Vietnam

---

---

1-17-08
My last night in Melbourne and in Australia for that matter went very quickely, as I only had 2 hours of sleep as I was up all night trying to get my blog updated. I told Andrea my dilemma, that I did not want to lug my computer around Vietnam and she said she would mail the computer to the U.S. for me. I really was not expecting her to mail it, but after several minutes of contemplating the offer I said yes. I had thought my flight was about 2 hours later than it actually was and as a result I would not have time to mail the computer before my flight. Allowing Andrea to mail it was the best way to ensure I would not miss my flight and not get my computer stolen in Vietnam. I hurriedly got packed and it seemed the rest of the day was a blur. I made it to the airport and got on the plane ok. Left Melbourne and landed in Sydney for a short layover and then after a little fiascal to do with checking in at Sydney was on the plane for 5 hours on my way to Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City whatever you want to call it. Saigon really seemed different and this is truly, where my travels begin. I knew this would be like nothing I had ever experienced. Almost the entire flight consisted of Asian folks. The guy I was sitting by seemed to be crowding into my imaginary space around my seat and he was half my size. During the flight he went and sat by a friend and then came back at the end of the flight. I tried to sleep during the flight, but was only midly successful. The movies did not work on the flight therefore it seemed to be a longer flight, although the movies are usually sappy flicks anyway so it might have been a blessing in disguise.

The guy came back at the end of the flight for the landing and it turned out he was great to talk to. He was from Vietnam, but now lives in Texas. He gave me some pointers on getting around Vietnam as we got off the plane. The customs stuff was quite easy. No poking and prodding as the whole world says happens in America. I think they really want you to come to Vietnam. I then was just a wall away from the chaos that is called Saigon or Hoh Chi Minh City. I grabbed some Vietnamese currency by exchanging the Australian money I had and had a person inside the airport get me a cab for a price much higher than you might pay for a comparable trip in Saigon. The taxi driver seemed friendly, but I knew he wanted my money. His English was quite bad.

I was astounded at the motorscooters immediately. These guys were flying around everywhere. I always thinking I was seeing a wreck in the making, but it never happened. The people seemed to be very skilled at this caotic driving. Most intersections had no lights. It was just fend for yourself mentality, and things seemed to be going quite good. I still was astounded by the caos and had no idea where this driver was taking me. I told him I was looking for a motel for $10 and he laughed at me. Not where you want to go. I told him I need internet and he said he knew internet and would take me there. Once there he said he needed more money for taking me to internet. I told him he had not said anything about needing extra money and told him sternly I was not paying him extra. The hotel then said I could use there internet as I told them I needed to check email before I decided if I would stay with them. They said I had to pay for internet and I said no you just said I could use it for free, which they had. Man in Saigon for 10 minutes and all the haggling already. I had no luck with the couchsurfing person so I ask them how much. They said $55. I told them I am not paying that much and said $35. They said no as that was there last room. I said ok goodbye. I walked down the street looking for another hotel and a lady on a motor cycle ask me to get on the bike with her. I said no and she said, don't you think I am pretty. I told her she was indeed very pretty, but I was just trying to find a cheap hotel. She of course could help me out there too. Man everyone wants to help you out in Vietnam! I finally got her to leave and found a hotel. Man this was already getting to be sensory overload for a person with just a couple hours of sleep. I just wanted to get a hotel and call it a night. The next hotel was charging $35 US a night. This was much more than the $10 I heard the rooms cost here, but I was spent and needed to stop this onlsaught of stimulus. Of course there was language barrier issues as their English is very bad, but at the end of it all I had a room. It was about 10 pm and I needed to close my eyes. I then realized it was really 2am with the time change. I forgot the jet lag. Ok I am out. I will tell you more about this crazy place tomorrow. At this point I was afraid to get out of this room. It is crazy out there, which was accentuated with my lack of sleep. Lets revaluate things in the morning. Good night from Saigon. Who would have thunk it Me in Saigon? Pinch me someone. Ow that hurts!

1-18-07
The night seemed to go ok. I took my time getting going in the morning. I was excited, but yet a little apprehensive to go outside. I would have liked to spend another night there, but knew $35 was a lot of money for Vietnam. I checked my email which they had free, but the connections were quite slow. The couchsurfing person there suggessted I go to Dang Ho 1 and gave me address so I was going to head that way. I decided however to leave my bag in the room and head out to try and find some breakfast. It was exciting walking outside. Everyone was blowing by you on the streets. There were no sidewalks only driveway like entrances, but these areas were occupied by folks working on motorscooters so you kind of had to walk on the street. Once I got the hang of it the scooter drivers always went around you and at intersections you just walked slowly and steadily across the streets and let the scooter folks drive around you. It was quite the dynamic. They used their horns incessantly to indicate to the person ahead of them that they were about to pass them. I was really uncomfortable crossing the streets even though I felt like I had a decent feel for how things worked.

I went back to the hotel and grabbed my bag and headed to the hotel as indicated by Natasha the couchsurfing lady.

I walked around for awhile on my way to the hotel. This is definitely a crazy place. At most intersections there are no traffic lights and people just drive through slowly. I was at one intersection and saw no chance to cross the street with so much traffic. About 95% of the traffic is motorscooters. I looked at a local on a street corner and could kind of make out a smile or smirk on his face as he looked over at me and my fear of crossing the street. Then I saw on the opposite side of the street a little old lady walk into the street and slowly crossed the street towards me. It was like the sea of cars just parted around her. That was amazing. I saw how it was to be done. I waited still a little until the traffic was less and stepped into the street ever vigilant of the oncoming traffic and like for her, the scooters just parted around me. I could tell I needed to just move slow and steady and allow the scooter drivers to do what they do so well, adjust there direction. They would either go behind or in front of me. I saw none of them even slow down. After about 20 scooters had successfully made it around me without incident, I found myself on the other side of the street unscathed. That was amazing. I was thinking how cool is that. It was a great experience. I continued on and found the hotel. They offered me a room on the very top floor for $5 or for $13 I could have a room with two beds on the 2nd floor. I decided to take the room for $13 as the other room had wiring that looked very unsafe for the air conditioning. Nothing looked very safe actually, it is all relative here. The room I was in however did have a smoke detector although it had no batteries. I was a little concerned about a potential fire as there was no way for me to get out the balcony like area due to the bars leaving only one exit and that was the main door to the room. Again sometimes in these areas you just have to go to sleep and hope for the best. As crazy as the electrical wiring was in Saigon, I did not see any burned buildings. The wiring on the poles outside were crazy. Some poles I bet had 5,000 wires on them. Unbelievable!

I decided to walk around a bit. I ask the lady there where I could get a massage as I had heard you could get a massage for like $8. I did find one for that amount. They were really busy and they worked me in. They took me to the massage room, which is on the second floor and in this tiny room there were 6 people getting massages. I was on the far end. You strip down to your underwear and lay face down on the table. I piled my clothes in the corner. The massage was awesome. I normally do not get massages, but they were so cheap at $8 per hour I could not help myself. From there I went back to my motel and got ready to head to Natasha's a couchsurfing person I had been in touch with that invited me to her place for a dinner party.

I hailed a scooter driver and gave them directions to Natasha. It took awhile, but finally the driver understood where I wanted to go. This was my first time on a scooter and because Natasha said to grab a scooter I did. There is always people haggling you to give you a ride. He said it would be 40,000 dong which is about $2.5 dollars and it ended up taking us about 40 minutes to find the place. It was quite the thrill watching him negotiate around the cars. I bet he had used his horn 60 times on the way there. That is just a part of driving here. The bigger the vehicle, the bigger the horn, the more power you had and people heeded your horn more. The horn is used as a warning that you are in close proximity to the person.

The dinner party was really fun and Natasha's boyfriend is a very good cook. I ate a lot and actually drank quite a few beers as well. A can of beer is like $.60 here, but the selection was not too good. Most of the beer was like drinking Bud light all the time. Plenty drinkable, but not much flavor. The people at the party were fun to talk to and we talked about the craziness called Saigon. They lived a long ways outside the City and did not see the craziness on a daily basis.

