Hey everybody! As it turns out...we are both back in Thailand. The weather for the next week in Hanoi was going to be rainy and cold and that is just no way to end a vacation. So I caught a last minute flight with Will to BKK and we are now enjoying 90 degree weather. I am going to try and find my way to one last beach for the next four days until we have to head back to AMERICA!
Today we hit the mother load of eating. I think we would both consider ourselves adventurous eaters. Well, today we found what everybody seems to think of when they think of Asia. The dog. It was unmistakable. It was a whole dog and was roasted and on the side of the road in a small roadside eating area that we would have missed had we not been looking. We looked at it and immediately decided to pass. We then went to a fresh beer garden and drank loads and loads of beer and then, three hours later...(we were trying to kill time before we had to depart for the airport) we decided , heck yeah...we should at least try it. Especially if we were going to walk by and take a picture of it. So...we did. We walked back, took photos and sat down and ate some. There were three versions...a sausage that had lots of bone particles in it...the worst for sure. A tenderized version that was sprinkled with sesame seeds, and finally a roast version that was truly carved off the actual dog. It was all served with basil leaves and a dip that taste like....ummm I don't know...shit?! The dip had vodka mixed in with it. Honestly, the locals were happy to see us...we were far from old town and far far from the tourist haunts. The guy that was showing us how to eat it poured us a few shots of vodka straight up and I drank it willingly. I am not sure what the year was when I last drank a shot of ANYTHING but if it got the taste of dog out of my mouth I was up for it. In the end, the taste would not leave my mouth and I willingly accepted, no, actually begged Will for a cigarette to replace the taste that was occupying my mouth. UGH! Never again. The unfortunate thing about the experience was that I dropped a piece on my backpack and now all I can smell is dog flesh. Tomorrow it will be heading to laundry.
What a day! We woke up freezing and cold and I decided to drop the plans of heading to Halong Bay. I changed my flight out of Vietnam and we bought a suitcase to load up all that we have purchsed in the last month and last day. In the last 24 hours I purchased new eye glasses with my new prescription for $27 and they are Prada frames. Also, I bought five new pairs of jeans. I love Vietnam! Even more cheap than Thailand. Hanoi is a lovely city and I can not wait to come back. We both feel the same way....much more time needed. But not to eat the dog...that is for certain.
What I am certain of is that tomorrow I will have hangover as smoking a cigarette guarantees it. Also, we drank beer for three hours contemplating whether to go back and eat that dog and then when we did....we drank more beer and vodka. Sleeping in tomorrow and then running some errands like picking up tailoring and then finding my way to another beach...hopefully.
Ok, off to bed and to brush my teeth yet again. There are socks on my teeth!
adios!
willandCODY
Friday, March 6, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
The Rain!
Hello everyone! Will and I made it to Hanoi on our sleeping bus. What a wonderful invention! I had a bed near the bathroom. Thankfully I had a hanky to cover my face whenever someone opened the door. They provide you with a pillow and a quilt. Will said his quilt smelled like breast milk but he used it anyway. Now that is some serious oldfactory memory he has as far as I am concerned! We found a place right near St. Joseph's Cathedral....I am really enjoying the solitude of the Catholic Church in Vietnam. I went and sat in the cathedral last night and said some prayers and then a group of women showed up and they started saying/praying the Rosary aloud with a microphone. It was very moving and reminded me of being in my cabin at the monastery in Burma and hearing the nuns and monks chant into the night as I was falling asleep. Very meditative. The Pagoda's are not as nice as in Myanmar or Cambodia. As soon as we dropped off our packs we headed out to see the embalmed body of Ho Chi Min. His mausoleum is amazing. We then went to the Ho Chi Men Museum and then walked all over Hanoi's old town. It is beautiful even in this drizzle and fog. The weather could not be more different than Ho Chi Men City that is for certain. The forecast for the remaining days shows thundershowers and rain and temps of less than 70 degrees. I am looking forward to it. I guess I will surrender the bikini to the bottom of my pack. I think this is about as tan as this white girls body can be anyway.
