Hello everyone!
No, I'm am not dead, in a coma or forgotten how to use the internet. In all honesty, not too much exciting has happened in about 2 weeks+. Now I know that sounds crazy being around the other side of the world, and you make your own adventure blah blah blah but here's a quick cap of my last week in Bali.
After returning from the Gili Islands, a night where I proceeded to stay up all night for the sunrise (among other things), I was absolutely knackered out. No worries, says I, as I can nap on the boat ride back. False. There were literally times when I thought the bottom of the hull was going to crack in half off some of these waves. Other than not being able to nap, I found the 4 feet of air pretty exciting. Unfortunately there were a few passengers that didn't share these sentiments, and ended up puking in complimentary paper bags. It was pretty hideous, people retching like they were on the verge of death while everyone around him or her pretends nothing is happening. After getting off the boat, I made my way back to Kuta beach where I rented a surfboard and DVD player and did absolutely NOTHING for one whole week. It was by the far the loneliest, cheapest, soberest, cozy time I have had during this vacation, although I started to forget how to talk to humans and socialize.
The reason for this hermit-esque behaviour was the dwindling funds and overall fatigue from being a deadly party animal for 3 months straight. In a way, it was really nice just to hang out by myself, go over some things in my brain and watch 25 DVDs (i counted at the end). Also I went from a F- surfer to about D+. So there's that.
The last week in Bali was also a bit of a waiting game, as I put in the application for my Australian work visa on a friday, and didn't hear a peep from this certain company until wednesday. (do YOU want to go to Australia!?? Only 2 days processing, call us NOW!!!) So, near the end of my stint on this lovely, touristed island I prepared my flights into Australia, where I have made one of the biggest blunders of the vacation, which is saying a lot read: cracked head, crashed motorbike, smashed toe, budgeting etc
Follow me on this. There is the island Bali, which is in the country of Indonesia. Bali has an airport, a fairly prominent and busy one called Denpasar (code:DPS). Indonesia, the previosuly mentioned country, also has an island called Borneo, and on this island there is a town called Balikpapan, which also has an airport, albeit a much smaller and less used one (code:BPN). In all my wisdom I typed in 'Bali' for the departing flight, quickly selected the first airport that popped up and proceeded with the booking. Of course, when you book from a small, no name airport compared to a fairly moderate sized one, the price jumps astronomically. Picture flying to LA from Fredericton, instead of flying out of Montreal. Same same. So a flight that could have cost 350$ ending up being 730$ from one, tiny, idiotic, mentally challenged, ridiculous typo. Lesson learned? I hope so.
After sorting that out there was a 4 hour wait in the Bali airport, whereupon I received a delicious flight and movie on the way to Singapore. Now, the connecting flight was with Emirates and WOW! These guys know how to fly, I got baked perch in a black olive sauce, mashed potatoes, some excellent wine, a hot towel and 5 hours later, breakfast! Tons of media to get through as well! Worth the 400$ difference made by my booking mistake? Not at all! But it was tasty.
I touched down in Melbourne about three days ago, to a frigid 10 degrees as I can feel my tan running for the hills. It's quite a big city and I don't have my bearings whatsoever, but I know where the McDick's and 7-11 are from the hostel, so enough to survive. Job hunting is one of my least favorite things in the world, because when I apply to a place I know I would be good doing that task, but THEY don't know that. Perhaps a scented cover letter, or a fruitcake sent to the employer? Ughhhhhh.
To be honest, just for one second, lately I've been feeling a little disconnected from this whole 'see the world, be a nomad, get any old job' attitude, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's because I don't have any money and Australia costs about 3 x 10^8 more money than even the priciest places in SE Asia. As soon as a job gets under way, my attitude will be back to the appropriate cloud (#9), and I will meet some friends, get an aussie wife/green card, and figure out how to ride the trams. I know if I was sitting at home resuming my academic pursuits I would say, why the hell aren't I in Australia right now?
Life is a peach, meant to be picked by broke backpackers on Australian farms.
Cheers, mate.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
And the days go by....
I must make this quick as I'm on a deserted island and the internet rates are astronomic!...(deserted?)
After bangkok, I caught the express shuttle to the BKK airport for 130 bhat...read: 1050 my first afternoon in bangkok! My goodness the things I have learned. The flight went smoothly, although my backpack was 2 kilos over AirAsia's limit, so for a few frightening hours I was separated from my long time friend, the backpack. Although I did receive it back on Bali with full contents and structural integrity, the already peeling Canadian flag decal was gone.
Was this some sort cosmic sign highlighting my ex patriotism? or perhaps just careless handling/pasting of the decal. Either way, no longer do people realize my home country from 100 meters away bursting into 'CANADAAAAA! Vancouver or Toronto?!'....'neither bro, but close' i would reply. I will take it as a sign as my separation from all the things I hold dear from back home including, but not limited to:
Driving a car
Tim Hortons
My friends
Dolan's Pub
Keiths Beer
Free Internet
Having an income
Back to current events though! There is a certain vision I have of the next destinations, a daguerreotype in my mind if you will, and sometimes that vision is exceeded, and sometimes it is let down. Bali has been a looming fascination of my mine since day one, not only as the last stop on my adventure but from the numerous personal accounts I receive from fellow travellers.
I must say, and this is very pre-mature (that's what she said), I was let down. I was told to go to a beach called 'Uluwatu', good surf, lively, cheap. After paying the 14$ to get down there, I quickly realized that the surf was impossible but for the most X-treme australian bros, there was not much going on other than surfboard shops, and no accommodation. Disappointed but not dejected, I was picked up by a lovely indonesian couple on their 'second honeymoon' They drove me to the main beach, called Kuta, where I hit the pavement looking for anything costing less than 12$. Failing that, I booked a grungy room for that price, and set my feet towards the town. I have seen and breathed touristy, but this certain beach takes the cake.
'Masssssage?'
'Please buy somtingggg'
'Girl, man?, you want girl?'
'You want shirt boss? cheap cheap?'
'Come in look, I have guns!'
'Marijuana man? good price for you'
'Surf lesson boss? Come on, come on!'
etc etc etc
Don't let me bore you with my over-touristed whining, but you get the drift. In fairness, Kuta is the worst of the worst if you come to Bali, and if I can I will get on a scooter (the deadly scooter!) and check out the rest of the island. Apparently there are monkeys in the center of the island that will scratch you and steal your shit, so that sounds like something I would really be interested in. I did get to surf yesterday morning, and it was pretty fantastic. 'Bra, i was getting like 6 foot left handers, but it was tight because the righters were crushing my jam!'...or something like that. Kuta beach mostly entailed me eating pringles and buying new release DVDs for a dollar, not super exciting, but you must understand my bank account and brain account are both completely overdrawn at the moment.
