Near Miss

I came home to an inconvenient surprise last night.  About five fire trucks were crammed into our tiny alley and I was barred access to my building.  Apparently, it was on fire.  It seems no one was hurt, and fortunately for myself the fire was in block C (where I used to live) and not in block A(where I live now).  I gave up on waiting and went to have a beer with a friend.  By the time I returned, the power was back on but the internet and cable weren't.  Residents in Block C were less fortunate as they were not allowed to return to the building until everything was sorted.  In the morning, the entrance was still blocked by firefighters although tonight they seem to be gone. However, the power is still out so even if residents are allowed back inside they have to choose between a candlelit evening or another night of hotels and friendly couches. 

Here's a link to an article with pictures.

Day Before a Holiday, Cat Ba Island

Crossing the bridge, plastic chairs lined up with "fresh" beer and pandan leaf wrapped snacks.  Wooden boats docked five thick float on trash that floats on water.  Families in the darkness of their cabins eat on the floor while watching Vietnamese dramas on TV.  Two iron grey navy boats are moored together.  The troops are in their boxers sharing their bath time with each other and the world on the ship's bow.  In one junk, I see a group of sweaty shirtless fishermen sharing dinner and rice wine.  One of them spots me and summons the attention of the others.  They beckon me inside.  If I entered and never came out, no would ever know where to start looking.

The sun sets behind the limestone peaks, the mosquitoes come out for their nightly binge drinking.  The streets are quiet before the holiday.  Quiet except for a lone club, glass doors wide open, flashing lights and loud disco.  A bartender with no one to serve.

Only the deaf and dying will go to sleep early tonight.

Five Months

Five months.  That's how long it's been since I've posted here.  A shameful hiatus, I know.  It would be impossible to write in full depth everything that I have done in that time and every trip I've taken.  Instead, I will give a mere brief on the last five months and in so doing, hopefully I'll be able to return to this blog and write more meaningful, in-depth entries.

Surviving Tiger Falls

Dalat, a home away from home for many French during Vietnam's colonial era.  High elevation, a large lake, mountains, pine forests and cool weather.  The French would holiday here when the tropical weather of the rest of the country became to much to bare.  It was also a popular destination for hunting.  Deer, boar, rhinos, elephants and tigers could all be found in nearby forests.  However, the hunters were all to successful and now there is hardly a squirrel to be seen in the forests and mountains surrounding Dalat.  Still, Daphne and I decided to go there to enjoy the nature and remember what it feels like to not sweat every waking moment.

Commence Operation: TEA

It has been over a month since I've last posted, my apologies for the infrequency of posts.  I still intend to finish up my  rough guide to Yunnan, but perhaps an update about where I am and what I'm doing right now is in order.

Kunming: A Rough Guide

Long overdue for an update, I've decided to present my recent travels in Yunnan in the form of a rough guide that other travelers can emulate or at the very least use for insight in addition to the other guidebooks. 

Kunming is Yunnan's capital and largest city.  If you are a fan of Spring then you may want to move here, as the weather is pretty mild year round.  It is very much the modern city and those travelers missing their McDonald's and Starbucks will be happy to find these corporate giants here along with Walmart.  Many backpackers we spoke to hated Kunming and were in a rush to escape.  Daphne and I, however, found ourselves loving the place.  It was clean, quiet, people drove electric bikes, and food was was very good and cheap. 

Yunnan vs. Vietnam: A Comparison

When traveling in a new country for the first time one can't help drawing comparisons between their host country and the one they're coming from.  Crossing the border from my current home in Vietnam into China's southwestern-most province, Yunnan, here are just some of the ways the two differ.

Photos...Blogs Later

Back in Saigon!  It will take some time before I can post a blog about my trip in Yunnan, China.  However, check out my Flickr where I've posted tons of new pictures from my trip.  I should have a few more up later this week, too. 

Got My Visa

-First visit to the Chinese Consulate, closed.  Guard points at the hours of operation: 8:30-11:30, 2:00-5:00.  Noted.

