JAZZY'S TRAVELS

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Well, the last place I told you I was going was Nha Trang. So let's just start there.

Nha Trang. Rainy Party Town Nha Trang.

After a pleasant 12 hour bus ride from Hoi An (sarcasm intended. For about 5 hours of the journey the girl next to me was throwing up. What is it about people throwing up around me???), we arrived in a groggy, hungover, damp, early morning Nha Trang. After finding a not so pleasant room which we quickly made our own, we agreed that we would leave the next morning. Nha Trang is known for 2 things. It's "Booze Cruises" and it's parties. We figured with the rain there wouldn't be a cruise, and we planned to check out the party scene that night.







I tried being productive and took a wet ride to a Big Buddha. Needless to say, it was big.








In hopes of making our short time in Nha Trang worthwhile, the three of us got "all dolled up" and headed out for a night on the town. By 9pm we were delightfully tipsy and had agreed to stay another day. Rain or shine we were determined to do a Booze Cruise, and a 6am bus after a Nha Trang Night wasn't very inviting.

We (and the rest of the backpackers in Nha Trang) spent most of the night at The Sailing Club. A really nice bar/restaurant/club (golf club style) which sits right on the beach. The food and drinks were great (although expensive), you could hangout all day, and you felt like you were at an exclusive resort.

Quick Aside #1: The divide between Westerners and Vietnamese can be somewhat overwhelming at times. There was a clearly visible invisible line you crossed on the beach between where the Vietnamese locals were hanging out and where the Westerners were laying out. Sometimes we only "travel", it takes much more effort to Travel.


We had a great night out, met a bunch of people and had some delicious late night street food. They take baguettes and fill them with meat, cheese and veggies, it's gooooood stuff. (the noodle stalls look the same). Oh yeah, they do have cheese, it's not hard cheese, I'm still searching for that, but it's cheese none the less.

The next day we had a 7:45am wakeup call (hey, it's better then 6am) for a "Booze Cruise" that wasn't so boozy, but the weather turned out to be great. Two days in Nha Trang, no regrets.

Now, originally we had planned to go from Nha Trang to Mui Ne. But, the day before we left, we decided to head to Dalat instead. You see, Vietnam has a well tred backpacker trail, and we were starting to see the same people, eat at the same cafes, and do the same things all the time, and as a result every town was beginning to look/feel the same. We had heard that in Dalat there were these guys called "Easy Riders" who would take you into the countryside for anywhere from a day to month and serve as your guide. Most said it was the "best experience they had in Vietnam". I was a bit skeptical about the "best experience", but I figured what the hell, and we set off for Dalat.

It was the best experience I've had in Vietnam.

The day we got to Dalat, we immediately (within 10mins of arriving) met Phuc and Lulu, two experienced Easy Riders. We worked out a price (a lot for Vietnam, I don't want to talk about it at the moment, but it was worth it) and agreed to set out the next morning at 8am.

I don't even know how to begin to tell you about all the stuff we saw and learned. Phuc and Lulu were great. They knew so much about the history of the country, and took us into places we couldn't have explored on our own. Given all of the places we saw, I feel bullet points are the only way to portray how action packed our 4 days were. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you...I drove myself! Antonia and Julia rode on the back of Phuc and Lulu's bikes and I had my own little beauty.

• Reagan Temple: It was this really eccentric temple with funny colorful statues everywhere, Dalat seemed to be into that kind of stuff.
• Flower Plantation: Vietnam is big on flowers, and Dalat is considered the flower city.
• Coffee Plantation: There were coffee fields lining the roads on the 1st day. The coffee flowers smell like Jasmine...not me, the flower. I've been pretty stinky lately. Bugspray is my perfume of choice.
• Silk Factory: Who the hell said: "hey, I've got an idea. Lets take these larva, wait until they spin cocoons, then steal there cocoons and make string out of it. I'm sure it will make beautiful cloth!"????

