And I'm Spent!

Well, clearly I lied about posting once more while in Hawaii, and although my trip has come full circle, I am posting one more time about the last few weeks of my journey.  If anyone out there is still following, I hope you enjoy!  If not, I'll at least amuse myself by re-living all of the experiences!  I'll also apologize now for not having pictures, as I am technologically challenged and don't know how to operate a Mac.  

When I last left you all, I was back in Bangkok, luckily only for a night.  Maybe it was the third time being there, or the fact that I had spent nearly 3 months in Asia and was well adjusted to the joys and hassles of South-East Asian cities, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I remembered it.  I was spending the night hanging out with a friend who was in Koh Tao with me and I was introduced to a side of Bangkok that I had not experienced previously.  The first stop of the night was to Patpong, which if you've been to Bangkok, you are pretty familiar with the type of entertainment that goes on there!  If you haven't been, they perform what is referred to as a 'ping-pong' show.  Without getting into too much detail, it was a humorous and entertaining show of a very sexual nature.  If I tried to take a picture, I would have been kicked out like some other people I saw.  

The next stop was Soi Cowboy, which like Patpong, is very well known for a particular form of entertainment.  In short, this is a single street (side road/alley, actually) that has about 20 or so Go-Go bars lining it.  That's it, no restaurants or shops, just bars with girls dancing on tables and trying desperately to have you spend money buying them shots for a highly inflated amount of baht.  My friend and I bounced around for a  bit, checking out different spots (Kiss was by far the best!).  Now before your mind starts wandering in the gutter, I'll say that I did not purchase any of the merchandise!  I am always one for a good deal, but frankly, there is not enough latex in all of Thailand to make me feel safe.  However, I will say that there are deals to be had and, as always, negotiations are welcomed and expected.  Ask me privately about prices, if you're interested!

The next day I caught a flight to Seoul, with some complications at the airport, but I won't bore you with those.  As a city, Seoul is just that.  I really wasn't too impressed with it, but I did enjoy exploring .  It is modern, but nowhere near 'Western.'  I checked out a few of the temple-like structures, went to the War Museum, and saw some of the other sights.  I even took a trip up to the DMZ, which is probably about as close to those psychotic North Koreans as I'll ever get.  The highlight of my Korean stop was definitely the food.  I met a friend of mine from U of M, Phil, who has been working in Korea and was able to show me around the town a bit.  He took me to a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant downtown, one that even if I was told where it was I would never have been able to find, as we weaved our way through packed streets and back alleys, finally arriving.  We sat down, barefoot and on the floor, and I let Phil take care of the ordering.  What was presented to us was a feast fit for a king!  True Korean BBQ and it was delish!  It was here that I was also introduced to Soju, which I am a huge fan of and can't wait to enjoy here in the States when I decide to get Korean food.  Anyone who goes with me better get ready because there will be multiple bottles ordered.  To explain, Soju is a spirit with roughly 19% alcohol and is consumed, via shot glass, many times throughout the meal.  I was expecting something awful and it was clearly not the case.  

Finally, it came time for me to depart from Asia (having been there since February) and return to the U.S.  Again, airline issues surrounded me, but again, I will not bore you with it and I want to keep my blood pressure down for the time being.  I arrived in Honolulu and as expected, I was questioned more by both U.S. Customs and Immigration that I had been throughout my entire journey.  For some reason, they found it strange and concerning that someone who did not have a job could be traveling for so long, and they desperately wanted to know how I was funding my trip.  Looking as shaggy and disheveled as I did (and still do) I resisted the temptation to say that I was a drug trafficker.  The thought and urge certainly crossed my mind.  Either way, they let me back into my country on the morning of June 8th (on a side note, I found it interesting that I departed Korea on the evening of June 8th and arrived 7 hours later that same morning...you do the math!)

While the airport was rather dumpy, the island was nice.  I spent the first 4 days with a good family friend, who showed me around Oahu, including the North Shore, East Coast, and everything in between.  He also put me to work moving beds and couches into his new place, but I couldn't complain!  I then relaxed for the remainder of the time on Waikiki Beach, which I can say is far more expensive than anything I had experienced since, possibly, Australia.  For the price of my lunch, I could have lived an entire day in Thailand, accommodation included! However, the hamburger was well worth the price!  For any of you who know the Jimmy Buffett song Duke's On Sunday, I spent my Sunday at Duke's, which was a blast, as that was the only thing I had wanted to do while there.  Really, there isn't much to report from here.  I lounged on the beach, browsed the shops (though didn't buy anything) and enjoyed being on a small island in the middle of the Pacific, knowing that a 5 hour flight was necessary to take me to the closest land mass, San Francisco, which is exactly where I traveled to on June 16th.  

