Nam

Well hello again! Its been way way to long since I've last posted but better now than never. Last time I wrote was in southern Vietnam in the chilly town of Dalat. I guess its a good thing that I haven't wrote because that shows I'm having too good of a time to stop and write. So I will fill you in on the past 18 days and what we have been up to.

After Dalat we took a bus to Nha Trang to stop over before heading to Qui Ngon.  Nha Trang is known amongst travellers as a mecca for partying beach life.  We were trying to avoid this but there was no direct bus to get to Qui Ngon so we decided for a 2 night stop.  We got there in the mid afternoon and was immediately approached by an Easy Rider driver.  Easy Riders are locals that put together moto trips in the surrounding area and you get on the back and cruise with them.  Supposedly it can be quite fun and a great way of seeing the country side but we opted out.  They will ask you everyday and are very pushy to get you to book some kind of tour so by the end of your stay you run from them.  This easy rider showed us a great place to stay that was cheap-cheap and just across the street from the beach. We spent that day at the beach and walking up towards the port.  While at the beach we made friends with a couple ladies who sell beer and food walking up and down the beach.  My favorite of the two was a really old lady with one tooth who was not afraid to show you because all she had were smiles.  The more I bought beers the cheaper they got.  The next day we spent most our time again just relaxing beach side with occasional visits from our old ladies.  Early the next morning we got up and caught a bus to Qui Ngon where not many tourists travel to.  On the bus we met a very nice older couple from Canada and we ended up finding a cheap place to stay.  Once we checked in we walked to the beach but the day was very overcast and it rained off and on.  Before night fall Amanda and I as well as our new friends headed into the city center, where there are absolutely no westerners, and walked through markets.  After enough smell of raw meat, fish, and backstreet alleys we went in search of a nice street food vendor.  Amanda has been eating vegetarian so it took us a while to find something adequate to her liking.  We ended up in a place where we might of been the first falangs to eat there.  It was a vegetarian restaurant that specialized in imitating meat dishes.  The food was good just a bit salty for me.  On the way home we walked through the night market, had some sugar cane juice, and than went to sleep!  We weren't very impressed with the town so we decided to leave the next morning for Hoi An.

The bus left early in the morning and we got into the Hoi An area by noonish time.  They dropped us off on the highway where taxis were waiting.  We shared a taxi with a really nice couple from Israel.  They had already booked a hotel and we of course didn't so we went to theirs to check it out.  It was called the Sunflower Hotel and when we arrived,even though we weren't staying there, the staff approached us with fresh passion fruit juice and cold towels.  This sold me! Then you look down the corridor and theres a beautiful pool.  This was by far the nicest place we have stayed and we paid much over our normal rate. To add to it breakfast buffet was included and was very tasty.  We spent 3 nights in Hoi An where we met some great people and partied for one of their b-days.  There was a beach very close by so we checked it out with bicycles that we had for our stay.  The beach was surprisingly nice and had some really nice body surfing waves.  We ran into the couple we met in Qui Ngon there and talked with them quite a bit.  Btw Hoi An is very well known for their tailors so while visiting I got my first tailored piece of clothing and it came out super awesome. Hoi An was first colonized by the french, like many other towns in Vietnam, and has this old homey feel to it.  A river runs through old town and at night lanterns of all colors hang to light the streets. Its one of the most beautiful towns I have ever seen. While bicycling around town you can always find bars that sell "fresh beer."  This is like a homemade beer that comes out of a keg and it only costs 20 cents.  The taste is much different, almost like a meal in a drink, love it.  Our time in this amazing town came to an end when a typhoon came so it made for a good day to sit on a long bus.  Our next stop was Hue.

