On the way back from the stork gardens the other night the driver put in a CD, expecting local music I was pleasantly surprised to hear Hotel California come on. I laughed, started to sing along and got a big thumbs up from the driver. Theme song for my trip.

On the drawer of the desk at the hotel was a sign that read birth control drawer for prevention of AIDS and inside was a small box with a condom inside. I forget how much it cost.

My Vietnamese may not be improving but I have learned a couple of important words: vong is a hammock, bo is beef and of course sate which is something to avoid-spicy chilis. And really what else do I need to know?

Wednesday

Continued from the other day....when I was at the aiport waiting for my flight to Hanoi.

I wish I could be one of those fashionable travellers--wearing nice clothes. This t-shirt and the other 'good' one I packed have a very thick coating of fuzzies on them making them appear even paler and older than they are. everyone else seems to be dressed a tad nicer-classier. Hopefully I don't reek rich tourist, hopefully I reek old backpacker on a budget (Note while I type--hopefully I don't reek. I have been in the same clothes for just over 24 hours and there has been some major sweating going on.)
My flight is uneventful and because I didn't sleep I took the time to type up a blog entry (which you read a couple days ago), now to catch a wifi spot to upload it.

My guide and driver pick me up at the airport and I get a mini tour of Hanoi--very nice and then I get dropped off for supper at Pho25. A big bowl of pho is produced along with a glass of watermelon juice. Delish. At the moment I am in a large open room full of other people waiting for a train. There is a booth marked 'Here is the place to get the immediate train ticket' I think that is hilarious. There is a door leading inot a room 'waiting hall for passengers of international train'.  Apparently that is me.  I'm not on the tourist train-it was full but I gather this is a close 2nd. Very curious as to my sleeping arrangements.
My final hour or so in the Mekong Delta was lovely. The weather is great and we are on the road just before 8am heading back to Saigon. I spend part of the drive dozing in the backseat during the 3hour commute. Back in Saigon we take a tour of a 'factory' where they do lacquer. It is nice work and I am tempted but it is very pricey. I do make a small purchase for someone and we head fir a short, fast driving tour of Chinatown. I love how even in Asia they have a part of the city called Chinatown. It is very bustling and traffic here is beyond chaotic. Now I sit in a gorgeous restaurant with a glass floor over a fish tank. Apparently goldfish are lucky-note to self buy goldfish when back in Canada. My waiter seems to have a better grasp on English than my guide. I am still at a loss on what to tip him. I know I over tipped in India and don't want to make that mistake. I also don't want to under tip. (End if day I gave him 500,000 dong which is about $25 Can. ).

At the moment there is only one other couple here-Swedish I think. I can see my guide and theirs outside in a lovely shaded garden. In this case they have it as good if not better than me. Only the driver is suffering while waiting in the air conditioned car for us.

OMG! No wonder I never lose weight on these trips-the food is sooooo good. This place is wow! The calamari was perfection a d Ive never had a crispy morning glory salad before but I will again if I get the chance. Besides the mess I am making it is all very nice, neat and elegant in an understated way.

After lunch we hit the airport. It is the wrong season to see the green if the rice fields but I can't wait to see the terraces and to explore and without wishing my time away I look forward to coming back to Saigon to explore the. Ben Tha market-look out camera! 757 shots as of lunchtime on day 3. Make that 759 the cream caramel needed a couple of shots.

Domestic airport in HCMC your standard except for the pre-flight shopping which is first class. Instead of the usual stuffed animal or 'my aunt went to Vietnam' shirt you can buy food-fruits and chocolates and lots of booze and BLING. I think I counted 4, nope 5 places to buy jewelery. No wifi at the airport and a good 30 minutes to kill before my flight. I haven't been on a train in years and am interested to see what the accommodations are like. Of course I am so tired today I could sleep standing up and I will sleep when I get on the plane.

More to come I am off to explore.

For those of you new to reading blogs. They run finish to start so you will need to scroll down to start the story.

Most of this is being done from my iphone so spelling, breaks in between words, etc may be wonky.

Btw, it is breakfast in Sapa and one of my thoughts was that this cuew, this spit was worth the whole trip.

This morning we went to the floating market and I was impressed and embarassed all at the same time. Embarassed that we (tourists) have taken this way of life and turned it into a circus. I watched tourists climb onto small boats that were selling pineapple taking lots of silly pictures and felt embarassed for the shy but proud people serving them. Later I would become more embarassed as I tirned into one of the acts watchi a very nice lady who must have her photo taken a hundred plus times a day carve me a pineapple. I guess it is a part oftheir living now. Surrounding the boats selling fruitsorvegetables are boats serving the sellers. A woman cruises by with breakfast to sell and coffee. Another boat cruises along with cold drinks.