I landed in San Francisco that night and after a quick stop at Alana's place to drop off my bags, ventured out to Fisherman's Wharf to indulge my hamburger craving at In-N-Out.  As soon as I stepped in and smelled the burgers (aka grease) I announced to the whole place that I love America!  There were only about 8 people in the whole place and I'm pretty sure a few looked at me like I was a total nut, but I didn't care.  Over the next few days Alana and wandered around the city and relaxed.  While nice weather for the Bay area, I could feel my tan fading.  We met a couple of friends who were in town on vacation, had a nice dinner over looking the bay, with the sun setting and the Golden Gate Bridge looming in the background.  On Saturday, as if I needed to treat myself any more, we took a day trip to Napa Valley to sample some of their local product!  I really enjoyed the 5 days in S.F., despite the fact that I was complimented twice by homeless people, one expressing how much he liked my beard and the other saying something along the lines of how I would clean windows well.  The morning that I was to leave, I was walking through a park and a kid of around 10 years old pointed to me and said, and I quote, "he's unusual."  The fact that I'm being called this in a city such as San Francisco is a bit concerning.  

So, here I am, back in Las Vegas, where my journey began 202 days ago.  I will say that it has been an absolutely unbelievable experience and one that I will never forget.  In the past 6 1/2 months I have seen some truly unbelievable places, had some extremely unique experiences, and met some great people.  I know that my writings here on the blog don't do it justice, but it is a start.  So now that I'm back, it think it is safe to say that I'm in a sort of 'decompression' period.  It will take me a while to adjust, and even longer to catch up with everyone who I haven't spoken with or seen in nearly 7 months, but like my employment situation, it will all fall into place!  I hope to continue with my postings in the future, as it is kind of fun and a way for me to remember what I've done, but with no real way to close this chapter, I will leave you will a few stats from my travel:

Days on the Road: 202 (Dec. 3, 2008-June 22, 2009)

Flight Legs: 21

Airports Visited: 20

Countries Visited: 9 (excluding U.S.)

Mileage Flown: 33,667 miles

Mileage Traveled:  50,000 miles (est.)

Airlines Used: 9

Books Read: 4

Visas Received: 4

Currencies Currently in my Wallet: 6

Money Spent:  Don't want to know

Thanks for reading,  posting comment, and sending emails!  And as always, Cheers!

La Isla Bonita

Well, it is officially my 6 month anniversary of traveling! I cannot believe that it has been that long since I looked out my plane window to see the lights of The Strip as I began this little adventure of mine. That said, it has been an amazing half-year, filled with so many sights and places that I can hardly keep them all straight at this point. So, with my mind scattered from any number of things, I was able to thoroughly relax over the past 10 days in the islands.

As I mentioned in my last post, I was spending time in Koh Tao, a small island in the Gulf of Thailand. Located hours from the mainland by boat, and a nearly 2 hour ferry ride to the closest airport, it is secluded and great. I liked it the first time I was there in March, and my feelings were re-affirmed over the past week and a half. I spent my time doing, well, nothing. And because of that, I really don't have much to report. Sure, there are a few stories that I'm sure would make you laugh...such as getting stalked, and then kissed on the cheek, by a lady boy named Bam Bam at 3 am. Ok, so you got a little taste. That said, some people will be pleased and shocked to see my lack of words, but really, I think it is better to just post a few photos and a brief video showing a few scenes and events that I captured.

Sunset at Sairee Beach:

Sairee Beach at dusk:

Dinner tables, Koh Tao style:

Ryan (fellow American) and I (yes, that is what I look like now) enjoying buckets at Lotus:

This guy pulled up next to me one day on the beach. I think it says it all:

A clip from Lotus Bar at night. Fire shows happen nightly there, and this bar is the place to be, partially because its fun, partially because this little 'cove' with table is the only part of the beach that doesn't get the tide in it after midnight, and partially because it is right on the beach and open til 3 am. It is where I spent most nights, and where I watched all sunsets from, and got to know many of the locals and bartenders.

So, for lack of options and much to my dismay, I find myself back in Bangkok for one last hurrah. Arriving just about an hour ago from the calmness of the islands, I have already dealt with the traffic jam and everything else that cities offer at first glance. I am a bit curious as to how I find it this time around, having experienced far more of Asia, its cities and its people than my previous 2 stops here. My fingers are crossed.

Tomorrow afternoon I catch a flight to Hanoi and then, barring any delays, my flight to Seoul. My trip home will have officially begun. Hopefully the North Koreans can chill out for a bit so that my 4 days in the city aren't filled with tension and military personnel, and I would really like to tour the DMZ area. After that, it is on to Honolulu, where on the morning of June 8th I will officially arrive back in the United States! My phone will work, and I should be able to get a decent burger! I will land in San Francisco, tired, tan and full of hair, on June 16th. So there you have it, my travel plans for the rest of my trip.

While I will write again before I'm home, I am looking forward to seeing all of you, and catching up in person and on the phone, rather than through the Internet.

Cheers!

