A Song Played On A Solo Saxophone

If you have been watching the news, the reason you have not seen 3 foreigners protesting at the Vietnam border is that China finally released its vice grip on us and we crossed the border on Wednesday afternoon - so after almost a week of traveling, I finally entered Veitnam! What the next few days held could only be described as a whirlwind and I apologize now for the probable length of this choronicle. Please remember, I blog not only for your reading enjoyment, but for the sake of my own poor and failing memory!

Vietnam - D1
First Stop - Pho! Not 30 minutes over the border we stopped at a roadside cafe for our first authentic Vietnamese Pho! Jessica and I were estatic, and Graham was quickly won to our side. Pho is basically top ramen, but with overwhelming amounts of cilantro and basil - delectable. With happy bellys, we climbed aboard again. We arrived in Hanoi midafternoon, a city known for its European-like quarters and its (supposedly) wide streets. We quickly decided that whatever we were looking for, Hanoi was not it, so we decided to leave that evening for Hue. With a few hours to kill, we washed the grime of China off our bodies and hit the streets. It didn't take us long to discover that if we stayed in Hanoi we would either be run over or go broke! So after a nutritious dinner of Mint gelato and Vietnamese donuts (I know...) we caught the overnight sleeper bus to Hue. I am linking these sleeper buses to what we will probably be traveling to the moon in some day, little pods for your feet, lined up in pretty little rows like sardines. Close quarters, but an excellent place to meet new friends with delicious accents. The ride was wretchedly bumpy at best - but nothing 2 Nyquill couldn't cure!

Vietnam - D2
At the first pit stop of the morning, Jessica & Graham were shanghaied into a tour of some underground tunnels that required them to stay a day behind. They ended up being worth it to them, but I had been in the cold and wet for too long and was headed SOUTH to warmth! So we parted ways, and I headed to Hue to catch yet ANOTHER lovely bus (notice a pattern develops quickly). I had a few hours to kill in Hue, which I spent exploring Veitnam's equivelent of Beijing's Forbidden City (which even shares the name). I rode a tut-tut, nearly fell in a lake, and learned that according to ancient customs, goats have the ability to predict the fertility of a woman! Hue still didn't have the special something I was looking for, so I put that city behind me to take another 3 hour trip to Hoi An. I arrived late and without much of a glance at the city, hit the hotel. Only the joy of finding BBC News on the television (my first english news program in 5 months!) kept my eyes open for long.
***Note: It may seem that I am flying through Vietnam - truthfully I am! Am supposed to meet Sarah in Phenom Phen on Monday morning, which because of border troubles left less than a week in the country. Was sad about this at first, but am finding that the other countries are probably more my style of vacation. I am less about European shopping and more about elephant riding!

Vietnam - D3
I woke up early to take a tour out to My Son. My Son is the Vietnamese Angkor Wat, a religious site that was the center of their worship culture. Sadly, the American B52's obliterated it so all that is left is moss covered relics. It was raining, and we treked out into the jungle along carefully laid pathes (so as not to meet the same fate as the dogs that followed us around - they were missing limbs from wandering into mines). Say what you will about Americans, but no one can say were are not thorough! There was not much to see, but our guide had lots of interesting information for us. Like the fact that because Galileo was a few thousand years too late in recognizing the earth was round, all religious monoments that represent women were flat squares (women = mother = earth = flat = square). Our guide felt the need to share with us that of all the women he had seen, and he had seen a lot (!), he had never seen a woman who had a square...and if only the original architects had consulted him, he would have set them straight. Yeah, he loved to share!
I headed back to town to meet Jessica & Graham, who had traveled the Hoi An that morning and we bicycled out to nearby Cham Nam Island. It was a little terrifying manuevering those things through town, and I was significantly out of practice, but as soon as we hit the island it was wonderful! It was raining, and we sang rain-themed showtunes like complete loons - it was the first time I felt like I was really on vacation. We hit a local restuarant, far away from the tourist district and ate mixed mess (Vietnamese specialty of various vegetable).
Biking back through town, we entered into the old quarter, which is basically just street after street of shops, most of which are tailors (Hoi An is known for its clothing, they make it to your size exactly in one day guarantee - sweatshop central). Jessica & I mused about the excessive spending habits of these Europeans, spending thousands of dollars on tailor made clothing items. We stopped at one store to admire a dress and we were goners. Turns out those Europeons knew what they were doing - designer dresses made to your size for $20 American dollars! I am ashamed to say I could not help myself...I splurged on 2 dresses, and Jessica & Graham had some clothes made as well. We plan on celebrating our last days on the beach in Thailand in them with Mama T.
I ended up being a big fan of Hoi An after all - I like the french feel of the small city streets and it was just crowded enough to hold interesting company. Sadly, I didn't have enough on the agenda to keep me for another day so after some banana shakes at Retreats, I bordered yet another overnight bus - headed straight for Saigon (24 hours!)

