Today is our last day in Vietnam. 3 weeks have flown by pretty quickly. Part of me is happy to be going home, part of me will miss this dirty, noisy country. I wish I could bottle up some of the smells and take it home with me so you guys can experience it too. Maybe if I just come over, pee in a corner, throw some dead fish in there for a week and then grill some tasty beef right next to it, you can sort of get the experience.
We went to Ben Thanh Market one last time so everyone can get last minute gifts. Again, I am lacking in the gift department. Good thing Anny has been picking up the slack. I don't know what I would do without her.
I couldn't find any bottles of fetal rat wine like I wanted. Apparently that's a Korean creation and hasn't made it's way down here yet. I doubt I'll find any at the Korean airport, but I'm going to try when we stop there.
I'll also be happy to experience high-speed internet again. It's a little slow here, but nothing god awful. I just use it to check my email and update my blog. I miss getting the updated news and all the movies and shows I could be watching. I guess I miss my friends a little too. Just a little though. lol.
See you guys on Thursday!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Floating Market
We headed out of Long Xuyen for Saigon today. Before we leave, we have to eat a traditional breakfast, call Bo Ne. Translated, it's Avoiding Beef. The reason it's called that is because they bring out the beef and egg combination on a sizzling skillet and you have to avoid getting hit by the splattering grease and oil. It's so yummy but very fattening and heavy. I can only eat it once per trip. Everyone seems to like it except Ho, who sits out because he's still not over his stomach problems. Mine has seem to settle pretty good and I think I'm back to normal with the rare occasional stomach pain. No biggie, that won't stop me.
We stop by Can Tho on the way back to Saigon. It's one of the biggest cities in the South next to Saigon. We get there and take a boat to get to the floating market. It's where farmers and vendors sell their products to each other and the occasional visitor. It's a pretty neat experience and seems pretty busy. Apparently it's even busier if we would have gotten there at like 6am. A little too early for us.
We get to Saigon a little after 3pm and basically hang around the house. We leave tomorrow and need some downtime before we have to head out tomorrow night.
It's been a while and it will be nice to be able to sleep in my own bed again. The beds here are rather hard and uncomfortable. That and I like all the pillows I got at home. It'll also be nice to be able to sleep naked again.
Amanda saw a roach in the room last night and freaked the hell out. She ran out of there screaming like a banshee. She did not sleep in the air conditioned room this night. I found it rather amusing since there were probably roaches in her alternate sleeping spot also. So now she was hot on top of having roaches. I just tried to keep my mouth closed when I slept so I wouldn't swallow one.
We stop by Can Tho on the way back to Saigon. It's one of the biggest cities in the South next to Saigon. We get there and take a boat to get to the floating market. It's where farmers and vendors sell their products to each other and the occasional visitor. It's a pretty neat experience and seems pretty busy. Apparently it's even busier if we would have gotten there at like 6am. A little too early for us.
We get to Saigon a little after 3pm and basically hang around the house. We leave tomorrow and need some downtime before we have to head out tomorrow night.
It's been a while and it will be nice to be able to sleep in my own bed again. The beds here are rather hard and uncomfortable. That and I like all the pillows I got at home. It'll also be nice to be able to sleep naked again.
Amanda saw a roach in the room last night and freaked the hell out. She ran out of there screaming like a banshee. She did not sleep in the air conditioned room this night. I found it rather amusing since there were probably roaches in her alternate sleeping spot also. So now she was hot on top of having roaches. I just tried to keep my mouth closed when I slept so I wouldn't swallow one.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Cousin's Wedding
We wake up and Ho is still not feeling great. After feeling crappy last night, he decided to take the 5-pill concoction he was offered after dinner last night. He was hesitant, but when you're stuck, you take what you can get to feel better. He feels better.
We get dressed for my cousin's wedding and bring clothes with us to take off afterwards. It is hot as hell and all of us are sweating our asses off as we sit outside eating in front of a table top stove. We finish quickly and head off to Nui Cam (Forbidden Mountain).
I have been to Nui Cam before with Bill. There are a series of stairs and stone steps that take you to the top of the mountain. Last time we went, we only made it half way before giving up. Apparently it takes 4 hours of stair climbing to get to the top. In recent years, someone smart decided that they would build a mountain road where they could take the lazy tourists to the top without killing themselves. We are said tourists for the price of 45K dongs each ($3).
There is a giant statute of a Budda, a Pagoda, and a refreshing looking lake at the top. They took us there in some type of Chinese SUV, the PMC Pronto. Man, that thing is a piece of junk. Halfway up, he has to turn off the AC in order for the car to make it up the rest of the way.
We take our time up at the top and enjoy ourselves with drinks, snacks, and some hammock resting. We head back down in the same crappy SUV, but this time, with AC blowing all the way. We have a dinner of fried tofu, meatballs, and shredded beef and radish spring rolls.