Because I Can

In following with my recent trend, it has been a while since my last post. When I last wrote, I was in Hanoi and soon after met a new group of travelers that I would be joining for the next 14 days or so. After a little welcome dinner, we went for drinks Vietnam style: on the street. Something I am always up for is a bargain and this was tough to beat. We had draft beers for the next couple of hours for a mere 3,000 VND per glass (that translates into roughly 16 cents per beer, or 6 per $1). The following day we took an unnecessarily long drive south to the town of Vinh, which was just a stopping point for our next day's journey, which was quite evident by the complete lack of anything to do there.


The following morning began a stretch of extremely rough days for me. I awoke the morning of May 12th feeling like absolute crap. Feeling really hot, I first thought I may have a temperature, a feeling that was quickly confirmed when my roommate woke by saying it was freezing in our room. Not a good start to a very long day involving a border crossing and endless hours of driving through rural mountain passes. With a slight headache, rising fever, and minor stomach issues, I boarded my bus for the 3 hour drive to the Vietnamese-Laos border. Now, had I not been traveling in a group, I certainly would have extended my stay in Vinh to sleep all day (which is really the best thing to do in Vinh anyway), but I did not have that luxury. Sleeping on and off the best I could with my head bouncing around and knocking into everyone and everything in its path, we arrived at the border and began the drawn out process of exiting Vietnam and entering Laos. To say that the process for obtaining an entry visa in Laos is less than streamlined would be a huge understatement. First, I had to wait in line at one counter with completed forms and passport, and collect a slip. Then, proceed to a second window (not located next to one another, but down a hall) where I present my slip and pay, then collect the same slip with a 'paid' stamped on it. Now, I return to the first window, present the slip (while cutting the other 20 people in line), collect my passport and additional forms. Following this, I proceeded to yet another window to hand these items to a new border agent, then head to the neighboring window to collect my passport with a visa stamp in it. By any standards, it is a disaster.

Still feeling like garbage, having no appetite at all and barely able to drink anything without feeling like I'd lose it in the bus, I re-boarded for the remaining 8 hour journey to the capitol city of Vientiane. As the ride progressed, my condition continued to deteriorate, at one point shaking somewhat violently. Thankful to have arrived alive, we checked and went to dinner, where I didn't touch my meal. Thankfully, some of my new tour mates had some high octane stuff to help and the next day I felt a bit better, at least enough to tour the city by foot. Luckily, I had 2 nights in my own room so I was able to get some decent sleep, except for when I woke up with severe stomach cramps and spent the next hour on the toilet....see, aren't you all glad I feel so comfortable around you!

In an effort to spare you further details of those and the following few days, I will simply say that my condition slowly improved. I have no clue what the cause was (hopefully not Dengue) but I'm going to blame the dog from Hanoi, it got it's revenge. Bad dog. Leaving the capitol, we boarded a bus to Vang Vieng, which started off superbly with the a/c not working, or so they said. I wasn't pleased, but seeing that it pissed off some obnoxious French woman far more than it did me, it made it ok. Below is a view from the front of the bus at one of Laos' finest bridges we had to cross. Also, a shot from lunch on the river.

Vang Vieng is a great place, and if any of you get to Laos, it is a must stop. It has thrived because it caters to travelers and backpackers, but it is a great time and a good place to relax for a few days (much like Pai in Thailand) and enjoy some awesome scenery. That said, the highlight of this town is its tubing. Now, I haven't done much tubing in the U.S., though I have a pretty good idea of what it is like: get tubes with a bunch of friends, float down stream at a leisurely pace while consuming large amounts of beer, which have been attached to your tube or in a cooler. Am I right? Well if I am, then this place is far better! From the moment we arrived at the 'staging area,' also known as Bar 1, it was a pure party. Music blasting, free shots being forced down your throat (literally at times), workers practicing their fire-sticks, and people flying out of the air from ridiculously high rope swings and zip lines into the murky river below. Once you finally bring yourself to leave Bar 1, there are a dozen or so more over the first 1km, each with swings, free shots, and other goodies to temp you to shore. And, when you do want to come ashore, they simply toss a rope with a bottle attached to it and pull you in. As I said, it was a great time, but no pictures.

The one interesting stop we made was a bar called Swinging Monkey, which clearly I liked. Located next to a large mud pit, which was used for tug-of-war matches, as well as a bunch of drunk tubers to play in, they offer free shots, including snake, centipede and gecko rice wine. However, when you turn the drink menu over, there is a whole other set of options, including pot brownies, mushroom shake, opium tea, etc. just to name a few. The bartender, who displayed a large multi-colored clown wig, was happy to show you any of their fine selection of products, often without asking. All of these are highly illegal in Laos, and the region, with penalties ranging from jail sentences and high fines, up to the death penalty for trafficking. In an effort not to incriminate myself anymore than I did in my Cambodia experience, I will say that not everyone in my group (10 of us) abided by local laws.

