The feelings associated with leaving anywhere are always mixed for me. I am looking forward to getting back to the states in some respects. Back to what is normal, where I can talk to everyone, where the food is recognizable and I know what to expect next. But, there is a part of me that's sad to be leaving this great country. I have been sad, frustrated, perplexed, lonely, hungry, sick, happy and awed at the same and at different times during this trip. Through it all, I think that I've learned a bit about myself and I know that I have learned a lot about the people of Vietnam. I'm certain that there will be numerous reflections on my trip in the future as I re-count it for friends and family at home. I'm sad to be going home, yet excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.

I found out about two days ago that the contract that I had confirmed prior to leaving, has been canceled. It's been a bit stressful the past two days, dealing with leaving and the end of my vacation but also now the fact that I don't know what to expect when I do get home. It will be an adventure in its self figuring out where I will end up in the next couple of weeks. Thank goodness for friends. I have multiple places that I can stay if needed during the next couple of weeks while I wait for the perfect job offer.

I want to say thanks to Kim and Mike for putting up with me during the past couple of days. I ended up getting pretty sun-burnt at the beach my first day out and Kim was a champ trying to make sure that I was comfortable. Then I was sick....that's twice now during my trip. Fortunately, it didn't last long and I was back to normal quickly.

Mui Ne, although pretty...is a pretty boring place if you aren't interested in water-sports or if your like me and get too much sun the very first day! I knew I should have used more sun-block!!

Kim, Mike and I went out for a night on the town my last night there and I think Mike snuck in some pictures of Kim and I dancing. Yes....I danced, although I'm certain that most of the time I looked like I was having some sort of seizure! I even played with Kim's practice poi (don't know if I spelled that correctly or not but poi are what fire dancers use). It was a lot of fun but if I had been using real poi, I would probably have 3rd degree burns all over my body and be stuck in some Vietnamese ICU at the moment. Thank goodness, they were not real!!

Airport acquaintances can be quite interesting. I was just interrupted by some guy from Seattle that proceeded to tell me his entire life story as well as the life story of several of his friends. I love when people start a conversation and within the first 2 minutes, they are telling you how 'rich' they are. Like I care? I don't base my judgment of people on how much money or possessions that they have but rather what kind of person they are. So I sat and listened to how many houses this guy has and how many cars and that he is soon to be moving to Vietnam where, in his words “material things dont matter” WTF? He just gave me a 20 min dissertation on how much material wealth he has then makes a statement like that? I guess I just don't understand some people.

So, I managed to get away from him for the moment but he is on the same flight as me and I hope like hell that I can avoid him during the flights and above all else...during my 8 hour layover!!

I've drank enough coffee to sink a ship but my Ambien is close at hand so I can get a little sleep on the flight. I am mostly rambling at this point as I am bored and don't know what else to do with my time.

Airport observations:

There are only 8 non-Asians (other than me) waiting for the flight, all of which are couples.
There is one baby that is currently screaming it's little head off and two toddlers.
Three people are lying on the seats sleeping
8 of us (yep me included) are sitting on the floor due to no seats available.
two people with I-pods in their ears
one woman with black eyes so big she looks like she had one hell of a fight with someone
Dumb and Dumber is playing on the TV with Vietnamese dubbing. You should really experience this at least once in your life. It's crazy. There is only one voice for the dubbing and it's totally monotone sounding. I don't know how they stand listening to it.

My flight is getting ready to board so I'm going to sign off for now....see you in Seoul!!

Homecoming remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Still no job as I arrived in Seattle. Thankfully, my friend Teresa (whose contract in KC was also canceled) was able to extend her contract in Seattle and I am currently staying with her. It's been a stressful few days since I arrived back 'home'. With the current financial crises, many hospitals are canceling contracts and there are much fewer postings for new positions. I am happy to report that after two grueling days of phone calls, emails and even a few prayers, I now have a job lined up.

Where am I going you ask? Elko, Nevada....yep, Elko. It's a rural town in northwestern Nevada of aprox 16K people at the foothills of the Ruby Mountains and a total area of 14.5 sq miles. My research indicated that at one time, it was some sort of mining town. It will be quite a change from the cities of San Francisco and Seattle, where I have spent nearly the past 2 years.

What will I do in Elko? It would appear that there are numerous activities that will keep me entertained during my 13 weeks there. These include the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering (Jan), a multitude of Casino's (I counted 6), a Super K-Mart and a movie theater. The city has a large Basque (spanish) culture so maybe I can find a good Tapa's restaurant! If all of that fails, maybe I can pick up extra work an simply save some money while there...

I'll be leaving Seattle and all of it's rain and clouds on Dec 1st and heading 'out west' to Elko....wish me luck!

Life is good?.....
:o]

Oh...check out the live web cam of downtown Elko at http://www.elkodaily.com/webcam_one/ Maybe you can actually pick me out someday in the bustling metropolis of Elko!

Back home... remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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But....

That isn't quite how it ended.....

Plane leaves on time. I arrived at the airport and checked in with the ticketing desk. The nice lady behind the desk tells me '29, HURRY'. Shit, I am thinking to myself that somehow I have gotten the times messed up and my flight is getting ready to leave. I rush across the hall to line #29. There are two people in front of me and I am a little nervous that I am going to miss my plane. A third Vietnamese lady pushes her way in front of me and I nudge her back behind me. No way am I going to miss my flight! I get to the counter and am told that I need line #28 if I am going to check baggage! Shit!!

I press over to line #28 and use the Vietnamese method of getting to the front of the line. Just pretend that there isn't a line of 20 people waiting. I proceed to push my way to the front of the line. There doesn't seem to be any rush from the clerk checking my bag. My boarding ticket is handed to me and I am told 'gate 10'. Thinking that there might be a wait for security, I quickly make my way to gate 10 security. There are only 2 people in line in front of me! My lucky day! I am still unsure why the first lady was adamant that I 'hurry' but I rush through security and get to my gate. Flight to Saigon is just announcing final boarding. The flight board soon changes and my flight is on schedule for 0900! I still have over an hour to wait! What was the damn 'HURRY' all about?

Luckily there is a smoking area so I grab an iced Vietnamese coffee and head to the smoking area for one last drag before my flight. My flight is uneventful other than the fact that the boarding/un-boarding process is a little different than I am used to. All of the passengers are loaded onto buses and taken about ½ km to the plane to board and we are boarded at both ends of the plane according to our seat assignment. Other than the hassle of the bus it's rather efficient. When we disembark, it's much the same although the plane is only about 1500 meters from the terminal and we are still all herded onto buses! We could have walked it faster than the time it took us to all get on the buses!

I've arrived in Nha Trang, or actually about 25km outside of Nha Trang. Again bombarded by the taxi drivers and all I want to do is smoke a quick cig before heading to the bus station. A young backpacker approaches me and asks if I would like to share a taxi into the town center and I decline (regretfully, I'll find out later). I stomp out the butt to my cigarette and grab my taxi. I attempt to negotiate a price and am told 'meter' Sounds good to me so off we go...

My taxi was $400K dong!! I find out later (too late) that the taxi only should have cost me about $200K dong from the airport per Lonely Planet!! I asked the taxi to take me to the bus station and inform him that I am headeed to Mui Ne. It takes us nearly 45min to get to the CENTER of town (now I am wishing that I had shared that taxi!). I am delivered to a travel agency...immediately I am upset and inform the driver that I need the Bus Station! Remember that travel agent in Hanoi? So, off we go to the bus station. I arrive at the bus station and they all look at me like I am an idiot! There are NO local buses to Mui Ne!! The only way to Mui Ne is to take the bus from the tourist office!! Thankfully, my driver is waiting for me. We continue back to the same Travel agency that we have just left and the lady at the counter shakes her head and rolls her eyes (not really, but that's how I feel).

I explain that I need to get to Mui Ne today and find out that the next bus out isn't until 7:30pm!! It's about 11am now..... At this point I am cursing the travel agent from Hanoi! I promise that tomorrow he is going to get a phone call and a piece of my mind!

