggestion is that you could try using Firefox (if you aren't already).
As I understand they are pretty much the same when written, but completely different spoken. I wouldn't know. I did look up the plot of the opera, which is supposed to be a Chinese classic, and it sounds pretty good. Maybe it sounds better on paper. Speaking of which, the audio clip didn't work for me. Am I doing something wrong?
My name is Becky, and I'm a travelin' Texan who has been living in Europe for the past seven years working for the US Air Force. I've spent a lot of time in Africa & the Middle East (sorry, that was a long time ago, so no blogs), recently traveled to Southeast Asia, and have a ton more trips planned in the future.
Please enjoy reading my blog.
You'll find out very quickly that I am a bit of a smart-as*, but I am also very straight-forward, honest (no sugar-coating here), adventurous, and I can offer you good practical travel advice from time to time.
I'll be hosting competitions, and... full info
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Rebecca Ford
Nice Legs?
Why thank you, I grew them myself!