We left 2 days later for the next destination of Luang Probang, which we were told had more culture than our previous stop...hard to believe! Another 7 hours on the bus through some great country, re-confirming that Laos is a big country with very few people and larger cities. I believe 80% of the population still live in villages. That said, the city was fun and offered some fun stuff to do, including a late night bowling session. We packed 14 people in a single tuk-tuk, which is very impressive, though some were hanging on for dear life on the back as well as the roof, to get to the alley. Have you ever tried to bowl on a lane that is slanted? I can now say I have, and while it was strictly friendly competition, it is very difficult to pick up the remaining pin or two when you have no idea where the ball will curve. That said, I won without ever breaking 100! Lasting well into the night, I can honestly say that being in a bowling alley in Laos at 2:30 am was never a place I imagined being. Below are some of the views along the way.

The next day, after just 4 or so hours of sleep, I got up along with 5 others to do a trek through the mountains and up to a waterfall. Of course, it started raining as we approached the village where we were to begin, but it actually made it more enjoyable and a much better experience. Crossing through a small village, farm lands with hills all around, jungle, mud, etc. At one point we were walking through waist high grass and I asked for re-confirmation that there were no longer tigers in the area. There were not, only cobras, pythons and green snakes, none of which we would ever be able to see until they had latched on to us. It was a 3 hour hike in all and went kind of like this: walk through farm land, enter jungle, slip on mud and rocks, lose all grip on shoes, slip and recover again, break right flip-flop, fix it, slip and recover again (repeat 10 times), remove leech from ankle, break same flip-flop, fix it again, slip and fall again, arrive at waterfall.

The waterfall itself was actually quite impressive and there was a swimming hole further down the falls that had a small waterfall that you could go under and jump off of, as well as a rope swing. Here are a couple of shots, as well as the rope swing. Very poor form on the dismount, I know.

The next morning I awoke at 5:30 am or so to see the monks collecting food. I did my good deed for the day and gave them food, sticky rice and bananas. I know that I'd get pretty tired of the same stuff everyday too, but I was a bit hurt when one of the monks stopped, looked at my measly offerings, and continued on without excepting. Ouch! Also, I wonder if they actually enjoy eating food with has just been dished out to them by the hands of countless tourists and locals, most of which I'd bet did not scrub with soap before. Just a thought.

The next two days were spent on the Mekong River, cruising towards the Thai border. Our two stops at night were in small villages, the second being a border town. The ride wasn't too bad, and gave all of us a chance to rest, read, sleep and take in the scenery of western Laos, which didn't really change much over the 2 days. On the morning of May 22nd I re-entered Thailand by possibly the least secure border check point known to man. Literally, we hopped on a little boat, completely unofficial, crossed the river, handed over some forms and got stamped in. No security and really nothing official taking place there. From there, we headed for Chiang Mai, a place which I have become very familiar with, having now been there on 4 separate occasions on this trip. I spent 2 days in the city, hanging out with those I had been traveling with, and then parted ways. I headed to the Chaing Mai airport, where I boarded a plan to Koh Samui, and upon arriving, hopped a ferry to Koh Tao, where I have been for the past 3 days and will be for the next week. Much like my first visit with Alana back in March, I love this island. The beauty of it is that it is very small and is very laid back. As you can see from the shot from above, there isn't much around it! And it is hear that I'll call home for the remainder of my time in SE Asia. I could easily have headed back to the U.S. sooner, but I opted to come back here for two weeks because it is probably my favorite place in Thailand, and, frankly, because I can!

I'll likely post one more time before leaving the island, but my rough plan is to be in Seoul for four days (June 4-8) and then re-enter the U.S. in Honolulu on June 8th....can you believe it?!?! In the meantime, here are a few shots from the past few days of the island I'm calling home temporarily.

Cheers!

Man's Best Friend

Well, a lot has happened since arriving in Hoi An, so hopefully I can provide some amusement for anyone still reading this! To start, I was pleasantly surprised with the town, and it had a very distinct look to it. Clearly there was a lot of European influence there. As I was not having any clothes tailor made for me, I got to wander around and relax for a couple of days. Got to eat some good food and enjoy the weather...rain. It rained for a good portion of the time I was there, causing some nice flooding the second morning. The banks of the river were now resting against local shops and restaurants, and it was quite amusing seeing people try to ride their bikes and scooters through it. It was not as amusing when a scooter decided to ride past me and go through a puddle. I am convinced this was done purposely.

From Hoi An we drove north, first stopping at China Beach (a favorite spot for U.S. GIs during the war), then Danang, before driving over Hai Van Pass. This is the 'natural' divider between north and south, and the views from the top were great. After a brief lunch stop at an awful restaurant, we made it to our next destination, the city of Hue. It is the old imperial capitol and for dinner than night we went to and 'imperial feast.' I was skeptical to the fact that we were going to get dressed up in old, traditional Vietnamese attire, but it turned out to be a very good time, and the food was quite good.