I book the only bus to Mui Ne and wonder what I am going to do for the 8 hours that I now have to wait to head out to my destination. First order of business is notify Kim and Mike that I am going to be much later than expected. I am directed to the nearest internet cafe which smells of urine and old cat litter and send a quick note to let them know I am going to be late. Hoping that the email will get checked before Kim starts to worry....

Walking out of the internet cafe and heading toward the beach (certain that there will be food to be found along the beach-front), I run into Eddie Murphy! You know the african american comedian? I am certain that you have heard of him and probably seen some of his movies at one time or another....

Ok, it really isn't Eddie Murphy...It's Eddie Murphy II or so he calls himself. He is a riot! Has me rolling with laughter (much needed at this point). We chat for a few minutes as he tries to sell me an 'Easy Rider' tour. After he finds out that I have already taken a tour, he gives up on the sell and I ask him where I can find some good food, with only one cup of coffee this morning and a couple of M&M's on the plane...I am starving! He offers to drive me a couple blocks down the road for free (yeah...nothing is free). I'm dropped off at a local Vietnamese restaurant with a great view of the ocean. Well, it's a great view if you squint real hard and turn your head just the right way to see through the trees. I ask him to come back in an hour and give me a tour of the city and we negotiate a price. Lunch is good, not great but good and filling. Mr. Murphy returns promptly in an hour and waits for me to finish my lunch.

We stroll around town and stop at the Cham tower. I am feeling like a cheap-skate and don't pay to go inside the grounds. Next we go to the Temple. There is a HUGE white Buddha at the top of the hill and I find another traveler sitting and listening to some local women verbally fighting with each other. This is the first that I have seen anyone angry in Vietnam It's interesting to watch the interaction. They are nearly screaming at each other. I chat with the other traveler about the culture and what we are seeing and our travels. I have nearly forgotten that I have a paid driver waiting for me. I say my good-bye and head back down the hill. There is another Buddah part way down the hill. It's a reclining Buddha and is Huge also. At the temple, there are a group of children chanting/singing/praying and it's mesmerizing. I have now been in two different Temples where there is (I think) praying occurring and both times it has had a very calming effect on me.

My hour is nearly gone and I don't want to pay for another hour so I suggest that Mr. Murphy take me somewhere close to where we started that we can have a good Vietnamese Coffee. The Green Cafe is our destination and the great discovery is that they also have free wi-fi! I'll be back here later....

Mr. Murphy suggests that I take a hotel for a few hours of rest and a shower. I guess I must smell? I think that this is a great idea! After coffee, we head a few blocks away and negotiate a great price for a few hours hotel room. I pay Mr. Murphy and he heads his own way. I relax for a couple hours, stretch out and have a wonderful hot shower (only wish I had some clean clothes with me).

It's now pushing 5pm so I head out to the Green Cafe again for a Pineapple drink and some spring rolls to hold me over for the bus ride to Mui Ne. The internet is great and I'm able to get one blog posted but the spring rolls are a little tasteless.

At 6:30pm I start walking to the travel agency to catch my bus. They told me to return at 7pm. I'm there by 6:45pm. I sit and chat with one of the agents (different from earlier) named Chau. She is very sweet and at 29, she is married to a Vietnamese man living in America. She dreams of going to America to be with her husband and it seems that it is quite a lot of work to get accomplished. She tells me that with an attorney, she should be able to be in the states in 12-18 months. She is very excited and asks me all about America. At 7:30pm, someone calls and states that my bus is going to be late and will arrive around 8pm. At 8:15pm I am still waiting. Finally at 8;40pm, a moto-bike driver arrives and after a few minutes of Vietnamese I am told to go with the moto-bike driver to the bus... I lug the big backpack and hop onto the back of the bike. With my eyes closed, we rush through the street traffic, me nearly falling off the back due to the extra weight! Ahhh...my bus, finally!

It's currently 9:27pm and we are finally on the out-skirts of Nha Trang, hopefully headed to Mui Ne! I was told that Mui Ne is not a scheduled stop for this bus (after I booked it) and am hoping that the conversation that Chau had with the moto-driver was transferred to the bus driver. None of them speak any English so I cant confirm my plans with them. I'm nearly out of battery power and the bus is totally dark so I am going to end this now. I'll update on the outcome soon....

Life is good....

Update: Arrived in Mui Ne at about 2am. Mike and Kim were awake and waiting for me...love them!! Chatted for just a few minutes then off to bed...

Getting there is half the fun? remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Arriving in the morning, I was certain that I was not going to be able to check into a hotel for hours. This thought along with the fact that sleep had evaded me, and i hadn't had a cigarette in nearly 12 hours, was enough to put my mood quite foul as the taxi and moto-bike drivers soon found out.

Descending from the bus, the swarm of drivers mobbed me. 'taxi? moto? where you go? you want taxi? i take you to hotel? taxi? moto? where you go?' My initial response was polite and plenty of 'no thank you's' but they just wouldn't stop and each response got nastier and nastier. I just wanted to figure out where I was and have a smoke!! Finally, I told one poor soul that if he didn't get out of my face It would be a cold day in hell before I would ever ride with him. I think they got the point as they all stepped back....only about 2ft!!

Finally figuring out where I am (about 2-3km from the city center), an European couple and I decide to share a taxi.

Checked into the hotel and took a nice hot shower and my mood improved greatly. I never have been a morning person.... I headed over to the Kangaroo Cafe to get my Halong Bay tour scheduled. I have to say, I am impressed at this point with the Kangaroo Cafe. There was no big push to sell me any of their tours. I was handed a book to look through that thouroughly explained the different options and nearly had to lasso someone when I was decided and ready to book! Everywhere else I have been has hounded me and stood over my shoulder and given a hard sell but the people here left me alone to decide which was a very nice change.

Next on the agenda is to book the Water Puppet performance for later in the evening. This was done quick and easy and then I wandered around the city. I had actually taken my lonely planet with me with intentions of following the 'walking tour' of the city but very quickly got distracted and lost and no longer knew how or where to go to get back to my walking tour so it was abandoned. I aimlessly wandered through the city, taking in the sights, sounds and smells (some not so good). Finally stopping for a coffee and a snack I asked the server where I was on the map. The spot she pointed to was nearly off the map!! I guess I wandered much further than I had thought. Miraculously, I made it back to my hotel for a little afternoon nap.

The water puppet performance was not as good as I had anticipated. Although paying for 'premium' seats for a whopping $60K dong (about $3.50 usd), my seat was horrible. I was in the 5th row, which should be good for about any performance, right? Wrong...this particular stage (being water) is actually set much lower than the traditional stages so I could barley see anything due to the heads of the people in the 4 rows in front of me. If you go, I recommend demanding either front row or paying the lower fee and sitting much further up in the theater. The entire performance was set to traditional music, which was interesting but due to my not speaking Vietnamese, I didn't understand any of what was going on.... The puppets themselves were nice and the maneuvering of them took some talent. 2/5 if I had to rate it.

Had a wonderful dinner after the show then retired early for my Halong Bay trip in the morning.

Life is good....

Taxi's, Puppets, and getting lost.... remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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It's difficult for me to understand my emotions right now because I normally try to be such a strong person and keep myself under control, but homesick is the only way I can describe how i felt this morning. I was sad and feeling sorry for myself for being lonely. I spend 99% of my time without close friends and family around. Why now? The only explanation I can think of is that I am really alone here. No one really speaks my language. I have not yet met another American. I feel out of place with the locals (although they have been nothing but overly friendly) and I feel out of place with the other travelers (mostly because they are so well traveled and I'm not).

I guess taking this trip alone wasn't the best possible solution for me. I'm not scared nor have I felt intimidated any any of the places that I've been. I just cant stop thinking about being able to share everything that I've seen and done with someone else and it would be so wonderful to have someone beside me to share in all the new experiences. So...who wants to take the next trip with me?? There will be another and hopefully sooner than later. And...if I have to go alone, I will!