Around 10 the party was winding down and I was too so Natasha's daughter called a scooter for me and I was on my way back to my hotel. The driver did not know where he was going and ended up asking about 3 different people. I was glad to be back and was ready to hit the hay. I looked in my billfold remmebering I had gotten 1.6 million dong that day and counted my money and I had only about 500,000 dong in there. I thought about the money I spent and realized there was about 1 million dong gone. The only place anyone could have gotten in there was during the massage. I was a little pissed and thought well that massage actually cost me about $60 which is still less than what it cost in the states. It was a good massage, but not that good. I couldn't believe they were that bold as I had even looked in my billfold to make payment right after the massage. That's why they only took some of the money as they knew I would be getting back in there before I left. Pretty sneaky they are. I had booked a trip to the Chu Chi Tunnels the next morning at 8:15 and was dead tired. Good night from the second night in Saigon a little pissed I must admit. What a wacked out place this is and they say India is even crazier.

1-19-07
I got up and went outside to have some Pho. It is a beef soup with noodles that is a staple in the Vietnamese diet. I actually like it even for breakfast. I headed back to my hotel and at 7:45 the lady at the front desk said my bus is out there. I told her she had said it was leaving at 8:15 she admitted to that and I told her I could be ready in a few minutes and she said ok 8:00. You get use to this kind of thing.

I got on the bus and was on my way to Cu Chi Tunnels. It was about a 1.5 hour bus ride with about an hour of that being getting out of Saigon. They had a really poor quality video to watch before you entered the tunnel. Most of the video was propaganda stuff. It is quite entertaining actually. They still use a lot of our equipment over here. Our jeeps and aircraft landing areas etc. They really have a long ways to go to get anywhere close to a life the Western World is use to. They definitely do not have western values as everybody will not even feel bad about stealing from you although I understand we are much richer than they are. Plenty of Westerners steal that is for sure.

We walked around the complex and I enjoyed seeing the tunnels. They were very small and a lot of tourist could not even get into the inlets. They have enlarged a couple tunnels for tourist, which are still tight for me. Our group crawled 50 meters through the tunnels. Some of these Vietnamese soldiers lived in these tunnels for months on end, while the Americans bombed this place to smithereens. They built ant hill like structures at the surface, which was the ventilation for cooking underground. A pile of leaves were placed around these ant hill like structures to further dissipate the smoke well. Some of the tunnels entrances were under water. It was quite ingenious and these tunnels played a big part in them winning the war.

As we walked around the site you could hear loud shots. As we got closer I discovered for 100,000 dongs you could shoot 6 bullets from a gun used in the Vietnam War. I could not believe it. A couple people went ahead and did it. I would have liked to but felt weird doing it being an American so I didn't. The guns did not appear to be in very good shape, but that did not surprise me at all. There were targets at the end of the shooting range, but I could not tell if they were hitting anything. I know an AK 47 was one of the guns being shot. There was a couple others to choose from as well. Several people did shoot the guns.

We headed back and I got dropped off at the Botanical Garden, which is at the Zoo. I read in my Lonely Planet not to go to the Zoo as the animals are held in deplorable conditions, but it was too late I was already there. They were in bad environs and I felt sorry for the animals.

I stopped at a Padoga. This is like a temple. I was getting a little frustrated with Vietnam as I had had several things happen to me that really upset me. First of all, the 1 million dong being stolen, everyone tries to short change me even the lady at the War Remnants musuem, which is a public worker of sorts and I had tried to give our hotel lady a 50,000 dong and she would not take it because of tape on it. Earlier this day I had given that same 50,000 dong note to a coconut vendor for a drink. He tried to say he told me the price was 40,000 dong as he only gave me 10,000 dong back. I thought he had said 14,000 and I told him that and argued with him and finally after a big ordeal he only charged me 10,000 dongs. I have bought these same coconut milk drinks for 5,000 dongs before. I did not know I had slipped him the taped 50,000 dong bill at first until it was already in his hands. A little later after I left, he came running after me and grabbed me by the sleave and kept saying no good, in reference to the taped 50,000 bill. Since he had tried to dupe me earlier, I felt a little justice, but then started feeling bad as I knew that was a lot of money fior him. I then realized he would just be giving it to another tourist, which helped to rationalize away my guilt. At one point I was ready to walk back after him an exchange a 50,000 dong bill with him, but I didn't. Shortly after that incidint I vented for awhile on a lady from Perth, Australia. She said I needed to quit traveling as it was getting to me. I obvioulsy was not going to do that, but I realized I had reached a low point. All this craziness was getting to me and I needed to turn some of this negativity around. I think too, the couple of beers I had last night made me feel a little this way as well, as alcohol is a depressant. I had not had a lot of beer, but the few I had I suspect added to all the drama I have had of late. This was a low point of the trip. I felt like I was starting to be like them (the people cheating me), I needed to get back to being like me

I left and headed back to the hotel. I stopped in the most famous market area and had a bowl of Pho and looked around for a coat. They had some great deals on coats and bags, but I decided to hold off on buying anything. I got back to the hotel around 9:00 and watched a little tv and went to bed. Another long day in the books. Lets get this machine turned around.

1- 20-07
I slept pretty good and was ready for a day of seeing Saigon. I headed to the War Remnants musuem about 10 and was surprised to see so much given to the Vietnamese government by the US government and the musuem basically was a statement on the brutality of the Americans in the war. They talked about the use of chemical weapons or weapons of mass destruction, where have we heard that before? We had used agent orange and the pictures showed all the birth defects. The use of Napalm bombs which burnt everyone. They show pictures of soldiers doing crazy things like holding up parts of bodies. My thoughts were yes war is horrible and it should be avoided at all cost and people are going to do whatever they can to kill people. I suspect the North Vietnamese did crazy things as well, but obviously none of that was shown. At the Cu Chi tunnels we saw crazy trap devices that I suspect were not very humane either and I suspect they had incidents of mass anhilations when they could have been taken prisoners. They had a picture of Bob Kerry there and talked about his efforts in one of these mass murders of women and children and how he is a senator. They showed Tiger Imprisonments, which they called American Concentration camps which gives reference to a Hitler camp where people were slaughtered. It was a little too over the top for me, but it is defiinitely worth seeing. It drove home the message that war is horrible and the US is not above doing cruel and unusual things to win a war. Most Americans I think believe we are above that kind of behaviour. We have a lot of propaganda coming out of the US as do most countries of the world. There is just as much propaganda coming out of Europe as there is in the US. Europe has a horrible track record of killing people and they had been doing it for over 500 years. I hope we never get as bad as Europe.

I went to the Reunification Palace, which was kind of lame for me. The tour guide who is a government employee and says what he is told to, said the "American War", which is what they call it, was fought in an effort for America to colonize Vietnam. I thought I do not think the US was over here looking for it's 51st state and was thinking Vietnam would have been better maybe had they lost the war. Actually the South Vietnamese, which is who we fought with, did lose the war but the North Vietnamese did win it. One of the main reasons we were here was to stop the spread of communism, which pretty much took care of itself at least in Russia after the cold war. China, obvioulsy though is a very strong communist country and Russia is making a come back. The most moving thing there is the sight of the US helicopter on the top of the building as a lot people remember the sight of the last American leaving off this building in the helicopter as the north Vietnamese came through the gates on this property. Essentially after we left the South Vietnamese essentially gave up and quit fighting. It was an interesting day that was for sure. I went back to the hotel and had a relatively quite evening. Tomorrow I head for the Mekong Delta to spend 2 days there. It will be nice to get out of here for a couple days. Good night from Saigon.

1-21-08
I got up and headed down to wear I was to catch the bus to the Mekong Delta. I had all my gear since I did not trust leaving the stuff in the hotel and I really did not have a small bag to take so I pretty much had to take everything with me. I was to be there at 7:30 but I knew it was hard to say when the bus actually would arrive. I bought some oreo cookies and began the wait. I had eaten a few and then offered these kids some. I have done this before and most parents will not let the kids take the cookies are toys from me whatever I am giving them but this father let his kids have some. He had seen me open the bag and eat several of the cookies so I guess he could be confident there was nothing crazy going on with me. This guy was here with 3 kids which seemed a little crazy. I talked to him for awhile and learned he was from Germany. His wife showed up a few minutes later when the bus showed up. It was quite amazing that they are traveling with 3 kids that were 6, 4 and 3 in age. I was getting a kick out of the kids as they were eating the oreo cookies just like kids in the USA. They were taking the cookies apart and licking the center. I told their Dad somethings are universal.

