imhere whereru

Well, it was not what I was expecting. The last time I stayed in Bangkok it was at a 5 star hotel close to a Sky Train stop. Since then I have stayed in guest houses in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In both places the guest houses were clean, everyone was friendly, everything was new, and they were very well run. And they were inexpensive, costing under $15./night. The backpacker areas where they were located were clean, friendly, quaint, and inviting. I actually liked the Vietnam guest houses more that I enjoy a nice, but impersonal, hotel. My initial impressions of the Bangkok backpacker district were not good. It should be called the “drunken backpacker” district with litter strewn streets. It was almost 03:00 by the time we arrived at our guest house, the ... read more

The day after I arrived in Vietnam, I got in touch with my friend Nam. He is a taxi driver who I met on my first visit and with whom I have stayed in contact. He is very friendly and outgoing. A good personality to be a taxi driver. Nam’s shift usually starts in the afternoon and he works through the evening. After talking to Nam he suggested we get together for lunch the next day, before he began his shift. I agreed and said I would meet him at his apartment the next afternoon. I arrived at the apartment at 13:00. Nam and his wife were there. Like many Vietnamese they had almost no furniture. We sat on the floor. In a few minutes our friend, Ten Dollar, popped in. Ten Dollar parked motorbikes at ... read more

I thought today would be dull. I had nothing planned but to climb Lotus Mountain in the park. I hoped to reach to top at dusk so I could get some pics of the city while it was still light enough to see the buildings, but dark enough for their lights to be turned on. The weather today was miserable. It was overcast all day. There was absolutely no wind, and I am sure the humidity was close to 100. I don’t think the temperature was all that hot, maybe 85 or so, but it was the kind of day where you get wet walking across the street. Muggy, I believe is the scientific term. From my door, up the mountain and back is about a 3.5 hour trip, so I left at 15:00. I decided ... read more

I had been to Nha Trang one time before and really enjoyed it. The beach was great and the town was bustling with crowds of tourists. The stores and restaurants were open and busy. So when Thanh suggested going, I agreed immediately. What neither my friend Thanh nor I realized was that Nha Trang was a seasonal resort. The crowds do not come during the rainy season. Most of the beach front resorts were closed, along with many shops and restaurants. And when we decided to go, it was in the middle of the rainy season. We decided to take a sleeper bus from Saigon. The night sleeper bus left Saigon at 20:00, and would arrive at Nha Trang in the morning. The trip took about 11 hours, and we could sleep all night, waking up ... read more

I thought the traffic in Hanoi was bad, but Saigon makes it look like a sleepy burg. Everyone in both cities seems to have a motor bike, and everyone seems to ride them more or less constantly. There are few private cars, mostly are taxis. There are some busses and and an occasional truck. Not only are the streets clogged, but the sidewalks are often impassable because of the many bikes parked in front of stores, cafes and businesses. Pedestrians end up walking in the streets, adding to the congestion. Occasionally the police will try to clear the sidewalks and impound the illegally parked motor bikes. As soon as someone sees them coming the alarm goes out, and everyone rushes to move their bikes. Minutes after the police pass, everything is back in place as it ... read more