Vrrrm Vietnam Vrrrrmm Part 2

So the last time I updated my blog I had just got to Dalat City in the Central Highlands. My first day there I did a tour around Dalat and the surrounding cities. The first part was a stop at a flower farm. I used to work for Krieger Greenhouses this was nothing new except they only grow flowers, nothing else. Also most of the flowers grown there are for the Tet Festival, the New Year, every year. It was pretty sweet. The next stop was a coffee plantation. This I had never seen before. They dried the beans by putting them out on a tarp to dry in the sun. Also they use all the discarded husks for fuel in a lot of the local industries around the village. Next we walked to a local rice wine distiller. I was the only one that tried it. It was being distilled right there so it was the freshest I had ever had. Next was a short bus ride to a silk factory. This was one of the highlights. We got to see the silk worms and how they got the silk from them. I even tried a fried silk larva worm. It tasted like a nut. If I had to I could survive on them. After that it was another ride to Elephant Falls. Which I think are one of the biggest in Vietnam. Right near there is the biggest pagoda in all of Vietnam with the happy Buddha statue. Finally it was back to town for lunch. This was a bit frustrating because the guy at my hotel told me lunch was included. For $17 I believed him. But alas this was not true. The bright said was I sat with a family from Malaysia and we ate family style. The guy was super nice and could speak English rather well. The first stop after lunch was the crazy house. This house has been being built since 1990. So far its cost over 1 Million and it isn't done. The ultimate goal is to have it function as a hotel. The rooms right now range from $65 to over $100. There are themed rooms like an ant room and a lion, giraffe, bear, and various other animals. I guess the locals are upset because all of this money is being invested in it when they think the money should go to the town. The final stop was the oldest train station in Vietnam. It was built by the French in the 1930s. There is only one train now that goes to a village in back 7 KM away. It takes something like 2 hours round trip. All in all Dalat was nice. It was good to have a laid back experience in a mountain town.


The next day I left via bus to Nha Trang. Geez this bus ride almost rivaled the one to Dalat. The only good thing was it was a sleeper bus so I could stretch out my legs somewhat and it was a lot bigger. I got to Nha Trang mid morning. I walked to my hostel while avoiding every attempt by bike taxis asking me if I needed a ride. The hostel was nice. It was a 14 person room but within the room there were 2 separate rooms. My room had 2 other people. Nha Trang was a tourist town. Lots of people wandering around. The beach was bad too. Well not that bad. The thing was there was brush washed up everywhere. You would think that the government would clear it out. But nope. I didn't really site see that much in Nha Trang. I went out both nights I was there with some Aussies. I actually met a girl from Iowa. She grew up in Cedar Rapids but has lived in Australia the last 10 years. In all my travels it was the first Iowan I met. Oh and I also met a guy from Omaha there too. Small world. I spent most of the time at the beach. The last night I was there I went out to eat with two Canadians and a girl they had met who grew up in Philadelphia but was Vietnamese and lived in Nha Trang. It was awesome because she took us out to the local areas for some local food. I would have never tried it if I didn't have someone there that new what it was. Sunday night I caught the overnight bus from Nha Trang to Hoi An where I am now. It left at 7:30 PM and got here about 7:30 AM. I wish they made the sleeper buses for Westerners. I mean there were a number of Vietnamese on there but come on. I needed to be at least 2 feet shorter to actually stretch out. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep. Before we left the city I had given my bus ticket to the lady that came and got me at my hostel. Well some new guy got on demanding tickets. He asked for mine and I told him I didn't have it and that I gave it to the lady that got me. He said, "She don't do that, she know better." To which I replied, "I don't know what to say. She asked for it and I gave it to her. I don't have it." "Just look. Why don't you look" he said. "Look I don't have it. Here see my wallet. No ticket." He got off the bus and yelled something in Vietnamese and came back on. He never asked for my ticket so I don't know what happened. I decided to stay at the hotel that the bus stopped at. See most bus companies have deals with certain hotels. So they stop there and the hotel invites you in to see a room and if you don't want it they will get you a cab. Well my room was $15 with tv, air, a pool, balcony, and free internet and breakfast. I didn't feel like walking around so I except it.

Yesterday I walked around for a good 10 KM in the morning. I ended up getting a cyclo ride back to my hotel because I was so tired from walking. I walked to the old town last night for dinner but then it started raining. Today I decided to rent a bike. I went to the beach and the tried to get lost in a few of the local villages connected to Hoi An. Its funny because I ride by the kids and they say hello every time. I couple of times they even stuck out their hands so I could give them a high five. I'm not sure what I will do tonight. This isn't much of a party town so we shall see. I'm headed to Hanoi tomorrow evening. I plan on spending the rest of my time in Vietnam split between Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, and Sapa. Here are pictures from Dalat, Nha Trang, and Hoi An. Until next time. Cheers. J




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The local food place Ive been eating at in Hoi An. Its very good and cheap.




My trusty stead in Hoi An.




