Holidays
First off, some not so good news. My friend Fred Savoy who had a heart attack could not go back when expected. He has an infection in the brain which is curable but will take some more time...just needs to stay a little longer so that it will clear up. His heart condition is good and all that...just got some good news he may be going home....!!!!
The bikes in Ho Chi Minh...Saigon..high chair...five on one...Go Go Bar...poverty...New Year..Spring Flower Festival....finding money....jogging in the heat....Mekong Delta tour...snake...banana wine...new drink
seduction.
The flight down was uneventful except for an unexpected and unknown stopover...on the ticket it said Beijing to Ho Chi Minh but we stopped in Naning for a walk around a cubicle, another security check that was unnecessary because all we did was walk around the cubicle and then reload the airplane,,,but it must have been done for a reason...Mine...as I was standing in the lobby waiting to get on I heard a lady say are you Darryl...I turned around and a young Chinese lady (Vienne)was there and she said..I think I was your tour guide in Harbin last year and sure enough she was...we started talking...she remembered me because of my Huskie hat...or maybe just because I am a memorable person...you pick...but how amazing to have a lady from all of the people inn China come up to you and say I know you ...strange world we live in..she is working in Beijing and has asked to meet again..just to talk about what she is doing which is evaluating live arts performances like the Legends fo Kung Fu ..etc
Getting into Ho Chi Minh at midnight was an experience as well...not so much the drive but the fact that you had to go up a narrow street about the width of 1 car with a Land Rover was exciting enough..they unlocked the gates sop that I could get in and then took the passport and sent me to my room...by the time I finally got to bge it ws around 300 and I got up at about 7 for my jog...down unfamiliar streets to say the least...just out and back for one half an hour and I was familiar with the place..right...damn near forget to take a hotel card so that if I got lost I could ask for directions....the next day I actually did forget....if anything were to happen to you no one would know who you were or where you were staying and maybe who would even care...so now I take a card each time..also should take some money but don't do that either
Was able to skype so sent a couple of messages home...one to Mom and one to Mark...got to chat with Jaxon....told him it was noon and he looked out the window and said no it was night and he had to go to bed ..told him he should fly over but he said he had to go to bed...sounds like Tammy is having another fun time with the pregnancy...hope to see them when I get home in April for the run....
Banana pancake on the agenda for a morning breakfast...small crepes with bananas in the middle had them twice they were good...also a Pineapple shake one day and strawberry the next....right off the vines I think....meals have been very good for the most part...we try various things and seem to have good luck...even Lasagna
Interesting reaction to me as I jog..almost unheard of I think...people have been smiling and laughing as I run...maybe a very unusual sight...maybe in the morning...not a lot of people out...relatively speaking...days get very hot very fast...I was sweating bullets one day....did get a great video of an intersection at night...hundreds of motorcycles going all sorts of directions,..I don't know if there are any signals that anyone follows...you'll see if I can get it on or if not I will bring it home to you...
The first day I was going to book a tour when an older man actually probably not older, came up to me and offered his services as a guide and pulled out a bood that had some references from others who had taken him..they all seemed good so I booked hi for the day $25.....his name was Mr Kim...first order of business was to exchange my rmb to dongs (Vietnam)..I did just that and was an instant millionaire........ well, actually a 4.2 millionaire...now does that feel good....I am bringing home the currency to prove it....I am a millionaire for the first time in my life...I laughed about that ....costs 4000 for a bottle of water....70,000 for a cocktail....but you know I can pay for it cuz I am a millionaire....hahaha
Found a new drink called Seduction..containing 1/3 Kahlua, 1/3 Medjori
or mejori and 1/3 Bailley's..... too smooth and too easily distracted
Mr Kim took me to several temples and then I told him I was templed out and he had about 5 other things to show me ....one of the places he stopped was at a shop that sold a whiskey drink. Inside the bottle was a cobra that had a scorpion in its mouth...I kid you not and there are hundreds of these all over the streets at various vendors. Funny thing he said it was a cure for arthritis or a poor sex life....I think just about anything it would cure...not sure hat it would taste lie....looks like the snake had been there for a while...