Thus leading to the current island, gili T! I had heard few things about this particular stomping ground, but after 4 hours here is my take. It is extremely refreshing that motorized vehicles are outlawed, everything being drawn by horse and carriage or plain old bicycle. Things are mentally expensive, almost parallel with back home. (Imagine paying 6 dollars for a grando burrito on the beach, outrageous!) So my time here is short, but tomorrow entails some crystal water snorkeling, some sea side snoozing/reading, and perhaps try to make friends. I have mostly tried to cut alcohol out of my diet due to monetary restrictions, which tend to make for some quieter nights. This is not a problem because I can almost hear my sanity returning!
Currently there is an Australian work visa in the process, so after this tiny hole in the wall island, I will head back to Bali, onto the Malaysian airport and into Melbourne to start another adventure! Where do you find time to further your 'real life' Josh? It doesn't get much more real than this, bro. One love!
josh
After bangkok, I caught the express shuttle to the BKK airport for 130 bhat...read: 1050 my first afternoon in bangkok! My goodness the things I have learned. The flight went smoothly, although my backpack was 2 kilos over AirAsia's limit, so for a few frightening hours I was separated from my long time friend, the backpack. Although I did receive it back on Bali with full contents and structural integrity, the already peeling Canadian flag decal was gone.
Was this some sort cosmic sign highlighting my ex patriotism? or perhaps just careless handling/pasting of the decal. Either way, no longer do people realize my home country from 100 meters away bursting into 'CANADAAAAA! Vancouver or Toronto?!'....'neither bro, but close' i would reply. I will take it as a sign as my separation from all the things I hold dear from back home including, but not limited to:
Driving a car
Tim Hortons
My friends
Dolan's Pub
Keiths Beer
Free Internet
Having an income
Back to current events though! There is a certain vision I have of the next destinations, a daguerreotype in my mind if you will, and sometimes that vision is exceeded, and sometimes it is let down. Bali has been a looming fascination of my mine since day one, not only as the last stop on my adventure but from the numerous personal accounts I receive from fellow travellers.
I must say, and this is very pre-mature (that's what she said), I was let down. I was told to go to a beach called 'Uluwatu', good surf, lively, cheap. After paying the 14$ to get down there, I quickly realized that the surf was impossible but for the most X-treme australian bros, there was not much going on other than surfboard shops, and no accommodation. Disappointed but not dejected, I was picked up by a lovely indonesian couple on their 'second honeymoon' They drove me to the main beach, called Kuta, where I hit the pavement looking for anything costing less than 12$. Failing that, I booked a grungy room for that price, and set my feet towards the town. I have seen and breathed touristy, but this certain beach takes the cake.
'Masssssage?'
'Please buy somtingggg'
'Girl, man?, you want girl?'
'You want shirt boss? cheap cheap?'
'Come in look, I have guns!'
'Marijuana man? good price for you'
'Surf lesson boss? Come on, come on!'
etc etc etc
Don't let me bore you with my over-touristed whining, but you get the drift. In fairness, Kuta is the worst of the worst if you come to Bali, and if I can I will get on a scooter (the deadly scooter!) and check out the rest of the island. Apparently there are monkeys in the center of the island that will scratch you and steal your shit, so that sounds like something I would really be interested in. I did get to surf yesterday morning, and it was pretty fantastic. 'Bra, i was getting like 6 foot left handers, but it was tight because the righters were crushing my jam!'...or something like that. Kuta beach mostly entailed me eating pringles and buying new release DVDs for a dollar, not super exciting, but you must understand my bank account and brain account are both completely overdrawn at the moment.
Thus leading to the current island, gili T! I had heard few things about this particular stomping ground, but after 4 hours here is my take. It is extremely refreshing that motorized vehicles are outlawed, everything being drawn by horse and carriage or plain old bicycle. Things are mentally expensive, almost parallel with back home. (Imagine paying 6 dollars for a grando burrito on the beach, outrageous!) So my time here is short, but tomorrow entails some crystal water snorkeling, some sea side snoozing/reading, and perhaps try to make friends. I have mostly tried to cut alcohol out of my diet due to monetary restrictions, which tend to make for some quieter nights. This is not a problem because I can almost hear my sanity returning!
Currently there is an Australian work visa in the process, so after this tiny hole in the wall island, I will head back to Bali, onto the Malaysian airport and into Melbourne to start another adventure! Where do you find time to further your 'real life' Josh? It doesn't get much more real than this, bro. One love!
josh
Thursday, July 8, 2010
I-lands
YO!
It feels like a really long time since I dusted off the keyboard and gave some updates, and after reading the last post I feel like I didn't leave on a very high note.
My head healed up nicely, although the stitches are still in there (you could say I've grown quite attached to them). There is some god somewhere though that finds it neccessary to inflict a new and painful wound on me every week...the Deity of carelessness perhaps. More on this later.
After the first day in Siem Reap we made two whole hearted attempts to get to Angkor Wat and it's surrounding temples, both falling through due to bad tuks tuks, bad waking up skills and massive hangovers (surprised ya?) Siem Reap turned out to be a wonderful little town, having a good mix of cultural attractions and touristy night life and restaurants. For some reason I found it necessary to eat Mexican food 4 nights in a row, which I have narrowed down as my favorite genre of meal (perhaps mexico after this?) Let me give two descriptions of the Angkor Wat. One how a person who was really interested would say and one how well.....ya.
1) As we rose with the dawn, anticipation tingled through us we prepared to watch the sun rise over the '8th wonder of the world' A short taxi ride took us to the main gate where we payed a paltry 20$ to see one of the most amazing historic and architectural pieces of human ingenuity. As we sat on the open expanse of field waiting for the sun rise, droves of eager tourists followed suite. There was a hushed silence as the morning sun crested the main spires of the temples, presenting a real life post card that was only made for you, and you alone. We spent hours combing through the old wats, admiring the intricate carvings and sprawling array of temples, never letting the shutter on the camera close once. The pictures will always be there, but the feeling of walking down thousands of years history cannot be recreated by any photo album.