We got to Hue in the evening and it hadn't stopped raining the whole time.  This is the first time where we booked an accommodation before arriving to the town and it worked out great.  Its not fun hiking around town in the pouring rain searching for a place to stay.  The hotel even arranged to pick us up,  I definitely felt 1st class lol.  So we were to stay in Hue for two night to see the citadel but were unable to do that.  The rain never stopped and by the end of our time the streets were flooded to just past your knees.  It was great to experience because the people here will not let that stop them from riding moto-bike.  So we watched for hours locals trying to start their bikes from dry land and dive into a water filled street.  I guess they dont understand that the muffler cant be underwater.  Hue was nice but the typhoon just sat on top of us the whole time.  After two days we took a night sleeper bus up to Ninh Binh which left at 5pm and arrived 5:30am.  The seats we got were in the very back and had 3 bed like seats right next to each other. I was really hoping that the bus was'nt gonna be filled if it was than i was to sleep very close to a random person.  Of course the bus was overbooked and I got to sleep next to my first Vietnamese.  He would fall asleep and his leg would loose its strength and fall on to my lap.  This is when I instantly shoved it off.  I did not get much sleep that night but makes for a funny story.

We arrived in Ninh Binh on time and we went to a hotel to get some proper sleep.  After a couple hours we needed some food so we asked the reception where to go.  The young man said theres a great place across town which he would take us to, so why not.  Amanda and I jumped on the back of their moto-bikes to find out that the restaurant was a wanna-be KFC (KFC is the largest fast food chain in Vietnam, they love it). We laughed and said no but enjoyed some local coffee.  While drinking coffee they sat with us and asked about the bracelets we have bought throughout our travels.  One of the guys had just started a bracelet making business and wanted to see some ideas that he could maybe work on.  So after taking pics of our bracelets he than invites us to come check out his business.  We jump back on the moto and head across town see what hes got.  His bracelets are not to attractive so I try to explain how hand made would be of much interest to foreigners.  All he had was metal that was bought somewhere overseas.  After our little business meeting they dropped us off back at the hotel and we went hunting for a real place to eat as well as bicycles.  We found both at the same place.  We rode our bikes to a place outside of town called Tam Coc which is about 10 kilometers away.  At Tam Coc we hired a row boat and a rower to take us down a river that is enclosed by limestone karst mountains on both sides.  It is an amazing view and while cruising down you also go through three cave systems.  It was an amazing trip! While on the boat other boats would pass us with fellow tourists, mostly chinese. All of them would look at me like i was some kind of movie star or freak show and constantly take pictures.  With this happening so much I decide to starting taking pics right back at them, good times and good photos.  When we got back to Ninh Binh that afternoon we returned the bikes and took a walk around town.  This town like Qui Ngon has no westerners and we are starred at very differently.  While cruising the streets we hit the market where we found cooked dog sitting on many tables.  People have been asking me how did you know it was dog?  Well when the head is cut off and put in front of the meats you kinda know.  This picture will always haunt my mind.  We then ate dinner, j/k. My stomach was a little twisted post dog table.  We booked a train for the next morning for Ha Noi.  The train was quite nice and talked with very nice local man.

