April 13, 2005
Goodbye Vietnam
I finished out my time in Vietnam with a trip down the Mekong River. As our boat passed the kids on shore waved. I have really grown to love being waved at by little kids. These kids really took their...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 07:10 PM |
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April 05, 2005
Mr. Phil
Mr. Phil, as his Vietnamese friends call him, is an American Vietnam Vet who volunteered to enilist in 1964 because he believed it was the right thing to do. He was an orphan who struck me as a somewhat naive...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 01:27 PM |
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Cu Chi Tunnels
During the Vietnam war the Viet Cong used a 200 KM long network of underground tunnels to combat the Southern Vietnamese and America. My visit to these tunnels was really facinating. Here is what I learned . . ....Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 12:59 PM |
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Interesting Facts
According to my guide at the Cu Chi (sp?) tunnels, here are some interesting facts about Vietnam: 75% of the population was born after 1975 80% are under the age of 35 Vietnam is the #1 exporter of rubber, #2...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 12:35 PM |
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Injured in 'Nam
Someone burned me with a cigarette on my left bicep. Some smokers are just so inconsiderate. I also got a really big wound that is taking forever to heal on my left elbow/forearm. Right where you rest your arm if...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 12:00 PM |
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April 02, 2005
Saigon
I've spent the last few days in Saigon. There doesn't seem to be any sign of the Saigon that is painted in movies. It is a pretty run down place, but it has a good energy. I went to the...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 10:54 PM |
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Today I Was Saved
My Savior was a man in his late forty's with big glasses and big ears. He carried a cane and wore a blue and white checked outfit. When he asked where I was from, I told him. Then he blessed...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 10:50 PM |
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March 30, 2005
The Only Thing We Have To Fear . . .
My visit to the town of Dalat in the Central Highlands of Vietnam finally gave me an opportunity for a little outdoor adventure. Here, and it seems everywhere else in the world, they call it abseiling. Americans call it rappeling....Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 07:55 PM |
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Blog Revealed
I briefly met some people in the beach town in Nha Trang (where I hit the bottle two nights in a row- it's a record!) and then ran into them again in Dalat. We bonded over our abseiling experience and...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 07:18 PM |
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Did I Mention?
I know I told you about whitening cream and how important it is to stay pale here. Did I mention that the women not only where hats but also faces masks and usually long sleeves and often gloves to avoid...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 07:06 PM |
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March 25, 2005
Shopper's Delight
The city of Hoi An in Vietnam has over 200 tailors ready to make custom clothing- from suits and cocktail dresses to cotton skirts and zip off pants. This makes it a somewhat dangerous place to be stuck for 8...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 02:55 PM |
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March 24, 2005
Books
I should really be reading books about the history of where I am but I am not. Part of that is because I just don't feel like it and part of it is because they are all photo copies. My...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 06:43 PM |
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No Photos Please
I find that I rarely carry my camera. SE Asia is more a place to experience a way of life then to caputre beautiful things on film. I know that people take pictures of daily life all of the time,...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 06:06 PM |
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Sales Technique
Before I came to Vietnam, I had heard that the people were not that nice- always trying to swindle you and very pushy. I don't find that to be true at all. It is true that people are constantly asking...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 06:00 PM |
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Expression
Three or four people imitated my voice to me when I was in Hoi An. They weren't imitating the quality of my voice- more just the rhythm and melody. They said they liked it, but when they imitated me, I...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 05:56 PM |
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Attire
I had forgotten to mention in my observations entry that I noticed a lot of Vietnamese people walk around in PJs all day. I noticed in Laos that people wore PJs at the start and end of business which I...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 05:53 PM |
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North, South
As soon as I arrived in Hoi An I noticed that there was a sign for a bus to Saigon. Hmm. Since Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh city after the war, I thought that was interesting. In the North...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 05:48 PM |
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March 18, 2005
Expect the Unexpected
Today I visited a Vietnamese hospital. It looked just like a hospital depicted in a circa 1940's movie- only a bit dingier. The floor was a white and blue square checker pattern and the walls were painted blue on bottom...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 11:31 PM |
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Your Assignment
Go rent the movie Indochine. It is a French movie (yes, subtitles) with the always wonderful Catherine Deneuve (sp?). It is also the reason I am in SEA. Seriously, the cinematography is spectacular. I saw that movie and thought, "I...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 10:30 PM |
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March 16, 2005
Half Way!
I've been traveling for two months which marks the half way point of my trip! I feel good and am going strong even though I celebrated the milestone with one of the worst travel days I've ever had. Happily I...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 06:07 PM |
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March 10, 2005
Avian Bird Flu
My friend Robin wanted to make sure I knew about recent outbreaks of avian bird flu in Vietnam. Thanks Robin. I am aware and I am doing my best to stay away from poultry. On the subject of poultry, I've...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 05:37 PM |
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Propaganda
While in Hanoi, I have visited the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, the Army Museum, The Fine Arts Museum, The Temple of Literature and the Hoa Lo Prison a.k.a The Hanoi Hilton....Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 05:24 PM |
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Off the Beaten Path
I know I said that going off of the beaten path general isn't worth it and that the path is beaten for a reason. I should ammend this and say that if you speak the language it is worth it...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 04:52 PM |
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$9 Well Spent
I recently returned from a trip to Sapa which is a very small town near the Chinese border in the mountainous Northwest region of the country. It is pretty well touristed but still manages to have an outpost feeling to...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 04:30 PM |
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Is Poor a Western Concept?
In addition to the scenery, Sapa is known for trekking to see the villages of the many ethnic minorities in the area. Marva was recovering from a back injury and could not walk much and the weather was bad, so...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 04:05 PM |
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Talent Show
At the H'mong girls' suggestions, we went to a free performance of traditional H'mong dance and music. The performance took place in a stone walled basement bar complete with disco bar. The juxtoposition of the of the disco ball bar...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 03:48 PM |
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Safety First
Before we booked out jeep tour, we had consdiered doing the tour by motorbike. Marva and Laurel were both jazzed about the idea. I pointed out that it would be very cold and we didn't know the conditions of the...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 03:41 PM |
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March 02, 2005
Time
So my watch officially does not tell time. I bought a new one. It tells time and has an alarm. Unfortunately, it beeps on the hour. It also took me about an hour to figure out how to turn the...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 12:47 PM |
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Pity the Unmarried
This is straight out of the guide book . . . "Telling the Vietnamese that youa re single or divored and enjoy a life without children may disturb them greatly. Not having a family is regarded as bad luck and...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 12:41 PM |
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Communism
Vietnam has opened its markets quite a bit in the past 10 years or so. There is a lot of entrepreneurialism around and people seem to be dressed nicely. According to the Lonely Planet though, poverty is rampant but I...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 12:37 PM |
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Hanoi
When I first arrived in Hanoi, I decided that it was the first non-western place I had ever been where I really thought I could live. It has a great energy and currently the climate is reminiscent of San Francisco....Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 12:33 PM |
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February 27, 2005
That Feeling
I had been very eager to leave Laos. I could tell that others thought I should just mellow out, but I just really wanted to move on. I liked Laos. The people were warm and friendly and the kids would...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 01:40 PM |
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Getting There
The past four days have been filled with travel. On Thursday, I sat in a tuk tuk for 4 hours with the Dutch family and Naomi the Aussie to go to a festival that ended the day before. We went...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 01:27 PM |
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February 25, 2005
Vietnam Bound
Well, everyone told me it would never happen. The Vietnamese are inflexible and just want your money they said. They charge you to completely reissue. But I went to the embassy and got the entry date on my visa changed...Read this update
Posted by Kim G at 07:22 PM |
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