We get dressed for my cousin's wedding and bring clothes with us to take off afterwards. It is hot as hell and all of us are sweating our asses off as we sit outside eating in front of a table top stove. We finish quickly and head off to Nui Cam (Forbidden Mountain).
I have been to Nui Cam before with Bill. There are a series of stairs and stone steps that take you to the top of the mountain. Last time we went, we only made it half way before giving up. Apparently it takes 4 hours of stair climbing to get to the top. In recent years, someone smart decided that they would build a mountain road where they could take the lazy tourists to the top without killing themselves. We are said tourists for the price of 45K dongs each ($3).
There is a giant statute of a Budda, a Pagoda, and a refreshing looking lake at the top. They took us there in some type of Chinese SUV, the PMC Pronto. Man, that thing is a piece of junk. Halfway up, he has to turn off the AC in order for the car to make it up the rest of the way.
We take our time up at the top and enjoy ourselves with drinks, snacks, and some hammock resting. We head back down in the same crappy SUV, but this time, with AC blowing all the way. We have a dinner of fried tofu, meatballs, and shredded beef and radish spring rolls.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Long Xuyen
We headed to Long Xuyen today. My cousin's wedding is in a couple of days so we have to be there by Sunday.
My dad sends a driver for us at 8am, so we don't have to rent a car or take a bus there. It's only ~170KM away, but with the slow speed limits and crappy roads, the usual travel time is 4 hours. The 6 of us pile into the Isuzu SUV and head off, with luggage being crammed into any space that is not being occupied by a human body. The trip is not the most comfortable of trips.
We arrive around noon after taking a ferry across one of the Mekong's estuaries. It's still early, so we grab a lunch and head off to Nui Sam (Sam Mountain). It's a rather tall mountain but we decide to work our way up the rocky stairs. About 1/3 of the way up, Ho's stomach starts to act up gain and he and Amanda have to sit it out. That leaves me, Anny, Joe, and Tit to work ourselves the rest of the way up. We take a water break and sit on some hammocks and enjoy the mountain breeze and a gorgeous view. We finally make it up to the top and are breathing heavy and sweating pretty hard. We thought we were bad off, until we saw a guy that was wet from head to toe and looked like he was having a heart attack. We took some pictures to prove we made it up and decided to hire some moped guys to take us down the mountain for 10K dongs (67¢) each. It was worth every penny.
We get back and have some dinner in front of my parents house. They bring over beef hotpot and we enjoy it by the canal with a few friends. Our friends being a swarm of mosquitoes. We all run back in pretty quickly to get our mosquito repellent. It seems to work pretty well and we finish dinner with them over our heads.
There are 2 rooms with AC. Sleeping anywhere else would require the person to use the fans and open the windows. No way in hell anyone is doing that with all the mosquitoes at dinner. We trade rooms with my parents, who have the bigger master bed room and all pile in there, 3 in the bed and 3 on the floor. Getting ready in the morning should be easier with 4 available bathrooms.
My dad sends a driver for us at 8am, so we don't have to rent a car or take a bus there. It's only ~170KM away, but with the slow speed limits and crappy roads, the usual travel time is 4 hours. The 6 of us pile into the Isuzu SUV and head off, with luggage being crammed into any space that is not being occupied by a human body. The trip is not the most comfortable of trips.
We arrive around noon after taking a ferry across one of the Mekong's estuaries. It's still early, so we grab a lunch and head off to Nui Sam (Sam Mountain). It's a rather tall mountain but we decide to work our way up the rocky stairs. About 1/3 of the way up, Ho's stomach starts to act up gain and he and Amanda have to sit it out. That leaves me, Anny, Joe, and Tit to work ourselves the rest of the way up. We take a water break and sit on some hammocks and enjoy the mountain breeze and a gorgeous view. We finally make it up to the top and are breathing heavy and sweating pretty hard. We thought we were bad off, until we saw a guy that was wet from head to toe and looked like he was having a heart attack. We took some pictures to prove we made it up and decided to hire some moped guys to take us down the mountain for 10K dongs (67¢) each. It was worth every penny.
We get back and have some dinner in front of my parents house. They bring over beef hotpot and we enjoy it by the canal with a few friends. Our friends being a swarm of mosquitoes. We all run back in pretty quickly to get our mosquito repellent. It seems to work pretty well and we finish dinner with them over our heads.
There are 2 rooms with AC. Sleeping anywhere else would require the person to use the fans and open the windows. No way in hell anyone is doing that with all the mosquitoes at dinner. We trade rooms with my parents, who have the bigger master bed room and all pile in there, 3 in the bed and 3 on the floor. Getting ready in the morning should be easier with 4 available bathrooms.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Owe...my stomach
The next two days are spent traveling back to Saigon. Ho and I somehow manage to catch the same bug. We got the chills, body aches, and diarrhea. It was a very long trip back.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Bad Massause!
