Friday, December 10, 2004
In Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City, I don't know)
Yes, they call this place by both names. I figured it was HCMC in Vietnam, but our guide dude called it Saigon. Who the hell knows. I blame the French.
It's busier than hell here and the hecticness is making my head swoon. Or maybe that's because I haven't had any real exercise in a long time. I was going to yoga our room up, but that'd hurt. It's very small. Maybe next time? I'd run around the city, but my whities went home in the last box. Besides, I'd end up being made dead by the traffic or something. Or just lost and frantically splundering around in the bottom of a canal somewhere. Unless they don't have canals, then maybe just ni a dilapidated drainage system.
Not bad so far. People have been nice enough. The strange part is being in a country whose connotation for years has been negative. What with that conflict and all. What it comes down to is that I am now in a country that was visited by my dad....35-37 years ago (sorry, dad, I forget what year exactly). And he was here as a soldier in a war. Very strange to think about. We'll be making a stop in Duc Pho (already found it on the map. Hopefully someone will let us out there. And then pick us up again)(where dad was stationed), and I think that may top the list of mind bending experiences.
Something funny happened. Too 'tired' right now to recollect what it was. Small boats smoothed us part of the way. Buses and vans jounced us the rest of the way. We saw an incense 'factory' (small bldg with painted people hustling) on the way. And a fish farm. Both mildly entertaining, but mostly usefull as a break from bouncing.
TA DOW!!! How do you like me now??
What else. Not much. Scoofed a couple movies last night. American Beauty and....Lock stock and 2 smoking barrels. Good shite. Hung with a french chick (she had fries for earrings. Never seen anything like it), a swiss dude (smelled like limburger), and 2 brits (have you ever seen 4 months supply of fish and chips? gets raunchy. the guv in the bag for security didn't seem none too pleased). And there was the Vietnamese chap working the place. He laughed a lot. Not sure why. Cool though. The balcony/common area/restaurant/bar of the place we stayed was open air but had a massive bug net around it. I want one. A common area that is.
What else.
We're still alive. Take that Lampey McGhee!
Dinner. Once our bags were deposited in our hotel room, dinner seemed a grand idea. A small place accepted us (I just looked down at my crotch and saw the huge stain I deposited there at dinner by way of grease. Shite. I REALLY need to do laundry) and we ate. Good stuff. While we dined, a woman with a stack of 30 or so books came by to peddle (you can probably see where this is going). I bought another book: 'Self', by Yan Martel. Rachelle bought Michael "Tubs" Moore's book 'Stupid White Men'. I congratulated her on buying a photocopied (most books over here are just that) book so that El Whale-o got nothing for it. Otherwise I may have slain her. Much like Buffy would have.
Eyes are tired or smog-smitten.
Tomorrow I think we are doing museums. We've been told that the war museum here paints a pic of our Vietnam War as being a civil war between north and south. Which it was. Which seems to rarely get paper time, as far as I've seen. Interesting. The day after (Sunday, I think) we are hoping to take a 1/2 day tour to the Co Chi (I think? Fact check later) Tunnels. Tunnels built by the North Vietnamese during the war. Should be interesting.
You've taken up enough of my time. I'm sweating and dirty (my clothes and person) and should walk around a bit.
Bye-bye
Everyone should visit asia/SE Asia. Plan it
It's busier than hell here and the hecticness is making my head swoon. Or maybe that's because I haven't had any real exercise in a long time. I was going to yoga our room up, but that'd hurt. It's very small. Maybe next time? I'd run around the city, but my whities went home in the last box. Besides, I'd end up being made dead by the traffic or something. Or just lost and frantically splundering around in the bottom of a canal somewhere. Unless they don't have canals, then maybe just ni a dilapidated drainage system.
Not bad so far. People have been nice enough. The strange part is being in a country whose connotation for years has been negative. What with that conflict and all. What it comes down to is that I am now in a country that was visited by my dad....35-37 years ago (sorry, dad, I forget what year exactly). And he was here as a soldier in a war. Very strange to think about. We'll be making a stop in Duc Pho (already found it on the map. Hopefully someone will let us out there. And then pick us up again)(where dad was stationed), and I think that may top the list of mind bending experiences.
Something funny happened. Too 'tired' right now to recollect what it was. Small boats smoothed us part of the way. Buses and vans jounced us the rest of the way. We saw an incense 'factory' (small bldg with painted people hustling) on the way. And a fish farm. Both mildly entertaining, but mostly usefull as a break from bouncing.
TA DOW!!! How do you like me now??
What else. Not much. Scoofed a couple movies last night. American Beauty and....Lock stock and 2 smoking barrels. Good shite. Hung with a french chick (she had fries for earrings. Never seen anything like it), a swiss dude (smelled like limburger), and 2 brits (have you ever seen 4 months supply of fish and chips? gets raunchy. the guv in the bag for security didn't seem none too pleased). And there was the Vietnamese chap working the place. He laughed a lot. Not sure why. Cool though. The balcony/common area/restaurant/bar of the place we stayed was open air but had a massive bug net around it. I want one. A common area that is.
What else.
We're still alive. Take that Lampey McGhee!
Dinner. Once our bags were deposited in our hotel room, dinner seemed a grand idea. A small place accepted us (I just looked down at my crotch and saw the huge stain I deposited there at dinner by way of grease. Shite. I REALLY need to do laundry) and we ate. Good stuff. While we dined, a woman with a stack of 30 or so books came by to peddle (you can probably see where this is going). I bought another book: 'Self', by Yan Martel. Rachelle bought Michael "Tubs" Moore's book 'Stupid White Men'. I congratulated her on buying a photocopied (most books over here are just that) book so that El Whale-o got nothing for it. Otherwise I may have slain her. Much like Buffy would have.
Eyes are tired or smog-smitten.
Tomorrow I think we are doing museums. We've been told that the war museum here paints a pic of our Vietnam War as being a civil war between north and south. Which it was. Which seems to rarely get paper time, as far as I've seen. Interesting. The day after (Sunday, I think) we are hoping to take a 1/2 day tour to the Co Chi (I think? Fact check later) Tunnels. Tunnels built by the North Vietnamese during the war. Should be interesting.
You've taken up enough of my time. I'm sweating and dirty (my clothes and person) and should walk around a bit.
Bye-bye
Everyone should visit asia/SE Asia. Plan it
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