Hoi An beach. It was much nice that Nha Trang. The downside is the peddlers don't walk away so easy when you say no or shake your head. They actually sit down and talk to you and then give you their name and say they will return.




Nha Trang beach.




Rice fields.

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Vrrrrmmmm Vietnam Vrrm Part 1

I arrived in the city of Da Lat early this morning. After eating lunch at a noodle shop and walking around in the pouring down rain I figured it was time to dry off a bit. Sunday night I arrived in Saigon, Vietnam from Koh Yao Noi via Phuket, Thailand. When I got out of the airport a cabbie approached me and wanted to give me a ride. We walked a bit and he said you pay me and I go get car. I said no how about I follow you to your car. So we walked a bit more to a van with some other people in it. He switched with that driver and I got in. Pretty smooth on his part huh. The drive to the hotel was about 45 minutes. Wow, I thought Bangkok was busy. That isn't even close to the amount of scooters that Saigon has. They weave in and out of each other, other vehicles, and people. Its the most organized chaos I have ever seen in my life. Its like they all know what each other is thinking and knows which way they are going to turn. Crazy I tell ya. Its a picture the intersection and a video of what its like.









At one point along the drive we were stuck behind a road paver. Well the cyclos decided to all go up on the sidewalk. So now you had 60-70 cyclos on a sidewalk all trying to go the same direction and then get back onto the road. There was one brave soul that was trying to go the opposite way but he wasn't making it very far. My hotel was in an alleyway off the street. The driver dropped me off and said its back there. So who was I to argue with him. After all he is from Saigon and I'm not. He was telling the truth and I did find it. I decided that night to go to the beach town of Mui Ne about 3 hours north of Saigon. I got there and was lucky to find a great dorm for only $8 right on the beach. Once I got settled the beach was calling my name. The waves were pretty big there. It took me awhile to get used to them and not get knocked over every time. That afternoon the rain started. It rained and rained and rained. That evening when I decided to go to dinner I had another interesting run with a taxi. This time it was a scooter taxi. Well it was sprinkling so I figured why not take one since I hadn't done it yet. I was sure that I knew where this place was. We started out and kept going and never saw it. I knew I was wrong so I told him to let me off and I walked back the other way. He turned back around and said free ride. So we went. He kept asking me, "You want boom-boom?" "No I didn't want boom-boom". Then we passed it but he kept going. He finally stopped and I walked back the other way. Finally. It turned out that it was right across from my hotel. Basically I paid the guy $10 for a 5 minute ride and a "boom-boom" proposition. Gotta love it.


Yesterday I rented a scooter instead of getting a tour or getting a taxi. It was pouring out but what else was I going to do, get drunk? It was an experience. I decided to ride to the red sand dunes about 20 KM outside of Mui Ne. It was fun just barreling down the road like I was a local. When I got there I went on top of them to take a picture. There are kids who rent you a plastic mat that you can use to go down them. They approached me and asked me. I said its too wet. They said no it means you go faster. I told them that if one of them showed me then I would do it. Sure enough they were right. I asked them how much. They said whatever you want. So I figured I'd be generous. After all whats $5 to me. I took about 3 runs and it was fun. When I got back up they said, "You pay now." "Yes I pay now." I was going to give them 50000 Dong which is about $3. They ended up milking me for 80000 which is $4.50. Then they noticed my Altoids in my bag. "We wan't candy." Ok I will give them candy. I opened the tin up and it was like a feeding frenzy. I couldn't stop them. Once all the mints were gone one kid wanted the tin. Now a girl wanted it too. So they broke it in half and shared. Nice huh. This morning I left for the city of Da Lat in the south central highlands. It was one the worst bus rides I have ever been on and I have been on a lot of bad ones. There was one point for an hour where we had to keep slowing down because the road was so bad. There were potholes galore. My last night in Mui Ne I saw that a bus like that ran off the side of the road last year killing 9tourists. I serious comtemplated not going after reading that. Here is a video of the ride.




Now imagine that ride for an hour. The rain seems to have followed me here. The forecast calls for rain the rest of the week. Thats too bad if its true because there is so much here to see that is hard to see unless its sunny. So I will probably take off Friday. The good news is that my room here has two beds, a fridge, my own bathroom and shower, and cable TV for only $7 a day. Its super nice too. Awesome huh. Here are pictures from Saigon and Mui Ne. Cheers.