2) Rolling out of bed at 4:30am with a dry mouth, still mostly asleep and with no ambition whatsoever we grumpily crawled into the tuk tuk for a solid 5$, where we roll up to a gate that's demanding 20$ to see the temples. So, the sun isn't even up yet and the daily budget has been spent. Sick. We wait in a big courtyard while starry eyed tourists get there foolishly large zoom lenses ready waiting for sunrise, allegedly the best time of day to check out this dusty old hunk of rocks. 35 minutes later we realized the sun had come up, but the cloud cover was thick so we just didn't notice. Perfect! We wander around as the heats gets ever more unbearable, until 2 hours in we look at each other and say...let's get OUT OF HERE!. A few more touristy booths where I bought an extremely homosexual looking hemp man-satchel and a beer, and that was the end of Angkor WHAT THE HELL?
It's not to say the Angkor Wat wasn't impressive, because it definitely was, I just think that on this trip I have enjoyed the 'doing' and 'socializing' aspect much more than the sight seeing...it's hot, you get absolutely wiped out after a few hours, and they begin to all look the same. A few photos and maybe a quick chat about how 'TOTALLY AWESOME!' it is and I was good to go. Call me a poor tourist but honesty is key is any blog.
After Siem Reap, and a goodbye to my favorite mexican restaurant, we took an easy bus ride to Bangkok where I had to say a weepy farewell to Nick, who I had been traveling with for over a month! Friends will be made, partied with and split, but not forgotten. As he went back to London for a somewhat normal return to life, I turned around and walked back down khao san road. Now, the first time I came to Bangkok almost 3 months ago, bright eyed and full of wonder I stopped to talk to all the touts, taxis, scammers, hookers, fortune tellers, shop keeps, pan handlers, rig-a-ma-rollers and pretty much anyone who asked for a minute of my time. With 3 months of traveling experience (including thefts, rip offs, problems, languages etc) I found myself a changed man in a 'same-same' city.
It's funny how such a short time can shift your attitude on so many things. My first night in thailand, with a full bank account and trust in peoples' honesty, I bought everything without a second thought, was led down an alley by a lady boy for a good 8 minutes while a politely told 'her' I wasn't interested, and just balked at the favorable exchange rate we westerners receive. Now, especially coming from Vietnam, I am fully grossed out at the prices, cringe at the staggering drunken fools who are so pleased with themselves for 'travelling' (to give you an idea, khao san has a ipod shop, macDonalds and Burger King all in a row), and miss the the honest smiles you get in some of the worse off countries. But hey, let me get off my high horse and say I really really really enjoyed my Whopper with cheese....I also got the chance to tell a lady boy to piss off, called a taxi driver 'crazy' for charging 10$ from across town and bought absolutely nothing. Call it jaded, broke or tired...possibly all three.
But to more current events! Two buses and one ferry later found me on Kho Phangan, the site of the infamous 'Full Moon Party'. Unfortunately I did not time it properly and had to miss out on the 7000+ people, drug and alcohol fueled extravaganza...a shame. But no worries! Looking to bank (literally $$$) on the success of that party, the island throws a 'Half Moon Party' twice a month. This one was thrown in the jungle, had about 1000 people and we mostly just sat around and talked about how drugs and alcohol are destroying the youth of today. It was really insightful, if not a little opposing as to what I thought it would be....as every English person I met likes to put it I'm 'taking the piss'. It was a massive party with full on body paint, three DJ's, overpriced buckets and a torrential downpour...I think I really enjoyed it but you would have to ask the people dodging my flailing arm dance.
Of course, no week on this trip would be regular if I didn't wound myself somehow...so here it is. After the party I felt like a really wasn't experiencing enough scenery for these beautiful islands, so I hop on my scooter with an excellently labeled map....(thumbs down emoticon)....and hit the trails. About half an hour in, I thump down a hard trodden road looking for a waterfall, only to come across some horrendous pot holes. Now you may say 'Josh, you made it down Vietnam on a motorcycle without a scratch! Surely these small sandy potholes were no problem for you?' They were, and don't call me Surely.
Breaking much to hard the sand grated between the tires and as the bike went skidding out from under me. I bounced along the gravel a couple times getting some fantastic road (if you can even call it a road) rash down my arm and leg. Once again fellow readers, I will live, luckily I have a solid stock of anti biotics left over from my head ordeal. What feels absolutely riveting though is climbing into this salt water with a leg that looks like the surface of Mars. The leg was the least of the crash though. The bike, in my opinion (which doesn't count for shit to any local, I've found), could have a 5 minute buff job a little paint touch up and been sorted out. Clearly that is not the way it works. Other than these crazy moon parties, the biggest business on Koh Phangan is renting scooters to tourists, letting them scratch them up a bit, then charging them for brand new parts...not local prices. White people prices. Think of it as reverse racism.
With a little uneasiness, I rolled the bike up to the rental hotel, thinking they were going to ring me for 50-75$ Ouch! That price range was obviously something from my dreams, as the grand total (after my pity discount) was 180$. Now why not just walk? Mostly because my passport was locked in the office, and thai people will beat the living hell out if things get too heated. Not my kind of party.
Anyways, bitter as I am about that....this too shall pass. I am currently sitting on one of the most beautiful islands I have ever seen, learning the graceful art of SCUBA diving with four nights accommodation included. Brilliant coral, pools, people and food surround...The instructors are the most english blokes I have met yet, real good sort 'Arrigh brufva, now once you're in tha wa'er, make sure ya don' hol' yer feckin breff, or your lungs are gunna straigh' pop like, ya?'
I must say I am getting a little homesick as I see FB pictures pop up from the summer festivities, and I hope everyone back home (BC and NB bros) are sponging as much joy out of life as I am. And to people who aren't, your life is yours. Grab 1500$ and come down here for a month...I'm sure it'll be the smallest regret you ever have <----(Glass half empty sentence?)
Back to Bangkok for a quick stopover, then Indonesia until my dwindling resources run out. I am still on the fence about work there or Australia, perhaps one of those things you decide when you meet a cute Aussie girl...right mate?
The sun is shining, and I got a hot date with a chicken kabob and big beer. One love!
It feels like a really long time since I dusted off the keyboard and gave some updates, and after reading the last post I feel like I didn't leave on a very high note.
My head healed up nicely, although the stitches are still in there (you could say I've grown quite attached to them). There is some god somewhere though that finds it neccessary to inflict a new and painful wound on me every week...the Deity of carelessness perhaps. More on this later.