I guess if I've learned nothing else during this trip, I have learned what it is to truly be alone....

After I was finished feeling sorry for myself and pulled myself together, I visited the Citidal. All I can say is that it is amazing. It's certainly something that you must see. enjoyed a liesurly morning walk through the maze of palaces and pagoda's. It is truly beautiful. I can only imagine what it was like in it's day of splendor.

The remainder of my day was spent (yes again) on a moto-bike tour of some of the sites surrounding Hue. At least there wasn't any rain and the sky was mostly overcast so the sun wasn't too intense.

We visited a small Japanese Bridge that was donated to the people of this little village on the outskirts of Hue. It was as beautiful as the one viewed in Hoi An, only made more special due to it's location. The bridge is placed in the middle of a huge rice field between what looks to be two small villages. My guide was telling me that some rich emperors wife donated the bridge and it's still used today as it was when it was first constructed. The villagers don't have to walk across the mucky waters anymore and they also use the bridge as a shelter from the mid-day sun while working in the rice fields. It's not uncommon to find the workers napping here during the heat of the day.

We visited two separate pagoda's that were much like all the other pagoda's I've seen. Then we visited the 'tomb' of one of the emperors. This was an amazing complex of buildings, with a moated river flowing through it. I'm not sure how many acres of land the site encompasses but it's quite a large area. There is a theater, a complex (mostly debris) where the Emperor's concubines were housed, And very ornate staircases, statues, and tomb entrances for the Emperor and his wives. It is reported that the Emperor had no children of his own and I was surprised to see a tomb for his step-son!! Who would have thought that they recognized step-children way back then....wonder if he was red-headed?

Overall, it was a full day of walking around and exploring the local historical sites. I should really have read up on the history of Vietnam prior to coming here. I know that there was some Moroccan invasion near the time of the French war and wonder if these Emperor's were of Moroccan influence (they look more Chinese influenced than Vietnamese). Something to investigate....

Life is good....

Hue (Way) remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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I did manage to go to the hospital also. Not as a patient...thank god!! It's quite 'old school' with the nurses in all white with caps! I took a couple of pics of empty rooms, trying not to be too intrusive. The ER was pretty full but nothing looked too serious. There was a couple sitting outside with a small baby that looked under a year old, and as I walked past them they called me over and showed me some pretty bad looking burn on the baby's legs...I couldn't talk with them because they didn't speak any english but I felt so very bad that I couldn't help them. Not sure why they were sitting outside, maybe they dont have money to pay and were hoping for some free assistance? I dont know but it broke my heart!

Still using glass IV bottles and I only saw two nurses and no Dr's the time that I was there....

I've arrived in Hue and it feels like more of the same as far as Vietnam cities go. Stopped into Thu Cafe for a bite to eat (nothing spectacular) and booked a tour tomorrow afternoon of the local tombs, Bunker Hill and some Pagoda's. It should be a good time. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Right now it's raining (imagine that....rain in Vietnam)! Need to make a pit-stop somewhere for some necessities (deodorant, and soap as well as some snacks). Then it's feeling like a short afternoon nap, before I wander out and try to find a place for dinner.

The bus ride here was so much better than the last one. I got the sleeper bus this time and although I didn't sleep, it was so much more comfortable. Able to stretch out my legs and relax with a pillow and blanket included the trip was finished in no time. Although I did have an early morning wake-up in order to make the bus at 0700!

My skype still isn't working here and I am quite upset. The cell phone that I bought when I got here won't charge and I have no other way to contact anyone. So if you haven't hear from me, that's why! Miss everyone so very much!! feeling a bit homesick but not yet ready to go 'home'!!

Life is good....

Leaving Hoi An remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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So....I'm off the Vietnamese diet for the time being. I guess if I lost any weight, I've certainly gained it back by now. I found a wonderful bakery today...the French influence here in Hoi An is certainly evident in the sweet treats! I had my first 'real' chocolate today and I was in heaven.... In addition to the bakery, there are several wonderful restaurants here in Hoi An. I should probably take note of the names of some and pass them along but I haven't had a bad meal since I've been here. I have spent two days of simply wandering around....stop for coffee....wander some more....stop for lunch....wander a little more and have a sweet....wander a bit and stop for coffee.... Sounds like a lot of hard work, huh? Oh, and of course I've had a couple of items of clothing tailored for me. Nothing spectacular, just a skirt and a top. I also purchased a couple of silk scarves today for about $5/each.

I am truly enjoying myself here, my only regret is that I don't have anyone to share it with. Although i have met some wonderful travelers, there doesn't seem to be many people traveling alone. Most are either very young (and wanting to drink all day) and in groups, or much older and traveling with a tour. Today's interactions included a German couple that were delightful and gave me all sorts of advice on Hanoi, a New Zealand tour guide for Intrepid Tours (she has been doing tours here for 2 years and is going to be starting tours in Western Europe next year...I decided upon talking to her that I WANT HER JOB!), and a Canadian here with a tour group. There was also a brief interaction with a very young group of French. What wonderful diversity!

So far, Hoi An is my favorite place here in Vietnam. I am sad that I am going to have to leave soon. I have certainly stayed longer than I had planned and if I am going to get through Vietnam I am going to have to get moving soon....although it feels so comfortable here that I think I could stay forever!

Plan is to leave here on Sunday morning to Hue via bus. I should arrive in Hue around noon-ish. Sun-Mon in Hue then Tuesday night bus to Hanoi and Halong Bay through the weekend. (Unless there is more flooding in Hanoi). I would still love to get to Cambodia on this trip but it doesn't look promising at this point. Instead, I am thinking of heading back to Saigon and taking a Mekong Delta tour prior to meeting my friend Kim again....I really should have done this at the beginning of my trip but you know what they say 'hindsight.....'.

Today I visited My Son Holy Land (which is mostly a pile of stone rubble). I have to say that I wasn't real impressed. I took some pictures and will share them as soon as I have an opportunity. It was hot, sweaty and way too packed with 60 y/o tourists! (not that I have anything against 60 y/o's)!! In fact, I think it's great to see them traveling....I wish that more people from home would/could travel, it's a wonderful experience!

I think tomorrow I am going to try to visit the hospital (If I can get the nerve) and see if someone there would be willing to let me tour around a bit. There is also the possibility of renting a bicycle and visiting China Beach and maybe taking an evening cooking class. There is a wonderful local dish here called the 'white rose', shrimp in rice paper and steamed! Yummy!! Then again, I might just wander around and eat all day too....time will tell!

Life is good.....

What Vietnamese Diet?? remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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After breakfast, I wandered around some more. Not really knowing where I was going...just walking. I meandered into a local coffee shop where I watched the Vietnamese men and boys alike, play round after round of chinese checkers (i think). I picked up a book prior to this at one of the bookstores I passed along the way and read while I people watched (actually didn't get much reading done).

Wandering around some more, Hoi An is a beautiful town and has a wonderfully relaxing feel to it. I took some pics of the local fishing boats anchored at the dock and some young local boys took my picture with them (not sure why).

I made my way to a place to grab a bit to eat and started chatting with another lone diner. Brynt from England. He is traveling north to south and we shared recommendations, a few beers and great conversation. It seems that the topic of conversation, whether with the Vietnamese or the other travelers, always turns to politics. Obama, apparently is not only the American choice but also the choice of most of those that I have met. I find it interesting some of the comments regarding McCain and Palin. Most seem to agree with my opinion that Palin is much of a joke and they are equally glad that she is not going to be in office. My impression is that everyone seems to think that Obama will actually do some good for America. I guess that time will tell. I also found it interesting that Vietnamese, UK, and Australians that I have talked to have all followed the American presidential race. I dont know of any Americans that follow politics in other countries (although I am certain that there are some).

While chatting with my newly introduced UK friend, the table next to us joined in conversation. A very nice couple from Australia. I didn't catch their names but they too are traveling North from here only leaving tomorrow. I am planning to stay 2 more nights here as it is very relaxing and enjoyable.