The next day turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip, even though it began with two 'rival' groups of moto-taxis arguing in front of our hotel lobby for our business. Honestly, if this were anywhere in the Western world, a fight probably would have broken out, but here there was just a lot of one-sided yelling. Rather than risk further problems, we ditched the moto-taxi idea for the moment and walked to the Citadel, which was extremely boring, and after an hour of torture, we met our motos there. For those who have not got for a ride on the back of a more bike in Vietnam, or anywhere in Asia for that matter, it is an experience. Much like all driving here, sides of the road are just a suggestion, horns are plentiful, and stop signs are non-existant. It was great! Over the course of the afternoon we made a number of stops, including a chance to try beetlenut (an addictive food that over times helps turn your teeth black, and as I found out, has a numbing effect on your mouth), a stop at an old battle ground involved in the Tet Offensive of '68 (not too far from Hamburger Hill), at some other historical sights.

Below is the view from the hilltop.

From the start, I was a bit concerned. As we were pairing up with our drivers, I wound up getting a guy who was cross-eyed. I mean, this is not the scenario that you want when your life is in his hands. For the first half hour I held on for dear life as we flew along roads and down back alleys, wizzed through intersections with nothing more than a horn to let others know we were coming. The death grip was in effect. At one point we flew by another bike, whose driver was holding a sickle--point out--and I was convinced I was about to lose an appendage. By the time we had a near collision with a large truck, I was no longer phased. Now ask yourself, would you want to be put in these situations with this guy?!?!:


It is now May 3rd, and I've officially been traveling for 5 months! To celebrate, we took a 10 hour train ride to the town of Ninh Binh, crossing the old DMZ into the old North Vietnam. The train ride was not too bad in inself, as we had a sleeper car and I was able to rest for most of the day. The interesting parts came when I ventured outside. To begin, I took a walk to the food car to get a drink, and of course this was positioned at the extreme opposite end of the train. As I progressed further back, the sleeper cars got more and more crowed, with bunks stacked 3 high on each side, and entire families of 10+ people where traveling in them. Then there was the smell. Oddly, as I got closer to the 'kitchen' it got worse and worse, a mix of durian, rotting fruit and body odor. I was thankful for my 'first class' ticket. On top of this, there were people sleeping all over the floor, especially liking the areas connecting cars. I don't get it. Then there was the bathroom situation. In addition to the floor being covered in a layer of 'water' and dirt, the toilet didn't flush very well, so while you're in there, a bowl full of colored liquid is sloshing back and forth with every movement of the train. I was waiting for it to go all over my feet, luckily it did not. On a positive note, the scenery was nice, as the center of the country is filled with hills and rice paddies.The only amusing thing in Ninh Binh was the bathrooms in our hotel. Apparently when they installed the shower/tub, they were pressed for time and didn't actually seal the tub to the wall. The bathroom flooded immediately. In the downstairs lobby, I used the urinal and the drain went right onto the floor. I was not pleased and their piping system is not well planned.

From there we went to a national park, where I got to go to an endangered primate center (clearly I enjoyed), do some hiking in the jungle and for a day get away from horns. Where we stayed was pretty isolated, and there were no phones, interenet or electricity (other than 4 hours in the evening). However, I was told there was a pool, and there was. In fact, it was olympic sized, located outside about 100 meters from our rooms. I considered it briefly, but then thought better of it when I saw a man fishing in it. As far as I'm concerned, this instantly removes any 'pool' title. On a side note, he caught a bunch of fish that they fried for dinner.
We then moved on to Halong Bay, which is really stunning. Probably the most scenic place I've been to in Vietnam and a must see if you are in the country. As you approach from land, and even better by boat, you can see the rocks protruding from the water, and there are hundreds of them. We took an overnight cruise into the bay and fortunately had great weather. The rooms below were great too, and the view from bed and bathroom were amazing. For anyone from RH reading this, the bathroom reminded me being in the Lancer or Saxon bunks. That night we were sucked into a marathon session of kareoke, and after doing my best to get out if it, was forced into singing Born In The U.S.A. Now, I, and many of you, know how bad my voice is, but I had no problem providing some amusement for my tour mates. However, I don't think anyone had actually listened to the words of this song before choosing it. Fortunately, I had so when it came time to say lines like "kill the yellow man" I just remained silent. I didn't think having my voice screaming about killing Vietnamese echo throughout Halong Bay at 10pm was a wise move. On a side note, I scored a 100, top score on the evening. Clearly the rating system is flawed and not based on hitting any notes.While I could have stayed on the ship for another day, we left the next morning en route to Hanoi. Along the way we made a few quick stops, and got to see some sights along the way. For me, seeing a motor bike with a water buffalo strapped to the back was the highlight and I can add this to ducks and pigs already seen. That evening in Hanoi we took a cyclo ride through the Old Quarter on our way to a water puppet show. Supposedly its a must see, I disagree. The ride there was amusing, as I was once again asked if I wanted 'boom boom' by the driver. If you don't know what that is, use your imagination based on this area of the world. I laughed, politely declined, and then asked how much. "Very cheap!" was the response. He proceeded to give me rates, which I'm sure I could have negotiated lower, but I won't get into the details here! Along the ride I also saw an explosion at a hair salon and a kid with a machete riding along the street.

