Good Evening, Vietnam!

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So, I only have a couple of hours left in Vietnam. Well, technically, six. We are going to arrive at the border at three, and then wait three hours for the border to open before crossing into Cambodia. Because that makes so much sense, doesn't it? Oh, I have learned, ever since my first experiences in Costa Rica when I was but an innocent teenager, not to question these ways of doing things. If I did, I think I would go crazy. 😊 So, I am just gonna accept it.

I don't want to think about the fact that I only have a little over two weeks to go before I have to return home. I have nothing against home of course - obviously, I love my home. I miss my family and friends and, of course, my Odie. But I am not ready yet for the real world, especially not for all the job interviews. I think that the worst job ever is that of looking for a job. At least I have a lovely new custom-made three-piece suit for the interviews! Okay, I am gonna try not to think about that part until I have to. I knew that this was coming from the beginning. I think that two months is maybe too short, however. Would be nice to have three. Then again, maybe in two weeks, I will be perfectly ready to go home. I guess I will have to tell you that when two weeks pass.

Time certainly has flown! I have confirmed now how much I love to travel, and how much I had missed it. Several of my fellow travelers have informed me that they heard that only 12 percent of the US population even owns a passport. I imagine that the number is probably a bit higher than that, but still - that is really unacceptable. I think that it might be a combination of a few things: first, we hardly get any vacation time each year, and it takes a lot of time to get out of the United States in terms of flying. Second, our own country is huge, so a lot of Americans enjoy traveling throughout the US. Third, we Americans can be damned short-sighted, and I really think that it is a shame. I was given an excellent compliment the other night by some British guys. They told me that I was a "great American," or something like that - as in, I was American, but I was one of the good ones - you know, one that they find to be conscientious, open-minded, behaving in a culturally-conscious way. I was quite flattered. I try to be all those things in my life, and it is good to see when I am successful.

So, to update on my trip thus far: after Hoi An, where I spent entirely too much money, I went off to Nha Trang, which I thoroughly enjoyed, partly because I met some cool backpackers there. Why is it that every time I book a bus to leave the next day, that very night I meet some really cool people? It is this pattern that has happened a couple of times on this trip. Oh well. Perhaps one day we shall meet again - you never know. Nha Trang is a beach town, with a beautiful beach. Unfortunately, this fluke weather that has been dominating Southeast Asia ever since I arrived in Hanoi made for a very cloudy and windy day. That didn't stop me from enjoying the beach, watching the massive waves break! After staying a night, I left the next evening for Ho Chi Minh City, aka Saigon - everybody calls it Saigon. Saigon is a much better name anyway, no offense to Ho Chi Minh. I didn't get to see a whole lot of Saigon, as I was sleeping in quite late and today spent most of the day inside due to some tummy aches. But, I did get to go see the War Remnants Museum, which made me really ashamed of the US. I know that it was propagandist, but you can't really use that argument when you see all the pictures of the deformed babies as a result of Agent Orange and all the other millions of shit that we poured over them - there was a picture of an affected baby who was born as recently as 2008! I know that I hold no personal responsibility for what happened in the Vietnam War, but I still felt guilty when I saw those displays.

But Vietnam is totally different today. I have never seen so many small businesses, so many entrepreneurs around. It is quite impressive, if not a bit overwhelming. I wanted to segway into a different topic, and I am a bit tired, so I can't think of a clever way to do it. So I am just gonna talk about it. I have been quite impressed by the guy tourists, especially in Vietnam. I have spent some quality time and some quality chats with guys from various places, such as Canada, England and Poland, and I have seen the extra trouble that they go through when traveling throughout Southeast Asia - that of having to deal with all the sex tourism! This one Canadian guy told me a quite humorous story about how he had gone to get an actual massage, but it was the worst massage he had ever gotten, because the women obviously weren't masseurs. They kept convincing him to use their sexual services, and he kept having to tell them, "No, I just want an actual massage!" Tonight I was walking past three western guys, and a woman latched onto one of them, holding his arm like she was his girlfriend, obviously asking him if he wanted to use her services. All he kept saying was "No thank you, no thank you," while his two friends looked back at him, laughing - they had obviously all been through it. And this woman was really beautiful. So, bravo to the boys who say no to prostitution!

Okay, I am getting tired. Gonna leave soon for the marathon bus. But, when it is ten percent of the price of a flight, you kinda have to decide that your time is worth less than the money for the flight! I will soon be visiting the gorgeous Angkor Wat! If you don't know what Angkor Wat, then you should go look it up because you need to get cultured!

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Photos

Cheese cake!
Didn't really taste like the traditional cheesecake but it was delicious anyway!