Will is flying back to Bangkok tomorrow evening and I will be here for the following three days on my own. When I get back to Bangkok we will then have 24 hours to find a huge suitcase to get all that we have purchased back home. Have I mentioned how handsome Willis in his new suit. It is very James Bondish...skinny fit...looks great on him. How many 19 year olds have a custom made three piece suit made out of Kashmere? Well, this one does. When he got to Hoi An a day before me he texted me that "I was going to love Hoi An!" I knew he meant that I would be tortured by low cost tailoring! I had three new skirts made in less than about 15 hours. They are all linen. It was obviously warmer down there because now I am ready to have a wool overcoat made. But I won't.
I think I will spend my last three days on a boat in the Halong Bay amongst the Limestone cliffs and islands. Better run off and check in with a travel agent. Hopefully my passport shows up tomorrow with no problems! Maybe I will stop off at St. Joseph's and light a candle just in case.
Talk to you all later,
willandCODY
Will is flying back to Bangkok tomorrow evening and I will be here for the following three days on my own. When I get back to Bangkok we will then have 24 hours to find a huge suitcase to get all that we have purchased back home. Have I mentioned how handsome Willis in his new suit. It is very James Bondish...skinny fit...looks great on him. How many 19 year olds have a custom made three piece suit made out of Kashmere? Well, this one does. When he got to Hoi An a day before me he texted me that "I was going to love Hoi An!" I knew he meant that I would be tortured by low cost tailoring! I had three new skirts made in less than about 15 hours. They are all linen. It was obviously warmer down there because now I am ready to have a wool overcoat made. But I won't.
I think I will spend my last three days on a boat in the Halong Bay amongst the Limestone cliffs and islands. Better run off and check in with a travel agent. Hopefully my passport shows up tomorrow with no problems! Maybe I will stop off at St. Joseph's and light a candle just in case.
Talk to you all later,
willandCODY
Monday, March 2, 2009
Hanoi, here we come!
Ok everyone, we are boarding a 15 hour bus ride to the far North of Vietnam to the huge city of Hanoi. We have enjoyed the sleepy, mostly quiet little towns of the central coast. We have newly tailored items and tans to show for it and are ready to get in the water one last time before Will flies off to Bangkok and I stay in Hanoi for a few more days. We will be buying a new suitcase for all of the purchases. Our last stop in Vietnam will be Halong Bay, look it up, it's amazing! We will be boarding our flight in Bangkok in less than eight days! Hard to believe it is all coming to an end and that we have togo back to our lives. But, we are both excited about going back to work and family and friends, as well. So, we are in a great place and ready to squeeze out some last bits of fun. Hope everyone is taking very good care of themselves and we look forward to seeing all of you as soon as time permits when we get home.
Peace,
willandCODY
Peace,
willandCODY
Body functions
Ok, People! I promised you a blog on body functions and here you will have it. Will and I have been a bit intriqued by the comfort in releasing body functions. From Burma to Vietnam I personally have been impressed by the ability of people at any age to hawk up serious mucus and then spit it out right in front of you. I really enjoy it when the person turns out to be a tough looking little granny though. I could never imagine Grandma McCartney doing such a thing! Also, when people are done eating they use tooth picks but it a very discreet way by putting their hands over their mouths while they dig away at their teeth behind the hand. I usually see people in America doing this opening, and honestly, I think we could take a pointer or two on this one. Farting to also no problem. In fact when we were riding a bus from Ngapali Beach to Pyay, Burma there was a guy sitting across the aisle and one seat in from us, he turned, looked at who was behind him, rolled in on his opposite hip and launched one right at us. Not so freindly fire. Also, on the same bus ride sitting behind Will was a young Monk who was throwing up into a bag. I know I have written a bit about transportation and truly I could dedicate just one blog alone about bus trips and the pit falls of some and the benefits of others.