temples
Also went to a war museum and to the former presidential palace...funny how one man's terrorist is another mans freedom fighter...when you view it from the other side....the War in Vietnam looked like hell...many pictures and stories on the walls and in books....one really disturbing picture had a marine holding the shell of a jacket that had the arms and head only of the man that the mortar shell had destroyed...and another thing......there was a guillotine that the French had used on prisoners up until 1960.....can you imagine that....hard to believe..but these two parts of the day were a little sobering and showed what kind of lives these people have had to put up with over the years
Have been looking for 5 people on a motorbike....supposed to be possible...they are like our cars..one person bike two person bike 3 and 4 person...kind of like carrying a hockey team in a Honda Civic...one interesting one had a baby's high chair on it...yep!
The weather is so good and warm as well that people many times do not go inside to sleep but will stay outside right by their selling spot and just sleep out there..Saw that many times ..... sleeping outside..near their vending area
Oh forgot to tell you...Reg came in late the second night and I was just out walking around getting used to the place...probably in a half an hour span, I was asked 6 times if I wanted a lady and/or a massage and also 2 times if I wanted some drugs and or marijuana...guess I must have looked lonely and in need of a joint!!!! Reg told me he had also been propositioned as well as he was outside the next night...
One of the bar's name is the Go2 bar.....go to eat go to drink go to bed....and they have levels on the the building....
Took a tour onto the Mekong Delta ..I think it was an area of fierce fighting in the war...but it is a fertile land area that is home to millions of people who supply so much stuff to he rest of Vietnam and also to the world...we went on some boats....saw some people who performed some of their songs...... saw an operation making coconut candy and also some banana wines....had my picture taken with the python bought a few knick knacks..prior to that we made a pit stop...they now are getting North Americanized....organizing potty breaks..... complete with trying to sell you something...the tour was spent mostly driving but it did open your eyes to another part of Vietnam...bars stay open..usually until about 2 but I think as long as someone is willing to drink, they are willing to stay open
'
Jogged late in the morning...it was very hot and I became very sweaty ...as I was jogging , I noticed a whole bunch of dollars on the ground...picked them up and found out they were just play money ...The Abode of the Dead was the slogan on one of the bills....whether a joke or whether it is used for their New Years celebration I am not sure..
Spring Flower Festival was on and the place was packed with apricot blossoms..and all sorts of flowers....an interesting site too
Check out an interesting time...had made a couple of calls to home using my credit= card as the skype was not operating....$85 later my bill came a t check out....live and learn......phone bill
So we head to the airport early...good thing because it took a long time to get through the lineup...got through and was called over ...I had forgotten to transfer my Cobra Whiskey to the checked baggage....I could drink it there or take it back...... I took it back to the checked luggage ....Final boarding call for flight 454 (mine) and I was hustling back to the line up for security again and was the 2nd last one on the plane....the last one was a standby!
The flight was a quick one .....up and down and we were at Nha Trang...It is a resort town...similar to Phi Phi island but bigger....lots more people...lots of beach ..noat as nice a sand...Yes Jan...I will be getting some...it seems to be a richer area than the part of Ho Chi Minh but there were poorer areas we saw as we drove to Nha Trang from the airport.
The hotel is quite modern and good for $26 per night/person. There are some as low as $6 so we are just going to have a look to see what it was like....but there are very many, Ours was built in 2005 I think. Maybe because of that or for any number of reasons, I have been getting good sleeps lately...and have had some very good runs here....the air is definitely better and the temperature is more conducive to running...have seen many people out in the morning...about 12 were playing badminton today, 4 playing sepak takra, several hacky sack or some version of it, a couple getting wedding pictures taken..the normal 2 or 3 joggers and then the population waking up...eating on the street, sleeping by their wares, walking along the beachm driving,,,,honking etc
Went to a place called the Sailing Club....right on the beach...it was darn hot....and...get this...there were actually people on the beach wearing leather jackets, or hats, coats and GLOVES, and dressed up for winter...well sort of...we found out that they do that for two reasons...one for sun protection...the other to keep the skin whiter....go figure....anyway it was damn hot and they had more on than I would have on on a spring day...I took at least one good picture that I will put on the blog
The weather here has been great so Reg and I are relaxing....I hope that you all are feeling a little sorry for us having to hold up the whole North American continent that we know so that we can keep the heat here in Asia..someone has to enjoy it before it leaves...