We got to Ha Noi around 11am and took a taxi to the bus station to book a bus-boat-bus ticket for Cat Ba Island.  We got a bus that day for a 1pm departure and while waiting I enjoyed 2 Banh Mi's, delicious.  We arrived in Cat Ba Town around 6pm found a place to eat and than crashed.  The next was spent on rented motobike around the island.  The highlight for me was going to the national park.  We hiked out to an observation tower that might fall any day now.  The views from the top were worth all risks.  That night we met at a rock climbing place for a meeting on what trips were going on the next day.  Amanda and I were interested in deep water soloing, this is where you free climb a wall thats over water and when you can't climb anymore you cliff jump into the water.  I love climbing and cliff jumping so how could I not.  To our surprise there were 8 of signed up which meant that we would be paying the cheapest amount for the trip.  So the next day we climbed till our arms were jello and than went back to the main boat for lunch.  The lunch was fantastic and the people on the boat were really cool.  The second half of the day was spent kayaking around Ha Long bay through its nooks and crannies.  The trip ended by night fall and we all decided to meet for dinner and drinks.  So 8 of us met up shared our stories with some food and drinks and than parted ways.  The next day we met up with a couple from Zimbabwe to go to the beach for a chill day.  But before that happened Amanda and I went to a local restaurant to organize a Thanksgiving Feast.  I brought pictures of dishes and requested grilled whole chickens to replace the turkey. So we ordered mash potatoes, sauteed greens, salad, chicken, yams, and some strawberry jam to replace cranberry sauce.  At 10 i talked it over with our friends and they approved and were super excited for their first thanksgiving.  We went to the beach for a couple hours and than I took it easy and relaxed watching movies.  ***Btw I'm in an internet cafe right now and the guy in charge is jamming to backstreet boys and singing out loud, hilarious.  They love love love backstreet boys here.***  Back to the story.  While relaxing watching movies Amanda is taking a nice long shower.  Right as she finishes we get a loud frantic beating on the door as if something is extremely wrong and there was.  When I open the door amanda hides and I see the owner freaking out.  I look down and there is a river leaving our room and going straight down the stairwell.  The drain was going down in the shower and over flooded.  There was so much water that it reached the 1st floor and we were staying on the 7th lol.  I went downstairs to make sure everything was alright, which it was, and was yelled at like I was back in the keys on vacation with my friend greg.  It wasn't my fault for both these situations but I took the blame very well and held my ground.  It was now 5pm and I needed a beer to calm down before meeting up with our friends.  Everyone showed up but two people so we invited a fellow traveller from montana.  As we approached the restaurant we had had a huge table saved for us with all the food already set on the table.  It really looked like thanksgiving.  In vietnam when you order food you never get it at the same time so we were so impressed.  I was so thankful that i gave father and son a huge hug and thanked them graciously.  So it was 7 of us eating including the montana man, a couple from NJ, a couple from Zimbabwe, and of course us two.  I'm not gonna lie, this was one of my favorite thanksgivings.  I love spending it with family but the uniqueness of this one was just so amazing.  We spent so much that the restaurant provided homemade rice wine for shots.  It was quite a celebration.  When we finished we went to the pier for more beers and bought a bottle of whiskey.  We were told that at 1am the beach near by would have many bio-luminescent plankton to swim with.  We drank till the time was right and than the 6 of us went to the beach for some skinny dipping.  We were kicked off the 1st beach and the second beach was just filled with green glowing plankton.  This was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had.  The whole day was spent with such great people that I will never forget and hopefully see sometime in the near future.  We departed the next day from cat ba and are now back in Ha noi.  We are leaving tomorrow morning for Kuala Lumpur than we will be off to singapore before flying towards the states.  Its sad that our trip is ending but very excited to go back the states to work SNOWBOARD. Please let it snow.  I will write soon to end the trip. Hope all is well back in the western world!

Cambodia to Vietnam...This is good

Good Morning Vietnam! As well as the rest of the world! I'm here in the heart of the central highlands in a town once run by the French, Da Lat. Vietnam has been quite the journey thus far and have enjoyed my experiences greatly. Its been a while since I last updated this blog. Its hard to stop yourself to sit down for an hour when there's a whole new place to explore! But today we told ourselves that we would just chill out, watch movies, write blog, and eat the most delicious food. So the last time I wrote I believe we were in Phenom Penh, Cambodia. So I will update from there...