After the first day in Siem Reap we made two whole hearted attempts to get to Angkor Wat and it's surrounding temples, both falling through due to bad tuks tuks, bad waking up skills and massive hangovers (surprised ya?) Siem Reap turned out to be a wonderful little town, having a good mix of cultural attractions and touristy night life and restaurants. For some reason I found it necessary to eat Mexican food 4 nights in a row, which I have narrowed down as my favorite genre of meal (perhaps mexico after this?) Let me give two descriptions of the Angkor Wat. One how a person who was really interested would say and one how well.....ya.
1) As we rose with the dawn, anticipation tingled through us we prepared to watch the sun rise over the '8th wonder of the world' A short taxi ride took us to the main gate where we payed a paltry 20$ to see one of the most amazing historic and architectural pieces of human ingenuity. As we sat on the open expanse of field waiting for the sun rise, droves of eager tourists followed suite. There was a hushed silence as the morning sun crested the main spires of the temples, presenting a real life post card that was only made for you, and you alone. We spent hours combing through the old wats, admiring the intricate carvings and sprawling array of temples, never letting the shutter on the camera close once. The pictures will always be there, but the feeling of walking down thousands of years history cannot be recreated by any photo album.
2) Rolling out of bed at 4:30am with a dry mouth, still mostly asleep and with no ambition whatsoever we grumpily crawled into the tuk tuk for a solid 5$, where we roll up to a gate that's demanding 20$ to see the temples. So, the sun isn't even up yet and the daily budget has been spent. Sick. We wait in a big courtyard while starry eyed tourists get there foolishly large zoom lenses ready waiting for sunrise, allegedly the best time of day to check out this dusty old hunk of rocks. 35 minutes later we realized the sun had come up, but the cloud cover was thick so we just didn't notice. Perfect! We wander around as the heats gets ever more unbearable, until 2 hours in we look at each other and say...let's get OUT OF HERE!. A few more touristy booths where I bought an extremely homosexual looking hemp man-satchel and a beer, and that was the end of Angkor WHAT THE HELL?
It's not to say the Angkor Wat wasn't impressive, because it definitely was, I just think that on this trip I have enjoyed the 'doing' and 'socializing' aspect much more than the sight seeing...it's hot, you get absolutely wiped out after a few hours, and they begin to all look the same. A few photos and maybe a quick chat about how 'TOTALLY AWESOME!' it is and I was good to go. Call me a poor tourist but honesty is key is any blog.
After Siem Reap, and a goodbye to my favorite mexican restaurant, we took an easy bus ride to Bangkok where I had to say a weepy farewell to Nick, who I had been traveling with for over a month! Friends will be made, partied with and split, but not forgotten. As he went back to London for a somewhat normal return to life, I turned around and walked back down khao san road. Now, the first time I came to Bangkok almost 3 months ago, bright eyed and full of wonder I stopped to talk to all the touts, taxis, scammers, hookers, fortune tellers, shop keeps, pan handlers, rig-a-ma-rollers and pretty much anyone who asked for a minute of my time. With 3 months of traveling experience (including thefts, rip offs, problems, languages etc) I found myself a changed man in a 'same-same' city.
It's funny how such a short time can shift your attitude on so many things. My first night in thailand, with a full bank account and trust in peoples' honesty, I bought everything without a second thought, was led down an alley by a lady boy for a good 8 minutes while a politely told 'her' I wasn't interested, and just balked at the favorable exchange rate we westerners receive. Now, especially coming from Vietnam, I am fully grossed out at the prices, cringe at the staggering drunken fools who are so pleased with themselves for 'travelling' (to give you an idea, khao san has a ipod shop, macDonalds and Burger King all in a row), and miss the the honest smiles you get in some of the worse off countries. But hey, let me get off my high horse and say I really really really enjoyed my Whopper with cheese....I also got the chance to tell a lady boy to piss off, called a taxi driver 'crazy' for charging 10$ from across town and bought absolutely nothing. Call it jaded, broke or tired...possibly all three.
But to more current events! Two buses and one ferry later found me on Kho Phangan, the site of the infamous 'Full Moon Party'. Unfortunately I did not time it properly and had to miss out on the 7000+ people, drug and alcohol fueled extravaganza...a shame. But no worries! Looking to bank (literally $$$) on the success of that party, the island throws a 'Half Moon Party' twice a month. This one was thrown in the jungle, had about 1000 people and we mostly just sat around and talked about how drugs and alcohol are destroying the youth of today. It was really insightful, if not a little opposing as to what I thought it would be....as every English person I met likes to put it I'm 'taking the piss'. It was a massive party with full on body paint, three DJ's, overpriced buckets and a torrential downpour...I think I really enjoyed it but you would have to ask the people dodging my flailing arm dance.
Of course, no week on this trip would be regular if I didn't wound myself somehow...so here it is. After the party I felt like a really wasn't experiencing enough scenery for these beautiful islands, so I hop on my scooter with an excellently labeled map....(thumbs down emoticon)....and hit the trails. About half an hour in, I thump down a hard trodden road looking for a waterfall, only to come across some horrendous pot holes. Now you may say 'Josh, you made it down Vietnam on a motorcycle without a scratch! Surely these small sandy potholes were no problem for you?' They were, and don't call me Surely.
Breaking much to hard the sand grated between the tires and as the bike went skidding out from under me. I bounced along the gravel a couple times getting some fantastic road (if you can even call it a road) rash down my arm and leg. Once again fellow readers, I will live, luckily I have a solid stock of anti biotics left over from my head ordeal. What feels absolutely riveting though is climbing into this salt water with a leg that looks like the surface of Mars. The leg was the least of the crash though. The bike, in my opinion (which doesn't count for shit to any local, I've found), could have a 5 minute buff job a little paint touch up and been sorted out. Clearly that is not the way it works. Other than these crazy moon parties, the biggest business on Koh Phangan is renting scooters to tourists, letting them scratch them up a bit, then charging them for brand new parts...not local prices. White people prices. Think of it as reverse racism.
With a little uneasiness, I rolled the bike up to the rental hotel, thinking they were going to ring me for 50-75$ Ouch! That price range was obviously something from my dreams, as the grand total (after my pity discount) was 180$. Now why not just walk? Mostly because my passport was locked in the office, and thai people will beat the living hell out if things get too heated. Not my kind of party.