We were off. Again it seemed to take about 1 hour just to get out of Saigon. We went to My Tho first where we got on a boat and went to an Island Village. There we did some biking and had lunch. They also took us on a push boat ride that was kind of cool. After that we ferried back to the bus and we were on our way to Can Tho where we were to spend the night. We arrived there about 7 and everyone was really tired. I couldn't believe thought the 3 little kids seemed to be doing ok. They were not complaining nor where they crying they traveled well. Actually everyone in our group really enjoyed these kids. The little 3 year old girl was making faces to everyone. Actually the French guy started making faces at her. The oldest girl who is only 6 speaks Mongolian, German and some English. They live in Mongolia currently but are looking to move back to Germnay this Summer.

I was dong a homestay while most of the other folks were staying in the hotel. Everything is dirt cheap. For me to do the hometay it cost me an extra $5 with the whole trip only costing like $20. A kid was there that took me on his motorscooter out into the country where he lived. The ride took about 40 minutes and we went down a small walking path the last 0.25 mile. I had to walk probably 150 yards as the road was too rough for the both of us on the motor scooter. At there house I had to cross a monkey bridge which is a bridge consisting of a series of single poles that you walk across which are supported by other poles in the stream. There was no light and I had my backpack on but it really was quite easy given the full moon. His mom was there to greet me and she fed me supper. The son spoke good English so I talked to him most of the night. I went to the Monkey Bridge and looked up at the moon over the rice fields. This is an amazing place for someone like me. These people have a much tougher existince than I. They sat around and watched tv until 9 and went to bed. I was wiped out as well and went to bed at 9:30. My hut was detached from the house and had mosquito netting all around the bed. The hut had like a reed roof and the walls were very porous with concrete at the base and reed like walls above the concrete. The bed was quite hard so I put down some blankets for a little cushioning. Good night from the banks of the Mekong Delta on a moonlit night. This would be a night I would never forget.

1-22-08
I slept pretty good considering I was sleeping on no mattress. I got up around 6:30 and walked around a bit. The lady at the homestay fixed some breakfast consisting of the pho I had mentioned. She is a very good cook. I walked around a bit more to see these rice fields I had seen only last night in the moonlight. As always everything looks a lot different in the daylight and there were people working in the fields now. I saw a lady washing clothes in the river which I wanted to take a picture of but I felt like by doing so I was making fun of her so I took a couple only at a distance. I do not want anyone to thinK I am making fun of there way of life. After breakfast the kid took me to a market where I was to get on a boat with the rest of the tour group. The market is quite crazy as are most markets in Asia. Live fish in pans. Dead fish in pans. Every possible part of a pig cut up and for sale. Yes I saw pig ears. It was very crazy. The market was only about a 10 minute ride from where the family lived that I stayed with. I waited at a dock for about 1.5 hours waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. It was fun watching the going ons. I reallye enjoyed watching this dog walk around a boat moored near me. There was lots of boat rocking on this dogs boat due to other boats and one time he fell in. A lady nearby ran into the boat and caught him just before the current would have took him away. He is a little dog and was not powerful enough to overcome the current. But he made it back shook off and got back on the boat this time he did not run around as much. I suspected this had happened before to him. Finally I jumped in the boat with the other group upon there arrival. It was like a homecoming of sense. Even though I had only traveled with them for a few days it was cool to see familiar faces. Four other people in the group did a homestay as well and they really enjoyed their experience as well.

We went to the floating market there in Can Tho and then went to see rice being made into noodles and went to a rice mill. It was quite interesting in particular the rice noodles being made. The German kids really enjoyed the pigs where the rice was being made and playing in the rice at the mill. Mom and Dad pretty much let them go. I remember one time the day before Mom wanted to get another picture with her holding the Python and she says to me, "Dave watch my kids." This cracked me up and I teased her about having a total stranger watching her kids. Another time I ask her if she knew where her kids where as they were off playing and I had seen them and knew she didn't and she responded, "No but they usually come back." This too cracked me up. I think these are going to be great kids and I know mom and dad are great to talk to. They had managed to befriend pretty much every one on the boat.

Around noon we headed back to the hotel where some people were going to other places including the German couple and a couple from the Netherlands that I talked to quite a bit. Deborah the German mom told me when I left that during your travels you meet some really nice people and that I was one of those people. I thanked her for her flattery and she gave me contact information. I told her she should not lie so much and that I enjoyed meeting her family as well. They enhanced the trip tremendously. I also had met some nice Kiwis and the people from the Netherlands were awesome as well. After we had lunch I told the Dutch folks all we need now is Stroopwaffles and they laughed and said they had some that they would give to me. They had brought the Stroopwaffles all the way from the Netherlands. I was flattered by there offering and shared the cookies with the other people on the bus who really liked them but had never had them before. Jackie my friend in Amsterdam had introduced them to me.

The trip back was uneventful and before long I was back to my hotel. The folks there had everything booked for me to take a bus all the way to Hanoi through several shorter bus rides to the other places I wanted to see in Vietnam. The cost of the bus rides were only like $28. Amazingly cheap to travel the entire length of Vietnam. I had had a great time on the Mekong Delta adventure and was in a very good mood contrasting to my not so good mood a few days earlier. I went out and bought a coat as I was definitely going to need something more than my $3 poncho in Northern Vietnam and in China. It is January there. January like it is back home. Burr!!!

Good night from my last night in Saigon. My favorite part of Saigon was all the crazy scooter riders and the Pho.

1-23-08
This was my first day of travel towards Hanoi. In New Zealand it was a pilgrimage from Auckland to Queenstown here it is a pilgrimmage from Saigon to Hanoi. These bus rides are crazy and I wondered what today would bring. I got outside the hotel about 15 minutes advance of the "scheduled" departure time of 7:30. Still at 8:00 no bus. I asked the person at the hotel who scheduled this trip for me and he called the bus company and he said they are coming. That was nice to know. Then about 8:30 the guy comes running out of the hotel and said to get on scooter with me. I just smiled thinking ok here we go again. I jumped on the back and he weaved in an around the traffic and made a couple turns and said this is your bus. I asked several times of the bus driver to ensure this was the right bus and then again I ask the passengers on the bus if this bus is going to Mui Ne Beach and they said yep. It was nice to know I was on the right bus. After waiting for an hour we hurriedly jumped on a scooter and the scooter driver dumped me off at the bus. Just another day in Vietnam.

The ride to Mui Ne went pretty good and I spent most of it talking to a lady from England and her friend who is a teacher in Saigon. The one lady had sailed in England with her Dad and I told her about the cool say I had in Melbourne. She windsurfed as well so we made plans to possibly windsurf the next day. I went with them to their nice hotel and checked into rates for renting gear then I walked the mile or so to find a place where the cheap hotels were. I found one for $5 but you got no AC and shared bath and restroom, which was fine by me since we were so close to the ocean there was a constant sea breeze and dorms share baths the same as this. I booked a jeep trip for the next morning to the sand dunes for $15. This is the biggest attraction here outside the ocean itself and the good windsurfing.

I had a meal and called it a night. Oh I met a Canadian woman in her late 50's I presume that I had seen in the reunification tour in Saigon. It is cool running into familiar faces like this. Good night from Mui Ne. Tomorrow I get up at 4:30 am for the sunrise jeep tour on the sand dunes.

1-24-08
Man 4:30 comes early. I got outside by 5:00 and jumped in the jeep. There were two other American folks that were on the tour as well. It was raining and of course the jeep's wipers did not work and it was very hard for him to see anything. There were people on the sides of the roads with there motorscooters and bikes that we were zooming by with limited to no visibility. Oh well that is the way it works here. We were all concerned about not being able to see anything and worse yet that it would keep raining. After about a 25 minute ride we were at a house and the driver essentially told us to go in the direction he pointed. Ok so we walked that way and after awhile came across some sand dunes. The eastern sky was getting bright enough to allow us to see where the sun was coming up but we could not see it directly as there were to many clouds. There was a local kid there trying to get us to ride his sleds down the sand dunes. I ask him why he was not in school and he said no school cost money. Essentially I interpret this to mean his parents say go and make money from the tourist and do not get an education because they think he does not need it. This is a bad cycle for these kids to get out of and the lady I was with said in communist countrys education is free.

