Flood Blues

It’s all about the flood here in big bad Bangkok. This flood is on everyone’s mind. You can’t get away from it. I walk down the street and its piles of sandbags & quickly built low concrete walls in front of all the stores. My hospital here even bricked up their lower level parking lot. The grocery store shelves & 7-11 shelves everywhere are still empty. I haven’t been able to find the big size of water since I got back from Vietnam 2 weeks ago. It’s near impossible to find the small bottled water so when I find it, I stock up. The weekend market—a huge tourist attraction, and major money maker—actually closed its door for the entire weekend (a major let down on my part because I was going to get gifts there, ugghh). The government issued an emergency 5 day holiday this past Thursday. Even MBK, the big tourist mall had a quarter of its stores closed. Every time I talk to a local they inform me that the flood is coming, yes, any day now it is coming. Actually today I was in a cab on my way home from my friend Lex’s place and the cabbie starts telling me out of the blue, in broken English, that the water is moving slowly but it’s on its way. All you have to do is walk outside to see that this flood business has the community visibly shaken. The city waits with baited breath, day after day, expecting to wake up to a pool of waste water seeping into their homes and businesses.  The first thing I do when I wake up is look out my sliding glass door to see if there is any water.

In the midst of all this I keep thinking of how much I love it here. I think of this because I have fears that the school where I teach will not re-open any time soon and it makes me worry about my job security. I teach in an area that was hit hard by flooding and I don’t know how long it will take to actually clean up the flood damage to Saipanyarangsit. The schools in Bangkok will not re-open now until November 7^th, and mine is supposed to start again Nov. 15^th. I have my doubts considering the panic that is not letting up, and the talk of imminent flooding to the city.  I feel stuck in limbo with no idea when I will go back to work or how long they will extend the semester when we do. A 3 week break has turned into 2 months off.

I guess I just needed to vent these things on paper. My biggest fear is that this crappy flood business will get in the way of finishing my full contract here which would break my heart. I’m not even close to being ready to go home for good yet.

Andi's Adventures in Vietnam: Day 12 - Overview

It’s a stormy, rainy day here in Hoi An so I’m enjoying some down time in my hotel room. I got my Vietnam movies to watch—Good Morning Vietnam, Apocalypse Now--, my computer to upload pics & write a blog, and a nice big hotel room with HBO & a soaker tub so I’m good for a day. Now all I need is a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and I’m set. J 

Vietnam has its ups and downs as far as I can tell from the short time I’ve been here, which I realize I know close to nothing about the country’s real people and their way of life. I’ve only hit the well worn tourist trail, so my observations are only based on that. I’ve learned from living in Thailand that the locals are very different from the portrayal they get as pushy, scam artists in the tourist areas. That being said, the Vietnamese in the touristy areas are beyond pushy. They’ve taken high pressure sales to a whole new level, to the point of real harassment. I am not exaggerating when I say that some will actually start pleading with you to buy something. I’ve had motorcycles drivers ride along beside me on the sidewalk trying to negotiate a ride. Even if I have no intention of riding and say so, they believe if they keep bringing the price down I will change my mind. In Thailand they will bug you, but it’s not nearly to the extent of here. I find it ironic that under the pseudo “communist” system, so many Vietnamese have a killer entrepreneurial spirit.  I can sympathize with the need to make money, but try being harassed practically every 5 minutes while you’re just trying to take a walk or eat your dinner, and trust me, you’ll feel like complaining too.

Other than that, I’ve had a great time in Vietnam, and have seen some amazing things. Highlights include the Easy Rider Motorbike tour of the Central Highlands (an absolute MUST and a wonderful experience), learning the ins and outs of a Vietnamese market, The War Remnants Museum in HCMC, Cu Chi Tunnels Propaganda film (straight from the 70’s and very anti-American), seeing the sun rise from a beautiful balcony with a great view of the beach (without knowing about the pollution yet), Mud bath resort day in Nha Trang (my skin felt so soft after all the mud and mineral water), Pink Villa hotel room in Dalat with the gorgeous mountain view, slowing down for walks around the chilly mountain town of Dalat and smelling pine trees instead of exhaust fumes, the 4 hour mini bus ride through gorgeous scenery of the highlands to Nha Trang, meeting many people from around the globe and learning about travel as a way of life, walking around Hoi An at night amongst the lanterns, and feeling wealthy while being measured for a custom Chinese silk dress made just for me for $20 bucks, experiencing Vietnamese coffee and trying some of the local dishes (I like Vietnamese food better than Thai food), and staying in really nice boutique hotels with all the amenities for $20 bucks a night, which is considered mid-range price here, imagine that! Some accommodations go for $4 to $6 bucks!

I still have 4 more days, 3 of which are here in Hoi An. I will still see the ruins at My Son and will motorbike over to Cai Dau beach close to here. I will also see a bit of Danang for a few hours since I’m flying back to HCMC from there. When I get back to HCMC I will still have about 5 hours to kills so there are a few more sights I can see there.