Our next stop in in Quang Binh, a short jump to our destination of the Phong Nha Caverns.
We stay in our first 4-star hotel of the trip. It's very nice with contemporary furnishings. We hit up the massage parlour to see what this hotel has to offer. This time, everyone gets one. We go to the steam room, the sauna room, and then the massages. Afterwards, everyone has an interesting story to tell. Apparently Ho and Joe got molested by their masseuses. Hand were where they shouldn't be. Ho enjoyed it, Joe did not. I once again, had a regular massage. The girl did mention that I was one big bastard. I think she hurt herself trying to crack my back.
We get to the Phong Nha Caverns. They are a site to behold. The cavern system is huge and there's a lot to see. Most of the pictures don't show up too well because of the darkness. There was a couple that would not move for one of the shots I wanted to take, which really pissed me off. I spent the rest of the time trying to get into every shot they wanted to take. It was rather fun. I am evil like that, but then again, you all know that.
We stay in our first 4-star hotel of the trip. It's very nice with contemporary furnishings. We hit up the massage parlour to see what this hotel has to offer. This time, everyone gets one. We go to the steam room, the sauna room, and then the massages. Afterwards, everyone has an interesting story to tell. Apparently Ho and Joe got molested by their masseuses. Hand were where they shouldn't be. Ho enjoyed it, Joe did not. I once again, had a regular massage. The girl did mention that I was one big bastard. I think she hurt herself trying to crack my back.
We get to the Phong Nha Caverns. They are a site to behold. The cavern system is huge and there's a lot to see. Most of the pictures don't show up too well because of the darkness. There was a couple that would not move for one of the shots I wanted to take, which really pissed me off. I spent the rest of the time trying to get into every shot they wanted to take. It was rather fun. I am evil like that, but then again, you all know that.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Da Nang - Hoi An - Hue
Again, a full day of travel. On they way we stop by the Tay Son Family historical home. I guess they are considered heroes to the Vietnamese people. I will have to read up on it more when I get back to the states.
We go to the ancient town of Hoi An. I can't really say too much about the ancient city because Joe was the only one that went to see it. All the girls wanted to shop on the streets, so Ho and I had to accompany them. Someone has to hold all the stuff they buy.
We travel on some crazy mountain roads. They seem perfect for drifting, until you see that one side is a mountain wall and the other side is a freakin' cliff to the ocean below. The small barriers don't seem like very much protection for our huge bus. Our driver passes everyone, everywhere. Uphill, downhill, around blind corners, nothing stops him. There are several moments we are scared for our lives.
We get to Hue in 1 piece and head out for our first taste of the city, real Bun Bo Hue. I had such high hopes for it but again, I was whelmed.
We take a cruise on the famous Huong (Perfume) River. I don't know what they are talking about, because I smell nothing that's even close to perfumes. The river is calm and we get to hear some traditional Hue music. Since my Vietnamese is weak and the Hue accent is really strong, I understand nothing.
We visit the Nguyen Imperial Palace the next day. It is what an imperial palace should look like, with a moat, high walls, and large throne room. It's hard to imagine that Vietnam had a king until 1945. The palace is young, compared to most people's imagination of what am Imperial Palace should be.
We also see a couple of the previous king's mausoleums. They are big and gaudy, but nothing really interesting happens there except I get the biggest coconut I have every seen. The thing is bigger than my head and garners laughter and pointing everywhere I go with it. Money well spent in my book.
We go to the ancient town of Hoi An. I can't really say too much about the ancient city because Joe was the only one that went to see it. All the girls wanted to shop on the streets, so Ho and I had to accompany them. Someone has to hold all the stuff they buy.
We travel on some crazy mountain roads. They seem perfect for drifting, until you see that one side is a mountain wall and the other side is a freakin' cliff to the ocean below. The small barriers don't seem like very much protection for our huge bus. Our driver passes everyone, everywhere. Uphill, downhill, around blind corners, nothing stops him. There are several moments we are scared for our lives.
We get to Hue in 1 piece and head out for our first taste of the city, real Bun Bo Hue. I had such high hopes for it but again, I was whelmed.
We take a cruise on the famous Huong (Perfume) River. I don't know what they are talking about, because I smell nothing that's even close to perfumes. The river is calm and we get to hear some traditional Hue music. Since my Vietnamese is weak and the Hue accent is really strong, I understand nothing.
We visit the Nguyen Imperial Palace the next day. It is what an imperial palace should look like, with a moat, high walls, and large throne room. It's hard to imagine that Vietnam had a king until 1945. The palace is young, compared to most people's imagination of what am Imperial Palace should be.
We also see a couple of the previous king's mausoleums. They are big and gaudy, but nothing really interesting happens there except I get the biggest coconut I have every seen. The thing is bigger than my head and garners laughter and pointing everywhere I go with it. Money well spent in my book.
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