After the floating market we head down river to see how they make rice noodles. It is very similar to rice paper but the 'papers' are thicker and once dried they are put through a cutter and the. Stacked and packaged. Tourists obviously visit-by a donation from your guide but today there is no gift shop. I wonder what market these noodles are headed too and apologize if anyone fi ds ashort light brown hair mixed in with their noodles as it likey fell off my head in an attempt to get an interesting shot.

Back to the tourist dock and an end to my sea adventures for now. We head to the local museum which for some reason closes at 11am. We got kicked outat 10:55. Next stop a Budhisttemple complete with shaven heads and orange togas. The temple is one of many where Chinese, Japanese and peoplefrom Cambodia have mixed their traditions, cultures, religions and blood lines. If you look at a map it makesa lot of geographical sense. It also explains for me some of my confusion over the different budhas. We end the morning at this beautiful old house that is surrou ded by lovely gardens.

And now my lunch is ending and it is back to the hotel for a siesta/blog update before we head to the stork gardens. The restaurant has filled up, apparently 12noon is too early for lunch. I am constantly surprised at the lack of chopstick eating going on. At lunch the only other person I saw weilding a pair was a fellow leftie also travelling solo. I am proud to say that I have mastered the prawn by chopstick. Hold the prawn with them just before the shell. It is just that easy.

The stork garden was interesting and the sheer number ofbirds outstanding. Of course the stench of bird excrement was also pretty extreme. They have a viewing platform to give you a birds eye view. Sad, but myfavorite part was the bike ride to and from. Only a few km but the ride through the village was exhilerating. It wasnt fast or crazy it just felt like being free should feel.

Back to Saigon tomorrow and a plane ride to Hanoi to then board an overnight train to Sapa!

For supper I finally had pho. Pho for those of you in the know is what I would think of as a traditional dish. Though I have no idea if it really is. I selected pho bo sate and Im not sure what that means lol. I know bo is beef but the sate will need to be investigated. This was nota dish for the faint of heart or palate. The first bite/slurp made me cough and sneeze which means it is spicy! Even now my lips feel plump. I tamed it with lime juice and some soya sauce. Regardless of spice level it was delish. (I have sine learned that sate refers to the peppers which is why it was so HOT.

In keeping with todays princess theme I had a Cinderella to drink. Fresh lemon, oranger and pineapple juice with a touch of grenadine. Excellent.

To end the meal coconut i e cream. The rest of my notes for the evening were just jibberish so I will end the day there and puck up my adventure 'tomorrow'.

Continuing on from the other day....

There are busloads of tourists at the 'washroom' stop and I am very happy to be a tour of one. Back on the road and we make a stop at a local temple of sorts.It is a combination of Catholic, bud-ism and something else. It looks a lot like a French Catholic church without the pews. The roads remind me of India. People are selling everything on the side of the road. I would love to stop at one of the local 'coffee' spots and try out a hammock but somehow I don't think that will be allowed.

I don't normally drink pop on my travels--it usually tastes disgusting but the 2 coke lights I've had today have been great. And you all know I am a diet pepsi aholic. I think it is the heat that is making them taste good.

Had a very small taste of what a floating market is and then went to a 'factory' where they make coconut candy, rice paper (wrappers), rice alcohol and puffed rice candy. They show and tell and let you eat the candy then you can buy. There is free Jasmine tea and about 8 or 9 different candies to try. There are no sales pressure tactics but I did buy some of the coconut candy--it really is yummy. There was a tank with a live Elephant fish in it.which I would end up having for lunch--not the same fish. We leave the factory on another boat and transfer to a small boat rowed down a smaller canal by a very strong woman. It is a must that one wears the conical hat. It provides nice shade but I hate not being able to look up--my same pet peeve with ball caps. I feel bad for the poor ladies that do this for a living. We transfer back to the larger boat and cross the river for lunch. Elephant fish, soup, rice, prawns, pork and pineapple. The restaurant is just for tourists and I can see all the guides eating in the kitchen. It's an open air room. The breeze blowing in from the river makes all the wind-chimes tinkle and it is very nice and very relaxing.

The afternoon was great. Boat rides and site seeing combined with lots of fresh fruit. mango, jack fruit and more pineapple. I'm going to have a Vitamin C overload! And now as I sit writing this I am drinking pineapple juice, sitting on a dock watching life on the river go by. The sun is setting somewhere behind me and soon I will be in the dark.

I ordered a set menu tonight--it seemed the easiest thing to do--I'm not really in the decision making mood.

I bought a painting today. Surprise, surprise....NOT! It moved me and so I moved it into my collection. It is of all the houses along the river on stilts which is at least thus far my impression of Vietnam--at least one that I would like to keep in my head. They rolled it for me and put it into a pvc tube so it is already to take home. Guess I didn't need to take my own tube after all.

I have a tinge of pink on my arms--no doubt from spending so much time out on the water today. My hair is beyond help. I hopped into the shower last night to try and wash 12 time zones worth of dirt off me. My hair was a limp, shiny cap before the shower and this morning it is about 3 or 4 inches tall and very curly. I love humidity. :)  And at the moment it is a curly wind blown mess that is barely being held back by my sunglasses.