  
  

  
  

  

• Elephant Falls: Some people just aren't good at taking pictures. "Less of our legs Lulu! More of the falls!"
• Chopstick Factory: It's sticks of wood, do you really want a picture?
• The Ma and Jin People: We stopped at numerous villages throught the trip, I always felt a bit awkward, but the people were always welcoming (sorry no pics, I've got good video footage though)

  
  

  
  

• Lak Village: We spent the night in this village that was in some ways a bit over touristed, and had dinner with the "chief". Whether he really was the chief, who knows, but we had a blast drinking Vietnamese wine (aka: firewater) and exchanging songs.

DAY 2 (160km)

• Brick Factory: It's actually quite a tedious process. They build the kiln around the bricks everytime.
• Mushroom Plantation: If you can't understand this picture I'll explain it later. This blog is long enough as it is.

• Pottery Factory: I have nothing to say...I think I was hungry at the time.
• Old Bombedout Church: I must have thought it was boring I didn't take a still shot.
• Market: a market's a market's a market...well at least in Vietnam.
• 2 Waterfalls
• Got Lost in the Jungle: the Vietnamese, like the Chinese, aren't so good with directions.

DAY 3 (260km... good god!)

• Rubber Tree Plantation
• Ho Chi Min Trail
• Women Carrying Wood in Baskets
• Tea Factory
• A Funky Situation: I'll explain later in this blog
• (sorry no pics, my camera was dead)

DAY 4 (140km)

• Rice Fields
• Dragon Fruit
• A Cool Lake: I look a bit windblown
• Mui Ne

We did a lot to say the least. Had we driven without guides we wouldn't have learned nearly as much, so for that I am thankful. But, we also wouldn't have had to deal with...

THE FUNKY SITUATION

So, at the end of the 3rd day, Lulu, the guide Antonia was riding with started to get a little more "friendly" with her. Not anything to worry about, but noticible. They were also always in front, followed by myself, with Phuc/Julia bringing up the rear. As a result of both the increased attention, and Julia wanting to be in front, Julia and Antonia switched bikes. Julia with Lulu, Antonia with Phuc. It all went downhill from there.

I didn't notice it until we checked into our hotel, but the girls had noticed fairly quickly. There was a vibe. The guides weren't happy about something, and they had started bickering with each other. Well, once we got into our room, Antonia tells us that Lulu totally blew up at her, telling her that she had greatly offended him and that in 7 years "no one has ever switched bikes on me!" She said he was almost in tears. So... note to self: If you go on an Easy Rider tour, do not switch bikes.

But wait, that's not all...

Lulu had also told Antonia that he really liked her and that he'd "taken lots of girls on tours but never felt this way about anyone" blah blah blah ("blah" because it's crap and it really pisses me off, but I'll get to my opinion soon enough). So, from then on Phuc was saying things to Julia about extending our trip to Ho Chi Min and trying to cut Lulu out, and Lulu was telling Antonia he'd take her all the way to the Mekong Delta for free because he just wanted to be with her longer. By the time we reached Mui Ne, there was so much tension between Lulu and Phuc, and the guides and the girls, that they were hardly talking. Lulu just snatched his payment from Antonia, and she eventually told him she was no longer going to recommend him. The guides that were once men, had turned into babies.

Boy was I glad I had my own bike.

I found this entire situation absolutely infuriating, even more so than the other girls, and I will tell you why.

(this is written as if I am speaking directly to Phuc and Lulu)

We are three girls who risked a lot by trusting two men we didn't "know from Adam" to take us into the countryside of Vietnam. We paid you to be our guides, but in the end you could only be sleezy chauvanist babies.

Lulu, you may not have physically touched Antonia, and may have been polite in your confessions of love, but you made all of us uncomfortable. I didn't pay you to do that. Phuc, I didn't pay you to get moody and start arguing. Both of you were completely unprofessional and childish. So what if we don't want to extend our trip?! So what if Antonia doesn't feel the same about you?!! I paid you to be a guide. So guide us god damnit, and if I need any of your other bullshit antics I'll tell you myself.