had a great jog on Saturday and the day in the countryside was very interesting...we satrted off in the morning seeing the way the noodles were made but unfortunately we were not able to see that as the ladies who did it were finished...they worked early in the am and then were off...pigs were in the same area..it was a rural..not my idea of rural...and were fed all the scraps from the process..somewhat interesting
....then we went to where they were creating rice paper which is used in the spring rolls that we ate later that night...and it was interesting how they laid them out and let them dry in the sun...we got a few pictures..... then off to a tea break and a typical house although it was a little ornate for my typical house but we did get a few chances to talk to the tour guides...we had two as each motorbike had to have a driver...young men ..one a university student and one a former fisherman..looking for better work...young pups..then off to a factory as they called them..where people made place mats..daily..old bugger about 70 still helpig out in the process..then to a dinner by the river ..did not have enough but got sto see some people celebrating the Tet..festival...Vietnam..where people get together and have a celebration...a little drinking and carousing and singing...typical of our new Years get together except longer
...then we went to a mineral spa that was not as good as Moose Jaws but had a lot of people there...the water was not as minerally.....but they did have some good massages and a steam bath that I really liked complete with a steam bath...we returned home and rested.....on the way we bought
Take a a couple of face masks for riding our bikes and for Beijing pollution and I also started looking for a horn for my 3 wheeler in Beijing....bought a couple of shorts for tomorrow and booked scuba diving..hope you don't mind that we are having a good time...off to the bar tonight and then tomorrow into the waters of Vietnam..about 25 degrees
Well I will sign off now and get a new one of these started...Cheers
The bikes in Ho Chi Minh...Saigon..high chair...five on one...Go Go Bar...poverty...New Year..Spring Flower Festival....finding money....jogging in the heat....Mekong Delta tour...snake...banana wine...new drink
seduction.
The flight down was uneventful except for an unexpected and unknown stopover...on the ticket it said Beijing to Ho Chi Minh but we stopped in Naning for a walk around a cubicle, another security check that was unnecessary because all we did was walk around the cubicle and then reload the airplane,,,but it must have been done for a reason...Mine...as I was standing in the lobby waiting to get on I heard a lady say are you Darryl...I turned around and a young Chinese lady (Vienne)was there and she said..I think I was your tour guide in Harbin last year and sure enough she was...we started talking...she remembered me because of my Huskie hat...or maybe just because I am a memorable person...you pick...but how amazing to have a lady from all of the people inn China come up to you and say I know you ...strange world we live in..she is working in Beijing and has asked to meet again..just to talk about what she is doing which is evaluating live arts performances like the Legends fo Kung Fu ..etc
Getting into Ho Chi Minh at midnight was an experience as well...not so much the drive but the fact that you had to go up a narrow street about the width of 1 car with a Land Rover was exciting enough..they unlocked the gates sop that I could get in and then took the passport and sent me to my room...by the time I finally got to bge it ws around 300 and I got up at about 7 for my jog...down unfamiliar streets to say the least...just out and back for one half an hour and I was familiar with the place..right...damn near forget to take a hotel card so that if I got lost I could ask for directions....the next day I actually did forget....if anything were to happen to you no one would know who you were or where you were staying and maybe who would even care...so now I take a card each time..also should take some money but don't do that either
Was able to skype so sent a couple of messages home...one to Mom and one to Mark...got to chat with Jaxon....told him it was noon and he looked out the window and said no it was night and he had to go to bed ..told him he should fly over but he said he had to go to bed...sounds like Tammy is having another fun time with the pregnancy...hope to see them when I get home in April for the run....