So we caught a bus at 9am that picked us up from in front of our guesthouse. The bus was nice and empty so I was able to sprawl out and finish my book. This book really puts you in the life of a Cambodian during the Khmer Rouge era and can't help but feel sympathy for what theyve been through. The bus got in around noon and we instantly bargained with a tuk-tuk driver to take us to Otres Beach. This beach is outside of town and much less visited by the tourist. When we get there we search for a place to stay by walking up the beach. Otres beach consists of one dirt road with accommodations on either side, not too much to it but the beach! This is exactly what we wanted. No brits or aussies getting black out drunk. After a good 30 minutes of looking at places we found the right one, I mean the perfect one, no I mean the dream place for me to stay. No joke, this is what I would want out of a beachfront bungalow. The bungalows are made out of all wood with no metal roof and no metal what-so-ever. They are stilted off the ground and shaped as giant muchrooms. There is one window(no glass) that has a 180 degree view of the ocean and if it starts raining management will race to your bungalow and roll down a plastic window.  Sleeping here was amazing all you can hear is the wind and the waves. As I love to say "Livin the Dream". We stayed here for two nights since it was a little pricey on our budget, the room was 15usd per night.  Our days consisted of relaxing on the beach, eating, talking with local vendors, and nothing! This beach is really relaxed with under 20 people on it at a time so if your looking for night life this is not the place. Its so relaxed that you can buy joints in restaurants and smoke marijuana freely where ever and whenever you like. I was super surprised to see people rolling joints right in the middle of the public. I asked a bar owner about the laws, while hes rolling a joint behind the bar, he responds that it is legal to smoke it but illegal to sell it. This place makes me think of amsterdam but ur on a beach in the open and not in coffee shops.  While enjoying the crystal clear water we met a fellow traveler from Maryland, USA and we decided since we had the same itinerary we would travel together.  Matt had been living and working in Australia for the past 4months and will be travelling worldwide. On the third night we went into town, Serendipity Beach, to see what it was like. This place was a huge change from where we were staying at. Tourists covered the beach and vendors nagged at you to buy their goods or services. The next day we woke super early with our friend Matt and a girl from Finland to catch the 2hour boat ride to the island of Koh Rong. 

Koh Rong is a descent sized island thats not very populated and with no roads. We got to the island and raced to find accommodation before everything sold out, which supposedly happens a lot. After a treacherous search Amanda and I ended up staying at Monkey Island and Matt and finland found their own places. The beaches were crystal clear but kinda run down if u stayed in town. Luckily we stayed outside town. That day Amanda and I hiked over boulders to get to a secluded beach that was miles long.  We found ourselves on one of the most beautiful beaches ive ever been to with no more than 4 other people. The beach is so long you kind of forget theres other on it. Our afternoon was spent exploring the beach and jungle. The next day we met up with Matt in the morning to take a hike over the mountain to another secluded beach. When we found Matt in town I was surpised to find that Amanda was feeling a little sick so she decided to stay back and relax in our bungalow. I had herd the previous day from another colorado man that the trail is easy to get lost on. While on the trail I constantly focused on trying to stay on trail but of course we get lost. But someone famous said "its not an adventure until something goes wrong", and I play off that always. So while getting lost we are on a trail thats very narrow with thick brush on both sides slapping at your knees. I here something move very quickly right in front of me and I immediately step back a few. As i focus in on the foliage I find a snake about 4ft long and of a creamy white color. None of its body is touching the ground and by its slender shape I can tell it is a tree dwelling animal. Its head is very diamond like shaped which makes me think venomous and with it coiled up ready to strike I hesitate to move forward.   With a long stick I scare it back into the woods and my friend disappears into the thick vegetation. So we ended up getting on the wrong trail and had to go back and find the right one. After sometime we find ourselves on the right trail at the top of the mountain, ready to make the extreme vertical descent to the beach. The beach was just as nice as the one from the previous day. On the beach we found a warning sign for snakes of the area and the snake we came face to face with was of the viper family. I believe it was called a white lipped viper, very venomous. Scary. Far away island  + snake bite= no more adventure! Thats what went through my head for a while that day. I came so close to this snake and came out without a strike. I thank that snake for being patient and not striking so soon. After spending sometime on the beach we hiked back and I went to see how amanda was feeling. She was feeling a little better so we went to get some lunch at a place that had great views. The rest of my afternoon was spent playing some intense volleyball games, I love volleyball! The next day we caught the morning boat back to the mainland to meet up with Matt and figure out our next step in the journey. We decide on going straight to Saigon, Vietnam the next day. 