Now for what was one of the highlights of the trip and by far the most authentic experience I've had in the country yet. Brace yourself, it could make some of you sick, so I'm warning you now to scroll down slowly! For dinner, my guide took 4 of us to a local restaurant to try a certain type of food that you don't find in much of the world. This place is one of the restaurants that you'd walk quickly past if you weren't with a local, so it was far from special. We ordered two plates, one steamed and one grilled, though at the time I wasn't sure that we'd finish either. Now,when I threaten Zoe, or any other dog I may own, that I'll eat them, I can honestly say I know what they taste like! You may have to click on the video once to load, then hit play, but have a look:

Mmmmmm!

In continuing to gross you all out, here are a few scenes from the restaurant display case and the street near my Hanoi hotel (there were two, but Fido's friend didn't make it!).


With the excitement of last night done with, I got back to the regular tourist attractions and visited the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Now, this place was an experience. The initial security to get in was tighter than I've seen in most airports, and once in, you are immediately ordered-literally-by military personell to form 2 lines. There were armed guards everywhere and if you fell out of line, you were promptly re-shown your place by the guys with bayonettes. Also, there was no talking, no hats, no crossing of arms, etc. as you proceeded into the chamber. It was like walking past 2 dozen Soup Nazis. Oddly enough, after taking 20 minutes to get to the viewing area, it only took 20 seconds to walk quietly and orderly through the chamber to view Uncle Ho's body.That afternoon I passed a cock fight in a street-side park on my way to the infamous Hoa Lo prison, also known as the 'Hanoi Hilton' by US POWs during the war. Got to see where John McCain was held for a number of years, and they still have his flight suit on display. I'll have to do some more reading on this, but the propoganda presented there was comical.

Which brings me to yesterday, when I left one hotel to check into my new one. It was pouring rain and looking out the taxi window, barely able to see anything, it was clear that many streets in the city were completely flooded. Often, it looks as though at least 6-8 inches of water covered complete roads and intersections. I'm sure all the food at the street markets were well protected, as they often sit right on the ground! Having a few days to myself here in Hanoi, I opted to do nothing yesterday and stayed in bed for 3 hours watching the Rays vs. Yankees game--it was the only decent thing on--and I was pleased to see Mariano have two bombs hit off him and take the loss! Go Sox! Last night I managed to get clipped by a motor bike and have come to the conclusion that by simply walking around the streets, I have surely stepped on every disease this country has to offer.

I'm here for another 2 days before heading west to Laos. From what I hear, it is a great place. Similar in popularity and rusticness to Cambodia, but much more laid back. Hopefully its a smooth border crossing!

Cheers!

Follow The Ho Chi Minh Trail

I've been back in Vietnam for just over a week now and I am enjoying the country very much.

My time here began as a repeat, going to many of the same places with my new group. The War Museum, Cu Chi Tunnels, Mekong Delta, etc. though it was still enjoyable. However, I must first advise you of my visa situation. Due to my extended time in the country, I needed to get an extension of my current visa, which I was aware of and should be a very simple and painless process. But like many things in this part of the world, it was not. I opted to ask my tour guide where the best place to get this done would be, figuring he would say Immigration. He did not. He directed me to the U.S. Consulate. So I went and this place was like a fortress with a line of people waiting to get in, and likely into the country as well. Oddly, the security guards that were there all appeared to be Vietnamese, so apparently we outsource these positions too! Anyway, they directed me to the Immigration office. So I went, and after accidentally stopping in the Korean Embassy first, spoke to a person who took 1,000 Dong from me, then told me to go to another counter, who in turn advised me that they couldn't do an extension here and that I would need to go to a travel agent (there are hundreds in the city). But wait, it gets better.

I went to the travel agent that I had used once before while here, explained what I needed and paid the rushed fee of $39. Not a problem. As I pay, a guy on a motor bike pulls up into (literally) the shop, takes my passport and drives off. I think I had a completely blank stare on my face for a while and images of further dealings with my Consulate when my information turns up on the black market in SE Asia. I had two days to be concerned but in the end I did get it back and the visa was all set. And by all set I mean there was a stamp there, from Immigration (where I been) and below it a price of $10, which tells me that the government got its $10, the travel agent, the guy on the bike and the one who stamped it all took their share of the remaining $29. Why am I shocked?

That aside, I left HCMC and travelled first to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Last time I fired an M-16 when I was visiting the tunnels, this time I opted for a slightly more powerful M-60! That thing has some real kick to it!

From there we headed to the Mekong Delta where I spent the night at a homestay, right on the banks of the river. While there was nothing overly special to report from this, that night was a less than comfortable sleep on what looked to be a stretcher. I tried to fall asleep, though it proved a more difficult task than I had thought. I mean, aren't roosters supposed to sing in the morning? Not at night, right? Did I miss something. Well, these roosters serenaded me all night, along with their lizard, dog and insect friends. In addition, I woke up twice to what I thought, in a slightly disoriented state, was a helicopter. It turned out to be the propellers of passing river boats, but I was convinced we were under attack.