I'm mostly enraged because we trusted you and you betrayed our trust. Why do so many men continuously betray our trust?! Why can't you understand the relationship that's been established? Why must you always push the limit and try to cross the line into "more than friends". You are the men that make the entire group look bad, and each time one of you takes advantage of a situation in which a woman has trusted you either as a friend, a teacher or a guide, you make it harder for us to trust any of you at all.

Now, to all of those reading, please don't think that this situation ruined our trip or that we were assaulted in anyway. You know me, I just like to rant. We were really quite safe. Lulu never made a physical move, and Phuc was never mean, just moody/silent, and all this only took place over the last 10hrs of the trip (including sleep time). I had a close eye on the situation the entire time. I wish for once that some retarded guy would try this kind of crap on me because I would put them in their place immediately, unfortunately I think they can smell my kind from a mile away *smirk*

Quick Aside #2: To all the men reading this, I'm not talking about you because you are all my closest friends and family and I love you (if you do not fit into one of those categories I may be talking about you so you might want to do some self reflection). I just wanted to express how I feel about the crappy guys so you can all kick their butts and make the world a better place *wink*

Anyways, once we arrived in Mui Ne, things got much better. We found an adorable (I know I don't use that word, but I'm trying to expand my vocabulary :P) guesthouse and have been hanging out on the beach ever since.

Julia and Antonia already left for Saigon (Ho Chi Min) but I decided to relax here a bit longer since I already saw all the HCM sites on Semester at Sea. Tomorrow I'll catch a bus and meet up with them, and Wednesday we'll head to Cambodia. Until then, I'll be eating my fill of Vietnamese, basking in the sun and continuing my perpetual search for cheese.

Chao

If a person from another culture continuously litters his/her surroundings and gives little thought to the environment and its' future, is that careless?

If a person from another culture cops a squat in the sand within visable range of numerous people, goes poop and then simply scoots forward without pulling up her pants and proceeds to dig something out of the sand, is that primative?

If animals in a different culture are dying of disease and starvation around and in people's homes and no one notices, is that heartless?

If a culture promotes the ideology that lighter skin is better and sells skin damaging whitening creams, is that racist?

OR... is it just different?

I'm starting to feel the need to start every entry with the following:

"Sorry I didn't write sooner, because now I've got a lot to say, so hold onto your hats..."

It's kind of a lame way to start any entry, so I won't say that. That's why I said I "feel" I need to say it.

Right now we (Julia, Antonia and I) are in Hoi An. I'm not exactly sure how to explain Hoi An, but the words "quaint" and "charming" definitely come to mind. I'm starting to sound like a Lonely Planet using those words so much, not to mention a writer that really needs a thesaurus. Anyways, it looks a lot like Yangshou, China. There's just less to do, and here their speciality is tailor-made clothes. I know, sounds like trouble. But I've actually been pretty good. I got 2 tanktops and a skirt, and I think all the tailors in Hoi An have code named me "The Picky American B***h" aka: The PAB. Hey, I figure that if you're making it for me, it better well fit me perfectly! So what if I come back 6 times to get my tanktop to fit just right?! :P

It was hard to only get the 3 things I got (okay, okay, I got a hat & some sandals, but that's it!) I mean they make the most amazing winter coats for $30! I was tempted, I will admit, but I realized that after all the stuff I bought in Hanoi (by the way it cost me $57 for 11 kilos by ship) spending another $100+ would bust my budget more than if I wait and pay $400 when I have a job back at home. So, I just got the 2 tanktops and a skirt to add to my continuously growing travel wardrobe.

Wait..."tanktops you say?! Travelers should know better than to run around in tanktops!"

If you are thinking these thoughts at this moment, I will say that I completely agree. Yet the longer I travel, the more I see people in tanktops and the hotter it gets. Not to mention there are so many travelers, the Vietnamese don't seem to care. So I find myself with the dilemma of choosing between being a sweaty conscious culture respecting traveler or being a relatively cool tourist.