Banana pancake on the agenda for a morning breakfast...small crepes with bananas in the middle had them twice they were good...also a Pineapple shake one day and strawberry the next....right off the vines I think....meals have been very good for the most part...we try various things and seem to have good luck...even Lasagna
Interesting reaction to me as I jog..almost unheard of I think...people have been smiling and laughing as I run...maybe a very unusual sight...maybe in the morning...not a lot of people out...relatively speaking...days get very hot very fast...I was sweating bullets one day....did get a great video of an intersection at night...hundreds of motorcycles going all sorts of directions,..I don't know if there are any signals that anyone follows...you'll see if I can get it on or if not I will bring it home to you...
The first day I was going to book a tour when an older man actually probably not older, came up to me and offered his services as a guide and pulled out a bood that had some references from others who had taken him..they all seemed good so I booked hi for the day $25.....his name was Mr Kim...first order of business was to exchange my rmb to dongs (Vietnam)..I did just that and was an instant millionaire........ well, actually a 4.2 millionaire...now does that feel good....I am bringing home the currency to prove it....I am a millionaire for the first time in my life...I laughed about that ....costs 4000 for a bottle of water....70,000 for a cocktail....but you know I can pay for it cuz I am a millionaire....hahaha
Found a new drink called Seduction..containing 1/3 Kahlua, 1/3 Medjori
or mejori and 1/3 Bailley's..... too smooth and too easily distracted
Mr Kim took me to several temples and then I told him I was templed out and he had about 5 other things to show me ....one of the places he stopped was at a shop that sold a whiskey drink. Inside the bottle was a cobra that had a scorpion in its mouth...I kid you not and there are hundreds of these all over the streets at various vendors. Funny thing he said it was a cure for arthritis or a poor sex life....I think just about anything it would cure...not sure hat it would taste lie....looks like the snake had been there for a while...
temples
Also went to a war museum and to the former presidential palace...funny how one man's terrorist is another mans freedom fighter...when you view it from the other side....the War in Vietnam looked like hell...many pictures and stories on the walls and in books....one really disturbing picture had a marine holding the shell of a jacket that had the arms and head only of the man that the mortar shell had destroyed...and another thing......there was a guillotine that the French had used on prisoners up until 1960.....can you imagine that....hard to believe..but these two parts of the day were a little sobering and showed what kind of lives these people have had to put up with over the years
Have been looking for 5 people on a motorbike....supposed to be possible...they are like our cars..one person bike two person bike 3 and 4 person...kind of like carrying a hockey team in a Honda Civic...one interesting one had a baby's high chair on it...yep!
The weather is so good and warm as well that people many times do not go inside to sleep but will stay outside right by their selling spot and just sleep out there..Saw that many times ..... sleeping outside..near their vending area
Oh forgot to tell you...Reg came in late the second night and I was just out walking around getting used to the place...probably in a half an hour span, I was asked 6 times if I wanted a lady and/or a massage and also 2 times if I wanted some drugs and or marijuana...guess I must have looked lonely and in need of a joint!!!! Reg told me he had also been propositioned as well as he was outside the next night...
One of the bar's name is the Go2 bar.....go to eat go to drink go to bed....and they have levels on the the building....
Took a tour onto the Mekong Delta ..I think it was an area of fierce fighting in the war...but it is a fertile land area that is home to millions of people who supply so much stuff to he rest of Vietnam and also to the world...we went on some boats....saw some people who performed some of their songs...... saw an operation making coconut candy and also some banana wines....had my picture taken with the python bought a few knick knacks..prior to that we made a pit stop...they now are getting North Americanized....organizing potty breaks..... complete with trying to sell you something...the tour was spent mostly driving but it did open your eyes to another part of Vietnam...bars stay open..usually until about 2 but I think as long as someone is willing to drink, they are willing to stay open
'
Jogged late in the morning...it was very hot and I became very sweaty ...as I was jogging , I noticed a whole bunch of dollars on the ground...picked them up and found out they were just play money ...The Abode of the Dead was the slogan on one of the bills....whether a joke or whether it is used for their New Years celebration I am not sure..