-Second visit, 4:00, closed!  A closer look at the sign shows that only the general offices are open at that time, the visa office is only open 8:30-11:00.  Sigh.

Sergey Kahn, Tea Infusionist

The idea to do something with tea in Saigon has been festering in my head for the past two years.  Of course I have dreams of opening my own tea house, but needless to say, at 25 years old, I've yet to have that kind of financial flexibility.  I decided to start small and last Friday I led my first Tea Workshop at Soham Yoga Studio and Boutique.

Food and Film

Long time no post!
My apologies. I have been very busy the past couple months.  Between my internship and teaching, I only have one day off a week.

Rock The Cat Ba

Deciding to take advantage of the long holiday weekend (Reunification/Labor Days) Daphne headed for a village in Northern Thailand to do a Thai Yoga Massage training.  Since it wasn't really the kind of holiday I could join, I made my first solo trip in nearly two years to the same place where I did my last solo trip.  Rock climbing in Ha Long Bay.

Top 7 Most Annoying Drivers in Saigon

When I first came to Saigon and was faced with the traffic, I couldn't see any sense in the chaos on the roads (and often times on the sidewalk).  But as many of my friends here can attest, there is a logic to driving in the city and the sooner you get a bike and get into it, the easier and less scary it will be.  Having said that, there are however certain drivers whose habits can be quite irksome if not also dangerous.

Designer Life

Last week I began a new journey without leaving the city.  I started an internship at an architectural firm.  Pentago, a Malaysian based company, specializes in hotels, villas, and other luxury tourism designs throughout Asia.

Fowl, Dust and Quiet

I was woken up by a text coming in on my phone.

LEE: "Running a bit late.  Be there in five."
A quick check at the time and I realized that I was the one who would be late.  Today, a small group of us were driving away from the flat urban expanses of Saigon to the nearest outdoor rock climbing location.  Buu Long.

I rushed to get ready, packing my climbing shoes, camera, bandages, and tissues.  All of which would come in handy. 

On Police Chases

"What if you don't pull over and just drive away?"

The question came up while we were discussing traffic laws and handling cops in Saigon.  We were in Ellen's apartment after a session of acro-yoga on her rooftop by the pool.  Ellen, a teacher from Wisconsin, was doing much better for herself working at an international school in Saigon than her contemporaries were back in her home state where they have to fight just to keep the meager salary that they were making.  The pay and benefits for "real" teachers(not ESL teachers, like myself) are cushy.

From Blogger to Writer?

This month I've deceived two separate editors into thinking that I can write[I'm working on a third].  My blog entry, Fighting Motion Sickness on the Pai Trail, is in this month's issue of S.E.A. Backpacker Magazine.  You can find it if you're in South East Asia, although so far I've only seen it Thailand.

Once Bitten, Twice Bitten...

Ride Cafe's house cat indicated with its forehead against my knuckles that it was petting time. I was wary of this crooked-tailed puss for it was a reputed biter. But wanting something to pet I cautiously gave in and moved my hand from head to neck once, twice then neck to tail a few times before moving to some kitty pressure points, which I massaged in circular motions. A tried and true recipe for a purr.

Pai in the Sky

It was Tet holiday again[Chinese New Year] and Daphne and I were joined on our trip this time by our Welsh friend, Rob, who we've known since the beginning of our stay in Saigon when we took our CELTA together. This time, we had plane tickets bought and ready and flew over to Thailand, Destination: Pai.

Fighting Motion Sickness on the Pai Trail

According to T-shirts sold on Pai's two block long Walking Street, there are 762 curves between Chiang Mai and Pai and only a few options on how to get there. Airplane was out of the question. Fifty dollars for a thirty minute flight? I think not. The funnest option would have been to rent a motorbike and drive the three hour route but I was traveling in a company of three and not all of us were two wheel competent. So that leaves us with bus or minivan. Minivan is the less nausea inducing option of the two and at only 150 Bhat[5USD] very reasonable.