I began traveling north, the first stop being Dalat. The town was pretty nice, up in the hills it was significantly cooler than what I felt in HCMC. From there I went to Nha Trang, situated right on the beach. The trip there was interesting, as we travelled through the hills. The scenery was nice, but the road was quite concerning. Around every turn seemed to be a new landslide, with half the road covered in red dirt and rocks, and protective walls in pieces. It is safe to say that I do not have a lot of faith in Vietnamese construction. Picture below are from outside of Dalat.

While in Nha Trang I took a cruise to a local fishing village and got to wander around for a bit, then took a ride in a basket boat, which looks exactly as it sounds. I was basically floating in a giant bamboo basket. From there we headed out to a small cove where I was able to do some more jumping off boats! Water wasn't nearly as clear as Thailand, but still fun. After a nice lunch on the boat, we got to hang out on a nearby beach for a few hours which was great. I know, life is tough! Below are pictures of a man in a basket boat and jumping off the roof with a tour mate.

Nha Trang wouldn't be the place I would want to fly to for a big vacation, but it was fun and there were plenty of good restaurants, bars and such to keep me entertained for a couple of nights. The next stop was one night in Quy Nhon (I can't pronounce this stuff either), and I would recommend avoiding this place if possible. Nothing to do, at all, other than sit on the beach or swim, though there seems to be a lot of jellyfish there so I opted against it. Along the way, though we passed some great scenes, those that are really stereotypical Vietnam. Expansive fields of green rice paddies, complete with women in hats and water buffalo, surrounded by mountainous jungle terrain.

After another long drive through the countryside, I have ended up in Hoi An. Basically its known for two things: It's French heritage and architecture, and its shopping. There are about 200 tailors in this town and they can turn shoes, shirts, suits and dresses around in 24 hours (Alana, you would have loved this place!) Seeing that I don't like architecture, or the French, all that much, and I have no need for a suit at the moment, I'm taking it as an opportunity to explore the area for 2 days. I think I'll keep myself busy.

Oh, I almost forgot a stop on our way to Hoi An. It was at the sight of the My Lai village (pronounced Me Lie). If you know anything about the Vietnam War, you are probably familiar with the massacre that took place here by the U.S. leaving 504 civilians dead. If you're not, do a real quick google search and you'll see the photos from that day in 1968. Having the interest in that period's history that I do, I found it to be very interesting, but it was certainly not a good day for the U.S. military. One of the woman who survived that day was there, near the sight of her old house, though she is quite old now. Below is a photo of the woman, and a tree with remaining bullet holes from the fighting.

One thing that I have noticed, and can't be missed as you travel around Vietnam, are the propaganda signs. They are everywhere, and I wish I could understand what they say. I'm sure it is along the lines of pro-government, pro-country, pro-army, etc. The picture at the top was one I found at a little street-side restaurant while we were driving. As you can see, they LOVE Ho Chi Minh here. He is all over the place, on signs, pictures and all of their money. I find it strange, but thats me.

Finally, I think its funny that my travel agent has been unable to re-arrange my flights for me. I have been dealling with this guy for nearly 5 weeks and still unable to get this done. I could go on for an entire blog entry on this one, so all I will say is that my current flight itinerary has me already departed from Asia and sitting on a beach in Hawaii at this very moment. Do you see the problem here?

Cheers!

In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle...

I realized that I forgot to discuss one aspect of my Vietnam experience in the last blog, and re-telling my first trip to Ho Chi Minh City would not be complete without doing so. Alana and I (see, you're still part of it!) decided to go to a local place to eat, seeing that it would be the most authentic. We sat down at a little table (and by little I mean pre-schoolers could use these things and still feel cramped) outside on the sidewalk, and reviewed the menu. Only problem was that the entire thing was in Vietnamese, not one word of English, and the employees didn't speak much either. Well, we knew the word for chicken and there were only four options listed for it. Rather than go for the most expensive (no comment Mike), which could have brought us an entire chicken, we took a shot and ordered #18, pointing to the menu. Well, it wasn't a full chicken, but here's what we got:

Yeah, those are its feet. Actually, we got the feet of a few chicken, because there were about 5 or 6 in there. Mmmmm! We went to get another dinner afterwards. Along that same note, we managed to try python, durian (possibly the worst smelling fruit out there), and fried spider legs!

Anyway, Alana ditched me for some strange thing called work back in the U.S. and I caught a flight to Singapore for 2 nights. What a difference to any other place I've been in Asia. From the moment you get off the plane, it is modern, orderly and extremely clean. Then again, it better be otherwise some will get beaten with a cane, literally. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdFLPn30dvQ I visited the Raffles Hotel, which is the home of the Singapore Sling (roughly $20). The city is filled with shopping malls and restaurants, which is good because they are all air conditioned and it is very hot out. They've got a lot of good bars and restaurants, but things are definitely expensive. I'd love to sit outside and have a few beers, but for $7-10 U.S. dollars a beer, that gets costly.

