We slept in today. The beds were uncomfortable but somehow I still slept in til 10 am. We got some breakfast and checked out at noon. Javson and Su are staying in Saigon for a few more days so I was the only one leaving. I had a few more hours left so I walked to the nicer part of Central Ho Chi Minh City. Khong Doi St had a lot of Western fashion (not black market stuff). There was Versace, D&G and other European fashions. None of the prices were cheap so I really didn’t buy anything. After walking around for two hours I headed back and said goodby to my cousin and Javson. I told him next year we’ll do Tibet or maybe some European trip. He wanted me to take a month off of work and I laughed.

In the taxi ride to the airport I thought that the trip was great. I was a lot of Vietnam in a short period of time and got to meet relatives whom I’ve only heard stories of. I wish I could have learned Vietnamese before going because there were many times I couldn’t communicate with the relatives. I could understand them but it was a one-way conversation. That doesn’t come to say that I didn’t have a great time. I had an awesome time. Can’t wait til the next time I return.

The last leg of the bus tour was the worst of the whole trip. Once we left Dalat it started to warm up considerably. There was no air conditioning in the bus and the temperature was about 90 degrees with a lot of humidity. 8 hours on the bus was like sitting in a sauna. We stopped a few times to eat but nothing worth noting. The bus stops served either rice or noodles which is quite common at any rest stop. I tried to get some sleep but it was too damn hot. 8 hours later we were dropped off in Central Ho Chi Minh City. We didn’t have a hotel booked so we shopped around. The Lonely Planet recommended a place nearby but they were booked. They reserved s spot for us across the street. It wasn’t real nice but we didn’t want to spend too much time looking. The cost was $20 for a room with 3 beds. There was no real hot water and it was on the 3rd floor with no elevator. We checked in, showered and were off to find dinner.

Not too far away was Ben Thanh Market that sold souvenirs, clothing and food. We perused for about 30 mins before finding out it closed around 6 p.m. We headed outside for some food where everything was fresh. Su ordered something weird that we didn’t want to eat so we waited for her and ate nearby. Between Javson and I we had 5 dishes and we ate like kings the last night I was in Vietnam. And the best thing about it was the bill came out to $8 for the both of us. We had noodles, rice, spring rolls, seafood, beef and coconuts to drink from. Probably the best meal throughout this whole trip. After finishing our gigantic dinner we shopped some more at the outdoor markets. I bought a purse for my sister and a few bracelets for myself. It was so hot I decided to head back to the hotel for some air conditioning. Tomorrow I leave Vietnam so I want to check out a little more of Saigon in the morning.

Yet another long and horrific bus ride awaited us. There seems to be a trend of bad experiences lately. It was another 6 hours through mountainous windy roads. At one point the bus stalled heading up a mountain stretch and it took a few minutes to start back up. Again no sleep on the bus ride. We got off the bus and checked into the first hotel we could find. A 3 person bedroom for $15 was actually really nice compared to our rooms in Nha Trang. After checking into our rooms we paid $10 each for a chauffeured tour of Dalat. We only had a half day so the tour was cut in half. We tried to bargain because it wasn’t a full tour but the salesman wasn’t buying it. Anyways we paid it and set off to see the city.

First stop was the cable cars from the top down to the bottom. It was neat to actually see Dalat from that high up. It reminds me of a small French town. I can see why many Vietnamese vacation here. It has a very French influence. When we got down to the bottom we checked out the Pagoda. It really wasn’t much of anything. It had a nice garden and that was about it. The next stop was actually a waterfall and quite cool. Good thing I brought my tripod with me. I got a few slow shutter shots. I hope they turn out well. The hike down to the fall was an easy descent but the hike back up was not. All 3 of us were about to pass out at the top. The next stop was the Lake. I don’t remember what the lake was called but it was very serene. We caught the sun as it was just about to set. The skies we’re still a little grey so I think some Photoshop will be needed for these pictures. The last stop on our tour was Crazy Hang Na’s house. This part of the tour was really weird. The lady was an architect who studied in Russia. The house, strangely enough resembled somewhat of an Alice in Wonderland design. Everything was dark and dreary. I can only describe it like a Disneyland. Lots of weird stairs that lead to odd places within the compound. It was really dark in there so I don’t think my pictures turned out so well. The tour ended and we returned to our hotel before heading out for food.