I wandered around a bit more and found a place that stated it had wi-fi and wanting to try to connect with home, I stopped in and ordered dinner. As I was attempting to connect to the internet, one man from the table next to me walked over and invited me to join them for dinner. I joined them and had a wonderful conversation over dinner and drinks. Rob, and two others whose names I cant remember are from Holland. They have all traveled to many places. I felt very jealous and embarrassed that this is my first travel out of North America. It's sad how little emphasis Americans put on travel. So many other countries are much better traveled and in turn, better educated and (in my opinion) less prejudiced than American's.

Last night I spent some time reflecting on my trip (feeling very home-sick) and asked myself again, 'what am I doing and what do I hope to accomplish/prove by doing this'? I still dont know the answer to that question. I feel like I have seen so much yet so little in comparison to what is out there.

Vietnamese Diet:
Croissant with jam for breakfast
Vegetarian spring rolls for lunch. (remind me not to order vegetarian next time as they were LOADED with mushrooms and I hate mushrooms). Still made myself eat about 4 of them.
Spicy chicken and white rice for dinner (fabulous)!

Two days and no cheating but I can feel a craving for some potato chips!

Life is good.....

Hoi An remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Today was not so exciting and we really didn't see much as we were headed the 'not good' route to Hoi An. We did stop in several small towns/villages along the way and had some rewarding interactions with the local people. I still find it interesting that many of these people rarely see tourists. In one instance, we were only 12km from Hoi An and I still felt like I was a novelty. Surprising that many of these people haven't even traveled the 12km to the tourist area of Hoi An.

I received two more marriage proposals today, an offer to take one woman's children (she has three and I can choose any of them), and one offer to borrow another woman's husband!! I don't know how serious any of these offers are, but it's a little scary!!

I am happy to report that I am still single....only have two children...and have not 'borrowed' anyone's husband!!!

I've arrived in Hoi An safe and sound and soon to be done with my depressed driver. He is taking me to My Son on Friday and in the meantime wants me to recommend him to any travelers I meet.....I think you know my answer on that one!

Life is good.....

Vietnamese Diet:
- Bread (plain due to sick stomach) for breakfast.
- Noodle soup (for lunch), I only ate the broth.
- Crab soup (out of this world), and grilled fish in banana leaf for dinner. I am getting pretty good at eating fish that is cooked whole, and it's actually not that difficult once you know how to do it. I can even eat it with chopsticks!! ha ha !!

I've Arrived remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Although I am exhausted and my driver a bit disappointed, Today was an amazing day. Our first stop of the day was at a local school. The children were wonderful and completely intrigued by the 'westerner' in their midst. The school administrator and most of the teachers sat over tea and talked with me. Only one of them speaks any English, and her and I discussed the classes, schedules, and the community in general. She was lovely to talk to. I had discussed with Stephane prior to going if we could give/take something to the children (not candy). He and I decided on a donation of $200,000 dong each to give to the school. This is only about $12.50 usd and it was very well spent money for me.

When we arrived at the school, the children all gathered around and the excitement could be felt. Most of them could at least say 'hello' and 'what's your name' in English. Stephane arranged the donation with the administer and while the rest of us sipped tea, one of the teachers drove off on her moto-bike and brought back bottled iced tea (for the adults) and several stacks of writing books and pens.

After the adults finished chatting, I was allowed into one of the upper classes (I think the children were around 9-12 y/o). I passed out the pens and writing books and there were smiles all around. The excitement in the eyes of the children at the simple gift of a pen and book was astounding. It really broke my heart that $12.50 usd could bring so much happiness and encouragement to the children. With the help of the English teacher, I talked a little about my job as a nurse (basically,that I am a nurse and that I try to help sick people get better), the fact that my job requires a university education and that they should all study very hard. Thank you's and good wishes were passed between me, the students, and the teachers and we were back on the road.

I obtained the mailing address of the school and hope to send them some children's books that I have at home that are gathering dust. Talking with the English teacher about this, she was very excited. She stated that it is very difficult to teach the children English because they don't have the funding for any books and the ability to practice with the children is limited. I am very excited to have had the opportunity to see first hand the struggles and hardships and hopefully a means to help them if only a little.

In comparison to American schools, the schools here are very primitive. There is no bus system and the children walk up to 4km to and from school in all sorts of weather. The school has three sessions (if I understood correctly) and some of the children go home in between and make the walk several times a day. About 2/3rds of the children don't return for the afternoon/evening classes as they stay at home and help their families in the fields or at home. From what i understood, it is only required that they attend basic education (morning classes) and they have an option to return or help their families. I didn't really notice any major segregation in the number of boys vs girls going to school. It was pretty equally divided between the sexes.

Our next stop was at a minority village just a few kilometers north. This is a different village than those that attended the school we visited. Upon arrival into the local 'store' we were nearly immediately swarmed by the villagers. They all stayed back a bit and simply stared at me as I interacted with the store owner.

I met the village Elder and his wife and the 'patio' was cleared and made way for a wonderful feast with rice wine all around. The villagers became much more friendly and interactive as the rice wine and food was passed around. I felt like a visiting queen!! The rice wine tastes something like I would guess turpentine would taste, although i have never tasted turpentine! The food was actually very good (if you like your pork with huge amounts of rind and fat). Fresh green beans with pork, grilled fish, and rice. One of the women that was sitting next to me kept filling up a shot glass and handing it too me for a toast! How can you refuse when your being treated like royalty? As the hour passed, the sun started to bear down on my shoulders and the women of the group all moved and insisted that I move out of the sun.... I guess that I wasn't eating enough, because several times as I turned my head chopsticks full of beans and pork were stuffed in my mouth by one of the women! There is no way to be sanitary here and I hope that the rice wine killed any possible germs that I might have consumed! Chopsticks and shot glasses alike were used by many....

In this particular village, if a man and woman like each other, they can request to the Elder fo the village, to spend a night at the Rong (communal) house to 'talk'. I am told that if someone gets pregnant after a night at the Rong house, that the couple is married and a fine of 3 pigs is paid to the Village Elder! Upon hearing that I am single, one single gentleman promptly asked the village Elder if he could share the Rong house with ME tonight....I kindly explained that I was not looking for a husband and that there are many beautiful women here in the village for him to choose from!! Whew.....I think I saved myself! There was a good sense of humor around the situation and lots of laughter. The young gentleman decided that I needed to eat lots of food and persistently kept adding to my rice bowl and stated at one point that if I didn't finish it, I would have to spend the night with him....I finished the rice!

Upon request, I was ushered to the toilet by the shop owners wife (whom tirelessly worked while we were there cooking and making sure that everyone was comfortable). I wish I had thought to take a picture as I was taken to the back of the house where the pigs are penned and right next to them, there was a downslope and drain out of the pens. She pointed to the hole and fetched me a pail of water (to 'flush' and wipe)! I'm sure that I looked like a fool and wonder how many of the children were sneaking around back to watch the 'western girl' pee!! I was horribly uncomfortable....but 'when in Rome...'

I have tons of pictures and even a video (if it turned out), but you will have to wait as internet is a thing long gone for now.....

We were blessed with partly overcast skys with only one downpour during the last 20km of our trip today. My clothes have been washed and are hanging under the fan to dry. I feel like I feel like I stink terribly (although I shower every day) and my clothes are all musty smelling due to not drying properly before putting them into the backpack in the mornings.... I can't wait to get to Hoi An and have my laundry done properly!!

Life is good....

Edited to Add:

I think I indulged in too much rice wine. At dinner, I took about two bites of great tasting venison meat over rice with vegetables and I suddenly felt very sick. I quickly found out where the bathroom or 'toilet' was and hoped that I would make it. I did....and nothing happened. I went back to the table and told Stephane that I was sorry, but I had to leave as I was feeling sick. He was pretty much a jerk and told me to 'eat'. I dont know if he didn't understand or what the problem was but I simply walked out and started back to the hotel.

