hi I accidentally visit here. I am a girl living in the back beach.Vũng tàu is nice in my mind. But you was right about the traffic here.(^_^) I am sorry about of that. We are trying to improve our image. But what you see is part of Vung Tau, the bad. When you return, I hope my english is good enough to introduce you to my home town.
thanks for sharing and keeping your eyes and heart open. I was in Siem Reap last month and loved my trip, I wish I could have stayed longer - and actually done some of the more immersive, local things you did. Cheers and travel on!
Vung Tau ... Still here Hi Krysta, A friend just forwarded me your blog on Vung Tau.
Just wanted to add, myself and a friend are the new owners of the
Labyrinth bar you mentioned - Now called Pig and Whistle.
Miss Duk (Vietnamese spelliing is Duc) is still here and worked for us for the past year.
The Dick Star Hotel is spelt D.I.C. Star Hotel .... but we all call it the Dick Star and near it now is a new Hotel called the Phuc Dat! How's that for a name to conjure with.
It looks beautiful You mentioned those waterfalls are no Niagara, but I think I mentioned to you once how I find waterfalls in more natural setting much more beautiful. It would be great to see Victoria Falls someday. Laos looks much better after this blog than the first one. It's also neat reading the comments from your family and friends about how you will be home soon! I'm very glad you are home and that you're my girlfriend!
XOXOX
Jay
King of the Hill As we discussed, this country reminds me of King of the Hill. It looks like that's about all that can be said about it at this point.
XOXOX
Jay
I wish I saw that! I truly wish I saw you covered in all that dirt. I bet you still looked great! That part about the guy getting his pants hemmed is truly hilarious. I probably would have punched him, and I'm not a violent type at all. I'm not sure how I would have handled being crammed in that pickup truck. My legs would have fallen asleep. Yet another amazing experience.
XOXOX
Jay
So many experiences What makes these blogs so great are the many personal experiences. The bad, swearing kid followed by the kids who loved seeing themselves on your camera is a great contrast. Now I REALLY want to see Angkor!
XOXOX
Jay
A strange life It's amazing the way some people live. That's the cool thing about a trip like this one: you get to see so many ways of life. Pooping in the river certainly doesn't sound fun. Of course, I feel bad for the crocodiles, but I'm really glad you didn't post a picture of those bears. This trip definitely looks like a cool one, though.
XOXOX
Jay
Strange staring people Those people staring would have freaked me out. That was quick thinking using the little girl to get out of the situation. It sounds like Vietnam is definitely and interesting country. Now I'm looking forward to the Cambodia blogs. I really want to go to Angkor Wat.
XOXOX
Jay
Poo Coffee I would not drink fox shit coffee. I know all the germs would be cooked off and everything, but still, it sounds gross to me. This place looks really cool overall. The big buddah certainly is cool. (in British accent)What a jovial fellow! I got thinking: is Saigon still called Saigon or is it Ho Chi Minh City (or is that Hanoi)? What do locals think of the Viet Cong? It looks like there are lots of cool sights to see, anyhow.
Drive-by communism, Dick Star OK, that is the worst name for a bar that is NOT a gay bar...EVER! Perhaps that's just my juvenile side talking, but that name is just terrible. I found your "drive-by communism" comment quite humorous. Are there a lot of signs of communism around Vietnam, or is it less noticeable at the local level? Also, I can't help feeling sorry for those dogs. I hope they were treated OK. I guess if they're prize racing dogs it would be beneficial to treat them well.
Gravesite pictures It's not bad to take pictures of graves. Don't forget the great pyramids are graves, and Napolean was (or maybe still is) buried under l'Arc de Triomphe, among many other examples. Also, I was once told the best way to discover a city or country is to get lost in it, so it's not bad to leave your walking route. Macau definitely looks like an interesting place.
Po Lin The Po Lin Monastery looks really nice. Tranquil AND vegeterian...sweet! At least I know you're not using me for my money...or if you are, you'll be disappointed! Hong Kong sounds like another great place. Another place I'd like to visit.