The restaurant we ate at wasn’t cheap. We paid about $20 for 3 of us and the service was awful. We noticed a few times the server sitting down and eating and it took quite awhile to get our food. Good thing a tip isn’t expected because they wouldn’t have gotten much. Javson was complaining the whole time because he runs a Malaysian restaurant and he kept pointing out what he would do differently. After dinner was spent perusing the outdoor market. It was pretty much an open flea market. All I bought was some local tea for my mom. We went back to our hotel after and watched some TV. A short and quick stop in Dalat. Tommorrow we head to Saigon by bus. I’m not looking forward to the ride.

Today’s adventure included an introduction to scuba diving near Monkey Island in Nha Trang. The morning started at an early 8 am and included an hour boat ride to the island. Vietnam’s waters are not very clear so it was the same way in the water. The initial experience was a little daunting. The equipment weighed a ton and jumping into open waters was a little nerve racking. The most difficult part of it was being comfortable breathing through a tube. Other than that it was simply amazing. I only got to about 9 meters depth but that was well enough to see plenty of coral and fish. I panicked at the initial descent because some water got into my mask and trying to get it out is a little weird when you’re underwater. The pressure took a little to get used to. The instructor recommended blowing my ears out every meter. I forgot a few times so it felt like someone was squeezing the side s of my head. After pressure regulation everything was spectacular. The bottom of the ocean was full of coral and vivid marine like. The beginner dive was only to 8 meters but that was quite enough to see Nemo swimming around. 2 dives and 1 hour later I was hooked. Now I’m thinking of getting an open water certification in Monterey. The rest of the day was spent bicycling around Nha Trang.

We found a pagoda with a Buddha shrine about 5 km from our hotel. Javson and I decided to ride our bikes there. They were about to close but somehow we were able to sneak in and take some sunset pictures of the Pagoda. We rode our bikes back to the hotel after about an hour. We found a great French restaurant near the hotel. I ordered a hamburger of all things. It was quite tasty. Su and I went to have drinks after dinner. It was off to bed and headed for Dalat tomorrow. Nha Trang was a spectacular visit.

The bus ride was the worst 12 hour ride of my life. The bus was uncomfortable and the ride was stop and go quite a bit. People kept changing seats next to me so I couldn’t get much sleep. The TV and Radio was on most of the time and the volume was quite load as well. I think I got a total of 1 hour of sleep the entire time. We arrived in Nha Trang at about 6:30 am. The bus dropped us off in front of some cheap hotel. We didn’t want to stay there so we took another taxi to our hotel where we actually got some real sleep. We woke up, had some seafood hotpot for lunch and I booked my scuba diving trip for tomorrow. Now I’m sitting on Nha Trang beach just relaxing as we don’t quite have plans today. The beach here kind of reminds me of Monterey. The air is a little more humid but the water is the greenish blue that I remember growing up. The sand is not as fine as that found in California. Overall Nha Trang has that seaside resort appeal to it. There are lots of tourists here many hotels to accommodate for them. It reminds me much of Monterey.

Day 2 of Hoi An has been much better that the 1st day. After sleeping in, we woke up to some pretty damp rain (the worst rain we’ve seen so far). We headed down the street to a recommended restaurant that sold White Rose and Wonton Chien which was a refreshing breakfast. After breakfast I was off to the tailor to get a suit fitted. The experience of getting a custom fit was awesome. You get to choose the material and even the lining. I chose a grey pinstripe with a red silk lining in a fitted look.They said it would take about 5 hours to make so we headed to the beach.

It was the first beach I’ve see all trip and it was quite a change from Hanoi or Hue. The water wasn’t cold and the afternoon turned out nice once the rain clouds went away. We caught a small glimpse of blue sky for the first time this trip. The beach was about 4km away so the 4 of us (Javson, Will, Su and I) rented bicycles for $1 and rode out there. None of us had swimming trunks or towels so we found a small store that had them. They wanted 60,000 Dong which was about $4. I was willing to par the $4 as my budget was pretty high but the other two guys bargained down to about $3.50. It took about 30 minutes to save $0.50 so I was thinking what a waste of time. I guess when you’re traveling for months saving every penny counts. Anyways the beach was fun. The weather hasn’t been great so far so having a little sun and blue skies was amazing.

After the beach was done I went back to the Old Quarter and picked up my suit. They said it would be done at 6:00 so I could catch my bus trip at 6:30 to Nha Trang but it wasn’t ready til 6:30 causing me to basically sprint on my bike a few blocks to return my bike and check out of the hotel. I found out after getting there that the bus departed at 7:00 p.m. so we weren’t pressed for time. William didn’t want to ride the bus for 20+ hours so he headed off north to Danang by taxi to take a flight south to Ho Chi Minh City. We said our goodbyes and left Will at the bus stop.