We hung around the sand dunes looking for a good picture that for me never really showed up. We left there and went to another sand dunes these were supposed to be red but for me was not that red. The first sand dunes were supposed to be white but for me it was more a light brown color. I have seen really white sand before in the Gulf of Mexico and in New Mexico at White Sands National Park. This sand was not white. At the red sand dunes I talked to two little girls that I thought were probably around 6 but found out they were 10 and 11. I ask them why they were not in school and they said no school and that school cost money. There English was pretty good and I ask them where they learn English and they said tourist. Same story as the other kid. I enjoyed talking to these two cute little kids. They to were trying to get me to rent sled to slide down the dunes. I normally would have but I knee had not been feeling very good. They told me to sketch a circle and square with each hand at the same time. I wasn't too good at it neither were they. On the way back I raced them back to the jeep. In the sand especially when you are going down hill there diddn't seem to be much stress on the knee. I actually ran a pretty long ways and was not to winded. That was cool to do as I felt like I was in pretty good shape. I am constantly doing something so it makes since that I am in good shape.

From there we went to a fish market that was just ok after seeing the fish market in the Mekong Delta in Can Tho. After that we headed back. I checked my email and Pippa the lady from England had not emailed me so I assumed the windsurf was off. I headed back to the hotel where I was staying and took a nap before catching the 1:00 bus to Nha Tran another surfing town.

The bus arrived at 1:30 not to bad I guess for Vietnam and I was off. The trip was on a sleeper bus. The first seat or bed was ridiculously small for my build and there was no way that was going to work for me. Fortunately a bed oepned up in the back that was a little bigger. People were lauging seeing my predicament. A German guy named Thomas sat or laid by me and he had the same problem. He was very fun to talk to and that really made the trip go quickely. We decided to find a room together and go out and have some beers that night as well.

We found a place for $5 a night that we both really liked although you could see small animals crawling around the tables. Actually they were just really small ants. Hey what are you going to do it. It is a little like camping. We headed out and had a couple beers. Actually I drank mixed drinks while he drank beer. We played a game of connect 4 and he won and he played with the waitress 3 games which she bested him. She was very good at it.

We then went to the sailing club, an Aussie owned bar that is suppposed to be the place to go in Nha Tran. We had a few more drinks there and I started dancing with 2 Russian ladies who I view to be the most beautiful in the world. Thomas said his friend who went to Moscow said the same thing. These ladies were from Moscow and where an absolute blast. We danced from 10:00 to 2:00 when they closed the place. I walked them home and said goodbye never to see them again. They had a great time as well as they were waving crazily as I walked away. I really like the Russian women I met as they seem very respectful of theirself and not slutty in anyway like I find women in other countries including the US. I have only met afew though. I needed a night like this. Just go out and dance crazy for 4 hours. I ran into a couple guys who I was on the plane with when I came to Saigon. The One Swedish guy told me he had been watching my dance moves and said my moves were good. I laughed at that comment. He was traveling with two women and a guy. There moves were not to good so not sure he knew what he was talking about. What a fun night. I headed back and called it a night. It seemed like some of the funnest nights I have had on the trip were when I went out dancing. Ok Dave Travolta says good night from Nha Tran, Vietnam. Pinch me someone! Is this trip real!

1-25-08
I spent the next day walking around Nha Tran. It is amazing how one night of fun makes everything seem great even into the next day. I walked around where I thought I had left off the Russian Women, but could not find their hotel back. All I was going on was the fence at the entrance. It was like an accordian type fence and I remember the one lady jerking it open. I had supper again with Thomas and he said he might go back to the Sail Club where we had all the fun last night. I suggessted he try the Brewery in town as he wanted to go there last night but we had not made it. Thomas likes beer. He did not dance at all the previous night and actually left I think around 11. I do not think he likes to dance although I didn't either at his age.

INSERT EMAILED TEXT ABOUT THE BUS TRIP HERE

After a crazy night of traveling I was in Hoi An. I guess it is time to start a new day. Good night or good morning or as the Aussie's say G'day Mate.

1-26-08
People have really bragged up this place and I was excited to see it. I walked around looking for the LP (Lonely Planet) recommended hotels. I at first did not find one that suited me or it was full. Either way the take home message is I did not yet have a place to stay.

I walked to a place called An Phu which also was recommended but it was a lot bigger place than where I usually stay. It was very ornate though with dragons and lots of old looking wood. I decided to stay there mainly from shear exhaustion as I needed to get some sleep. As I got to my room I decided to take a shower. The shower head was low as is always the case and came up to my waist. Consequently I decided to kneel down and when I did so my knee went through the bottom of the tub. Not fully through tub but it put about a 8" crack in the tub that allowed water to freely flow thruugh the bottom of the tub. I hurry up and took a quick shower not really knowing where the water was flowing through. I got out and put clothes on and went down to tell the folks at the front desk. I was kind of questioning if that was the right thing to do but decided to go ahead and take the honest approach. The whole time I was kicking myself for being honest. I switched rooms as they instructed and made darn sure they were not going to charge me for two rooms. This is the way they think around here so you always have to be sure to get things like this clarified.

After switching rooms I went up to the breakfast buffet they had and was pleased with that even though it was $3 which is expensive for Vietnam. I went back down stairs and talked to the people and reading between the lines they said I might have to pay for the bathtub. This is what I was afraid of. I went and took a nap or a short sleep which last about 3 hours. Not sure at what point a nap turns into a sleep but I was down for 3 hours.

I decided to pretty much stay at the hotel the lion share of the day. I had supper across the street from the hotel and thought the rice, beef and vegetables were very good. After supper I watched some movies and national geographic channel. Some days you have to just take a break from your travels. This is one of those days although I guess the fact that I rode on a bus full of puking people and slept maybe 2 hours at the most the previous night was another reason not to do much this day. Good night from Hoi An. So far I have not seen much of this town but the little bit I have seen so far it looks pretty cool.

1-27-08
I slept good, but found the bathtub issue to always be in the forefront of my mind. I headed upstairs on the 4th floor and had another breakfast. This is the closest thing to an American style breakfast I had seen in awhile. They actually would fix egg omelletes for you including onions and tomatoes and then I would add cheese and ham to that and had what I considered a pretty good breakfast.

After the pretty good breakfast I talked to the front desk again and ask them what there supervisor had said about the bathtub situation. He said he needed to talk to maintenace guy. I explained again to him the situation and told him I have no plans on paying for a bathtub. He said he needed to talk to his maintenance guy. I was still quite nervous about this whole ordeal as they have my passport and I can not do much without the passport. That is how they get you here they no your dependence on your passport. You can not do much without it.

I headed out and went to walk around the town. I went to the Japanese bridge and thought it was cool but thought if this is the best thing in town then it might not be that great. I had gotten what they call a Hoi An Old Town ticket and this allowed you to go to a Temple, Pagoda, musuem and a craft fair or music demonstration. I therefore started seeing those places as recommended by LP. None of these places for me were that great. The most impressive thing for me though in this town were the clothes and the artwork. This place has great art work and clothes. I could see coming here someday just to buy some real high end clothes. They will specially tailor you a suit for about $150 and it would be very good. The artwork too I was quite impressed with.

I really still felt a little ran down from the day before so I went back to the hotel. I brought up the bath tub again and the lady at the front desk called her supervisor and he said over the phone I would not have to pay for the bathtub. I was relieved about that and decided to celebrate by getting a massage at a cost of $10 I didn't feel like I was splurging too much. After that I went back to my room and chilled out the rest of the day and into the evening. I am not sure if I am getting lazy or what but this felt really good. I watched a couple movies that night all action movies the X-Men and the Marine. I really enjoyed the action in both movies even though I would not consider them awesome movies.