Thank god it was raining as the umbrella served as a great hiding spot as I proceeded to vomit along the side of the road! I was so embarrassed! I don't really think that anyone noticed and my being sick certainly didn't stop Stephane from finishing dinner. In fact, the next day he told me several times that it was a shame that he had to EAT ALONE!! WTF? What about me NOT eating at all and being sick? I guess I am starting to understand why he is single....

Anyway...don't worry. I am feeling much better (although still a little peeked). I have been able to keep food and water down today (day 6).

Day 5 on the Road with Easy Rider remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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I have to say that my ass doesn't hurt even a little bit until the moment I sit on the moto-bike.

The day included:

more coffee-related sights
a catholic church (according to Stephane, the French introduced catholicism and it is progressively popular the further north you travel)
rain
a war memorial
rain
local market (just like the rest of the local markets)
A stop at the pharmacy and chat with the pharmacist. I guess in Vietnam (esp the smaller villages) you can 'buy' your license to sell medicine. The lady that I spoke to seemed very knowledgeable and states that although a prescription is needed to purchase medicine, she will many times give medicine to the minorities given the symptoms that they describe.
more Rain
An overly friendly bus driver (I thought he was going to break my neck for the picture)
A reprieve from the rain
A typical squat toilet experience (not my first but the first that I remembered to take a picture). Thank god for Charmin travel packs!!
A lovely coffee stop at a local pepper farmers. The 'house' bird became very friendly and sang for us.
Random photos of locals being locals as I tried very hard not to squirm in my seat.
Walk through a Rubber Tree orchard. The process of sap collection is quite unique. Hopefully, you can see in the pictures later.

We arrived at our hotel about 5:30pm and decided to meet for dinner at 8pm. I decided to venture out on my own for a little bit to find an internet cafe and instead found a computer store with a very nice Vietnamese girl named Sen. She let me connect to the wireless internet for free and I purchased a set of headphones for my Skype for a mere $50,000 dong (about $3 usd). She was very nice and though neither of us spoke the other's language, we managed to make a little small talk. I met a very nice Vietnamese woman from the US, here visiting family. I am horrible and can't remember her name. We chatted in the lobby a bit and she is here visiting her family that live here and own the hotel where we are staying. She lives in Beaumont, TX. I enjoyed talking with her until Stephane rudely interrupted us and stated 'I'm hungry lets eat', so in order to placate my driver I said my goodbye's and we went to dinner.

The Vietnamese Diet continues:
Hotel Buffet for breakfast
Noodle soup for lunch (some sort of celery soup with noodles)
Chicken BBQ for dinner. This was perhaps the skinniest chicken I have ever eaten. There was barely any meat on the thing and it was fried not bbq. Very greasy and nasty with pink rice....YES, pink! It too was pretty nasty. Stephane stated that he 'loves to eat here when he is in town' Ugggghhhh!!
Ok, I cheated! I'll be honest. When I was out earlier, I stopped at a small local store and bought some Pringles and some honey roasted cashews. I ate half of each!! It was so good to have some 'normal' food for a change.

The remainder of my night was spent online updating my blog and emailing. I wasn't supposed to have a connection at the hotel but I was able to get a signal from the hotel across the street!!

I ended my day with about 30 minutes of Yoga (thanks Kim). Had to stop because I was lost on what I was supposed to be doing while following the podcast that Kim saved for me.

Life is good.....

Day 3 on the Road with Easy Rider remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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The first part of the day was spent touring through the villages and seeing the coffee plantations. I was in heaven! If I haven't mentioned it already....I LOVE the coffee here. "milk coffee" please! Mike and Kim and I even tried our hand at making our own but alas....it isn't quite the same!

I made Stephane stop along the road so that I could take a few pictures of the rice fields and I stopped a lovely lady from her work for a couple of shots. She just kept smiling and after I was finished she went straight back to her work.

Took a quick stop to watch them make sugar candy. Again, the workers were all smiles and went straight back to work after they took a peek at the pictures I took. There were thousands of bees milling about. Unfortunatly, the pictures don't really show them. I managed to leave unscathed!

Went for a short hike to two different waterfalls. Dray Sap and Gia Long. There were HUGE spiders everywhere! I tried to capture a few of them on film but it's difficult to show how large they are. I swear that they were as big as my hand! I enjoyed Dray Sap the best of the two. I even got to cross a suspension bridge....a little scary! It sways and moves with every step and dont even think about looking at the construction or the boards that your walking on. There is no way that they would ever let people on this thing in the US! I just tried not to think about plunging into the churning waters below, held my breath and went for it.

Stopped in at a small farm and got to see how they grow mushrooms. It seems that everyone has several things that they grow here. For most, it's coffee and a second job/crop ie mushrooms, silk worms, peppers (will go into that on day 3), sugar making, basket weaving, etc. It really makes me stop and think about the traditional skills that we are quickly losing in America. It's almost a shame that things have become so commercialized and most of us would starve if the microwave quit working!

The further away from the tourist track I go, the more I feel like an attraction to the locals. They are all very friendly and want to try to talk to me (we do pretty well with sign language and of course, it helps that I have Stephane with me to translate). They all ask about my children, which makes me miss them even more. I wish that I had brought some photos to show. Everyone likes to have their picture taken and see it on my camera. No one out here has cameras...except the occasional cell phone camera.

Day 2 with Easy Rider remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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It's the end of day 2 and I am still questioning my decision to take 7 days on this trip. My driver is clinically depressed (my professional opinion), and I am getting sick and tired of hearing about how 'poor' he is and how hard he has to work. Fu*k! We all have to work....and I'm sure that he is making enough off of me to live for about the next 4 months! What most people don't understand is that American's are not rich but instead, most American's live off of credit. If you take away all of the American's credit....the number of poor will be evident. People will keep their cars instead of 'getting rid of them as junk' as Stephane thinks. People will lose their home and live with their parents (like many in Vietnam do), people will not have money to go out to eat/play/etc (like the Vietnamese) and will sit at home in the evenings watching TV (of which they will have only basic channels and not HBO/Cinemax and the hundred other channels that we have now. People will not have money to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on clothing and instead will wear what they have, fix the holes and buttons or make their own clothing (like the Vietnamese). People will not spend thousands of dollars on home computers and internet and will instead go to local internet cafe's (just like the vietnamese do) and finally, people will be forced to work more than one job just to make ends meet...JUST LIKE THE VIETNAMESE DO!

Maybe I'm just tired, but I am tired of hearing about it. That and I SMOKE!! He knew this when he was hired and I'm tired of hearing about 'you smoke a lot' , 'you can smoke now', and how 'no one in Vietnam smoke Marlboro' Bullshit! There are Marlboro to be found everywhere! I find it interesting that he feels like he needs to give me permission to do anything...guess it goes back to my being independent. He tells me when I can smoke, when I can eat, when I can take a piss, when to wash my face, you name it and he tells me that I can do it. I KNOW I can smoke/eat/drink/piss! I'll do it when I feel the need!!! OH...while I am complaining...for some reason, I need to find a husband! Why? Because my driver thinks I do!! I hear about that about every 5 seconds too... I guess this must have to do with the Vietnamese culture? Although, I do get the same from many people back home too....so maybe it's just me that's fu**ed up?

I am also tired of hearing about the Vietnam/American war. I know that there was some bad shit that happened then but I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE. I didn't cause the 'war', I didn't fight in the war, I know that a lot of people died and I'm sorry. Just like I am sorry for all the crap that is going on in the middle east right now. I don;t claim to understand any of it and I wish that we could all live harmoniously together....but we don't, that's life, there WILL be war and whether or not we like it...it will happen!

Wow...that was quite a rant! I do feel a little better now.....