A delightful bowl of tomato soup to start followed by 3 fresh prawns--head attached, with a dish of fresh lime and a mixture of salt and pepper. Then pork in an clay pot, a chicken curry, veggies, rice and bananas flambe. I don't see any flame but I do smell the booze and taste it. YUCK! Food is very good and good for me but bland.

There are kites flying up and down both sides of the river--coloured flecks in the sky.

________________________________
Tuesday
It's Tuesday and I' am at this wonderful restaurant about to have lunch. It is almost the same menu I had last night right down to the flamed bananas. I tried to convince my guide this morning that I don't drink--no comments please and he believes me but still makes me try the bananas--again. I don't have the heart to tell him I had this for supper. It doesn't matter if I had it before it's good and I'm sitting in a very simple room overlooking the river with a most amazing breeze blowing in the doorway. Outside I can hear the tut a tut tut of the small boats going by. I also see the back of a very large statue of Ho Chi Minh.I've ordered a large bottle of water and am hoping to force it down before the afternoon activities because I know I am a little dehydrated. Oh wow. This tomato soup is good. No doubt this will kick off a trend when I get home.

I was thinking this morning about how much I am enjoying being treated like a Princess. I have my own tour guide and he opens the doors for me, closes the car door once I'm seated and gets me safely off and on the boats. On the boats it has been my guide, the 'captain' and me. SPOILED!!! I have pangs of guild over it now and then but not enough to change it.

to be continued.....don't forget that those of us travelling like to get emails!!!!! And comments.....hint hint. 

I think the posting from the iphone is working but this is free...and with a proper key board so bonus. I was not meant to type using a phone touchscreen.

Having a terrific time. Just managed to exchange some Cdn money at the hotel so I am a dong spending machine! Supper tonight was 275,000 Vietnamese Dong. Yeah....I'm still not entirely sure what that means if I don't have my cheat sheet with me. Either way I'm sure I paid less than I would have in Canada for what I got.

It's 8pm here on Monday so I guess that makes it about 6am Monday in GP? I'm not sure actually but I think that is right. I've already finished my day and am on my way upstairs for a nice hot shower, some tv and a nice long sleep. Tomorrow morning we are off to watch the floating market and I am so looking forward to that.

Vietnam. The plane touches down and my first thought is 'here we go again' it isnt a bad thought or even a good one it is just history repeating a new adventure.

I've been lucky so far and my guide is on time and I am Whisked away to my hotel where I must admit I had problems falling asleep. No doubt because I slept most of the trip over. For those of you new to my adventures I generally write in my little notebook my impressions, thoughts and feelings as I go and when I have time and internet access I type it into the blog.

On my way down to breakfast I meet a couple in the elevator from Cold Lake Alberta. What are the odds? They have been volunteering in Cambodia as dental assistants even thiugh back home he is a principal.

I dig into some lovely eggs, chow mein noodles and fried bananas for breakfast. Yummy. It was so good that after I went outside for a walk around I went back for more.

It is day one of the tour and we have just stopped at a 'tourist' rest stop. A tropical oasis on the side of the highway with American toilets and cold beverages. I assume they sell over priced souvenirs in the gift shop but I dont go in to investigate. It is hot but not overwhelming and so far the drive has been pleasantmy guide is pointing out lots of things along the way and while his English could use some work it is passable and I am learning enough.

I just bought a diet coke and bottle if water fir 40,000vnd which is about $2cdn. The money is hard to wrap my head around and I realize much later in the day that I tipped my boat driver fifty cents which doesnt seem like enough. But handing out 10000 and 20000 at a time is hard to swallow.

Much more to write but at least you know i have arrived and am safe.

Have arrived in Toyko on Sunday afternoon. It is to me still Saturday. With the exception of finding out that my flight out of Edmonton was an hour earlier than on my itinerary things have gone smoothly. In true Jennifer style I managed to sleep most of each of my flights waking up long enough to answer the age old question "beef? Or chicken?" Airline food for the masses continues to amaze me in its inedibility. But after sitting on a plane for almost ten hours even airplane food smells good.

My brief look at San Francisco makes me want to go back. I didnt really see the city itself but from the coast in looks amazing and I realized I had forgotten how beautiful the world can be below the Camadian border.

Toyko airport is run as efficiently as I expected and it took no time at all to fi d my way around and arrive at my gate with time to spare.

Next stop Ho Chi Minh City.

Test post from airport in GP

Welcome to my Habitat for Humanity Global Village trip to Vietnam 2013. I will be traveling in Vietnam from Feb 25 - March 16 and will be journaling my adventures on this blog. No promises on how often I will get to update or when there will be pictures posted but it will be an amazing journey so stay tuned.