I had booked my bus ticket for the next day for 1:00. That would put me in Hue at 6:30 at least per the schedule it would put me there but then again this is Vietnam. Who knew what time I would actually get there. Good night from my last night in Hoi An. A very classy town with lots of great art and great clothing.

1-28-07
I took my time getting going, but did manage to get up in time for a 9 breakfast. I had my omellete not really knowing when I would get another omellete as they seem to be few and far between I spent most of the morning in my room. I worked on my diary for a couple hours and took another nap. My bus did not leave until 1:00 and I did not have to check out until noon so I waited until noon to check out. Around 10 though I walked downstairs and used the internet. There was a guy in his late 50's I estimatet that was getting really loud. I was embarassed to learn he was an American. He was a real embarassement to all Americans. I wanted to go talk to him but decided not to though everyone around us were saying how it was making them feel bad. The one Canadian guy said if he was a Canadian he would go and talk to the guy. The Canadian said he travels all over the US and most Americans are not that way. It was good to hear him say that as I knew that to be the case. Finally after listening to this guy for another 20 minutes and hearing other people they had to leave the building because of him I went over and talked to him. I felt myself a little nervous based on my heart rate and did not know how he was going to react to me essentially telling him to shut up. He actually was quite receptive and I soon learned he had some emotional problems. Finally I decided to help him move rooms and he seemed to like that. I could go on for awhile regarding his issues with the hotel but for whatever reason he was trying to get attention or just trying to save money I am not sure but the take home message he really had some emotional issues and needed psychological help. I went back to using the computer. The Vietnamese staff at the motel thanked me several times for helping them with the guy.

I saw the guy a couple more times before leaving and reminded him that he is not allowed to get loud again. He said he knew. While waiting on my bus I went across the street and had some lunch. The guy was there too and right before he left he tried to swindle those folks out of money by saying he already paid. They were not having any of that though. He had rented a motorscooter from them which I thought was absolutely crazy. I did not even want to do that and this guy was crazy. I suspect there would be problems. He motored away and I wondered what would become of this man.

My bus arrived about an hour late which is normal and the bus was not the one I had a ticket for and they said they work for same company and I should get on as they were going to Hue as well my next stop. On the way to Hue I read my lonely planet about Hue and it sounded like more temples and Pagodas and when I did the math I was quickely running out of days so I decided to try and catch a night bus out of Hue. After a 5 hour trip to Hue I asked the folks about getting on a night bus and they said I have to go to the other company to see about that. I told them I thought they worked together. Whenever you say something they do not want to hear their English gets dramatically worse. After some time trying to get a seat with this company I realized this was not going anywhere. I ask them where the other bus company was and they gave me directions and I took off running as the next bus was scheduled to leave in 5 minutes. At one point I thought I was really lossed but in looking at the map I figured out I was miraculously where I was supposed to be. I got to the bus station and of course even though the time had arrived for them to leave there was no bus. I asked the lady if there was room on the seated bus and she said no room I have to take sleeper bus. I asked her how much extra for sleeper bus and she said $7 dollars. I told her I do not fit on the sleepers because I am too tall and need to be on a seated bus. I asked her to check to see if maybe a seat had become available. I knew what she was doing she was trying to get another $7 from me. I am learning the ways of these Vietnamese folks. I got firm with her and she said there is no room. I told her I have friends riding that seated bus and if they tell me there is room I am going to come back here and be very angry. I ask her to check again. She kind of messed around never really giving me an answer and her broken English got much worse and the phrase "Do not understand" became more common as that so often happens with people that have English as a second language. I talked to some Polish folks who I had talked to on several occasions on this trip and they thought too she was bluffing. Finally taxis came and the people there told everyone with a ticket to get in taxi and the taxi would take them to the bus. They said the bus could not park on street in front of their office. I have never seen any traffic rules anywhere in Vietnam not sure why they are starting now. I still did not have a ticket only an unsigned ticket which is what you get when you enroll with these open tour buses. I went ahead and jumped in the van with the Polish folks. We were jammed in there of course with people on top of people. The lady working there was yelling at me saying I did not have a ticket. I told her I want to see if maybe there is an empty seat on seated bus as I do not fit in sleepers. Surprisingly they did not make me get out and I rode with the Polish folks to the buses a few blocks away. Both the sleeper bus and the seated bus were there and there was heaps of room on the seated bus just as I suspected. I gave them my luggage and they stowed it and I got on the bus. They got a phone call and I thought for sure they were going to tell me I had no ticket and I could not ride the bus. They called me over and ask to see my ticket. I gave it to them and they signed it and said ok. I suspect the lady back at the office did not want me coming back. I felt good about having figured their system out and correctly calling their bluff. After everyone loaded there was still probably 20 seats open. I was telling the Polish we will go aways and completely fill these seats up you watch. Sure enough they did just that and I ended up jumping into a seat in the middle of the bus with some young Vietnamese lady as I was sitting in the back with one of the Polish people. The back is ok if you get several seats but if the bus is full you do not want the back. The middle is a smoother ride. The kids that were getting on the bus were required to sit on their parents laps. That was going to be a long 13.5 hour ride for those folks.

After a couple hours we stopped for a break. There were a couple women from Texas who had grabbed the back seat. They said it was a rough ride and people were beginning to throw up. It seems like that happens most often in the back as that is where I was the first time. The Polish lady was complaining quite of bit about the situation. In Vietnam you have to go with the flow are you will not have a good time. I had heard her complaining on several occasions on this trip We loaded back up and were off. About 6 hours into the trip the lady by me began to vomit. I was afriad she was not going to get the bag soon enough but she did. The volume of vomit was relatively small so that was good. I sat by her because she was really small and that was a good thing although at times she crossed the imaginary line into my space but I know I had done the same quite often. I had slept about 2 hours and was back awake about 3:00 and was not tired at all. I was glad we had the cleaner cut driver but after watching him for awhile I wanted our other driver back. This guy was a maniac. This guy slept on the floor in the aisle for the first half of the trip. Did I say he was crazy! I know I did but it is worth saying again. I spent a little time surveying the car to bus or trailer truck ratio and it was 1 to 15. There were 15 of the monster vehicles to every car you saw. Most people could not afford vehicles so it was just business related traffic.

The driver probably made 40 passes in every hour. If there were no barriers on the side of the road he felt he was good to pass at any time. He would just get in the middle of the road honking his horn crazily and the bus or trailer truck he was passing would move off the edge of the road and the bus or truck he was meeting would get over on the other side of the road and we would slip through the middle. I saw other people doing the same thing. There was one really close situation and I involuntarily yelled son of a bitch. Know one on the bus except the few English speaking ones would have know what I said but they were probably sleeping. The drivers in the bus even yelled something at that time. A lot of the drivers play a form of chicken and if know one gives you have a situation like we had there. I would say when we met the oncoming trailer truck only the front half of our bus was out of direct line with the oncoming trailer truck. We got over just enough and the oncoming truck got over just enough to miss the back of our bus by inches and we were going I estimatte 55 mph. There is just too much traffic on these roads as they are all two lane and need to be 4-lane. I estimate I said, "he is not going to make it this time" probably 20 times an hour. I knew I had to quit watching him drive as it was making it sick from worry. I really wanted to get off this bus in the worst way. We finally made it into a raining Hanoi around 6:30 AM and like Saigon it was crazy as well. Ok my feet are on solid ground and I am back to dodging motor scooters. I feel much better. Good night or Good day or how about one last, "Good Morning Vietnam." It feels good to be alive as I had my doubts if I would ever see the sun rise again after last nights fiascal. I was glad the night bus trips were behind me! A person should spend the extra $60 and fly I think.

A Vietnamese guy saw me typing and wanted to try it. This is what he wrote. It is something like Where are you from and several other questions.

Ban dang lamgi vay ha ban va ban o dau the we and you for
Toi la mot nguoi viet nam day
The ban dang lam gi vay

1-29-08
I walked a long ways across Hanoi. Not sure why I did not get a scooter ride for a $1. Ok I do know why I did not get one. It was because I was too cheap. Consequently I walked for probably 2 hours before I got to the main part of town where the bacpacker places are.

I found Brother's hotel for $15 a night. That was plenty expensive for Vietnam standards but not bad for most places. I took a hot shower and went to bed.