I think that the Vietnamese Diet that I spoke of in an earlier post is still holding true... Today I ate:

Badly cooked eggs (half) and a dry piece of crusty bread
Noodle soup of which I consumed about ¼ cup
1 Banana (one of the little ones that they grow here, about half the size of the ones in USA)
3 oz package of almonds (brought with me from US
3 small veggie wraps with rice paper
½ of a fruit shake (scared to eat more as it's made with tap H2O ice)

My stomach is making all sorts of weird noises and I am uncertain if I am trying to get sick or if I am just rumbling out of hunger! I would love some cheese and crackers right now!! ;o)

Then to top things off, I got extremely sun-burnt today. Only on the back of my neck and my arms (going to have a farmers tan for sure now). It is hotter than hell and there is no such thing as aloe lotion or anything that I can find to put on it to stop it from burning (guess the Vietnamese don't sunburn). So right now I have a cool , moist towel draped across my neck and over my arms....feels much better. And, before you ask....I have been wearing sun-screen!! I guess 9 hours riding in the hot sun is more than my skin could take. Tomorrow, I am wearing long sleeves and I am sure that I will roast to death, but I cant get sun-burnt again!

I'll fill you in on the sights later....been a long day and I am going to bed now!

Life is good ?? ...........

Easy Rider Day 2 remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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What a full day! I will have tons of pictures to share with everyone once I get to someplace that has good internet.

What the hell was I thinking of going on a 7-day moto-bike ride through the hills of Vietnam? It''s been a fun and very tiring day. We started out at 0800 with the sun shining and just a bit of overcast sky's. We have traveled over 150km today. The rain stopped only long enough to provide me a fabulous rainbow and I was soaked and tired to the bone by the time we reached the hotel tonight.

I wont go into details on everything because there is just too much to cover. I think that I have been on edge most of the day. One example would include the trek down to the bottom of Elephant Falls. It was quite treacherous as hopefully you can see by the photos. I was way to chicken to go all the way to see the actual falls from the bottom. I was somewhat intimidated by the rushing waters, slippery rocks, and my lack of coordination. The fact that I was alone down there might have something to do with it too. I just didn't think that a swim sounded like a good idea!!

Another would include simply being on the back of a bike in the hilly roads with all the intermittent downpours that we had. The worst being the last 40km. I was certain that my driver didn't have a headlight as the light from the sun was fading and he still had not turned it on. We were sloping up and down hills with hairpin turns about every 500 feet! Dodging ox-carts, bicycles and pedestrians in the rain. We finally made it to the hotel around 7pm (we were supposed to arrive around 5:30pm). I am exhausted, my ass hurts and my bed-mate is a cicada that I made the hotel guy take away!! My driver is supposed to meet me for dinner at 8pm and it's now a quarter after and I've finished one beer and he has just arrived.

Annoyance: Rain, rain, and RAIN and the hundred times every minute that I have to hear 'America is a very rich country'. I guess by the locals standards, we are all rich. However, I don't feel very rich. I have to work hard every day to have what I have.

One of the highlights was the minority village. The children were so happy. Stephane (my driver) had to point out to me though that the color of their skin is 'darker' than his. I guess prejudice is everywhere....even Vietnam. Sad. We handed out some candy to the children and enjoyed taking their pictures. They laughed and smiled when they saw their pic on the camera. I wanted to give out the stickers (see Mike!) but Stephane had candy instead....next time! The boys were adorable playing on a bicycle that was hanging from the tree..

Life is good.....

ps: Cant post pictures right now, connection isn't good Will try to get up soon!

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I was terrified that I would over-sleep (although now I think that might have been a blessing), so I set my alarm for 0530 for an 0700 departure. I was ready and waiting outside at 0650 just in case. Craving a morning coffee, I opted not because I figured as soon as it was placed in front of me the bus would arrive. Ahhhh how wrong I was! So, packed and ready to go with my Lonely Planet in hand I sat....and waited....it's 0710...and waited...0715....craving some coffee....waiting...0730.....5 more minutes?.....0745....maybe I missed the bus....waiting....0800.....looking for the number for the tour company....0805....the bus finally arrives!!!

I'm quickly herded onto the bus with an empty seat beside me, thinking this must be my good karma, because the seat in front of me is so close that my knees barely fit. Next stop....my empty seat is taken, d#%n!

The girl that sat beside me was very nice, Lee (I'm sure I am butchering the spelling) from Singapore. She is on holiday for 17 days to travel to Halong. We shared some conversation before it got to loud to continue.

The Vietnamese man in the seat in front of me apparently thought that his comfort was paramount to anyone else's.. His window was wide open the entire way and although a little cool air would have been nice, by the end of the trip I felt like I had ridden 5 hours in the jeep from the day before, my hair slapping my face the entire way. Then just to make matters worse (remember my knees are tight against the seat in front of me), he decides to lie his seat all the way back. So suddenly out of nowhere....his head is slammed into my lap without warning! Now maybe it would be nice to have a mans head in my lap but come on!! This was ridiculous.... I managed this for about 10 seconds....took a deep breath so as not to say anything horribly not lady-like and tapped his shoulder and politely told him to remove his face from my chest!! He kindly obliged....with a horrible grimace my way.

The road to Dalat is not a smooth one. Between dodging huge holes in the road and the ox-carts carrying everything you can imagine, most of the trip was taken at about 10mph (or so it seemed). Except of course when we finally got into the mountains with no guard-rails then the speed seemed to increase as quickly as the elevation. Most of the time it was better to pretend to be asleep than to watch the passing scenery or the cliff that I was sure we were going to tumble down or send some unsuspecting moto-bike down as we took the hairpin turns on the WRONG side of the road!

There were a couple of stops along the way but I was careful not to wander far from the bus due to yesterday's display on the streets of Mui Ne. As we were having breakfast (lunch for me), some girl suddenly ran screaming at the top of her lungs chasing after a bus. We were certain that the bus had ran over a friend/companion of hers and she was hysterical. Come to find out it was her luggage. Somehow, the bus left her with her luggage still on board.

As we arrived in Dalat, I had planned to taxi to another hotel than the one that the bus dropped us at but I was way too tired to deal with finding a taxi and hoping that another hotel had vacancy. So here I am at a shit-hole guesthouse, The Trung Cang Hotel. Actually, it isn't really too bad. I have a double room that is HUGE, clean, with two beds, hot water (real hot water...the shower was wonderful), cable TV, mini-fridge and a window that wont close. Breakfast is free and there is wi-fi in my room! All for a mere $7/night!

So by this time, I am starving. Having only eaten a few grapes on the ride here (for fear that motion sickness would set in if there were anything on my stomach). I basically dropped my bags and tried to head out of the hotel. I checked in at the desk to drop my passport and let them know that I would only be staying one night The clerk at the desk brought out a tour paper and wanted to give me his sales speech....I quickly informed him that I was headed out to find something to eat and I would think about tours later. He did not appear happy but I didn't give him any other option.

Leaving the hotel, I attempted to find the town center and the market. Certain that there would be food to be found. True to form, I headed the complete wrong way!! I quickly figured out that I was not in the right place and turned myself the right way. Soon, I was approached by the well-known Easy Riders!

Already knowing that I plan to do the Easy Rider trip, I told him that I needed to eat and then I would talk with him. He directed me to a place in the market and I had a fabulous lunch/dinner. After, we discussed the options for my Easy Rider trip.

I have booked 7 days from Dalat to Hoi An (hopefully off of the tourist trial) at a price I am not planning to share. I have read many things about the Easy Rider trips and hope that I am as happy with my trip as others have been in the past. My itinerary travels through several small villages (with an optional home-stay) and includes Lak Lake, Buon Ma Thout, Pleiku, the old DMZ, Phouc Son and several others taking the scenic route to Hoi An. I'm very excited about the trip. We are leaving tomorrow morning after breakfast. We will tour around Dalat a little more (took a couple hours today) before leaving town for our journey. My driver is Stephane and he speaks fluent english, french and vietnamese. I rode around town today with him for a couple of hours and he seems a very capable driver. He states that he has been doing Easy Rider tours for 16 years....