Tourists... here, there are a lot of them. We (I must include myself in this category whether I want to or not) are everywhere. The cafe I'm sitting in right now is full of westerners, and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. We tried to get away the other night and went to a little Beer Hoi (little places on the side of the road with tiny plastic chairs & beer). Unfortunately, we still got riped off. What we should have paid 40,000vnd for we paid 100,000.


quick aside: 1) 15,900vnd = $1usd
2) We did have a great meal at a little beer hoi last night and we didn't get riped off at all.
10,000vnd for a footlong sandwich...they love their baguettes.

Which brings me to my next point (because I always have one): Ripoffs
They're everywhere, just like tourists. Coincidence...I think not. I don't mean ripoffs in the sense of scams, but rather people just trying to over charge you for EVERYTHING. In Ninh Binh I paid 8,000/kilo for fruit, and I didn't even haggle. Here, in Hoi An, they start at 15,000, and you can't get anything under 10. Although it is only about 50 cents/kilo more, it's really important to me that I haggle them down. The reason being that I don't want them to continue seeing us as merely $$$. I want them to know I know they're charging me way too much. The crappy part is that there are tons of us (tourists) who will pay what they ask for, and that screws over everyone else. Yes, it's only 50 cents, but it's my 50 cents, and I'm not just going to give it to you because you think I have tons of money and should.

2nd quick aside: If your reply to my arguement is "but you do have way more money than them in the long
run". I will discuss this topic with you further over a cup of coffee...if you are so inclined.

Inspite of the ripoffs, I still think the people here are amazing...I could not say that much for China. The people here haggle with a smile, and that makes it much more pleasant. Anything with a smile is more enjoyable. The food is amazing (did I say that already?). I can finally understand Anthony Bourdain's love of Vietnamese food. It's so healthy and fresh. I mean the herbs in the markets are amazing. I think I've had 10 green papaya salads since I got here :)

BUT, I continue to feel the size of a house.

Now, for all of you who know me really well, you know that I've always had issues with weight, and you also know that I've gotten a lot better over the past few years. But being here in 'Nam, it can be a bit difficult. I don't get to workout regularly, and EVERYBODY is freakin' tiny. It's in the genes and it's crazy. I bring this up because yesterday I had an experience I found quite hurtful, even though I should have been able to brush it off easily as cultural ignorance.

Antonia and I had gone to the market to buy a bunch of fruit and crackers for our bus ride today. We stopped at a shop to ask a question and the lady looked at my bag and asked why I had so much food. 1st of all, it wasn't that much and 2nd it was for all 3 of us. Then she proceeds to tell me "that's why you're fat, you eat too much." For someone who comes from a culture where this is extremely impolite, it was a shocker. And for a person who's struggled with weight issues and at the moment is only 124lbs, it was a blow. I know, I should have been able to brush it off, but it took me a while and made me really angry. I'm sorry if it's okay in your culture to tell someone they're fat, but in my opinion it's rude and always will be. I also found her cultural ignorance (her inability to see that most westerners are simply built differently) astounding given the fact that she lives in an extremely touristy town and works in a travel agency!!

Okay, enough venting...oh wait no, one more thing. The other day this English guy said "Canadians, Americans, same thing." My thoughts: Okay then, Germans, English, same thing. So ha!

3rd quick aside: 1)Not really but kind of. It's funny because the more I travel, the more easily I can tell the difference between people from the U.S. and Canada. Or the English from different parts of England. My hope is that eventually I'll be able to tell what part of England a person is from through their accent, they can do it. 2) How cool is it that I found this flag! The internet "is my favorite"!

So, you're probably wondering what the heck I've been up to the past week. Well, after Hanoi, Julia and I went to Ninh Binh where we decided to rent motor bikes and ride around the country for the day. I burned the crap out of my leg, and the worst thing about it is that I KNOW to be careful, but hey, we all know to be careful. Luckily it's healing and it hasn't hurt at all.

After riding around for 4 hours, we went on a riverboat ride with a mooch of a rower (quite a nice lady though. We bought her that soda) and saw the "impotent forest".