Slept pretty well last night considering the room smelled like vinyl. I woke up to some pretty damp rain. I packed up and headed over to have breakfast with my grandmother. I said my goodbyes to all the relatives and headed back to the hotel to meet up with Javson who was on a bus heading towards Hue from Hanoi. We are headed to Hoi An today. I hope it does not continue to rain for the next few days as on of the towns we hit is a beach town (Nha Trang).

The bus ride to Hoi An was an uncomfortable 5 hours. It was quite stuffy as it was raining and there were lots of other travelers riding as well. We stopped a few times to eat. I think the buses have deals with the restaurants along the way. Anyways the food at the stops is generally not that good. We met another traveler from England traveling solo (William Stacey). He didn’t have plans while in Hoi An so we adopted him into our group. We check into our hotel and were off to check out Hoi An. The town itself is somewhat of a tourist trap. It seemed like every bock is lined with shops that tailor make anything from suits to shoes. Tommorrow I may try getting a custom made suit before I leave. The prices are fairly cheap. Anywhere from $20 to $400 a suit depending on the quality of the material. At those prices why not try one.

After walking around the riverbank and perusing the novelty shops we stopped for lunch. The place that the Lonely planet recommended was flooded with travelers so we opted to eat right next door which looked exactly like the same restaurant. It was very pleasant inside. The local delicacy in Hoi An is Cao Lau which is a noodle dish with sprouts, croutons, pork and vegetables. It was quite good compared to some of the other things we’ve tried so far. William and I tried that banana pancakes because we wanted something that resembled home. They were just OK. They were dense for pancakes and there was no maple syrup just butter. Nothing to rave home about but a decent lunch. We have another full day of walking around so we’ll see what Hoi An has to offer.

Dinner was very complicated. We ended up following Su around for a few miles it seemed. My stomach wasn’t feeling good again so I was practically ready to eat anywhere just to use the bathroom. Anyways Su was on a mission to find some local delicacy. We ended up walking to the other side of town it seemed where the paths were darkly lit. Trudging through the puddles and through the light rain I felt like something was going to step out of the shadows and mug us. Anyways we get to the restaurant that she was looking for and I immediately ask for the bathroom. Unfortunately there was no toilet in sight. It was a squatter in a dark shed with no light. I refused to use it and was angry at this point. So I walked back another mile to what looked like a high class restaurant while the gang ordered there food. About 30 minutes later I rejoined the team and finished some of the seafood they ordered. It was back to the hotel after that and quick to sleep after a long day of walking.

Halong Bay is a perfect picture of tranquility and mystique. The trip from Hanoi was quite the adventure. What was suppose to be a 3 hour bus ride took nearly 4 ½ hours due to traffic. There was an accident that caused a chicken truck to tip over. It backed up the only two lane highway that lead from Hanoi to Halong. Imagine the golden gate bridge stopping for an hour. That’s how it felt. When we arrived in Halong City we thought to ourself this wasn’t so great, It was mainly a strip of hotels and tourist stops. Nothing really much to see but junk boats docked at the harbors. The boat we boarded was a wooden junk boat that were among hundreds of similar nature. After departing Halong city we gathered in the mess hall of the boat to eat our lunch. The food by far was some of the worst food I’ve ever had next to the fried rice dish we had on the Great Wall last year. They served fried fish probably caught off the side of the boat. There was no seasoning so it was rather bland. There were other dishes all fried that were pretty bad. After lunch was served we headed up to the top of the boat to lounge around in the warm sun. The temperature was around 75-80 if I had to guess. The weather was a bit hazy so I doubt my pictures will turn out well without some photoshopping. The bay was as tranquil as any place I have been. The only noise came from the churning engine that was powering the boat through the open water. The sun was ripe for an afternoon nap. My cousin and I grabbed our deck chairs and took an afternoon nap before awakening to hike through Cat Ba Island caves.

We arrived at Cat Ba Island to find out there was an excursion through the numerous caves. The caves were monstrously large. There were large enough to house an entire village. Now they have been turned into a tourist attraction that resembles walking through a modern day museum. The tour was about 45 minutes long and included hiking up and down some pretty steep stairs. Not the ideal situation when all you want to do is lounge around for the day. It was a change a pace however. After the caves we lounged some more on the boat deck and enjoyed an hour of kayaking in and around the small caves of Cat Ba. Dinner was served and we were off to bed. Once again the food was bad and tasted af if some of the food had been recycled from lunch. I wish I had brought some of my own food.