Today, we toured the Truc Lam (Bamboo Forest) Zen Monastery, walked along the shore of the Tuyen Lam Lake (paradise lake according to my guide), and indulged in a tram ride (which was a little scary and I'm not fearful of heights). I was happy that he dropped me at most places and allowed me to explore for some time alone. He then joined me and explained some of the history/stories about the places that I saw. The Monastery was beautiful and actually a working Monastery. There is a huge bell in the garden and reportedly, it rings only at New Year. (something about placing family names on paper slips inside the bell for good luck or something like that...I really need to pay more attention). After, we shared a coffee at a pleasant coffee shop near the market and I am now relaxing at my hotel.

Planning to make it an early night, I am comfortable in my pj's here at the hotel. My body aches from the bike-riding, bus-jostling, and climate changes. It's nearly cold here at 67 degrees!

Life is good.....

It would seem that there are more people reading my blog than are subscribed. I would love to hear from those of you reading...please leave your comments!!

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We started the tour with a wade through the Fairy Spring. I'm not sure of the origin of the name, but I'm most certain that there is some sort of magical tale behind it. I was quite leary of taking off my shoes and wading through unknown waters....who knows what might live in those waters. Fortunately, there were no incidents except for Mike scratching his leg pretty good on the rusty jeep! Hopefully he had his tetanus shots!!

The red rock formations were beautiful, the pictures do not do them justice. The red mixed in with the white in a multitude of formations is indescribable. It did remind me somewhat of the Red Rocks in Sedona, Arizona.

After the Fairy Spring, we took a 30km drive out to the Lake of Tears and the White Sand Dunes. I think the highlight of this part of the trip was the ponies cooling off in the water. The Lake of Tears has an interesting story that I only caught part of and wish I could find more information about...something about a man and a woman and I'm sure some sort of love story with a sad ending. The ride it's self was quite bumpy and uncomfortable (although I have to say that I did get the best seat in the middle). Poor Mike and Kim were on the edges where the seats were separated (not really sure how to explain it other than I am sure that it wasn't comfortable). I tried to swap places during the trip but they are both too damn stubborn....!!

Another 30km back and we got a glimpse of the red canyon. This looked stunning but the main entrance is apparently closed and the government (I think) is going to start charging admission at some point in the future (according to our driver...).

I think we were all simply beat from the bike ride the day before and the jeep ride out to the white dunes because when we got to the red dunes, none of us wanted to get out and walk up them!

Daily expenses (usd):

Hotel $10
Day Trip to Fairy Springs and Dunes $9
Coffee/Breakfast $2
Lunch $ ???
Dinner and drinks ~$5

Total for the day: $26 + lunch

Highlight: Fairy Spring
Annoyance: Taking my shoes off all the time! (Those that can wear flip flops/thongs don't know how easy they have it) :o(

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We took a great bike-ride today north to the fishing village. I'm not sure how far it actually is but I think Mike said that it's something like 6km ? The bikes are old and rickety but all three made it to the village and back without any issues. The traffic is a bit perilous at times, with the big buses and the multitude of moto-bikes, and an occasional cow, chicken, or goat. I just kept straight ahead trying to convince myself that 'they will see me and go around....I'm sure they see me and will go around...yes, they see me and will go around' yep, it went something like that in my mind. So...happy to report no fatalities, although I felt that there were a couple of close calls.

The weather again, was overcast and we got a little wet on the way back. It was a great work-out and I even got a little sun despite the clouds. My backside is a little sore from the rock-hard seats but overall, not in too bad shape. We stopped along the way for an iced coffee and a bite of lunch. Spring rolls for Mike and me and noodle soup for Kim. Yummy....

I have been craving a bit of chocolate but have been told that the chocolate here has some sort of additive to keep it from melting so it reportedly has an off taste and I guess I would rather have no chocolate than bad chocolate.

We took a great video today of our bike-ride. Mike mounted the camera to the handlebars of Kim's bike. It's a little wobbly but overall it's a very good representation of what the local area looks like. I will try to get it posted somehow soon, but I'm not sure when or how. If you look closely, I think you will see a bit of sweeping and sitting going on!

The fishing village really didn't amount to much other than the landing point was pretty cool with all the boats docked. I suppose that we should have gone in the early morning in order to see all the fishermen off-load the daily catch.

We walked down to the waters edge at the landing point and were met by 5 young girls selling stuff. I broke down and purchased some post cards for about $2 usd. The girls were ages 14-15 and they all looked so much younger than that. It's hard to tell the age of the locals here, they all look so much younger than they are. If I had to guess, I would have thought them to be around 8-9 instead of Trinity's age. I did manage to snap a couple of pictures. I find the young to be very pretty and the older women very 'worn' looking.

It's raining this afternoon, so we are resting inside and I am currently watching Harry Potter on HBO. whooo hoooo

Tomorrow, I am going to try to figure out the bus for Dalat and hopefully book a place to stay. Still working out all the details of my trip but hopefully it will go smoothly. I am a little hesitant to leave here with the security of Mike and Kim but I need to press on if I am going to see anything other than the beach.

Life is good....

Daily expenses (usd):

Hotel $10
Postcards $2
Breakfast $3.50
Lunch $1.90
Dinner and drinks $10

Total for the day: $27.40

(I am going to try to keep up with the cost more for myself than anything. Ignore it if you want)

Biking to the Fishing Village remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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I think that I mentioned the 'snack' that we got on the bus on the way here to the beach....some sort of eggs and pork wrapped in a sweet dough? Ekkkkk! And my lunch in Saigon, when I really wanted rice and instead was served some sort of noodle soup (with eggs). I dont know what the deal is but I am afraid of the eggs. I think it goes back to my days at SF General and working with the
Philipinos there. There was one nurse, Armando who brought in this egg (a Phillipino delicacy) that had a fully formed chick inside....and he ATE it!!! So I am terrified of eating any eggs here for fear that I will chomp down and get a lovely wing or beak....

So yesterday morning at breakfast I ordered the banana pancakes. Sounds yummy, right? Not! The pancake was quite doughy and very greasy and although the banana's were good, there just wasn't anything to it. Kim got eggs and bean(s) and the eggs were all soupy and the bean (s) were covered in a bright red sauce that Kim stated tasted very tomato'y. Lunch yesterday consisted of some sort of grilled sandwich which was literally, cheese (not like our cheese) and tomato between two pieces of white bread and grilled in some sort of sandwich maker. Although it was tasty, it certainly wasn't on my list of foods to crave.

Last night's dinner was the exception. We had bbq fish (some wierd looking thing with bright blue on its skin) and rice and veggies! It was fabulous although I kept thinking that I wished Daddy were here so that he could have shown the locals how to fillet it!! Had to pick around all of the bones and it was a bit of work to be careful not to swallow any! Speaking of Daddy....you would be in heaven here. I was watching the fishermen yesterday and thought of you. I can just imagine you out there fishing all day in one of the round 'boats' and loving life! I will hope to post some pictures of the boats tomorrow. We are headed to the fishing village today, on bikes!

So back to the Vietnamese diet....

I think that I stand a very good chance of losing some weight during this trip. With the lack of food options and the extra excercise ie at Madam Cuc hotel we ended up on the 5th floor...which is more like the 8th floor...wish I had counted the steps.

Yesterday was a busy day....coffee and check in online, then off for a walk...a long walk on the beach. The water is smooth and calming, the sound of the waves makes you want to lie back with a fruity tropical drink and lounge away the afternoon. After our walk we took a quick dip in the South China Sea, which was as warm as bathwater. Before dinner Kim gave me my first lesson in yoga beside the pool. I loved it. Although there are several 'poses' that I cant even begin to do relative to a lack of flexibility...I can see that yoga would be a great work-out for the mind as well as the body. Kim copied the program to my sd card so that I can practice on my own. Yeah...thanks Kim!

We are changing hotels today. The original hotel is doing construction and they have woken us at 0700 for the last two days. Packing and moving this morning then off to the fishing village sometime today....

Life is good.....

The Vietnamese Diet remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Dinner at the hotel was ok, but I'll remember next time not to get the pork. It was pretty difficult to chew, but otherwise a decent meal. I was able to satisfy my craving for RICE, and Mike indulged with me. We shared a couple of beers and off to bed for me. I think that the jet-lag caught up with me. I slept nearly the entire 4-5hr bus ride then to bed early and here I am awake at 0700.

