Sunday Around the World

One of my fav's right here. After winding through the mist we pulled into Halong Bay, got off the bus, and didn't know what to do with ourselves because it was 50 degrees. What just happened here?? I had to makeshift warmth with tank tops and shorts under my Thai pants. Quite attractive I must say. We had to brave the freeeeezing cold (all the Euros I was with took turns bashing me for complaining about 50 degrees) as we boarded a boat to cruise the Bay. My gem from London, Laura, and I cuddle on the front of the boat. We spent the day on a boat in the delicious air and water sprinkled with huge rock formations. We also had pirates invade our ship, trying to sell us fruit and pearls. There was a kid on one of them, around 4 yrs old, that could be a stuntman in the movies. He lept from his families boat to ours with about 5ft of water in between. Gutsy kid, gutsy. View from the top, right before the caves. Neil, Laura and Saris...just a mesh of delicious accents. The ca...

Walking through the fish market in Hoi Ahn sort of reminded me of trying to tackle Trader Joe's on Pico Blvd at around 6pm on a Sunday night. I mean, there are a few differences like there are bowls of jellyfish lying around, motorbikes are pushing past you instead of college kids and instead of 2 Buck Chuck its vats of fish guts. So, pretty much the same thing. Seriously, just a huge bowl of jellyfish Its so loud, sweaty and smells HORRIFIC, but it was awesome to know that this was the real thing. The locals weren't just there for tourist satisfaction, it was where the best seafood came from and where they could fight over a 3 pound prawn. After buying ingredients at the market I attempted my best cooking skills with a dull knife and shaky hands from the coffee that is like jet fuel over here. After devouring pounds of fish we jumped on a bus and winded through the mountains toward Halong Bay! The weather decided it would take a break from sun and emulate a true San Franc...

I love it here, love it in Hoi An! The streets are small, there are fabulous clothing and shoe stores EVERYWHERE (not at all a wise choice for my backpacker budget) and some of the most delicious food I have sampled while being in this region of this beautiful globe. We started on a walking tour and found some little areas that met my expectations of what Vietnam was going to look like. Perfect little bridges and houses covered in flowers. Sort of almost reminded me of New Orleans...but smelling like curry. The sweatiest picture ever, with my Canadians! Then, here it is. The most amazing meal ever. Usually "all you can eat" places really stress me out cause I never know when to stop eating and it reminds me of buffets which I am scarred from because of Club Med. BUT, this was unreal. We went to a restaurant where it is non-stop meat sticks, veggies, egg rolls, shrimp rolls and sauces that make you sweat. The woman above owned the place and would take your food out of ...

I made it out alive, no more Ho Chi Mihn for me, thank you. I actually started to get a little used to turning my brain off when I hit the streets there and dodging motorbikes became only really scary instead of ready-to-give-me-a-heart-attack terrifying. Meeting wonderful people in Saigon made it much better, thanks to one of my new friends Terry! There were about 5 plates of delicious food on the table, obviously we couldnt be bothered with taking a picture before eating. I took an overnight train and arrived in Nha Trang where I ran back to the peace of the beach. I shared the waves and some delicious home cooked food with some great people from all over. Nothing like some bbq'd clams to make up for the rise in blood pressure from Saigon. Some new friends! I also sampled a little Vietnam nightlife. The dancing was much better than the drinks, as shown here with my new Scottie, Neil. I am swimming in accents and it takes every bone in my body to hold me back from speaking ...

I dont really know how to explain Ho Chi Mihn City. If you have been here and you loved it I am not sure what to do with that either because im pretty sure I have aged another 5 years in the 2 days I have been here. Its loud, chaotic, stressful and an absolute assault on the senses. This is how I know I couldnt do India. I wont lie, it is not my favorite place to be, but I met some great people that made walking around a lot more enjoyable. Gotta love the guys from London! I spent my first night here with 5 of them, drinking beers and eating delicious Pho, which is a huge plus of being here. The next day I cruised around the streets with Joel, a guy from London. We battled the traffic (takes a few breaths to build up confidence to jump in) and visited the main market. I had to remember that people's sense of personal space in Vietnam is out the window. Being grabbed and pulled by the arm into someone's store is the norm. So is having your ankle grabbed by a homeless gu...

Now that I am the proud owner of a cable that links my camera to the rest of the world, I can share some pics! Our final night in Koh Lak, miss ya Mom! Here was my little world in Karon Beach, the morning I woke up to visit The Beach in Koh Phi Phi. Just me and the dog up at 6am I took a 2hr ferry out to the island. Then it was calm... This is what I was waiting for. All to myself! If you ignore all the tourists behind me, but I found my own little spot on the beach and pretended it was just mine. It was a happy day.