After a few days in a modern city, I caught a flight to Malaysian Borneo, where upon landing I immediately caught a cab to the bus station. The next bus was full so I had to wait nearly 4 hours for the next one, which I did, then began the 6 hour bus ride to the middle of nowhere. Actually, that is exactly what I thought when the finally dropped me off. I was going to the town of Sepilok which is home to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center (SORC) and a staging point for many jungle trips. Well, at 8 pm the bus pulled over to the side of the road at an intersection. There were no hotels, no stores, no real bus stop, no lights and a lot of rain. I was not pleased and I was all alone in my misery. I got on my backpack and started walking in the direction the guy pointed me in and saw a sign for the hotel I was planning stay at....2.5 km down the road.

My luck in Borneo wasn't the greatest, which I guess is what happens when you travel alone, book your flight 5 days before you get there and don't plan any of the excursions ahead of time. My fortunes didn't change a few days later when I tried to get on the internet and would up spending US$4 for 30 minutes, during which time the connection, which may as well been dial-up, allowed me to access a single webpage.

Complaining aside, I started the next morning my checking out the SORC and was thrilled with what I saw. Basically, the Center takes orphaned orangutans, normally due to the mother being killed though sometimes they are found as pets in local villages, and rehabilitate them to be reintroduced into the wild. The SORC is not enclosed by big fences, so it is as though you are viewing them in the wild. A few shots from feeding time:

The next day I left on an overnight into the jungle to do some trekking and take some boat cruises to see some real wildlife. As we pulled up to the camp we saw a cobra in the road, and as soon as I arrived at the lodge itself, I saw that one of the guides had just caught a python by the common area! The boat cruises, evening and morning were great. Got to see a ton of wildlife, including macaques, black squirrels (they are cooler than they sound), a ton of crazy looking birds (also cooler to see than it may sound), and the endangered probiscus monkey. This is one of the things that I really wanted to see, and we saw a ton of them. I wasn't able to get a close up shot of them, but here is what the look like if you're interested: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/enlarge/proboscis-monkey_image.html

We also were able to track down some Asian elephants, one of two species that lives in Borneo, though in the process I got attacked by leeches. Before your mind goes wild, it was Gordy in Stand By Me and I did not faint! They were easy enough to flick off, but I guess that is what happens when you jump out of the boat and walk into the jungle in shorts and flip-flops. The only negative was that I wasn't able to see any orangutans out there, though they were spotted by other boats.

Back at the hotel the following day, I opted for a relaxing afternoon at the pool. On my way there, a whole 3 minute walk from my room, I encountered 2 snakes. The first was orange, green and black, which concerned me but was later informed its bite isn't harmful (well that's good to know) and a baby that looked a whole lot like a cobra. Someone I met at the hotel found a spider that was larger than any tarantula they had seen before too. As I said, I went there for the wildlife!

The day before I left Sepilok I went back to the SORC in the morning. While a number of orangutans did show up, the highlight was definitely as I was leaving the center and a troop of 20 or so macaques decided to show off and sit along the railing of the walkway. Mind you, these are not animals in captivity, but completely wild. So cool to see them up close, though someone got too close (stupid) and nearly got attacked by two of them. I was not that person if you were thinking that.

Later that day I took the tedious 6 hour bus ride back to Kota Kinabalu, which is where I flew into. I don't know what it is about Malaysian buses, but they like to freeze out there passengers. Also, while I tried to block out the on-board entertainment with my iPod and book, they were playing DVDs that, among a awful movie, had over an hour of Malaysian techno videos (featuring the same people over and over again). They ended the journey with a Britney Spears video marathon. I was happy to get off the bus, and it wasn't just for warmth.

Kota Kinabalu was surprisingly better that I expected. There were some decent shops and places to eat, but I did make a few observations: The mall arcade had about 7 Daytona USA video games (which I thought was great, but I played that in 7th grade); at least 75% of the stores in the mall sell cell phones; I saw a toilet sign that directed people 232 meters in one direction (that's pretty precise, I thought); and I witnessed a group of 20 or so people completely captivated by a showing of WWF wrestling at an outside restaurant for an entire day! Literally, they were there for a minimum of 12 hours. I also noticed that their military personnel like to wear fanny packs when they walk around town, presumably on leave. Strange. Aside from the city, Borneo is really nice and the scenery is amazing. The jungle is so lush, like nothing I have ever seen before. All the way back the hills are covered in mist, which is really cool to see. I think my next trip here will be planned a bit better though. The shot below was taken from the bus.

Anyway, I am back in Singapore now, and I really like this city. I wish I had a week or so to spend here, because there is a ton of things I'd like to do that time doesn't permit me at the moment. One of which is to go skiing, that's right, skiing. They have an indoor ski hill just outside the city and you know that if given the chance I'd get a few runs in this season! Who cares if its 90 degrees outside! Tomorrow I leave for Vietnam again, where I'll be for the next 3 weeks.

Cheers!