The bus picked us up at 8am and would not get into Saigon until 9pm that night. We didn't realize the date but it was October 31, Halloween. We were bombarded by a lady with a guesthouse so we followed her through the narrow ally ways of Saigon until we found it. It was in the heart of the ally in such a unique place. Im already like the looks of Saigon! So we drop our bags and head for the streets where we are still unknowing of Halloween. The streets are like Lincoln Rd times 1,000. The people watching is of peak value and we find a place on the street to get a drink and watch the people.  Amanda is in shock of how many people there are and goes into minor panic attack. I console her and try to explain life in a big city to ease her mind. While she cools down I am in absolute wonderland! Wherever the eye wonders I am struck with amazement and bewilderment. After a while of being in awe Amanda and I leave our friend to go to sleep. The next day we got breakfast and than went looking for a supermarket to find baking soda for my bed bug bites. Btw thankyou ericka, i think ur method worked. We than booked a tour for the Cu Chi (these tunnels our known to be quite hot and humid) tunnels and wondered through the streets until we hit the park. The park was filled with children playing as well as learning. We came to find that instead of children paying extra for english school they go to the park and meet tourist. So we find ourselves talking with over15 kids about our lives and theirs.  This lasts for about an hour and than Matt and I play a game with some locals that I have no idea what it is called.  Its between hacky sack and badmitton. Its shuttlecock shaped hacky sack. This last until almost night fall so before dusk we head to the market to take stroll. I buy myself a shirt and than we sit on the corner of one of the busiest streets in Saigon to enjoy some Pho and beer. The next day we got to the infamous Cu Chi tunnels by bus to find a very one sided view of the war. They are extremely biased and only use Americans as there enemy instead of including all the countries involved including their own people. We are the only americans on the tour and the only ones upset with what our guide is telling us. He can see our disgust with the tour and pulls us aside to console us about what he MUST say during the tour and what he MUST not say. Its straight up corrupt and fucked up. The whole world is coming to this attraction to get some history but they are telling in dead wrong.  This was a very tough day to deal with.  We returned to the city that afternoon. Enjoyed the best fruit smoothie ever(fresh smoothie with chunks of fruit thrown on top, we got drinks here everyday) as well as a Bahn Mi(this is the best sandwhich ever and I have no idea whats in it). That night we had some delicious street food that was comparable to a thai lettuce wrap but again I had no idea what kind of meat we were eating :). After stuffing ourselves for a couple dollars we walked the streets and found ourselves sitting at the same bar as our first night. Local vendors constantly pester you to buy whatever they have to offer. They sell books, bracelets, massages, and everything else.  Some people are bothered by them but we love messing with them. The interactions are so much fun. We put back many beers and laughed with others. While observing the streets with our beers we are bombarded by a paddywagon. Everyone starts yelling federali federali and running in all directions! Chairs are flying, tables are turning, and people are moving at great speed. Without thinking i get up and back away from the streets not knowing what these so called federali will do. We are in a communist country. This whole fiasco was about where the bars have put their tables and chairs. If they got past a cemented line and a chair is snatched by one of the federali than they owe them money. Each chair is worth 500,000 dong (thats right dong, thats the currency here...the dong can go along way...sorry i had to) and that is 25usd, which is a lot of money out here.  Its within seconds that once the federali leave the bar owners put back the chairs and tables to the illegal location. While chilling here all night we find that this doesnt happen just once but throughout the rest of the night. Its a gamble they are willing to risk. Its kinda like a game. This is how it works- Each bar has a man on the street as a look out so when one bar sees the federali they yell to the next to warn. Than that man warns the bar workers and than within seconds chairs and tables are gone. If they come away without a chair taken than all you see from the workers are smiles and laughs. They seem to love playing this risky game. I sure was scared the first time it happened and I constantly laugh about the situation. We had a late night and the next morning we were to catch a bus for the beach town called Mui Ne.