I have traveled quite far since I’ve been here. If you look at Vietnam on a map, I started in the South in HCMC. Below is still the Mekong Delta, so it’s not the farthest south, but still way at the bottom. I then journeyed 7 hours north by overnight bus to the South Central Highlands to the mountain town of Dalat, which is still pretty far south if you look at the map. Then I went 5 hours North East to the Coast of Nha Trang, still part of South Central Vietnam. Next I took a night bus for 13 hours heading North to the coastal town of Hoi An, which is Central Vietnam, and right about the middle point of the country from North to South. Last I will take a 1 hour bus ride North to the 3^rd biggest city, Danang before flying all the way back South again for my flight home. I think I covered a decent bit of ground in 2 weeks. I would love to come back and see the North-Sapa region and maybe cross the border into Laos. I’ve got mixed feeling about Halong Bay since I will see similar sights in Southern Thailand with Ismail. I will probably never do it though, and that’s ok. I’m just glad I can say I did this. I came to Vietnam, just like I said I would. It feels good to really want something and then actually make it happen. I don’t know that I’ll be able to make it to any other SE Asian countries while I’m here bc I’m limited on vacation time now and need to save money for my honeymoon. But I spent 2 weeks in Vietnam and it will always be a highlight of my life.

Andi's Adventures in Vietnam: What I've picked up along the way

Yesterday, October 12^th marked my 3^rd month of being over here. It’s gone by so fast, I can hardly believe it, and yet being in Vietnam shows me how used to Thailand and its people I’ve gotten. Today also marks the half way point of my big vacation. It’s strange to be away for what seems like so long. Normally my vacations are weekends or extended weekend trips, which are a couple of jam packed days and then back to reality. This is a new experience for me, not only because it’s a long solo vacation, but also because it’s my first time as truly a “backpacker,” moving—on a budget—from place to place. The best is all the new things you learn from people and places along the way. I’ve met some very interesting travelers so far (always a perk when you’re on your own). Israeli’s, Singapore, German & Finish so far. The German and the Finish really gave me a lesson on true backpacker culture. They schooled me on everything from where to book your hostels to “backpacker jobs,” which is an actual term. People truly make a life of traveling nonstop for months on end or years even. They pick up odd jobs along the way, live super cheap, and then move on to the next destination. The Finish guy is on a 9 month trip! From my weekend getaways in Thailand and then here, I’m also learning the ins and outs of backpacker culture. I know all about the different (and most economical) modes of transportation (and trust me, there are many). I’m getting used to staying in hostel type hotels that are a long way from the Motel 6 even. I know to always keep toilet paper, liquid soap, & a towel with me (towel for the hotels that only give you a thin blanket, and for those grungy buses where the pillows & seat haven’t ever been cleaned. Toilet paper bc very few bathrooms over here have it). After talking to the Europeans that I met on the bus, I realize that I have barely scratched the surface of backpacker life. Anyway, I find it fascinating, and something I truly wish I would have done years ago. The German girl said traveling is like a virus and she is certainly right—it takes over and you can’t get rid of the hunger for more! 

Andi's Adventures in Vietnam: Day 1: Ho Chi Minh

I arrived safely at the Saigon airport after a really short trip. I’m now typing as I’m lying on my bed at Miss Loi’s Guest House. I’m on the 12^th floor, with 2 windows, both with surprisingly nice views. You can see that this place is outdated, and the narrow spiral staircase up 12 flights will certainly burn some calories, but it’s actually pretty good for what I’m paying--$14.00 a night. It has tv, air conditioning, a nice big bed with a comfy mattress and a decent bathroom. It’s not the Jungle Club, but when you’re on a tight budget, this is pretty good. I haven’t seen anything really yet, just a drive from the airport through massive gridlock, all of which were motorbikes. I’ve never see so many motorbikes on the road like that before.  At first I thought it was a motorbike parade, but no, it’s actually just the traffic. People weave in and out of traffic and barely miss hitting the next person, and bikes going the wrong way through high speeding oncoming traffic. It’s insane. And I thought there were a lot of motorbikes in Thailand.

 My cabbie told me only in Vietnam will you see this, which means I’ve already had my first real Vietnamese cultural experience of sorts. It’s funny to be in a new country again and stick out as an obvious tourist, knowing absolutely nothing about anything. A few times already I’ve had to catch myself from saying, “sawadee Kah,” or “Tao Rai Kah?” It’s like a bizarre reality when I am resorting to my “Thai” for communication! I guess it just shows that I am fairly comfortable in Thailand now.

I suppose that part of the excitement about visiting a culture so different is all the unknowns. At first it’s overwhelming and a bit scary and then you begin to ease into it. But along the journey you see all this cool stuff that goes deeper than just tourist attractions and beautiful scenery. You get to experience all the little intricacies that make a place its own, like the insane motorbike traffic here. And you start to slightly understand the vast cultural differences between yourself and the people you are surrounded by. Traveling gets into the soul like nothing else. Can’t wait to update you on my adventures here in Vietnam. J  Enjoy reading; I know I enjoy writing.

Pic 1: Back to the self pics again, Pic 2, 3, 4: View from Above, Pic: 5: Welcome to Ho Chi Minh, Pic 6, 7, 8: Some motorbike traffic, Pic 9: The thumbs up is my new motto for traveling alone. :)