Viet Nam

Disclaimer: I was never able to post this in China because my computer has been malfunctioning. I wrote this on my first day in China but I am posting it while I am in Japan. My China post will also be put up soon, probably today.

Hello everyone! So now that I am in China I can give you a post about Viet Nam. I had a good time in Viet Nam, but there were consequences. If you add up how much money I’ve spent in every port and then compared it to how much money I spent in Viet Nam, I think the numbers would be pretty close. I don’t know how it happened because everything is so cheap and I didn’t get much at all.
The first day I went out with my friend Kelsey. She was meeting up with a Vietnamese girl she knew through a friend. The girl’s name was Chau (and hopefully she is reading this, HEY CHAU!). Of all the people in foreign countries I’ve met on this voyage, Chau is by far the kindest. It was so great to have a local take us around. One thing everyone wanted to do in Viet Nam was to get a clothes made, especially suits. It’s cheap and they make it just for you so it’s a great thing to go home with. Chau took me to a tailor/designer that was more expensive than the others but she said my suit would be nicer. I paid a whole lot more than what other people paid and I just hope I don’t regret it later. Other people had to wait three days to pick up their suit but mine takes over a week. Chau is going to send it to me. I picked out this fabric that was all plaid. In total I had 5 pieces made. The jacket, pants, vest, bowtie (all plaid), and a black shirt. I almost went all out and bought crocodile accessories to wear with it (shoes, belt, money clip, and possibly a wristwatch strap), but after all I spent on the suit I decided against it. We spent most of that day hanging out with Chau; exploring Ho Chi Minh City. The second day I had a trip that was leaving at 4am for Nha Trang. I intended to pack, then go out, and then get back in time for the ship but it didn’t work out as I had planned. I ended up falling asleep at around 9:30 and waking up 20 minutes later to find that everyone was leaving or had already left. I decided I would just go to sleep early. Wrong again. My friend got back from her night early and wanted to hang out so I stayed up with her until I had to leave for my trip. The effects of staying up that night are still with me today, a week later. I kept thinking I would be able to sleep on the bus ride or the plane ride or something but everything happened very quickly. We arrived in Nha Trang in the morning and started sightseeing immediately. At some point I was able to pick up one of those cone-like rice hats. When we finally got to the hotel I couldn’t even sleep. I went for a swim and had dinner and fell asleep after dinner. I woke up and everyone had left for the bars and clubs without me. I went out and explored for a little while by myself and then came back to find out the hotel had free wi-fi. I got to video chat with some friends back home and talk to a few more people. I also updated my blog to put nicer pictures up. My sleeping schedule was all messed up and I couldn’t go to sleep that night. The next day we did more sightseeing and touring. We stopped at an aquarium on the way to a beach.The aquarium was nice and it had a big tower with great views. After the aquarium we went to a relaxing beach-like area, kind of like a small quay or jetty. Everyone laid out in the sun or went swimming. I get real bored with that kind of stuff. Luckily the professor on the trip exploited the kayaks. I had never gone kayaking before but I’ve always wanted to do it (along with crew, but that’s besides the point). I don’t really get the opportunity for things like that back home. While everyone laid out and tanned I went kayaking for about an hour. I ventured far and wide and found a water park along a beach on another side of the island. On the way back I had to go against the current and it felt so good. I have got to start kayaking, it’s such an invigorating activity.It was tough to move in the kayak they gave me because the paddles were so skinny and the actual boat was rickety as all hell. Nevertheless that was one of my favorite things to do on the voyage so far. The solitude along with the vitalizing workout is too great to explain. That night I went out for a little but I ended up just coming back to hotel to swim. That night I spent a while talking to friends from back home again. The next day we did a few more tourist things. We went to a huge pagoda and saw an enormous Buddha. The picture really does not do it justice. It was so big. I should have gone to a photography class before coming on SAS because my pictures probably give the worst impressions of the most interesting things in the world. On the last day I went out with my hotel roommate to explore Nha Trang and do some shopping. I didn’t buy much there at all. I got a shirt for a friend and I bought a Hollister collared shirt for $5 (which was overpaying in Viet Nam). We went to this place called Crazy Kim (Chau’s recommendation) and had the most amazing meal. Prior to going to Crazy Kim, all the food we had on the trip was the same thing. Always the same exact kinds of seafood, which I love, but it was getting tired. I had the greatest cheeseburger and swordfish kabobs. We also got a Crazy Kim bucket which is just a ridiculous jug of mixed drinks. I love Crazy Kim; I hope to go back someday. There was one night and one day left in Viet Nam when I returned from Nha Trang. I spent the last night with my roommate, going to a night market and getting pressured by “moto-bike” drivers and prostitutes. Serendipitously, we got lost and a German man gave us directions and we ended up going out to eat with him and his wife. He told us he wanted to take us to the best Vietnamese restaurant around, and that there would be no other tourists. He was correct. It was great. I could never pronounce his name but he was a chef at the best hotel in Ho Chi Minh City and now he owns his own restaurant. I wanted to go there the last day but I never got the opportunity. Kurt and I walked around for the next few hours that night; explored the city and saw Ho Chi Minh's underbelly. The next morning I went to go get my suit fitted and altered. Then I met up with Chau and Kelsey. I sent a package home that cost me almost as much as my suit. It was irritating but my cabin had so much stuff in it that I just had to get rid of it. That day was a lot of fun. We went to a few different markets and they went to a spa. I looked for a suit jacket to no avail. I found one that I loved and it fit me so perfectly but I didn’t have enough money on me. I hope to buy a suit jacket in China. That was most of what I did in Viet Nam. Everyone got clothes made and I wish I took advantage of that more than I did. If you ever go to Viet Nam, bring pictures or sketches of clothes you want. They can make anything and it comes out so nice. My LLC (SAS version of an RA, sort of) Shalina, got almost a dozen things made. One kid got over a thousand dollars worth of dress clothes. It’s so cheap there (not where I went) that it just makes sense to get all of that while you’re in Viet Nam. Plus, it will all be made just for you! It’s also a good idea to go get a massage. Doing anything at a spa in Viet Nam costs fractions of what it would cost in the United States, and it’s all a lot nicer. However, guys should be more cautious. Make sure you’re just paying for a massage and not anything else. I don’t think prostitution is legal but there is a lot of it going on. Hope this was enjoyable. I would greatly appreciate more comments. I feel like no one is reading my blog. Sad face.