http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/katetheyak/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from katetheyak en-us Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:15:58 +0000 Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:15:58 +0000 A few weeks ago I had an impromptu dinner after work at La Epoca near metro Alonzo Martinez. The lsquoPeter Andrersquo camarero I swear Jordan is in that kitchen gave us penniless teachers copious amounts of free wine which resulted in a heated discussion about the attractive qualities of Spanish men. We brainstormed and suggested overlyscrawny too into their looks excessively slimebag http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/District-of-Madrid/Madrid/blog-459289.html One of the most stressful periods I never wish to discuss again after writing about it here blogs are free therapy is flat hunting in Madrid. Work was due to start in October and even though I had arrived two weeks early I was by the end of September seriously lacking fingernails. Every deal that seemed likely fell through at the last minute and I was seriously considering living with a fif http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/District-of-Madrid/Madrid/blog-459288.html The transition my brain had to make upon moving to Spain was immense coming from Asia. My first realisation I was back in lsquocivilisationrsquo is ironically a very uncivilised tale itself. For the first time in my life I am living in a city with one of the best transport systems in the world. My first rides on the metro produced excitement akin to what the first moonwal http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/District-of-Madrid/Madrid/blog-459287.html At the end of October when it was still warm and leaves clung onto Madridrsquos trees my parents rang to say a large brown box had arrived safely in Cork from Vietnam. At the time they phoned I was chewing down a jamon y queso asado near Calle Serrano before racing to the first Colegio of the day at Santiago Bernabeu where the Real Madrid stadium is to teach nine eight year old chicas. I w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/District-of-Madrid/Madrid/blog-459069.html In the domestic terminal of HCMCrsquos Tan Son Nhat airport in December 2008 I solved the mystery of why the only people you ever hear of being the victim of petty crime this city are predominately western frequently tourists. Yes lsquowesternersrsquo are relatively wealthy set against a backdrop of South East Asia and yes they are vulnerable with their uniform copied Lonely Planet map http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/South-Central-Coast/Hoi-An/blog-368312.html When I return to Ireland and my mother uses her favourite catchphrase lsquoWhat did your last maid die ofrsquo I shall reply lsquoShe didnrsquot die shersquos alive and well in Vietnam to the best of my knowledge.rsquo Yen pronounced lsquoYingrsquo has arrived on the first day of her New Year to clean my apartment. She canrsquot clean her own house as sweeping the floor on su http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-367965.html Last night I fell into one of those fitful sleeps caused by too many celebratory Saigon beers therersquos no such thing as alcoholism once you are a teacher itrsquos just called R and R and Ilsquom on Tet holidays and the ominous howling of neighbourhood mongrels interspersed with squabbles between them for meagre bits of food. The steady persistence of a lowrolling drumbeat the sound http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-367023.html When the Vietnamese celebrate Christmas they must understandably get confused. I personally donrsquot blame them. On paper HCMC has everything for the lsquoperfectrsquo Christmas similar to what you see in Hollywood movies. With itrsquos marriage to anything tacky or eighties in particular the cityrsquos passionate lov http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-357905.html ldquoIrsquom a bee thatrsquos buzzing loudly. Come on now everybody put your hand on your throatfeel that vibrating lsquozrsquo sound. BuZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Louder my class of ZZZZZealous students Do it like a craZZZZy Western teacher who likes ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZylophones.Irsquom buZZZZZZing. Yoursquore buZZZZZZing. Wersq http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-345566.html As usual it takes a thunderstorm to give me an excuse to write my blog. Unless you want to take a lunatic of a xeom driver with an addiction to speed and a strong belief in his own immortality under a thin sheet of plastic visibility nil you are ultimately trapped in your guesthouse in a rapidly flooding alleyway. For once Irsquom pleased seeing as itrsquos been a few weeks since I last http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-339355.html As you may have gathered last weekrsquos blog detailed my voyage into the main tourist hotspots of HCMC. Along with being unwitting victim to numerous scams I also witnessed various laws of physics mainly gravity being broken by xeom riders. I was gawped at laughed at pointed at shouted at smiled at and clapped at sometimes all on just one street I was rained on frequently therersqu http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-332436.html After an exhausting 32 hours awake through London and Singapore on arriving to Tan Son Nhat airport in HCMC I couldnrsquot get fast enough to Van Trung Hotel in the Pham Ngo Lao area ILA my employer has arranged for me. At Heathrow my lack of a visa and one way flight into Vietnam had raised a few eyebrows but due to the large and important queue at first class they left me board. I dec http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-327518.html