Just last night I rode the same sleeper bus that Will had the night before to Hoi An. It was the best trip yet. It was $14 and you were esentially on a bus, but in a bed. This was very comfortable for me, but, for those over 5' 5" it might be a different story. Traveling at night by sleeper bus is really the way to go. We just found out about two days ago that when we were in Ho Chi Min we could have bought an "open tour" bus ticket and it only would have cost $23 and would have allowed us onto any bus heading in the same Northern direction. We will have ended up spending less then a $100 on bus tickets between Ho Chi Men and Hanoi. Bummer. We could have saved a few dollars.
Today I had the wonderful experience of parting with my passport and $100 US dollars because my visa had expired and Vietnam has very stringent rules about this sort of thing. I could have gotten angry but I honestly don't have the energy to be and it came out of the stash of emergency money even though its not really an emergency. It is a well paid for lesson in paying attention which I had not been and was just lazy. But, it did afford me the wonderful opportuntiy to meet Drem...a young Vietnamese lady who was at the consulate in Hoi An dropping off passports for others, heard me explaining my problem to the immigration officer who said I needed to go to DaLong to fix it. DaLong is the next town over, about 40 km away. Within a few moments we had negotiated a price, I hopped on her moto, we stopped at her house to pick up a helmet for me and we were off for a three hour moto ride! When we got there the immigration office said they could not deal with me directly and that I had to use a travel agency. She found one and I surrendered my passport and the $100 cash and they agreed to send it up to Hanoi when I got there. Whew! It was not the experience I was looking for but having it with Drem made it worth while...while we were driving there it started to rain and she pulled over and bought us both a rain poncho and then when we took off she reached back and grabbed my hand and pulled it around her waist and said hold on...I yelled "there is nothing to hold onto!" and she laughed and said Yes, I am very small. She was. And she was wearing heels. I love how all the women in this country are all decked out in there sexy clothes driving their motos in high heels and fighting through traffic. Its a great visual.
When I finally got back to Hoi An I met up with Will and it was time to go try his new suit on! Yup, he got a new suit as well and he looks super dapper in it. Not to top him, but I also ordered three new skirts and they will be done tomorrow at 930 am. Then we have to get the hell out of here because tailor made clothes are even less expensive here and I could use more retail therapy so we simply have to get out as soon as possible. We are leaving tomorrow at130 and will be on a 15 hour bus trip to Hanoi then onto Halong Bay then Will flies off to Bangkok on the 6th and I follow him on the 9th. We are winding things down and it feels good. Even just having the one day apart and my mini breakdown yesterday was just the ticket.
Hoi An is a beautiful town and I wish we had more time to be here but Halong Bay is calling me more.
Ok, lets see, did I cover body functions...oh, lots of people have seriously bad coughs and I wish I had some phlegm relieving Lung formulas with me because I think I could really help people here. Did I mention nose picking? Totally acceptable to do so anywhere, on your front porch, when you are taking someones order, just before you reach in your pocket to pull out someones change...no worries. It is a dry and dusty place and boogers are inevitable.
Public Urination! How could I forget this one! If you are a man, all you have to do is stop your car or moto on the side of the road and whip it out. Nobody cares.
Oh! When we were finishing our beer before picking up Will's suit I noticed a man who looked familiar from Santa Fe. I walked up to him and asked him if he was from Santa Fe. Sure enough, he was. I recognized his face from Wild Oats. He actually lives in Pecos but I usually see him at Wildoats. His face is distinct. We laughed about it and he mentioned that he had just been in Cambodia at a Cock fight and met some young folks from Santa Fe. Apparently New Mexico and Cambodia are the only two places that this is still legal. Probably not, but it was yet another reminded that real life is bleeding through and that it is time to start tending a little bit to the business of getting home and all the decisions that await me there.