Veitnam - D4
Woke up to a lady telling me to get off the bus. We had arrived in Nha Trang, a stopping point for a number of people who were headed for beaches, but everyone who was carrying through to Saigon had to check in at the counter. No problem, so I cleared the sleepies and got off the bus...
Enter another episode of: This Could Only Happen to Jessica
So the night before the entire bus was in a bit of emergency. We had run out of gas, and the bathroom on the bus was broken. When we finally recieved some petroel, we stopped at a gas station and nearly everyone rushed off the bus to the two stalls at the cafe. We only had 10 minutes, and in my hurry I had forgotten my handy-dandy package of paper. So...get to the bathroom, and of course there is none. I reached into my pockets (in the dark mind you), looking for anything that is paperlike ***Note: I share this storY with you for a variety of reasons. The first is that apparently I have no shame, and the second is that these sort of things that happen when you are a traveler can be appreciated by all and understood by any others who have been in similar predicaments. The third is that if we are not close now, we will be after this!*** and finding something that fit the requirements, I did what any girl must do. Come to find out this morning, when I was digging through my pockets for my ticket to Saigon, that one shoud choose more carefully when looking for toilet paper subliments! SO, Jessica got delayed 2 hours, and Jessica got to pay 8 American dollars, because Jessica used her bus ticket as toilet paper. Well done.
Despite that disappointment, the day on the bus was quite pleasant. The weather was beautiful, and we spent the whole day along the coast. Sand dunes, blue water, palm trees...good conversation with witty Englishman that almost led to a detour in Mui Ne! But Sarah owes me big time, because I was a good girl and stayed on the bus in an effort to get to her (and I do mean big time!). So I have arrived in Ho Chi Minh city (bka Saigon), and will be crashing shortly. Tomorrow promises a tour around the city of various Vietnam/American war sites, and hopefully a chance to go out to the tunnels where Veitnamese soldiers spent years hiding underground. The closet history buff in me is loving this, and the travelers around me who are more interested in shopping and western food are finding me quite strange! Tomorrow evening Jessica & Graham will arrive in Saigon (because of the early seperation, they have been continually behind me one day), and Monday we will spend the day with some workers here in the city, looking at the way they are serving the Father here and helping out any way we can. Originally I was going to miss out on this part of the trip, but I am excited to get to see how these servants are MNSTRNG here! Tuesday morning Jessica & myself (and possibly Graham?) will take a tour up the Mekong Delta into Cambodia, and another stamp in the passport for me! PRYRS, please, that I do not have a repeat border crossing experience!

Thoughts on Veitnam:
*THE COFFEE - AMAZING. I can't descibe it, I can only say that its so strong it bites and at the same time its smooth and sweet. I have been drinking at least 3 cups a day and am not looking forward to leaving it behind...
*Have found surprising comfort in signs with letters in them again...even though I cannot read them, its a little like going home
*Had such severe culture shock when we arrived in Hanoi and was completely surrounded by white faces! Europeans, Canadaians, Australians, Americans everywhere! I couldn't even remember how to talk to them and have found myself inadvertently speaking with a mix of their accents each time I open my mouth. Have horrible fear that they believe I am a ridiculous American mocking them on purpose, but it cannot be helped.
*So far, Veitnam has the most beautiful countryside of any place I have ever been. We have seen mountians, jungles, coasts and deserts all in this small strip of land. The architecture is liken broken Mexico, but the vibrant colors are so refreshing compared to grey China. I have actually enjoyed the multiple, exponential hours on the bus, just staring out the window admiring his handiwork.
*Its easy to imagine this beautiful place teeming with soldiers and warfare. There are makeshift cemetaries everywhere and they are still rebuilding each day from the destruction of bombs 30 some years ago. I am anxious to learn more about this countries history, and at the same time preparing myself to face even more earth-shattering history in Cambodian. Its a little difficult to balanace these facts with the idea of a "vacation"
*All in all, I actually am looking forward to leaving this country for the next. I have made most of this journey alone, in which I discovered the joy of meeting new people, but also the frustration of enjoyment that fits my ideas of appropriate. I am ready to get to Sarah in Ho Chi Minh! Veitnam is also a popular vacation spot for Europeans, and its been a bit too touristy for my taste. I am ready to spend less money, fight fewer crowds, and enjoy more of a relaxed, adventerous trek. Next time I post, you will be hearing of Angkor Wat and Elephant treks!