The next day we went to this national park (Cuc Phong) which was beautiful and saw some monkeys (what is it about monkeys over here?), but basically we spent most of the day riding around with our motorbike guides. My butt was killing me. That night we caught a bus to Hue. 10 hours of trying to sleep in an isle seat that doesn't lean back with a Vietnamese man that seemed serious about something. Yeah... I'm not looking forward to the 12 hour ride we've got tonight to Nha Trang.

Anyway, we only stayed in Hue one night. Nothing too exciting except for a really bossy tour guide and we ran into Colin at our hotel which was funny because we'd been emailing back and forth trying to meet up. The life of a traveler can be a bit odd. Here you are, traveling around the world, but you keep bumping into the same people again and again.

Hue's also where we met up with Antonia. We originally met her in Hanoi, and agreed that we would all travel down the coast together. Now I like to thing of us as a dangerous trio... you can see what I mean. (Sheila where are you??!!! :P)

So after Hue we found ourselves in Hoi An, pretty much spent the past few days relaxing & buying clothes, and tonight we leave for Nha Trang. Crazy party town Nha Trang...

I definitely think I'm going to like Vietnam. Unfortunately my ability to write with eloquence and wit has flown out the window into the hectic streets of Hanoi, so bare with me... Today, Julia and I got back from our Halong Bay trip, and it was absolutely incredible! We had the choice of either a 2day/1night or 3day/2night trip and we decided to go with the more expensive (a wopping $64!) 2 night trip, and I wouldn't change it for anything...well maybe a million dollars, but that's besides the point. The first day we were with a great group of people (minus one, but I'll tell you about her later). We got on the boat, had a great lunch, visited Amazing Cave (aka: Penis Cave...don't ask), and went swimming. The water temperature was just the way I like it and the bay was beautiful. That night we slept out on the deck under the stars, it couldn't have been better...well maybe with you guys, but you know what I mean. Halong Bay Fishing boat in Halong Bay Amazing Cave...you can't see what makes it "amazing" and a floating village The next day was the best day of all. We went kayaking in the morning (Jared, I now know how you feel when I'm in a canoe with you). Unfortunately I couldn't take my camera, but I can guarantee that it was beautiful. Our guide was kinda funny. At one point he led us into this dead end and just kinda lingered there humming/singing. It was hilarious, but the American in me was thinking: "What the hell are you doing?! I didn't come here to sing to the shrubbery! Are we gonna kayak or what?!" But now, looking back, floating there was kinda nice, although at the time I was antsy. Anyway, after kayaking, 3 of us, Julia, me and we'll call her "Gemini" (she's the minus one) split off from the rest of the group because they were only doing 2day/1night tours. We got onto a smaller boat which took us to this little beach and had the most amazing BBQ lunch. It was paradise. me...he he & lunch (minus the baguettes, my faaaaavorite) That night we stayed on Cat Ba island (cute, quaint, boring but good) and today, after some more scrumdidliumptous meals, we came home...I mean back to Hanoi. Now, when I said I wouldn't change a thing, that was a bit of a lie (or shall I say "Optimistic Jasmine" taking over). There are 2 things I would change: "Gemini" Our last meal "Gemini". Well, lets just say she wasn't the happiest camper, or we could say she was an incessant complainer who I felt the urge to strangle once every 5 minutes! Somehow (actually not "somehow", she was pressured into booking the trip before she'd even read the brochure), she thought we were going trekking and when she found out we weren't, there were enough sighs, frowns and complaints to fill a week at Fat Camp. You would think she'd never travelled a day in her life, especially since she allowed the woman at the hotel to fluster her enough to book a trip before reading up on it! The #1 Rule of Travel: NEVER LET ANYONE PRESSURE YOU INTO ANYTHING Chances are you'll find a better, cheaper deal, so take your time. Plus, pressure is the conmans/conwomans most valuable weapon. Anyway, to make a long story short, she was annoying as hell (I mean the woman couldn't even have seafood by her!) and I would have eliminated her from my paradise. Two...Lunch. Today, before we headed back to Hanoi, we had lunch at a restaurant in the bay. During lunch, a German woman (30ish) who claimed to not be feeling so well, kept asking for vegetable soup instead of seafood, and she was being a bit of a baby about it. I tried to ignore her. She didn't seem to appreciate this because in order to get all of our attention, in the middle of the meal she suddenly jumps up, turns away from the table and proceeds to throw up in her napkin. The waiter then got her a bag that she used as well. After all of this, she simply wipes her mouth, turns back to the table and begins talking with her friend. Okay, prepare yourselves, because I've got a lot to say about this little event. I have decided that this woman was an idiot and I wouldn't want anything to do with her EVER, here's why... First of all, I have thrown up many many times, and I know when I feel shitty, and when I feel that shitty I make sure I'm near a toilet. Therefore, she is an idiot for not taking the proper precautions. Second. Okay, so let's say she didn't know she was feeling that shitty. She did know she was about to throw up, and if she was able to throw up in a napkin, she could have thrown up in a napkin as she walked out of the room. Therefore, she is an idiot for not trying to make an effort to exit the premises. Third. Okay, so she couldn't walk and throw up at the same time, fine, fine. She could have at least left the room to clean herself up. I mean "Lady! I just watched you throw up while I was munching on corn and calamari! Please don't make me watch you wipe your mouth off and then proceed to chit chat with your rank breath to your friend!". Therefore, she is an idiot for not giving us the time to get over it without having her there to remind us...Good God! She didn't even go wash her mouth out! aaahhhhh!!!!! Finally, she is an idiot because she didn't even have the courtesy to say sorry. Next time, I'll throw up on her myself. So, minus those 2 things, it was an amazing trip. Tomorrow, Julia and I head to Ninh Binh and then on down the coast. This of course will only take place after I mail the huge box of stuff I've bought, so keep your fingers crossed that it won't cost an arm and a leg, because then I'll be in the hospital and there'll be no more traveling for Jasmine. So far, Vietnam has been great. It's really easy to get around, the people speak English, the food is fresh and absolutely delicious, the people actually smile & nobody stares...well at least it seems like that :P I've over heard a few people saying how it feels like everyone is staring at them, and that it's hard to communicate, and I think to myself that it's a bit ridiculous, but then I realize that things probably seem a whole lot easier because I just got here from the Big PRC (People's Republic of China). (sorry, quick aside: Right now I'm in the kitchen at the hostel and this French guy is walking around talking to himself. he he...but scary) When I was in China I kept thinking that it wasn't so bad, but after leaving I realize that it was a really hard country to start out in. Yet, even though it made the beginning of my trip more difficult, I'm glad I did it, because now things can only get easier... Bring it on 'Nam!