Ok, off to find some cold beverage and air conditioning!
willandCODY
Just last night I rode the same sleeper bus that Will had the night before to Hoi An. It was the best trip yet. It was $14 and you were esentially on a bus, but in a bed. This was very comfortable for me, but, for those over 5' 5" it might be a different story. Traveling at night by sleeper bus is really the way to go. We just found out about two days ago that when we were in Ho Chi Min we could have bought an "open tour" bus ticket and it only would have cost $23 and would have allowed us onto any bus heading in the same Northern direction. We will have ended up spending less then a $100 on bus tickets between Ho Chi Men and Hanoi. Bummer. We could have saved a few dollars.
Today I had the wonderful experience of parting with my passport and $100 US dollars because my visa had expired and Vietnam has very stringent rules about this sort of thing. I could have gotten angry but I honestly don't have the energy to be and it came out of the stash of emergency money even though its not really an emergency. It is a well paid for lesson in paying attention which I had not been and was just lazy. But, it did afford me the wonderful opportuntiy to meet Drem...a young Vietnamese lady who was at the consulate in Hoi An dropping off passports for others, heard me explaining my problem to the immigration officer who said I needed to go to DaLong to fix it. DaLong is the next town over, about 40 km away. Within a few moments we had negotiated a price, I hopped on her moto, we stopped at her house to pick up a helmet for me and we were off for a three hour moto ride! When we got there the immigration office said they could not deal with me directly and that I had to use a travel agency. She found one and I surrendered my passport and the $100 cash and they agreed to send it up to Hanoi when I got there. Whew! It was not the experience I was looking for but having it with Drem made it worth while...while we were driving there it started to rain and she pulled over and bought us both a rain poncho and then when we took off she reached back and grabbed my hand and pulled it around her waist and said hold on...I yelled "there is nothing to hold onto!" and she laughed and said Yes, I am very small. She was. And she was wearing heels. I love how all the women in this country are all decked out in there sexy clothes driving their motos in high heels and fighting through traffic. Its a great visual.
When I finally got back to Hoi An I met up with Will and it was time to go try his new suit on! Yup, he got a new suit as well and he looks super dapper in it. Not to top him, but I also ordered three new skirts and they will be done tomorrow at 930 am. Then we have to get the hell out of here because tailor made clothes are even less expensive here and I could use more retail therapy so we simply have to get out as soon as possible. We are leaving tomorrow at130 and will be on a 15 hour bus trip to Hanoi then onto Halong Bay then Will flies off to Bangkok on the 6th and I follow him on the 9th. We are winding things down and it feels good. Even just having the one day apart and my mini breakdown yesterday was just the ticket.
Hoi An is a beautiful town and I wish we had more time to be here but Halong Bay is calling me more.
Ok, lets see, did I cover body functions...oh, lots of people have seriously bad coughs and I wish I had some phlegm relieving Lung formulas with me because I think I could really help people here. Did I mention nose picking? Totally acceptable to do so anywhere, on your front porch, when you are taking someones order, just before you reach in your pocket to pull out someones change...no worries. It is a dry and dusty place and boogers are inevitable.
Public Urination! How could I forget this one! If you are a man, all you have to do is stop your car or moto on the side of the road and whip it out. Nobody cares.
Oh! When we were finishing our beer before picking up Will's suit I noticed a man who looked familiar from Santa Fe. I walked up to him and asked him if he was from Santa Fe. Sure enough, he was. I recognized his face from Wild Oats. He actually lives in Pecos but I usually see him at Wildoats. His face is distinct. We laughed about it and he mentioned that he had just been in Cambodia at a Cock fight and met some young folks from Santa Fe. Apparently New Mexico and Cambodia are the only two places that this is still legal. Probably not, but it was yet another reminded that real life is bleeding through and that it is time to start tending a little bit to the business of getting home and all the decisions that await me there.
Ok, off to find some cold beverage and air conditioning!
willandCODY
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