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Phun Around Phuket

I arrived to the island of Phuket, Thailand last Thursday afternoon. The plan was to leave for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Friday morning. But after hanging out with a person from the hostel I decided to go to Phuket at about 5 AM Thursday morning. After buying my ticket it was on. I left Bangkok airport at 2 PM and arrived to Phuket at 4 PM. The taxi situation was a nightmare. Luckily I was able to overhear to Aussies going to Potang Beach, where I was headed too, and asked them if I could ride with them since they had an extra seat. They said yes. The ride to Potang from the airport was about 45 minutes. The ride was filled with passing and being passed buy trucks, cabs, and bikes on hairpin turns. When we got to the street where my hostel was the cabbie let me out. Well the Aussies weren't staying there but the cabbie wouldn't take them to their place. I felt really bad since they let me ride with them and now they had to walk God knows how far. But they didn't seem to mind. They were more upset at the cabbie. Potang Beach was almost like Bangkok but in a smaller area and on a beach. There were so many tourists there. Most of them were longer Aussies, Kiwis, Germans, and Canadians there to party all night and morning at the various clubs. I was only able to spend one night doing that. Luckily the beach helps the hurt in the morning. The beach at Potang wasn't that great so on Friday we went south to Kata Beach. The water was clearer and the crowds were less. We decided we didn't really want to stay in Phuket yesterday or today so we decided to go somewhere else for the night. The decision was a small, sparsely populated island of Koh Yao Noi east of Phuket. We took a local long boat from Ban Rong pier to the island. The ride was about 1 hour. We set up on the top the whole time. With the exception of a Swedish couple we were the only Westerners on the boat. It reminded me a lot of remote Alaska but a lot warmer of course. Yesterday we rented a scooter and drove around the island. We spent most of the afternoon lying on the beach and swimming. Last night we watched a local duo play acoustic guitar show at our place. They were amazing. My friend left about an hour ago so I decided to do the internet thing for a bit since it had been 4 days. This afternoon I plan hitting the beach and then leaving at 4 for Phuket. My flight leaves the airport for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam at 7 and I arrive at 9 PM. So far the days keep getting better and better. Enjoy the pictures and videos below. Cheers.




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Bummin' 'Round Bangkok

Well I finally was able to get out see some sights around Bangkok today. I took a water canal taxi to the stop before the Golden Palace. Bangkok is full of people around the sites that want to tell you that this or that temple is closed because of some unannounced Buddhist holiday. They want to take you here or there. Basically they want to drive you around and you pay them more than normal for nothing at all. The temples are really neat. You have to take your shoes of before you can enter. The water canal is crazy. I had to stand there for a bit and let a few go by to see how it worked. Below is a video of the process.



Here are the pictures of the temples.


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So if there are any children reading this stop now. The following isnt for their ears. This morning a guy staying in my room rolled in around 7AM from partying all night. He started snoring right away and I tried to get back to sleep. After 30 min I finally decided to just get up for the day. I went to the common room for about an hour before heading back to my room to brush my teeth. Well I could hardly get the door open. I kept pushing it trying to get it. I finally got it open far enough to see what was blocking it. The dude had fallen out of his bed and the door was hitting his head. His feet were still on the bed though. Also my pretty sure he had wet himself because his pants were all went in the front. I havent seen him yet nor have I went back to my room. I talked to a few guys who were with him at the club and they said they had to carry him back. Nice story huh. Well tomorrow Im going to pick up my visa for Vietnam. I still havent booked a flight yet. Im not sure when Im leaving. Probably Friday. Im over Bangkok. I need to get to the beach. Cheers...

Me No Talk Thai

I arrived in Bangkok early yesterday morning. It is way hotter than I expected. Its been in the 90s. Yesterday I went and applied for my Visa to Vietnam. That took a bit of time since the embassy was super busy. Last night I went out with a bunch of people from the hostel. I ended up sleeping until 3:30 today. I guess my body isnt used to the time yet. Oh well. I still have at least 2 days left in Bangkok. Tomorrow its going to be on. Im going to hit up a bunch of sites. I will post pictures next time. Until then.....

T-Minus 21 Hours

The time has finally come to get back on the road. As I'm sitting at my friend Luke's apartment in Aurora, CO, freezing my ass off because his landlord is too cheap to just replace his dinosaur of a furnace, I can't help but think that in 2 in a half days I will be soaking up the Thai sun with a beer in hand. I am so excited that I will be walking around in one of the busiest cities of the world and see, smell, and hear everything that makes SE Asia so exotic and mysterious to Westerners. I tried to pack as light as I could since everything will be so cheap there. But somehow, like always, I tend to over pack a bit. Overall I think I do a good job of traveling light. I am supposed to arrive in Bangkok at 1:30 AM on Jan 11. Crazy to think that I lose almost 2 days even though the total flight is 20 some hours. SE Asia is 13 hours ahead of us. So I have to find a cab to my hostel in Bangkok when I arrive. I was offered a job at that hostel to work the front desk in exchange for a free room. But they wanted me to stay there 2 weeks to make it beneficial to them. I only plan on being in Bangkok just long enough to get my Visa for Vietnam which should be no more than 4-5 days. After I have that then I am off to Vietnam. I'm not sure if I will go to Ho Chi Minh City in the south and go north or go to Hanoi and work south. That leg really dictates the rest of my travels. Well that's all for now. I have to finish up some laundry and pack since I won't be able to do it tomorrow morning. Its my friend Zoey's bday today so we are going to a comedy club to celebrate tonight. The shuttle will be here at 6 AM. 5:30 is going to come real early. Good thing I will have plenty of time to sleep. Cheers.