I booked a trip for the next day to HaLong Bay and a trip to Sapa a couple days later. This was a whistle stop trip, but it served the purpose. I didn't really do much this day. Just got familiarized with Hanoi and rested as there was no rest on the bus the previous night.

I went to bed around 10 pm. Good night from Hanoi.

1-30-08
Even though I was taking another bus ride I was not as worried about this trip since it was a day trip which seem to be much safer. The bus right on time arrived about an hour later. I ask the people at the hotel and they called and said traffic is bad. I am sure that is the standard reply. It is pretty easy figuring out how things work. I have become pretty skeptical of pretty much everything that happens in Vietnam. I have a lot happen to me in Vietnam and have reason to be scared and skeptical of pretty much everything. I must not let that me sour me on Vietnam and the people. I need to look past those things and see the soul of the people. Once you do that you realize these folks do not have much and really are doing relatively well with what they do have.

We loaded up and I took virtually the last seat on the van. I was glad to see it was a van and not a bus. I had enough bus rides for awhile. I talked to an Australian guy in his early 20's that was traveling with 2 friends. It sounded like they had been really throwing back the beer, rice wine and whatever else had alcohol in it. They said they hooked up with a few other Vietnam guys and a couple really, really crazy nights of drinking. He said they drank and slept (passed out) on this boat. He said they also barbecued on the boat. It sounded like some crazy times. I remember drinking when I was younger but if I was traveling to other countries like these guys I suspect I would be a little more focused on seeing things rather than the source of my next buzz. Anyway they were nice guys and good to talk to. The Aussies pride their self on their friendliness which is a good thing to pride oneself on.

We stopped for a break after about an hour on the road. The place we stopped at sold goods that supposedly handicap kids made. The kids I saw there did not look handicapped. I suspect sometimes the Vietnamese are playing on the western worlds sympathetic side. I am sure most are legit, but not all.

We made it to Halong Bay around midday and jumped on the boat. On the boat were 2 Aussie guys traveling with an Aussie lady, 3 italian guys,a South African guy, a Belgium guy, a French guy, a Dutch lady traveling with a German guy she met somewhere during her travels, and 2 Canadian guys. Everyone seemed really cool and I liked our group a lot.

The Vietnamese guide seemed like a pretty good guy, but his English was not too good, but better than some. None of the locals in Vietnam speak good English. I wonder about their educational system.

We took one of the many old wooden boats at the harbor and headed out. It was amazing seeing some of these boats bang together. They did not seem too worried about hitting other boats when tied in harbor and even when they moving the boats I saw some of the boats bumping and damaging the wood. I wonder if we were damaging our property more because we are such a materialistic society and they are not. Not sure?

Once we got going we had our lunch and the food was very good. I had only paid $36 for this whole trip including transportation to Halong Bay. We all enjoyed our meals and everyone seemed surprised by how good the food was. The boat too had lots of character. I really like the looks of wooden boats, but they are definitely more work.

After the meal we arrived at a cave and got off the boat and explored the cave. It was pretty cool and was quite big. Definitely worth seeing. We got back on the boat and motored a short distance and wen kayaking. I kayaked with the Australian lady traveling with the two guys. She had not been kayaking before and asked me several questions and was a little nervous. Not sure why she trusted me, but it seems most people generally do. We were one of the last people to get back to the boat and we got a rhythm going by banging the paddles on the boat and then raising our hands in the air and chanting. She was a little bashful so she did not really want to do that and only did a couple of times. I thought it was fun although in my early 20's I suspect I would have been a little embarrassed as well.

We had another excellent meal and then got the kareoke machine warmed up. The Vietnamese and all Asians for that matter love singing. They sang about 4 songs then turned it over to us. No one wanted to sing nor did I really but finally decided to do it with one of the Canadians guy and the other Canadian guy joined in as well. I was disappointed in the group becaue no one else did it except us 3. Everyone else was too shy. I was really bad and I heard birds sqawking incessantly outside when I sang. The song "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Every Breath You Take" were my best perfomances and I thought I was respectable doing the song "Locomotion." Pretty much all the other songs I sucked at. You really have to know the songs well. "Hotel California" was ok I thought too. I knew those songs pretty well and the song "Locomotion" is so fast you pretty much just read the lyrics.

The Aussie lady and the 2 guys went to bed around 9:30 and the rest of the group went to bed shortly after. I couldn't believe everyone was turning in so early. Around 10 the Vietnamese guy said we had to stop as well. Some of the Vietnamese were sleeping in the area where we were doing Kareoke. A lot of the Vietnamese sleep at their jobs in less than ideal locations. I saw lots of them sleeping on the floor at the entrances to their hotels. Even though not all the rooms were full. I guess they are kind of guarding the premises as well. It is definitely a touch life. I was rooming with the South African guy who has lived in Auckland for about 8 years now. He was a good guy and I felt a little bad about not having my bed more organized and as a result I made quite of bit of noise. He had imagined to turn the heat on as well which was awesome. Had I known he figured that out I would have went down earlier as I had not felt any heat for a long, long time. Even though the temperatures have been in the 30's and 40's for awhile now. Good night from Halong Bay a very beautiful place although I can only see some of it, as it's beauty because of the cloudy weather. Man it has been cloudy for a long time as well. My good weather luck has expired I think.

1-31-08
I slept decent through the night and it was great to feel relatively warm air on my face. I apoligized to my South African roomie for making so much noise and he was very cool about it. Went up and had breakfast again the food was very good. The folks staying for 3 days got onto another boat and headed out while we just sat there and talked for most of the morning and then headed in. I would have just soon headed in right away but I guess this is the time when people swim if the weather is decent. We did cruise around and saw some more of the amazing rock outcroppings this area is so known for. At one point we had a boat get close to us and actually bumped us and the local people started to laugh. Both boats are mad of wood and damaged them only slightly but the people operating the boats seem amused by that I did not understand why this boat bumping thing was so permissible and being done but they sure were not afraid to do it.

Upon arrival back at the harbor we unboarded and headed for another great meal at a restaurant nearby. There were lots of people there and all the boats seemed to be going there. After lunch we headed back to Hanoi. Since I was traveling solo I was asked to ride in another van. The other van was full of mainly older people and a couple sisters traveling together from Thailand I believe. I asked her how her trip was and she proceeded to tell me it was horrible. I was not expecting that and she really laid it on thick. Wow I got the impression this homo sapien with two X chromosomes was hard to please. I was planning to sit by her but she had acted like she wanted the seat left empty so I sat one seat ahead of her. One of the Vietnamese workers sat by her and she laid into him for I bet 30 minutes. I talked to a German couple near me and then there were 6 Italians in front of us. I loved watching the Italians interact. They would talk on top of theirself at times and hands would be flying and word inflections were rampant. They were being Italians, the people I like seeing the most. I talked to one Italian one lady for awhile. They were all in there 60's I presume. We talked about Napoli and the pizza and mafia there. She said that place has garbage everywhere and seemed a little disgusted by it. At one point they were talking really loud and the one surprisingly noticed it and put her finger to her lips and said shhhh really loud. I was looking for a time to use my favorite Italian Phrase and blurted out, "Malto Gentela" meaning you are very kind. I then realized this was probably not the best time to use that and realized they might be offended by saying that at that time. I talked to the lady that spoke English after that to insure she knew how much I really liked the Italians so they would not leave thinking I did not like them.

We made it back to Hanoi around 4 and sat in traffic for a long time. One of the Italian guys had to go to the bathroom really bad so they dropped him off first after telling me I would be first. It turned out I was the last to be dropped off. The bible tells me that too those who will be first will be last. Ok maybe that is a little different context.