Anyways, bitter as I am about that....this too shall pass. I am currently sitting on one of the most beautiful islands I have ever seen, learning the graceful art of SCUBA diving with four nights accommodation included. Brilliant coral, pools, people and food surround...The instructors are the most english blokes I have met yet, real good sort 'Arrigh brufva, now once you're in tha wa'er, make sure ya don' hol' yer feckin breff, or your lungs are gunna straigh' pop like, ya?'
I must say I am getting a little homesick as I see FB pictures pop up from the summer festivities, and I hope everyone back home (BC and NB bros) are sponging as much joy out of life as I am. And to people who aren't, your life is yours. Grab 1500$ and come down here for a month...I'm sure it'll be the smallest regret you ever have <----(Glass half empty sentence?)
Back to Bangkok for a quick stopover, then Indonesia until my dwindling resources run out. I am still on the fence about work there or Australia, perhaps one of those things you decide when you meet a cute Aussie girl...right mate?
The sun is shining, and I got a hot date with a chicken kabob and big beer. One love!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
On splitting hairs...
Just a quick blog blerb on the current situation....
When we were playing in the pool back in vietnam we created these moves called 'porpoise dives'. It's basically where you put your hands at your sides and flap your body like a dolphin jumping from the ocean, and normally it works very well....except for tonight. It's 8:15 in the morning and I just got back to the hostel from the hospital....funny how they sound so alike jaja?
As i was attempting a porpoise dive in the wee morning hours, without realizing how shallow this pool was, amid the claps and cheers of my peers I jettisoned through the water just like my dolphin counterparts....quickly I realized, through an enormous smash of my head on the pool bottom, the water wasn't going to accommodate any of what I was trying to do and as a little blood filled the water i knew I was screwed. At first I touched my head and a got a fingertip of blood and thought 'no worries' but the surrounding crowd reminded me head injuries are not to be taken lightly. So off to the hospital we go where I get my FIRST STITCHES EVER! Two to the head, antiseptic, three tetanus shots (this is cambodia after all) and they send me on my way. All I can say is thank god for spell checker at the moment because my typing is a mess. Doctor said everything will be fine, just take some anti-inflammatories, chill out, and no more porpoise dives for a bit. Injuries are a dime a dozen on this route, and my medical worries are only equal to my whiny email to the travel insurance company asking them to fit the suture bill. Just thought I'd do quick 'medical check up' before I sleep off this nasty sew up. Also...there is a heinous bandage on my head at the moment, but every time I pull at it feels like the stitches will come out...is this a permanent fixture all you medical professionals? Ciao Ciao
When we were playing in the pool back in vietnam we created these moves called 'porpoise dives'. It's basically where you put your hands at your sides and flap your body like a dolphin jumping from the ocean, and normally it works very well....except for tonight. It's 8:15 in the morning and I just got back to the hostel from the hospital....funny how they sound so alike jaja?
As i was attempting a porpoise dive in the wee morning hours, without realizing how shallow this pool was, amid the claps and cheers of my peers I jettisoned through the water just like my dolphin counterparts....quickly I realized, through an enormous smash of my head on the pool bottom, the water wasn't going to accommodate any of what I was trying to do and as a little blood filled the water i knew I was screwed. At first I touched my head and a got a fingertip of blood and thought 'no worries' but the surrounding crowd reminded me head injuries are not to be taken lightly. So off to the hospital we go where I get my FIRST STITCHES EVER! Two to the head, antiseptic, three tetanus shots (this is cambodia after all) and they send me on my way. All I can say is thank god for spell checker at the moment because my typing is a mess. Doctor said everything will be fine, just take some anti-inflammatories, chill out, and no more porpoise dives for a bit. Injuries are a dime a dozen on this route, and my medical worries are only equal to my whiny email to the travel insurance company asking them to fit the suture bill. Just thought I'd do quick 'medical check up' before I sleep off this nasty sew up. Also...there is a heinous bandage on my head at the moment, but every time I pull at it feels like the stitches will come out...is this a permanent fixture all you medical professionals? Ciao Ciao
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Same Same, but more cambodian...
Greetings Earthlings!
It's been a solid 10 days since the last post, I think there may be alot to report but I will let my fingers dance across the keyboard and see what happens.
For a real kick, I should look if this keyboard can right in the Khmer language, which is what they speak in Cambodia. I was tres happy about the progress of my broken, half english vietnamese but once again I have switched countries and had to say bye bye to the 6 or 7 stock phrases I depended on daily. With vietnamese I thought it would be a real hole in one seeing as how they use our letters, but I was very mistaken. Try pronouncing the word 'Nguyen' and see if anyone knows what your talking about. Now that I'm back to a 'swirly letter country' you can look at a shop sign and have zero idea what it actually sells, which is no bother because travelling is basically about not knowing where you are or what you're doing. Not Americans though, they need a GPS, pop up map, 5 lonely planets and extra rations and water purification tablets in case they head down the wrong street for 3 minutes.
Back to the task at hand, I will look back at Vietnam with a bucket full of mixed emotions. I believe the last post commented on the bane of my existence named 'Laura', the motorcycle I purchased back in Hanoi. If you're wondering where the name came from, it's was christianed by the guy I bought it off. Basically the chap was macking this girl named Laura in Saigon for a good chunk of the night, until it came to make out hour and she told him to piss off. The next morning he painted her name on the motorbike figuring some Laura owed him a good ride.
He was a fellow Canadian and in all my naivety, I gladly handed over 300$ thinking 'shucks!..that's great for this cool bike!' Through the high definition window that is hindsight, it was retarded to a)buy that brand of motorcycle b)not buy it from a proper shop c)believe I could make it down and entire country 'sur la moto' only spending 300 buck-a-roos. The dirty ol girl guzzled the gas, broke down every day, stank of petrol to the high heavens and basically told me to get bent every morning I tried to start her up. There were multiple times when my kick-start would just hang there like a flaccid....something...so I had to get my mates to push me to about 5 kms/h so I could pump it into second gear and rip off that way, looking like a gigantic wank while little vietnamese people blew by me on their scooters. All in all it was a little over a 500$ investment in my patience and sanity...but although I bitch about it now I will look back on our top gear tour with the fondest of memories, and have some excellent stories/advice to share with the people of the world. (seriously, if you want to motorbike vietnam drop me a line and I will give you the expansive list of do's and don'ts,as well as try an relate what this amazing country looks like while you drive through it)
There were points when you just sucked in your breath and said 'oh my god, everything was worth it for this one moment of beauty'. When we were coming down from Hue, a city in central vietnam, we went around a corner that to my right had gigantic mountains covered in jungle, then to my left the Pacific ocean stretching farther than I can even think about. Moments like those, my blood and petrol soaked socks, gas stained clothes and sweaty helmet bore no issue.
