I’m wrapping up my second day in Saigon. I again walked a lot. Went out to Chinatown and visited three different pagodas. Relaxed with some bubble tea and ate some delicious chinese food. Then I visited the museum about Ho Chi Minh’s life and the Reunification Palace. The former was better. Really cool 1960s architecture. Finally I’ve been killing time in Vietnam’s version of Starbucks which is even more expensive than the actual starbucks. I’ve been traveling for a month as of today and I feel that I can start ’softening’ my travels and not always due the local’s children’s stools on the street thing. I got my fourth book of the trip today. Under The Banner Of Heaven, it’s weird to read about home in southern utah while in Asia.

I pulled in sleepily at 10pm last night. It was a super fast, comfortable and overpriced ride that was made enjoyable due to friendly companionship from an english law student next to me. We grabbed a taxi in to town and got deposited in to my first backpacker ghetto of the trip. Immediately I was greeted by a German couple that I hung out with back on Rabbit Island a week or so ago. The traveling circuit is a small world. They told me that rooms were scarce and expensive, not what I wanted to hear while half asleep. Lucked out though and got a room quickly and only a little over priced.

Today, I’ve done my usual thing of walking an excessive distance. Brought my laundry to be washed. Went to the War Remanents Museum, and gazed on the atrocities of the war and seen through the communist “winner’s” eyes. The first room was humorously titled the “Truths Room”. Then walked, walked and walked. Bought a new battery charger as my last one broke during a power surge. Visited a cool Chinese pagoda that was extremely busy and choked with incense. Sat by the river and talked with a weird guy. Ate Pho. Sat and watched the traffic. Visited the cool central post office. Thought about the rest of my stay in Vietnam. I want to go to Hoi An soon, which means skipping some of the southern things in the country that don’t inspire me. It’s going to be an 18 hour trip, but I’m finding the only easily accessible way to get there is through the travel agencies in the tourist ghetto.

Guess what happens when I don’t update every day? I end up with too many things to write about!

soooooo:

– While still on the mainland I was walking down the street and passed a guy who had his hands down his pants fondling his genitals. As I walked by, he reached out and rubbed his hand on my arm laughing. WHAT THE HECK. That seriously pissed me off and I was terribly close to punching him in the face.

– That night got better because I went to the carnival/talent show and I was the only white person out of about 4,000 people. It was hilarious. Kids were pushing me to go up on stage. I saw creepy preteen girls dancing in unison, bad pop singers, a martial arts demo and a comedy variety show. Vietnamese carnival food isn’t very good though.

– I was given a free sim card by a traveler I talked to for one minute.

– I rented a moto for three days. One day I rode it far out into the northern part of the island and got lost. I had lunch at a place on a beautiful deserted beach where they brought me in back and pointed at a chicken with it’s feathers still on and squid. I ate squid. Local people helped me get found again, but not without effort and some really cool side trips through dead end villages.

– I went on a snorkling boat trip which was good. Corral is dying all over the world and it’s hit Vietnam too.

– I slept in my tent on the grounds of a friendly hotel because everything is out of my price range or full due to tet.

– I hung out with various people for brief periods.

– I read a lot.

– While reading on a remote beach this afternoon I was invited to join a Vietnamese table that pulled up. I learned all about the traditional art of binge drinking and over eating. It was very fun. No one spoke any English. Whenever anyone wants to drink, everyone cheers’ and everyone drinks. I’m glad I eat meat now so I could partake in the squid and fish. Bbq’d at the table.

One thing that’s different about Vietnam is that people speak far less English than in Cambodia. In fact, most people that interact with tourists speak no english at all.

Tomorrow, I’m leaving the island and I may or may not make it to Saigon. It’ll probably take a night bus to do.

Ok, I’m in Vietnam. And I’m pretty worn out. I woke up this morning after two days on Rabbit Island, a tiny, relaxing beach in Cambodia. Got on a boat, then a moto, then a different moto, then a bus and then a moto again, all to miss the boat to Phu Qouc. So I’m sitting in my first city in the country on a night where most everything is closed (due to the new year) and little exists for tourists anyways. Should be awesome. I hope to go see some dragon dancing, if it is happening and I can find it.

The bus ride was one of the loudest experiences I’ve ever had. Everything rattled. The windows were shaking so badly I thought they might break. Then the bus had two horns. One very loud and one insanely loud. And since it was a local bus, the driver not only honked to announce his presence (get the fuck out of the way!) but also to announce that he wanted to pick people up. So he honked about eight times every ten seconds, for two and a half hours. Then add SCREAMING teenage girls.

I’ve been hanging out with a group of europeans that I met back in battambang. Dinners have been enjoyable, but now I’ve left them all behind.

I’m in a new country and I know nothing. No idea what things should cost, what the exchange rate is,…

For some reason I can’t log in to gmail, so no email. I’ll be on the island for two to four days. I bet I’ll be able to check email, but I’m not sure. Haven’t activated my cellphone yet in vietnam, but I’ll tell everyone my number when I do.

Travel continues to be good. I rented a moto today for the first time and have enjoyed riding around so far. We down two dead ends just to look at life and salt evaporation ponds. I’m having to deal with banking issues which is nearly impossible with how slow the internet is. I’m staying at a small lodge on the other side of the river. It’s very relaxing. So relaxing that there are multiple people there who have been guests for over a month. I can’t imagine doing that. It’s strange.