Spring Flower Festival was on and the place was packed with apricot blossoms..and all sorts of flowers....an interesting site too
Check out an interesting time...had made a couple of calls to home using my credit= card as the skype was not operating....$85 later my bill came a t check out....live and learn......phone bill
So we head to the airport early...good thing because it took a long time to get through the lineup...got through and was called over ...I had forgotten to transfer my Cobra Whiskey to the checked baggage....I could drink it there or take it back...... I took it back to the checked luggage ....Final boarding call for flight 454 (mine) and I was hustling back to the line up for security again and was the 2nd last one on the plane....the last one was a standby!
The flight was a quick one .....up and down and we were at Nha Trang...It is a resort town...similar to Phi Phi island but bigger....lots more people...lots of beach ..noat as nice a sand...Yes Jan...I will be getting some...it seems to be a richer area than the part of Ho Chi Minh but there were poorer areas we saw as we drove to Nha Trang from the airport.
The hotel is quite modern and good for $26 per night/person. There are some as low as $6 so we are just going to have a look to see what it was like....but there are very many, Ours was built in 2005 I think. Maybe because of that or for any number of reasons, I have been getting good sleeps lately...and have had some very good runs here....the air is definitely better and the temperature is more conducive to running...have seen many people out in the morning...about 12 were playing badminton today, 4 playing sepak takra, several hacky sack or some version of it, a couple getting wedding pictures taken..the normal 2 or 3 joggers and then the population waking up...eating on the street, sleeping by their wares, walking along the beachm driving,,,,honking etc
Went to a place called the Sailing Club....right on the beach...it was darn hot....and...get this...there were actually people on the beach wearing leather jackets, or hats, coats and GLOVES, and dressed up for winter...well sort of...we found out that they do that for two reasons...one for sun protection...the other to keep the skin whiter....go figure....anyway it was damn hot and they had more on than I would have on on a spring day...I took at least one good picture that I will put on the blog
The weather here has been great so Reg and I are relaxing....I hope that you all are feeling a little sorry for us having to hold up the whole North American continent that we know so that we can keep the heat here in Asia..someone has to enjoy it before it leaves...
had a great jog on Saturday and the day in the countryside was very interesting...we satrted off in the morning seeing the way the noodles were made but unfortunately we were not able to see that as the ladies who did it were finished...they worked early in the am and then were off...pigs were in the same area..it was a rural..not my idea of rural...and were fed all the scraps from the process..somewhat interesting
....then we went to where they were creating rice paper which is used in the spring rolls that we ate later that night...and it was interesting how they laid them out and let them dry in the sun...we got a few pictures..... then off to a tea break and a typical house although it was a little ornate for my typical house but we did get a few chances to talk to the tour guides...we had two as each motorbike had to have a driver...young men ..one a university student and one a former fisherman..looking for better work...young pups..then off to a factory as they called them..where people made place mats..daily..old bugger about 70 still helpig out in the process..then to a dinner by the river ..did not have enough but got sto see some people celebrating the Tet..festival...Vietnam..where people get together and have a celebration...a little drinking and carousing and singing...typical of our new Years get together except longer
...then we went to a mineral spa that was not as good as Moose Jaws but had a lot of people there...the water was not as minerally.....but they did have some good massages and a steam bath that I really liked complete with a steam bath...we returned home and rested.....on the way we bought
Take a a couple of face masks for riding our bikes and for Beijing pollution and I also started looking for a horn for my 3 wheeler in Beijing....bought a couple of shorts for tomorrow and booked scuba diving..hope you don't mind that we are having a good time...off to the bar tonight and then tomorrow into the waters of Vietnam..about 25 degrees
Well I will sign off now and get a new one of these started...Cheers
posted by 12thhobo | 4:39 PM
1 Comments:
Hey Darryl...
Now when I said where's the news from Vietnam I didn't expect a book. Sounds like a wonderful time so far...some interesting propositions and cures for what ails you. Also appears that you're still up to your shopping habits as usual too.
Enjoy the rest of the time there. Thanks for keeping the info coming.
hugs
Jamie
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