I stretched my vietnam visa to the very last day, as Nick and myself went a spree trying to sell of these albatross bikes in Saigon. Luckily, Nick pawned his off for a cool 200$, therefore being able to eat and have a beer, although I was only able to sell mine for scraps for 75$. Turns out the serial numbers didn't match the registration which depreciates it by about one million percent.
So on the bus yesterday, we excitedly roll into Cambodia, meet some friends we were chasing down vietnam for 3 WEEKS! (okay meet you in 2 days...bike broken...k meet you in 4 days...k you're in a different country...bike broken) and have a wee night out. Today we went to the S-21 war museum, which after months of partying and reveling is quite a sobering experience. I wish I could explain more about the Khmer Rouge situation but I'm not that well versed in it and wouldn't like to make any errors. Just know that there was some hideous shit that went on in this country, as you will see when I put up some pictures. 'Killing fields' tomorrow, couple palace visits and we're off to Angkor Wat tomorrow night! Luckily I picked up a new camera, found one with hot, dusty old temples setting...so perfect.
A friend I met in thailand is actually teaching english at an orphanage here, and he says it's really great. I am interested but time is money, which I'm running out of the latter. Unfortunately the money hungry motorbike threw the budget for a little loop, so I may have to scratch some things of the itinerary and head straight to Bali. Tough life right? The people, the weather, the food and yes even the motorcycle have been something out of a dream and I wouldn't trade it for anything...well maybe 300$ and a McDonalds big xtra with cheese, but that's it.
Thanks for reading.
Josh
It's been a solid 10 days since the last post, I think there may be alot to report but I will let my fingers dance across the keyboard and see what happens.
For a real kick, I should look if this keyboard can right in the Khmer language, which is what they speak in Cambodia. I was tres happy about the progress of my broken, half english vietnamese but once again I have switched countries and had to say bye bye to the 6 or 7 stock phrases I depended on daily. With vietnamese I thought it would be a real hole in one seeing as how they use our letters, but I was very mistaken. Try pronouncing the word 'Nguyen' and see if anyone knows what your talking about. Now that I'm back to a 'swirly letter country' you can look at a shop sign and have zero idea what it actually sells, which is no bother because travelling is basically about not knowing where you are or what you're doing. Not Americans though, they need a GPS, pop up map, 5 lonely planets and extra rations and water purification tablets in case they head down the wrong street for 3 minutes.
Back to the task at hand, I will look back at Vietnam with a bucket full of mixed emotions. I believe the last post commented on the bane of my existence named 'Laura', the motorcycle I purchased back in Hanoi. If you're wondering where the name came from, it's was christianed by the guy I bought it off. Basically the chap was macking this girl named Laura in Saigon for a good chunk of the night, until it came to make out hour and she told him to piss off. The next morning he painted her name on the motorbike figuring some Laura owed him a good ride.
He was a fellow Canadian and in all my naivety, I gladly handed over 300$ thinking 'shucks!..that's great for this cool bike!' Through the high definition window that is hindsight, it was retarded to a)buy that brand of motorcycle b)not buy it from a proper shop c)believe I could make it down and entire country 'sur la moto' only spending 300 buck-a-roos. The dirty ol girl guzzled the gas, broke down every day, stank of petrol to the high heavens and basically told me to get bent every morning I tried to start her up. There were multiple times when my kick-start would just hang there like a flaccid....something...so I had to get my mates to push me to about 5 kms/h so I could pump it into second gear and rip off that way, looking like a gigantic wank while little vietnamese people blew by me on their scooters. All in all it was a little over a 500$ investment in my patience and sanity...but although I bitch about it now I will look back on our top gear tour with the fondest of memories, and have some excellent stories/advice to share with the people of the world. (seriously, if you want to motorbike vietnam drop me a line and I will give you the expansive list of do's and don'ts,as well as try an relate what this amazing country looks like while you drive through it)
There were points when you just sucked in your breath and said 'oh my god, everything was worth it for this one moment of beauty'. When we were coming down from Hue, a city in central vietnam, we went around a corner that to my right had gigantic mountains covered in jungle, then to my left the Pacific ocean stretching farther than I can even think about. Moments like those, my blood and petrol soaked socks, gas stained clothes and sweaty helmet bore no issue.
I stretched my vietnam visa to the very last day, as Nick and myself went a spree trying to sell of these albatross bikes in Saigon. Luckily, Nick pawned his off for a cool 200$, therefore being able to eat and have a beer, although I was only able to sell mine for scraps for 75$. Turns out the serial numbers didn't match the registration which depreciates it by about one million percent.
So on the bus yesterday, we excitedly roll into Cambodia, meet some friends we were chasing down vietnam for 3 WEEKS! (okay meet you in 2 days...bike broken...k meet you in 4 days...k you're in a different country...bike broken) and have a wee night out. Today we went to the S-21 war museum, which after months of partying and reveling is quite a sobering experience. I wish I could explain more about the Khmer Rouge situation but I'm not that well versed in it and wouldn't like to make any errors. Just know that there was some hideous shit that went on in this country, as you will see when I put up some pictures. 'Killing fields' tomorrow, couple palace visits and we're off to Angkor Wat tomorrow night! Luckily I picked up a new camera, found one with hot, dusty old temples setting...so perfect.
A friend I met in thailand is actually teaching english at an orphanage here, and he says it's really great. I am interested but time is money, which I'm running out of the latter. Unfortunately the money hungry motorbike threw the budget for a little loop, so I may have to scratch some things of the itinerary and head straight to Bali. Tough life right? The people, the weather, the food and yes even the motorcycle have been something out of a dream and I wouldn't trade it for anything...well maybe 300$ and a McDonalds big xtra with cheese, but that's it.
Thanks for reading.
Josh
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Down vietnam on a shoe string.....of patience
The past couple weeks have been a myriad of contradictions.
Ultimate highs and bottomless lows, healthy brown glow to peeling skin off in pieces, the freedom of the open road and the never ending slew of mechanic stop offs, having 'millions' in local currency to losing it all to pickpocketing...