The rooms were cramped. The bed was uncomfortable and there was no hot water. A few others complained they had no electricity and there were cockroaches in their cabins. We didn’t see any in ours so I didn’t have anything to complain about in that regards. The shower was pretty cold but I’ve been in worst conditions camping where I haven’t showered in a week. I didn’t get very much sleep that night because our room was next to the damn generator which was running all night long. The bed was really firm. It was like sleeping on the floor. I was really glad we were only on the boat for another day.

Didn’t sleep well last night because my uncle Hung and his wife invited me to a discoteca. It was rather funny because I don’t really dance but it was humorous to see ballroom dancing to pop music. I even turned to Su and asked if the two guys dancing with each other were gay. She laughed hysterically and said No. I guess that’s how they roll in Vietnam.

This morning we flew to Hanoi leaving Hue at 6:30 a.m. We arrived in Hanoi at 9 and took our taxi to our hotel. The hotel wasn’t very nice and from the name we should have known (“Youth Hotel”). At least we had our own room and didn’t have to bunk it up dormitory style. It was a notch up from your basic hostel. Anyways after checking in we decided to go in search of some food. Su wanted Fried Fish so we scoured the neighborhood for food. We ended up eating at a Lonely Planet recommended restaurant. It wasn’t what she was looking for but the food was decent. The upstairs dining room had a nice view overlooking the busy streets of Hanoi. I ordered some hotpot contraption and she ordered noodles. Nothing great to rave about. After finishing the meal we decided to walk around Old Town Hanoi to see some of the sights. We walked down to Hoam Kien Lake and then through some of the markets. In one of the sidestreet market I saw what looked like a roasted pig at first glance. My cousin mentioned that I should take a picture and show my friends. I didn’t catch on until I found out it was actually a dog on the table instead of a pig. Supposedly dog is bred in Hanoi to eat. There was a large market for it in a certain section of Hanoi. I’ll pass on that taste test. We walked around and did some shopping. I bought a few scrolls for some friends and a painting for myself. The painting was purchased in a small art studio just off on of the main street of Hanoi. The young lady selling the pieces invited us upstairs to the 2nd and 3rd floors. I saw it and immediately wanted it. The asking price was $150 but I purchased it for $120. I think I got a pretty good deal on the first painting I’ve ever purchased. They dismounted it from the frame and delivered it to my hotel for me. What service.

We had Pho for the first time this trip which I was really looking forward to. Hue was not a place that they served this dish. As I had found out certain foods are only prepared in certain regions of the country. Good Pho is found in Hanoi and Saigon. And good it was. After eating and walking around we went to get massages a few blocks down from our hotel. Yeah I said massage (not the illegal ones). I got some aroma therapy treatment which was comparative to Shiatsu. Anyways I felt really good immediately afterwards. Not so much the day after. My back and neck were pretty sore. It made the bus trip to Halong Bay pretty uncomfortable.

Day 2 in Hue was more of a relaxation day. I started the day off by jogging around the Citadel and then along the Perfume River. I checked out the Dong Ba Market along the way home. Nothing really interesting. It was more of an indoor Flea market that sold produce and novelty items. I didn’t want to purchase anything this early in the trip becuase I would have to lug it around all of Vietnam. After I got back from the run I cleaned up and was off to see more temples in Hue. I hopped on the back of Su’s motorbike and we were off to the tombs of Khai Dinh, Thien Mu & Minh Mang. My favorite tomb was Khai Dinh. It had a very Cambodian feel to it. Situated well out into the countryside it felt isolated from the hustle and bustle of Hue. The ride out was about 30 mins with a few stops to ask for directions. The inside of the tomb was magnificent. The walls were lined with broken pieces of China and put together in patterns that lined the massive walls of the interior. Apparently Khai Dinh was one wealthy guy. The other two tombs we visited were bland compared to this one.

The ride back was exhilarating. We passed by rice paddy fields and there was no traffic along the county ride home. It was very serene being on a motor bike driving through rural Vietnam. All you see is dirt road and green shrubbery and the Perfume river in the distance. It does not compare to anything back in the states. I was exhausted when I got back from the trip and went dozed off to sleep really early. What I hoped would be a relxing day turned into more of an adventure than I imagined.