Burnt to a crisp...

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I'm waiting here at almost 7 AM for my 11 hr. bus ride to Saigon from Nha Trang. I spent my last day in Hoi An getting remeasured for my clothes. The rest of the day was spent drinking beers, eating, and catching up with my journal. I arrived at Nha Trang beach at about 7AM yesterday. 11 hrs. of extremely uncomfortable sleep and decent conversations with a Canadian girl and a couple of Scandinavians filled the trip. I also met a beautiful White South African 22 yr. old female student. We chatted about literature for a bit and of course, I again felt the need to apologize for Bush, a running theme throughout.

After taking a scooter ride to my hotel with my 30 kilo. bag and another huge backpack (adventurous), I checked in my room, cleaned up, and headed right for the beach after a breakfast of eggs and a baguett!. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and a warm breeze blew from the South China Sea. The water was refreshing, as the bus ride to Nha Trang soaked all the riders with our own sweat and their BO. I walked along the beach for about 2km, swimming at various spots along the way. I mustn't have applied enough sunscreen because now I am completely red and my entire back is in pain. Getting the damn pack on my back is a lovely experience indeed. I spent the latter half of the afternoon riding a rented scooter from the hotel. So that's what its like to ride without a helmet? Let me tell you, I haven't felt that kind of freedom, well, ever. It was daunting at first, considering the traffic and people, but I got used to it quickly. I rode up and down the coast for a couple of hours, having lunch in between at an Italian/Vietnamese restaurant. Needless to say, I ddin't order the pizza, but it was tempting....too expensive though, a whole $3! The money here has quite a lot of zeros on it and it makes spending it heart wrenching, though it only amounts to cents. Tonight I will be in Saigon, most of the day spent wasted on the bus. Tomorrow though, I tour the Mekong Delta, followed by a free day to tour Saigon on my own the next day. I will then fly back to Hanoi Thursday night (Wednesday for those of you in the States), before flying back to NY via Taipei and Alaska. See you on the next one.....

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Photos

Nha Trang Beach
...who's that stud?

Nha Trang Beach
...oh yeah, it's me!

Nha Trang Beach
...burnt to a crisp!