In traveling, as well as life, it would be naive to assume that every day is going to be a peach. As soon as you get off the well beaten track and try and do things on your own, that's exactly what you are, on your own. My sanity would have literally been left in among the banana trees up north if not for my traveling mates, as we've all had each others back since we left Hanoi. The last post commented on day one and tribulations experienced in that short time span. Take that theme and multiply it by by the past two weeks and you basically have our motorcycling adventure. It's not to say that it's been all bad, but if you had one of those funny little law scales and balanced the pros and cons the con side would be severely faltered. I could bitch about it for a few paragraphs but in short it went like this.
Day 1-2 -> Break down, spend two days at mechanic
Day 3-4 -> Make it to a hole in the wall town called Yen Cat, where two out of four bikes break down again. Also my bag fell off the back of the bike and smashed my camera
Day 5 -> Eventually make it to a 'big' town (60,000 ppl) where we say 'F THIS' and put the bikes and ourselves on a train for 35$. Train takes 12 hours. Very good seafood pizza.
Day 6-11 -> Arrive in Hue. Absolutely relish the fact we are back in a big city, where the option to eat something other than rice or noodles is open to us. Party our butts of, talk to pretty girls, watch HBO and do a few rides around the city (which is absolutely beautiful! Like, omg, there are giant lotus flowers like floating in the surrounding inlets, and those inlets lead to like the ocean where you can like, totes watch the sun dip down behind this gorge illuminated bridge, while like the impending storm comes in from the west with freakin craze lightning and thunder OMG!!)...also got robbed for about 15$ during this time. Was thumbing for some money from my wallet, and some little wanker comes up grabs a handful and makes off. If you're reading this little vietnamese fellow, really lame move brother.
Day 12 -> After a 800,000 dong (40$US) motorbike overhaul we are back in working condition,
and with heads high, helmets on, freshly showered we set of. We get about 4km out of town when one of the previous shit bikes, waitttttttt for it......BREAKS DOWN AGAIN!
So another night spent in Hue where I meet a fantastic bunch of vietamese dudes and we drink beers, talk about there families and Canada and all sorts of rubbish and what a great time....until I realize my wallet is no longer in my pocket. (Insert sad face) Luckily the wallet was found a few feet away under a little bike taxi thing...with about 70$ missing. At first I looked at it like 'goddamn vietnam', but that's the wrong attitude. There are thousands of people here looking to squeeze an extra buck out of you, legally or illegally, but on the other side of the coin there are multitudes of people who will, and have, help you without a blink of an eye. People are just people, no matter where you are on the globe.
One motorbike got sent back to Hanoi for scraps, so I was driving double yesterday with one of the boys on the back...a solid 200 pounds, but the scenery here made up for way more than the fact I was shifting gears like my life depended on it....which it did. Now that my bike is back in complete working order (thank you Hue mechanic) I'm optomistic about the rest of the drive down, but word to the wise...don't buy an old shitty bike just because it looks cool or that's what people do, because thus far we've basically been doing a tour of the mechanics in Vietnam, instead of actual vietnam. Pick yourself up a cute little honda wave, put on your pink helmet and hit the road, because I'm sure you'll make it more than 100kms without a break down, once a day, every day. The bike total is now up to about 420$ with purcahse, gas and repairs but you can't put a price on adventure. Well, you can, but I literally can't think about it, because it makes me want to vomit.
So at the moment, we are getting a squad of scooters to tour around Hoi An, perhaps get a nice shirt made and go have a margarita, if we can find the beach....(that gigantic body of water with sand on it). I do love vietnam very much, and when my trip is over I'm going to put some serious consideration into teaching english in Hanoi. Peaccccce Out!
Ultimate highs and bottomless lows, healthy brown glow to peeling skin off in pieces, the freedom of the open road and the never ending slew of mechanic stop offs, having 'millions' in local currency to losing it all to pickpocketing...
In traveling, as well as life, it would be naive to assume that every day is going to be a peach. As soon as you get off the well beaten track and try and do things on your own, that's exactly what you are, on your own. My sanity would have literally been left in among the banana trees up north if not for my traveling mates, as we've all had each others back since we left Hanoi. The last post commented on day one and tribulations experienced in that short time span. Take that theme and multiply it by by the past two weeks and you basically have our motorcycling adventure. It's not to say that it's been all bad, but if you had one of those funny little law scales and balanced the pros and cons the con side would be severely faltered. I could bitch about it for a few paragraphs but in short it went like this.
Day 1-2 -> Break down, spend two days at mechanic
Day 3-4 -> Make it to a hole in the wall town called Yen Cat, where two out of four bikes break down again. Also my bag fell off the back of the bike and smashed my camera
Day 5 -> Eventually make it to a 'big' town (60,000 ppl) where we say 'F THIS' and put the bikes and ourselves on a train for 35$. Train takes 12 hours. Very good seafood pizza.
Day 6-11 -> Arrive in Hue. Absolutely relish the fact we are back in a big city, where the option to eat something other than rice or noodles is open to us. Party our butts of, talk to pretty girls, watch HBO and do a few rides around the city (which is absolutely beautiful! Like, omg, there are giant lotus flowers like floating in the surrounding inlets, and those inlets lead to like the ocean where you can like, totes watch the sun dip down behind this gorge illuminated bridge, while like the impending storm comes in from the west with freakin craze lightning and thunder OMG!!)...also got robbed for about 15$ during this time. Was thumbing for some money from my wallet, and some little wanker comes up grabs a handful and makes off. If you're reading this little vietnamese fellow, really lame move brother.
Day 12 -> After a 800,000 dong (40$US) motorbike overhaul we are back in working condition,
and with heads high, helmets on, freshly showered we set of. We get about 4km out of town when one of the previous shit bikes, waitttttttt for it......BREAKS DOWN AGAIN!
So another night spent in Hue where I meet a fantastic bunch of vietamese dudes and we drink beers, talk about there families and Canada and all sorts of rubbish and what a great time....until I realize my wallet is no longer in my pocket. (Insert sad face) Luckily the wallet was found a few feet away under a little bike taxi thing...with about 70$ missing. At first I looked at it like 'goddamn vietnam', but that's the wrong attitude. There are thousands of people here looking to squeeze an extra buck out of you, legally or illegally, but on the other side of the coin there are multitudes of people who will, and have, help you without a blink of an eye. People are just people, no matter where you are on the globe.