Culture invading I like the phrase "culture invading" for sure. I does sound a bit harsh, but it is kind of what travellers do, essentially. Your dad is right about "culture sharing" though, because it sounds like you spread culture wherever you went with your multiple languages and friendly nature. I've gotta say Huangzhou looks very cool. I'd like to go there.
Better than Beijing It sounds like Shanghai is definitely better than Beijing. It looks like a very modern, cosmopolitan City. Some interesting art, for sure. On another note, I see your mom mentioned contacts in the publishing industry. Maybe she knows of some jobs for me in the City!
Scary times Like other commenters, I would also have been very nervous about getting kicked off the bus with no money. It sounds like China and Mongolia have terrible transportation systems, what with the can't get tickets/wrong time thing. I also wish I could speak several languages. Maybe you can help me bone up on my limited French.
Hat hair I bet you were glad you cut your hair when on this trip! I love the hat head picture. This sounds like an amazing trip. I now want to see Mongolia. I know I'd miss proper bathing, but it would be worth it. By the way, I think all of the camel estimates are way low. You've got to be worth 100 in my book.
Classic dialogue Are you getting tired of reading my comments yet? Be careful what you wish for! Anyhow, that bit about buying the train tickets was classic. Very funny stuff. It sounds like Uli did a lot of hosting. I think it would be weird having that many strangers coming in and out of your house. Also, remind me not to make you mad. It sounds scary:).
Connections Let me just say I'm glad you haven't gone to Grenoble yet. It would suck if we didn't meet. Do you still keep in touch with the people you met on the train? You know people all over the world! At least I know I have a standing invitation from the Belgian couple I met in Costa Rica.
Street Food I have to find out more about this street food. What was it? How could it possibly be 12 cents? Was it jujubes as you love so much? :) It's too bad Beijing is so dirty. Hopefully other parts of China are nicer. I also feel very sorry for the Pandas. They looked much more comfortable at the San Diego Zoo. On to the next blog entry!
My first post! Hey Krysta. You told me to post, so here it is! As I told you, I don't think it matters what you do with your hair because you have such a pretty face :). I hope you're not embarrased that I wrote that. You get to censor this, don't you? You'll probably censor me!
Safety Issues in Perspective I enjoyed reading your blog especially the "Nicky pretending not to know you part" LOL. Well anyways, I'm glad you enjoyed your holiday in my beloved country even amidst all the poverty that you saw. Concerning the safety issue with regards to travelling to our country, I think we should put things in perspective. According to Nationmaster, Canada is #12 while Japan is #34, Thailand is #47 in Total Crimes per capita. The Philippines is not even in the list of 60 countries. I don't know the breakdown of crimes committed against tourists but these statistics paint an ironic picture. It means a person has a lesser likelihood of being a victim of crime in our country vis-a-vis wealthier more advanced countries in spite of the poverty pervading the islands.
I think all travellers should be more concerned with these issues than terrorist activities because they are a more common, everyday occurence.
We enjoyed xmas Hi. Krysta I opened your website for the first time.It's very fun!
Last night We very enjoyed Xmas Party.and we waited krysta come back.I hope enjoy Japan time, and have a nice trip. I'll miss you...Kasumi
I've finally finished my big Asian trip and have about 9 blogs left to write. So far I've covered Japan, Mongolia, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, but stay tuned for Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, more Japan and London!
I'm just getting settled back into life in Canada now, so wait patiently for the last few blogs. Especially Myanmar...that was quite an 'interesting' couple weeks...
... full info
hoàng hà
non-member comment
hi
I accidentally visit here. I am a girl living in the back beach.Vũng tàu is nice in my mind. But you was right about the traffic here.(^_^) I am sorry about of that. We are trying to improve our image. But what you see is part of Vung Tau, the bad. When you return, I hope my english is good enough to introduce you to my home town.