So I made it to Vietnam! After 2 buses, 1 minivan, 1 taxi, a rickshaw and a short walk, I finally made it. Although I got royally ripedoff within my 1st hour, and hit by a motorcycle by the 4th, I can still say so far so good.

I found a fantastic hostel in Hanoi. It's the best one I've been in since Beijing. Clean, comfortable, tons of hot H2O, free breakfast & internet, book trading (none of this 2 for 1 crap), a bar, trip booking, not to mention a great English speaking staff! If you ever come to Hanoi, you gotta stay here... and I've only been here for a day.

Last night, I went to dinner with these two Danish girls in my dorm. They're really nice...nice is a crappy word... they were very friendly. Definitely partiers. They said they spent 5 weeks in Nha Trang, which supposedly doesn't have much more than a good beach and a whole lota bars.

It's definitely good to be in a hostel again. Meeting people is sooo easy. The people here even seem friendlier then I've experienced at other hostels in China. But, that could just be because they've been drinking Tiger beer (the one and only beer of choice in S.E. Asia).

So it seems like things are starting off on a good foot, which actually got to workout for the third day in a row today!!! I found a gym at this hotel near by. The Sofitel Metropole Hanoi. I've decided I'm going to pretend I'm staying there for the next week I'm here in Hanoi. Which is a good thing, because baguettes and cheese are plentiful here. French colonization resulted in at least a couple of good things :P