One motorbike got sent back to Hanoi for scraps, so I was driving double yesterday with one of the boys on the back...a solid 200 pounds, but the scenery here made up for way more than the fact I was shifting gears like my life depended on it....which it did. Now that my bike is back in complete working order (thank you Hue mechanic) I'm optomistic about the rest of the drive down, but word to the wise...don't buy an old shitty bike just because it looks cool or that's what people do, because thus far we've basically been doing a tour of the mechanics in Vietnam, instead of actual vietnam. Pick yourself up a cute little honda wave, put on your pink helmet and hit the road, because I'm sure you'll make it more than 100kms without a break down, once a day, every day. The bike total is now up to about 420$ with purcahse, gas and repairs but you can't put a price on adventure. Well, you can, but I literally can't think about it, because it makes me want to vomit.
So at the moment, we are getting a squad of scooters to tour around Hoi An, perhaps get a nice shirt made and go have a margarita, if we can find the beach....(that gigantic body of water with sand on it). I do love vietnam very much, and when my trip is over I'm going to put some serious consideration into teaching english in Hanoi. Peaccccce Out!
Monday, June 7, 2010
From Groundhog Day to Grounded
Goooooooood Morning Vietnam!
Bonjour everyone, time for a bit catch up!
I'm just reading over my last post and giving my head a shake for the time I said I was going to leave, and the time I actually did leave. After Halong Bay, salty and sunny and partied out, I planned to buy a motorcycle and hit the road. Two days turned into almost two weeks because I got lost in a flurry rooftop barbecues, 50 cent beers and the good vibe that is Hanoi city.
I highly reccomend Hanoi backpacker hostel because, even though the rooms are a whopping 6 bucks, the energy and party on that street is just stellar. I will admit it is not 'real' vietnam, which I am currently in, typing on a keyboard that spits out vietnamese, but it offers up the same party with new faces each night. People of all walks of life gather on the rooftop bar, kick back with happy hour beers and burgers and make multitudes of friends. I'd say the first 3 nights would have been plenty but then I had a birthday coming up so why not stay a couple more nights? Then I gained some travelling partners, so why not stay a couple more? Then I had to buy a motorycle, so a little bit more time wouldn't hurt....No worries! People eventually came up and asked 'Hey, how much for the water?' and I would say 'Oh sorry I know I blend into the wallpaper perfectly, but I don't actually work here' So you can see the excellent trap that I had fallen into....Groundhog Day, only I'm Bill Murray from Canada, eh, with a much higher capacity for late nights and cheap rum. It would have been much easier to leave if it was the same hum drum every night, but new faces equals new conversations and adventures! A special thanks to Chau (and Leah and Martha!) for showing me around and hanging out, you are an excellent scooter driver and host!
The day finally came when we left the backpacker district (FINALLY!), and as we sat in a row getting some photos, aviators on, looking cool as a can of baked beans, I think one out of four bikes would start up. Tres embarassing oui? I actually had to go the ghetto route of getting a push down the hill then kicking it into gear, like some Kazikstani moto taxi rolling into town to buy oats. My mates are Nick, Ben and Spencer and they are a solid travelling crew because I'm beginning to realize patience is a virtue when you plan on biking the whole of vietnam on a 12 year old, 300$ motorcycle. No one has lost there cool yet, even though we have travelled only 120 km in almost two days. We've been to the mechanic four times today and he is an absolute gem ...for all you people that break down in Mai Chau go see the dude across from the market/football field, a regular miracle worker.
It is now pissing rain, getting dark and there is some intense lightning happening over the surrounding mountains...so I'm going to go out on a limb and say we are NOT going anywhere tonight. C'est La vie mes amis. Even when things don't go as planned, you find yourself eating shaved beef soup and drinking beer with your buddies, playing with little vietnamese kids, or doing quick language lessons with the locals. Life is good. Until next time.
Bonjour everyone, time for a bit catch up!
I'm just reading over my last post and giving my head a shake for the time I said I was going to leave, and the time I actually did leave. After Halong Bay, salty and sunny and partied out, I planned to buy a motorcycle and hit the road. Two days turned into almost two weeks because I got lost in a flurry rooftop barbecues, 50 cent beers and the good vibe that is Hanoi city.
I highly reccomend Hanoi backpacker hostel because, even though the rooms are a whopping 6 bucks, the energy and party on that street is just stellar. I will admit it is not 'real' vietnam, which I am currently in, typing on a keyboard that spits out vietnamese, but it offers up the same party with new faces each night. People of all walks of life gather on the rooftop bar, kick back with happy hour beers and burgers and make multitudes of friends. I'd say the first 3 nights would have been plenty but then I had a birthday coming up so why not stay a couple more nights? Then I gained some travelling partners, so why not stay a couple more? Then I had to buy a motorycle, so a little bit more time wouldn't hurt....No worries! People eventually came up and asked 'Hey, how much for the water?' and I would say 'Oh sorry I know I blend into the wallpaper perfectly, but I don't actually work here' So you can see the excellent trap that I had fallen into....Groundhog Day, only I'm Bill Murray from Canada, eh, with a much higher capacity for late nights and cheap rum. It would have been much easier to leave if it was the same hum drum every night, but new faces equals new conversations and adventures! A special thanks to Chau (and Leah and Martha!) for showing me around and hanging out, you are an excellent scooter driver and host!
The day finally came when we left the backpacker district (FINALLY!), and as we sat in a row getting some photos, aviators on, looking cool as a can of baked beans, I think one out of four bikes would start up. Tres embarassing oui? I actually had to go the ghetto route of getting a push down the hill then kicking it into gear, like some Kazikstani moto taxi rolling into town to buy oats. My mates are Nick, Ben and Spencer and they are a solid travelling crew because I'm beginning to realize patience is a virtue when you plan on biking the whole of vietnam on a 12 year old, 300$ motorcycle. No one has lost there cool yet, even though we have travelled only 120 km in almost two days. We've been to the mechanic four times today and he is an absolute gem ...for all you people that break down in Mai Chau go see the dude across from the market/football field, a regular miracle worker.
It is now pissing rain, getting dark and there is some intense lightning happening over the surrounding mountains...so I'm going to go out on a limb and say we are NOT going anywhere tonight. C'est La vie mes amis. Even when things don't go as planned, you find yourself eating shaved beef soup and drinking beer with your buddies, playing with little vietnamese kids, or doing quick language lessons with the locals. Life is good. Until next time.
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