Everyone in the bus seemed to have a place to stay already and we of course didn't. We haven't booked a place in advanced since chiang mai, thailand.  So when we reach the beach town a man walks up the bus asking where to get dropped off and when he gets to me I look at him and say "cheap, cheap". Instantly he nods his head and says "I have something for you". To our liking he drops us off at an amazing hotel where Amanda, Matt, and myself will pay 5usd each for monstrous room with A/C. With cold A/C, hot shower, and a balcony you cant go wrong and its just across the street from the beach. We spent that day chilling on the beach and wondering around. There's not much to this town but beach and kite surfing. And since i dont have money for kite surfing I will enjoy da beach. The following day we rent scooters to explore around the town including distant beaches and sand dunes. But 1st we must rent the bikes. Matt has never driven a two wheel motorized vehicle before so the owner shows him the ropes. He than gets on the bike and does the most common mistake...He gives a little gas and becomes scared and instead of squeezing the brakes he gives it more gas and flys out into the middle of road frantically. He crosses the road hits the curb and throw the bike to the ground. Hes stands up looks over at us with this stare of what the fuck just happened? We ask if hes alright and to our surprise he is just fine. So I burst out in laughter. I laughed about it all day. Instead of being scared of the bike he got right back on and we pursued our adventure. We drove all around the area to find ourselves stopping at a beach where you had to walk over sand dunes to get to. No one was on the beach but locals who were fishing for some kind of clam. I helped for a bit and tried to carry the days catch but was way to heavy. This women who carried it was made of bronze and steal. Ron Burgundy would be amazed with her abilities. We stopped for a drink close by at a resort where we also went swimming again than we were off to the red dunes. We covered ourselves in sand like kids and our smiles were as big and genuine as can be. We were getting hungry so we found a beach on the way back to town to wash up and than find something to eat. That night we splurged on food and had a seafood feast with fresh crabs and tiger shrimp. I also tried some of Matts frog. The next day was spent doing whatever each person wanted. I went swimming, napped, and read Papillon which i am loving. You must read this book if you have yet to.  We had been travelling with our friend Matt for over a week now and the next day we would go different directions. He would take the long journey to Nah Trang and we would head into the central highlands to a city called Da Lat. In the morning we say farewell to our friend and than jump on our bus which turned out to be quite the experience. The bus was overbooked and people were sitting on the floor and bags were piled chest high in the aisle! Super cramped.

We arrived in Da Lat at about 5pm and was dropped off near the city center in front of a nice looking hotel. Of course they rush us, pestering us to come in and we usually decline but decided to see. It was 5usd a person with balcony and great room. Btw the temperature here is cool/cold at night and mild temps in the day time. We stayed at the hotel and have been enjoying it greatly. Like I said before Da Lat has a lot of french influence so that night we went straight to the bakery for some amazing baked goods. Da Lat is also known for their wine so after dinner and a walk through the market Amanda and I shared a bottle of wine. It was'nt too bad. The following day we went on a tour of around the city which brought us to some places far outside of walking distance. We saw amazing waterfall, coffee plantations, cricket farm(where i had a taste of some fried cricket with chili sauce), villagers, and a crazy house. Some of the coffee here is fed to weasels and than they poop it out and than we drink it. Sounds nasty but its the local way so we of course tried some hot liquid weasel shit. The tour finished in the late afternoon. We rested a bit and than went out for some streetfood at a local market. Theres not many white people in this town so I am looked at very differently. People take pictures or give me deathly looks. I just give them the biggest smile and they dont know what to think. We find ourselves some mysterious dishes and of course love them. We make it an early night and head back to the room for some R&R. 

This brings me to where I am at now. Im in the hotel lobby writing you. We will leave for a new place tomorrow but are not 100% sure where we will go. I will let you know very soon.....