Vietnam "good" mood

Saturday February 2, 2008
Day One in Saigon, hell yeah. Only been here 3 hours on one street and I already like VN. We found a cool G.H. for $8 a room in the midst of the backpacker district when everything else seemed to be full. Nice people here. Cheap Internet and seemingly cheap food. I haven't eaten anything since 7am and it's 4:30pm now. I am eating at 6pm with this 18yo Canadian guy and this German girl and New Zealand girl, both I believe in their 20's. I can't wait because my stomach is feeling it.

I have already been offered a happy massage for $10, another woman smiled and grabbed my arm and the vibes are initially good. I can't wait to park it, have a few beers and eat some good food. The shops are incredibly cheap.

Monday February 4, 2008
I love the neighborhood I am in. Lady serving fruit right outside the front door. Chunks of pineapple, papaya, watermelon and other kinds I don't recognize. I should really branch out. Then there is the iced coffee lady a few stores down. That stuff is strong. So many cheap restaurants around. Now I am in an Italian-themed place awaiting another coffee and an omelet before I pack my bags and hopefully do a bit of shopping before hopping on my bus.

Fuck me a 2nd time. 11:30am now and I am on a phat bus. This is fancy, the bee's knees, super fly, special K, I am riding in style. Super amount of leg room, reclining cush chair and real elbow room. I love it and hopefully this 7 hour journey will be easy. Sucks to be arriving at night, but it was the only option.

Sunday February 10, 2008
Everyone in this town seems really friendly. Most people say hello, some stare, some giggle and look away. The down syndrome girl was in a hugging and pickpocketing mood. It is strange to be gawked at so much.

Wednesday Febrauary 20, 2008
Then the women in the market, so many so beautiful, who highball you so much, you feel so incredibly guilty offering them what you'd actually pay and then when they feign disgust it seems so real and I feel so bad that I don't want to play that game, but I do because they haven't yet flipped the game over and sulked away. Eventually I either win or lose and as per usual, they still look as though I took them or was trying to take them for a ride. I still love them.

And then in the actual shop where prices were set so low I thought they were losing money and there was no way you could actually bargain without feeling like the biggest cheapskate on the planet. So I flirted with the Vietnamese girl there and tried on hats and wished upon another star that I could take one of these girls home and have a cuddle or two under a hot, sweaty comforter in a cold room.

Saturday, February 23, 2008
Quarter til 7pm on Saturday February 23rd. It is hard to believe I have been in Vietnam for three weeks. Time flies no matter what you are doing even if the experiences are more numerous and diverse. I have definitely had more experiences in the past few months and it is getting more difficult to envision going home. For what? The most difficult thing is not seeing the family, but I don't see what a year would do. I'd be afraid of breaking the momentum of travel by returning home. Getting stuck in old routines. I shouldn't worry really. Just go back when it feels right or not so ideal, when the money runs out.

Monday February 25, 2008
Fucking A! About 3pm and I am back in Saigon. Back alone at least til 6pm when I meet up with Alex. The morning was good, an easy taxi to the airport, goodbye to Danielle, time reading while waiting, an emergency row seat with super leg room, quick flight, moto to the city, sweltering heat, quick find a cheap hotel, oh there's some papaya. Oh look at these women. I need to change clothes - not cause of the women, but the heat. Shirt, trousers, socks, everything clingy, need to go out and soak in the heat, rehydrate with water not beer, smile smile smile, recharge the batteries.

Tuesday February 26, 2008
Digging this place even more. Day by day it just seems to be getting better. Iced coffee. Delicious. 30 cents. The sweetness of fresh pineapple & papaya. 30 cents. A large bottled water. 30 cents. Calls made to home for less than 10 cents a minute. Internet is fast and cheap. Tours are cheap. 3 days in the Mekong, private hotel one night and a homestay the other night for $31. Wow. Everywhere people are friendly, yes because they want your money but also because they are friendly. I'd rather spend a little because the extra smile, the extra friendliness goes a long way.

Wednesday February 27, 2008
I am at my homestay on the Mekong under the mosquito net with my flashlight. The tv is on and this experience has gotten a hell of a lot better in the last few hours. Overall, the whole tour has been lame so far. A lot of buses and boats and cheesy touristy stuff. Way too many tourists. There is a couple from Switzerland and a couple from Canada that are both nice and this Vietnamese family is really nice too. This I suppose is their livelihood. We had an additional 30 minute boat ride after we dropped off the majority of folks at the hotel and the boat in the dark with 2 tiny cute girls making faces at me and hitting me on the head with my empty water bottle was a lot of fun. I really like interacting with the locals now.