The coffee here is amazing! I bought myself some grounds and a coffee-maker (dont worry, it isn't near as large as my Cuisinart at home! It will actually fit into my backpack! I only need to find a way to make hot water and I will be in heaven with my own coffee in my room!

There is supposed to be wireless access here at the hotel restaurant, but the signal is so low this morning that I am typing this and going to post it later. Hopefully I wont lose this one.

So far, the beach is much more peaceful than Saigon. I was happy to see Saigon behind me as we drove out of town. I don't know that I am looking forward to returning on the end of my trip. It's my understanding that Hanoi is much the same as Saigon, but I will overlook that in anticipation of Halong Bay.

I'm not sure how long I will stay here at Mui Ne . Long enough for sure to see Kim and Mike do some kite-boarding! Kim seems a little worried that the month away will cause here to have lost all her new-found skill but I am confident that she will do fine. I'm really looking forward to watching them up close!

It's overcast here in Mui ne this morning. But the air is a little cooler and no rain...yet. When I woke this morning, I walked out on the balcony and the water is beautiful. The China Sea...I think? The fishing boats are all over and not surprisingly, it looks exactly like the many pictures that I saw when planning my trip. I took a few quick shots from the balcony but hope to get to the fishing village and get some close-up interactions with the local fishermen.

Just a few thoughts that I have noticed so far about the culture here:

There is a lot of sitting around! Everywhere you look, there are people (men in the majority), sitting around drinking coffee/tea/beer on these little plastic garden chairs. You know, the kind that you buy at Wal-Mart. Only, they use the kids chairs instead of the full size ones!
There is a lot of Sweeping going on. You can look far and you will find some Vietnamese woman or girl with a broom in her hand sweeping the steps, the sidewalk, or the road! It's a constant thing.
Uniforms. It would seem that every place of business has a dress code of sorts. Usually simply a shirt of the same color. While walking around Saigon, I noticed that the nail/hair salons have quite an interesting dress code that I am sure the men in America would enjoy. Tight skimpy shorts and top or short, tight dresses. I didn't get any pictures. (sorry Dad).
Moto-bikes, moto-bikes, and more moto-bikes!! Enough said...
Work ethic. It seems that although life is laid-back, there is a lot of work going on. Everyone seems to know what their job is and they appear to take it seriously. People seem content at working. I don't see the unhappiness that I find in America. Everyone seems to know the job that they need to do and go about it with a good attitude. And although I noted earlier that there is a lot of sitting around, there is also a lot of hard work going on.
Smoking. Being a smoker, I have of course noticed the smoking culture. It appears that most (if not all) of the men smoke. I have not yet seen one Vietnamese woman smoking. Smoking is allowed everywhere.

The last thing that I will comment on is the attitude toward women (so far). I have found that the Vietnamese men seem to have a much different attitude toward women than American men. I don't see men leering at the women, no matter how beautiful. The amount of respect toward women seems great. Although I will note that it seems that the women do all of the domestic chores and the men seem to have a lot more leisure time than the women. The dating/courting would seem to be quite different also. I have seen many couples siting idely at the park on benches enjoying time together. Simply sitting close, holding hands and enjoying each others company. It's very sweet to see.

I am going to leave you now and enjoy my iced Vietnamese coffee....life is good!

Better Days! remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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I dont know what it is about today. The weather is nice, actually hot and I have actually enjoyed quite a bit of the city today. Every time I turn around today, I am nearly in tears. From the start of the day and trying to find someone to re-charge my cell phone to the end of the day and my travel pillow being lost. In between, there has been a myriad of things that have simply pissed me off. I hope that all of my trip is not this way or I am likely to spend it in a nice hotel room somewhere with my head buried in a book!

Let me share my day with you....

I woke up around 4am and couldn't fall back to sleep. Considered taking a sleeping pill but didn't want to waste away the entire day sleeping, so stayed awake and finally got out of the hotel around 9am.

My first mission of the day was to re-charge my cell phone. I tried to call Trinity this morning (finally got a time when I thought we would both be awake) and found that I was out of minutes. Was quite disappointed, really wanted to talk to her today.

I walked who knows how far and went to at least 5 different phone shops and no one could help me. Finally, I broke down and called 'Ha', my moto-driver from yesterday. I had hoped to avoid hiring him again today because I felt like he over-charged me yesterday. So, Ha was able to help me find another cell phone store and we were able to successfully load money onto my phone. The men asked me how much I wanted to put on (they told me 10, 20 or 40) and I told them $40 usd. When they were done, they told me that they needed $10 more!! They had me listen to the message stating how much $$ was on my account but it was in dong and I had no idea....I was pissed and gave them another $10. Had Ha take me to the 'end' of the walking tour from my Lonely Planet book and drop me off. He was quite disappointed that I didn't want him to wait for me. I paid him for his time and told him thank you. I find that it is very difficult for me to tell the people here 'NO' when I know that I should. I don't have a problem with it at home but for whatever reason, I find it difficult here. I guess part of it is that I don't want to give a bad impression of people from the US.

As well as needing to re-charge my phone I also needed to get some cash changed. Before I called 'Ha' and as I was searching out a place to charge my phone, I all the while was also looking for a jewelry store in order to exchange some cash. In Vietnam (I can only speak for Saigon right now), the moto-bikes and cyclo's are all over the place and they hassle you every minute of the day to take a ride. They will all say 'hello' and as soon as you respond, they will hassle you for a ride. I was so sick and tired of this....two options 1. be friendly and say hello, only to be hassled for the next 20 minutes or 2. be rude and stick up your nose and ignore them. I choose the former and therefore was hassled a LOT!! Finally, I broke down and got a cyclo and asked him to take me to the closest jewelry store to exchange some cash. I asked him how much this would cost and he informed me that 100,000 dong (about $7) First, this is way too much for what should have been a 5-10 min trip and second, he proceeded to cart me to some silly pagoda. It is difficult to not be rude but I just wanted to go and get some cash....so, at the pagoda of course...they want more of my money!! Told them that they needed to get it from my driver I didn't ask to come here.

Oh!! The pagoda from this morning...almost forgot! They let me walk right in and I looked around and on my way out they wanted $200,000 dong I was pissed!! Of course, I hadn't exchanged any money yet and so I tried to pay them with usd (didn't feel right not paying) So, they wanted to give me 50,000 dong back from a $20 usd!! btw $20 usd is about 320,000 dong. I just shook my head and told them more...finally got $100,000 out of them but still they screwed me! Guess I have 'sucker' written on my face today...

So, my 5-10 minute trip to the jewelry store ended up taking nearly an hour. After I exchanged my cash, I went to the cyclo driver and gave him his $100,000 dong. Told him thank you and started walking. He yells at me....$200!! I wanted to tell him to f**k off, but instead I simply reminded him that we agreed on $100 and walked away.

My lunch excursion today was just as much of a hassle....first, I wanted rice and asked for rice and pointed to a place with RICE!! What did I get....frekin NOODLES!! I didn't want noodles....I wanted rice! Tried to get it fixed but it wasn't going to happen, so I ate it....or some of it. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't rice either!! Then I went to pay and guess what....the price changed from what was written on the menu board hanging above the counter. The sign said clearly 20 and the lady asked for 32!! Granted, this is actually only about $0.75 difference in usd but it still pissed me off.

In spite of all of this, i was able to see a good part of the city (and I have the blisters to prove it). Although quite ugly in most places, there are a few oasises of beauty. I did take some pictures today so I will try to get some posted soon.

Mike and Kim made it in last night and it was such a relief to see them. They let me babble and complain and share my day as we drank a few beer. I am looking forward to heading to Mui Ne today and hopefully a little quieter area.

More soon....

ps Hopefully I will find the two previous posts and get them online.

Jet Lag? remains copyright of the author Khandilee, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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