I waited around at the the hotel for a couple hours and then was taken to the train station for a night ride to Sapa. The taxi picked me up at Brother's motel and took me to the train station. He drove me all the way there and walked me to the car I was to get on. Man I was living it up. No thinking or guessing required of me. Everything was perfect. The cabin itself was very good as well. I was with a family from Saigon. A mother and a young boy about 7 and a girl about 13. The girl spoke a little English and we talked for awhile. She wanted a picture with me and ask me about my personal life and when she found out I was single she wanted to my girlfriend. We took a picture and then I asked for a picture of me with the entire family. It turned out to quite a nice couple hours before we went to sleep around 10:00 I had asked them about driving and she said cars are very expensive and most Vietnamese do not have them. I didn't tell them I once owned two. Man we got it good. Goodnight from somewhere on the tracks between Sapa my destination and Hanoi. Again I stumbled across an extremely nice Vietnamese family going to Sapa to visit their Grandma who lives there.
2-1-08
The train stopped in Lao Cai and jumped on a bus that took us to Sapa. The bus ride was about 45 minutes and it was foggy and of course the driver did not mind passing on curvy, foggy and mountainous roads at any time which made the trip more interesting. If they drove like this in the US they would be dead in no time I fear as well as a few other people probably. But here it seems to work. I would be interested to learn more about the number of traffic deaths here on this small slither of land that contains the 13th most people in the world. I suspect it is not too good.

We made it into town and it was damp and foggy and misting at times. Not the best conditions for hiking. The people working there said if I want to skip the homestay I could and stay in the hotel. As much as I wanted to stay with some locals I also did not want to get sick. They said at the homestay there will be no hot water and much more hiking. I really wanted to do that but did not want to hike in the rain all day and then not be able to warm up and dry out my clothes so I opted out of the homestay. I sat down and had breakfast and two Aussie ladies were nearby and I ask them if they had Vegemite in their pack thinking no way but low and behold they did have some. I got a baguette and had a Vegemite sandwhich. That was quite funny and I took a picture with them holding the Vegemite. That reminded me of the time while in the Mekong Delta the Dutch couple was carrying around the Stroopwaffles.

They gave me a room next door in actually a nicer hotel, but again no heat. I rented a heater for 3 dollars but it was very small but I thought it would heat up the room. Around mid morning we went for a hike and the hike was quite special. A couple from I believe Toronto and two ladies from Melbourne were hiking with us. The Canadian guy got mad at me when I tried to barter with the lady on the price saying we have so much and they have so little. I thought he should not have said that as I have had money stolen from me, I had been scammed to a certain extent as times I have had to haggle with Vietnamese incessantly all through Vietnam and now he tells me that is not the way it works I should just give him the money. Well shame on him. I paid full price. Him and his wife were just getting into Vietnam I found out later. As a matter of fact the next day this same guy was bargaining with these folks himself but I will get to that tomorrow. They also were complaining that we left about 30 minutes late because me and the two Aussie ladies were trying to get geared up for the wet weather. I told them everything in Vietnam happens later than planned. We were not starting off on the most pleasant foot that was for sure. He would warm up to me and see that I am always right! 😊

We also got to see the families house, which was very humbling. They slept in the loft with the hanging corn and no heat. It is a much tougher existence than I am use to and for them life is much simpler I suppose. It is about simple survival. We have lots of other things occupying our time . Not sure what to say about that? I know it is shocking that I have nothing to say about that. It is deinitely a different existence and I am not sure who is really better off even though the answer seems obvious.

I walked around down this predominantly paved pathway with ducks and buffalo and pigs and dogs sharing the road like one big family. In several locations on this trail mainly closer to town we saw hogs being slaughtered which the Aussie girls said disturbed them. I ask them if they were vegetarians and they said no and knew where I was going with that. It is amazing most people do not know how the process works at least not in much detail they do not. I told them it made me hungry which it didn't really but I enjoyed teasing them. They jokingly seemed a little disturbed by my comment so I had to tone it down a little.

We walked down to Cat Cat the VIllage below Sapa and of course there were people selling stuff there as well. After that we walked back to the Village which was a pretty tough hike. Everything is steep around here but the locals do not to have much problem with it. I really did not either but remember I am a specimen! 😊

Back at the Village we had lunch and I talked to a lady from Canada I believe in Calgary. We hung out for awhile during the day. It was nice to talk to someone that spoke English well. She was teaching in Seoul and was here on a couple week holiday. Her boyfriend was Korean and she really raved about the Korean folks. I was intersted in meeting some. She said they are a little geeky, straightforward in a delicate way normally and nice. It seemed like an interesting combination of adjectives and I look forward to meeting some. At lunch she said there were four sitting by us but we never got a chance to talk to them. I

I also talked to a Russian lady who now lives in Israel, for awhile that was in Asia trying to help kids that have opium addictions because there mom was an addict. Wow how impressive is that. I really found her quite interesting and I really liked her purse, which I complimented her on several times.

I went back to my room and hung out there and tried to take a nap. The heater was not doing very well unfortunately and the room was very drafty. I got way under the covers. In the evening I went over to the other hotel and watched a movie with Aarron the Calgary lady and called it a night around 11:00. I was too tired and cold to really feel like going out and doing anything so I just decided to go to bed. Good night from Sapa a beautiful and amazing place albeit quite cold!

2-2-08
Man another cold night in Sapa. My toes really never did get warm. I went back and had breakfast in the other motel. They had good English Breakfast actually and I had two eggs and baguette and another Vegemite sandwhich as the Aussie girls were there again. The Canadians were there as well as the Aarron the Calgary girl. The gang is all here even the Russian lady who actually was working there. I really enjoyed talking to the Russian lady and complimenting her on her purse again which she was probably getting tired of me stating that. With the exception of Aarron we were all going on a longer hike today. We were hiking to a couple Villages. Again it was cold and rainy. I just hoped it would clear off a little but I was not holding my breath. We got going and the Canadian couple seemed a little more compromising this day than the day previous as the Aussie girls were delaying the group a little.

We headed down the hill and were quickely met up with some of the Village People. I was unclear whether they were on their way down the hill or just looking for money. I suspected somewhere along the line they were going to want money for something. Of course on the way down the hill there were a few places selling stuff. We saw numerous water buffalos. It amazed me how tame their cows are. I guess when they are around people all the time it works that way.

I was really blown away by the scenery here. There were terraced rice fields all over. Here they say they only get one rice crop a year where as in Southern Vietnam they get up to 3 a year. At first when I saw the area I thought man there is a lot of deforestation but after seeing it more I was not as turned off by it. With the terraced rice fields I suspected there was not a lot of erosion. As we walked we encountered a stand where the folks were selling sugar cane. I had never had this before. Our guide actually gave me a chunk. It is like chewing on sweet juicy wood. I really liked it. You spit out the fiberous woody portion. Kids there were selling walking sticks and the Canadian couple bought one each. As soon as they indicated they wanted to buy one the kids swarmed them. Buy from me, buy from me. As we continued downt the hill the trail got steep and muddy. Before it was paved. Oh we had also seen a baby water buffalo that still had the umbilical attached. A guy was helping it walk down the hill. Someone said it was less than 3 days old. Everyone likes baby animals. It's mom was close eating grass. Every patch of grass is fair game for any buffalo that can get there. This is true all over Vietnam and the cows or buffalo seem to know where the road is and the drivers are always on the look out for them. The animals move slow to when near the road. They are not at all skittish like the cows I know. They seem to know how to act around people and vehicles. It was quite the intereseting dynamic.

At one point along the trail I was walking a narrow ledge trying to keep my shoes relatively clean as most people purchased boots but my feet are too big. On this ledge I slipped in the mud and fell into this ditch and thought I would never stop falling and before I knew what happened I was down in a 5 foot ditch. I had no idea it was that deep. I was a little muddy but not as bad as I thought I would be. I thought after putting that much effort into not getting muddy here I was muddy as hell. I was a little embarassed but I do not get too embarassed about anything these days. I think that comes with age.

The views here were spectacular and the fog was not nearly as bad down here in the valleys. I got some good photos. At lunch we had people all around us selling things. Though when we were inside eating they were not allowed in there but they just stood waiting outside. I really liked a wall hanger and ended up buying one. I also bought a shirt and at the end of the trip I only had about 80,000 dong left and was able to buy another wall hanger for that money which was a steal. Most of the things you buy here smells like smoke but the wall hangers were not too bad. I thought I should get off the plane in St. Louis wearing the hat and this shirt and people from where I live would think man Dave is messed up he has probably been smoking dope over in Asia or something. People are pretty closed minded about things like that which is a result of not traveling. Sure some people that wear clothes like that are smoking something but not everyone. Stereotypoes are a dangerous thing.

I enjoyed talking to the people but at the end of the trip they were all expecting for you to buy something. The lady that had walked most of the way kept saying I walk with you and that I should buy something from them. I would have but did not like what she was selling. At times during the hike they were saying she was my girl friend and were asking me if I was single. They seem surprised that I was not married I jokingly told them women make me crazy. They laughed at. This of course was told to them by actions and a few words as their English was definitely broken. I actually borrowed money from the Calgary couple as I had run out as I was not planning to buy anything. This was really the first souvenoir like thing I had bought on this trip at least clothes anyway. The pictures and diaries are my souvenoirs.

At the bottom of the hill there was a lady walking 3 water buffalo pass us and when I went to take a picture she said no so I respected her wishes. I can understand how that would upset a person afterawhile.

We hopped in the jeep at the bottom and headed back to Sapa. There I paid the Calgary couple back and went inside to warm up and killed sometime the rest of the day. I was able to talk to the 4 Korean guys and really enjoyed there candor and personalities. I think Aarron is right in her description of them. Now I want to go to Korea. Maybe some day.

We left around 6 and took the bus to the train station. The one Aussie girl talked to another Aussie on the bus the entire way to the train station which was about a 50 minute trip. At the train station I went over and got in line for the train and after about 30 minute wait we were back on the night train back to Hanoi. The train ride was pretty uneventful and I slept pretty good. Good night from the tracks between Sapa and Hanoi in Vietnam. Really I am in Vietnam. Who would have thought this a couple years ago? Not me! Good on me Mate as the Aussies might say!

2-3-08
This is my last day in Vietnam. Man time flies. At the train station I met Kimberely, a lady from Canada, and she was meeting another lady. They were both on the night train. We were going to share a cab. We did the necessary haggling to get a taxi insuring we were not going to get taken advantage of and headed to their hotel which happened to be near mine. They were not staying there just spending a few hours the one girl before her bus arrived and then Kimberely was going to be around the whole day. The cabbie said the charge was 100,000 dong which was ridiculous but only $2 each in US money. I argued with him a bit. We all paid 30,000 dong and he then took me to my place. I told him I was not paying him anymore money to take me to where I was staying. He understood me loud and clear.

Brothers Hotel where I had been staying was closed at this early hour of 6 so I walked around for awhile looking for another place. I encountered a guy on a bike pushing a cart that contained 3 slaughtered pigs. The pigs were very big and probably weighed at least 200 lbs on the hoof or live weight. He got to a point where he was going up a slight inlcine and became almost stopped because of the weight so I pushed him a little to keep him moving. He was very grateful.

I walked on and encountered a guy of course offereing cheap hotel. I looked it over and it was not to good so I continued walking. After walking around I really was not finding much so I decided to go back to the other place. The new guy there now was going to charge me more. I was a little frustrated with that situation and decidced to continue on. I encountered another guy a little later offering cheap hotel as they say and it was a little better so I took it. I then saw the same guy as at the other hotel. He said he owns both hotels. Oh well what are you going to do.

I went to my room to try and sleep awhile. I wasn't too successful in doing that and went to use the computer. I had received an email from Kimberely who ask about having lunch together. That sounded great to me as she seemed pretty interesting.

Around noon I walked over to where she was at called the Sunny Hotel. I got lost a lot on the way and it took me about 45 minutes to get there while it should have only taken 15 minutes. I get lost in Hanoi a lot it seems.

She fortunatetly was still waiting and we headed out. She got lost a lot as well it turned out. We found some lunch and then walked around. I could tell she is a very athletic lady and very competitive as well. At one point a guy was following us around trying to clean my shoes. His price was really high and I said no but he followed us around the lake where we were at. I was going to have him do it now that his price was a lot lower but Kimberely said no as he had been following us around so long she didn't want to encourage that behaviour. I was tempted to go ahead and do it anyway just to mess with Kimberely but I didn't know her that well and didn't go against her wishes. She had a long bus ride that night and was looking for a book. She said she can read a whole book on a bus ride. She was a little down and a little homesick. She seemed ready to go back to Canada. Vietnam was getting the best of her with all the haggling that takes place there. We found another guy to clean our shoes and I treated Kimberely to a shoe cleaning as well as it was only a couple dollars. She was on a tighter budget than I was. We also had a beer at a place. The beer there was only $0.20 a pint. It was pretty bad beer though so we also got a Hanoi Beer which I actually like. From there we got a cart ride back to her place. I had always wanted to do that but never found someone to ride with. These are the bicycles that push a cart in front of them.

We messed around on the computer for awhile and then I went back to my hotel. She had to leave in a couple hours. I think we both enjoyed each others company, but we must be moving on. That is life on the road.

I didn't do much the rest of the day. Goodnight from my last day in Vietnam. Tomorrow it is off to Hong Kong where I have a place to couchsurf. Looking forward to that!

---

Photos

Mekong Delta
Canoeing some backwater of the Mekong Delta.

The Shirt Fits
It is hard to find clothes that fit but I did manage to find this shirt and hat which I bought.

Girls and AK 47's
Girls don't bother with perfume just shoot a gun!

Famous Helicopter Picture
Helicopter on top of the Reunification Palace.

Hi Chi Minh City (Saigon) Motorscooters
Crossing the streets in Saigon is one of the most dramatic things I did on this trip. You just walk through the sea of sccoters and they get out of your way.

German Mom with her Kids and a Big Snake
I went on a tour with this German Family (Dad was taking the pic of them) and really enjoyed them. They live in Mongolia now but are moving back to Germany soon. The oldest girl by mom, speaks German, Mongolian and some English!

Dave the Babysitter
The German Mom wanted to get another pic with the snake so she ask me to watch her kids. I enjoyed it.

Monkey Bridge to My Homestay
I crossed this bridge to a local's home where I stayed one night!

Water Dog
The dog fell off the boat and the lady is trying to rescue him.

Kids are the Same Around the World
I was encouraging this girl to make faces and she obliged.

Dutch Folks
I always ask Dutch tourist if they have stroopwaffles, which is a cookie popular in the Netherlands. These folks had them! Nice people!

Mui Ne Sand Dunes
Instead of going to school many kids sell sleds to tourist to sled down sand dunes. It is sad.

Mui Ne Girl
Unfortunately she too was selling sleds to tourist.

Near Mui Ne
Lots of Iron in this soil.

Hoi An Clothes
The clothes here are very nice. The people will tailor make suits and dresses and whatever you need. Many Australian's come here to have clothes personally made for them.

Japanese Covered Bridge
Hoi An's Famous Bridge

Vietnam's New Years Celebration
They have a different calender than do we.

Made by Handicap Kids
Not sure if these items are actually made by handicap kids but you see often marketing people playing on western psychology.

Halong Bay
The boat I stayed on here, stopped to pick up this dead fish and then decided not to eat it and threw it back.

Floating Grocery Stores
In Halong Bay there were many people on these small boats selling items.

Karaoke Night
I am a horrible singer, but am not embarrased easily. Bad combination for the other people on the boat.

Fellow Train Passengers
We were all on our way to Sapa, which is in the mountains near Hanoi. This family was from Saigon and were going to their Grandmas for the New Years Celebration. Very nice people.

Two Australian Women with their Vegemite
I met these two ladies in Sapa!

Two Sapa Locals
These ladies followed our group and then of course you were expected to buy something from them. They are very short people.

Wall Hanging
I bought this wall hanging from this lady!

Ladies there is enough of me to go around.
I got my billfold out and this is what happens!

The Gangs All Here
In this picture you have some Koreans, Australians, Israeli and of course an American.

Beers in Hanoi!
I sat down and had a beer with this lady from Canada. A Vietnamese guy who had been hounding us to buy a book sat the books in my lap while he went to do something for a few minutes. Quite funny. The Vietnamese are very nice people just poor.

Amazing Bikes!
Lady selling baloons on her bike in Hanoi!

Rams Fan in Hanoi?
This guy is from Austrlia and just picked this coat up from a local salesman as he said he was cold. He knew nothing of the St. Louis Rams the team in the City where I am from.