Bridge on the lake at Hoan Kiem

Click the picture to see the whole thing

I sat for two hours sketching this on my last day in Hanoi. It was the most zen experience of my entire trip, and the beginning to a very weird and stressful day. Someone tried to snatch my bag in the park, but I put it in my lap when I realized I was being stalked. Nina and I did a lot of walking, and we realized that if you try to eat during siesta time, you will have to go to a foreigner restaurant, because all the locals take away their food signs and it's impossible to get the good cheap kind of food. While walking the busy sidewalk-less streets of Hanoi, thousands of motorbikes skidded their wheels against our ankles and glared, annoyed. They honked horns and snuck up behind me, shocking me when I let my guard down even for a millisecond. Concerned it may start raining, we started for the Hoan Kiem roundabout, and parked ourselves at a nice little juice shop right on the street. A bookseller came up to us and started to chat.

He showed us books and asked Nina where she's from. Every time I started to look away, he would pull a book out and shove it in my face. Do you see where this is going? Vietnam future travelers: NEVER TAKE YOUR ATTENTION AWAY FROM YOUR VALUABLES! IF YOU ARE TALKING TO SOMEONE, HAVE ONE HAND ON ANYTHING YOU DON'T WANT SNATCHED. When we looked back, I was sketching a Cyclo bike, and I hear, "Oh no...no no no. Shit Susan my camera's gone. and my wallet." There was a lot of swearing from the NYC-born Chinese American girl, and the girl behind the counter laughed when she heard that Nina had just been robbed. It was the bookseller. Now I'm sure of it. It was the bookseller and a friend. possibly the girl behind the counter, but my money's on the pudgy man in the red shirt. It makes me so angry, because half our memories are gone for 20 bucks, and expired Drivers' License, and a shitty Cannon PowerShot. All my wonderful headstands, and every time I said, no worries, I don't have to bring my camera. Nina has hers. Well that's too freaking bad. We even went back, asking just give us the card and we won't go to the Police. We'll walk away and if the card is there, no police. He got all insulted like he didn't do it, and said you want me to take you? I will. I took his picture and even checked his Driver's license. Although I bet you it was a fake name.

I am trying not to dwell on this nasty last day. It was a wonderful trip, and fortunately, my memories are for me, and they don't die with a lost camera, they just become great stories.

What day is it today? I really just can't remember. How did I get here and where am I going? What time is it? Well, Vacation time. I'm tired. I have traveled all the way from Saigon (Ho chi minh city) along the spine of the country of Vietnam. I think that I have about three...four....days left before I go home....? Like I said, I really don't remember what day it is. and frankly, I don't care too much.
When we arrived in Hanoi yesterday, we checked into a hostel and crashed. While Will & Nina napped, I walked around the lake nearby. Now I'm going off with Nina, so no more time!
Talk soon!
~Sus

It's much too early for this kind of entry.

I am pretty sure I went to bed wayyy too early last night.
or It's just I couldn't sleep. my bed buddy kept roll, roll rolling and I would wake up nearly pushed off the bed! grrrr. oh, and then the roosters started in with their thing.
Is it like, a rule that every hotel in Vietnam has to have a rooster? gar. I was so tired I just lay there, not interested in getting up even long enough to find my headphones. So now i'm past the threshhold. I'm sitting down in reception at the computers, while a new sleeper bus comes in, and the hotel is trying to accumulate some business off of travel-weary backpackers.
I hope this is my second to last day here in Hoi An. I think my companion wants to be here a little longer~tour the rest of the town, hang out on the beach.... but I may be ready to move on to the North. Haolong bay and Cat Ba Island is where the rock climbing is, and where I may find my rock climbing buddy scaling the cliffs and join him!
That is all for now!

much love,
Sus

It's August 15th and I have very little to say this evening~not because nothing has happened, but because theres so much I have to cover that to write it right now would take too long. (and the mosquitoes are full-out tonight.

So I'll keep it short:
We're in the tailor capital of Vietnam, Hoi An.
Mr Xe is a mean old man who loves men and treats the women who work for him and women who hire him like shit. The guys I'm with had no problems getting suits tailored, but he sucks for womens' stuff.

Yali is amazing. she made me a pair of pants and two dress shirts just for my body and I feel so professional in them! yay, Yali!

I went skinny dipping in the ocean yesterday. There were phosporescents and the beach was PERFECT>I could not resist.

I must go. the mosquitoes are biting.
love, Sus

Nha Trang is pretty cool. -+

It's been a wild day or two in Vietnam!

We left Ho Chi Minh City at 8pm on a train headed North.
We shared a 4 bunk soft-sleeper with an old drunken businessman and an older old lady.
I woke every two hours, and I don't know if it was from the rocking of the train, the constant air conditioner, or the fact that I was anxious about getting off at the right stop, but each time I awoke, my sore throat was so sore, and now it just hasn't gone away. Pollution in this country is extreme.

Did I tell you, there are 5 million motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh alone?

So we arrived at 5am in Nha Trang and that's where we are now.
Our Hostel host walked us up to the 5th floor with sheets and started stripping the bunks of two of the beds in the dorm rooms. he woke everyone up while we were standing there at 5am, apologizing and just wanting to crawl into bed and sleeeeeeeeeep!

Today has been so long I can't believe it's still our first day here. After our morning sleep, and aftert a cat and mouse game of wheres Nina? where's Sus? We went for breakfast at a food stall (18,00 VND for a plate of rice, veg and pork cutlet--thats a little over $1~) and then rented a motorbike.
We decided we would find the mudbath outdoor saunas, and soak a bit. It took a bit of getting used to; driving in Vietnam is tricky business, but once I got going I was ...well...going. It helped to hae Nina talking in my ear on the back of the bike, and crossing the street in Ho Chi Minh was great practice of having to make Left handed turns in a country where no one ever stops ever, you just go. So turning left is this: honk your horn and start to go. cars and bikes will usually slow down. yup. that's it. crazy! it took over 3 hours of driving around to find that darn place! We drove up alleys, dirt roads, and even one time this extremely narrow steep street (which actually turned out to be connected to the one we wanted) that was lined with houses on either side--those houses, incidentally, were covered with barbed wire. yup. I am proud to Say that neither Nina nor I have a single scratch.
We visited the baths as well as a gorgeous confucian temple. like seriously, Crystal, you're gonna love this place. I can't wait to show you pics.

Well I'm tired and there is a dive planned for 730 am tomorrow morning. Music is buzzling all around the hostel from local backpacker hangouts, and a little boy is bringing in everyone's shoes from the patio. It is bedtime.
Lots of love!
Sus

Ho chi minh City!

Hello Friends and Family!

I am currently in Ho Chi Minh City with Nina Fan!
We flew in today and boy are our arms tired...har har har...
nah it was more or less an uneventful flight. we watched the Tooth Fairy with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Ashley Judd featuring Julie Andrews as the head fairy. It was like the Santa Clause meets Arnold Schwartzenagger with Fairies. Hmmm...and some super-dirty clean jokes! Oh that Billy Crystal!

anyway. we arrived and made our way into the city and I'm feeling buzzed!
there are MASSIVE crowds of motorbikes, and they weave around like clowns in a cage, through traffic, on the streets as well as sidewalks. I was so nervous crossing the street today, that I grabbed Nina's hand like a schoolgirl. a nice man sitting at the corner sort of chuckled, held up my umbrella like a crossing guard, and walked us across the busy street. People here are so sweet!
And did I mention it's TYPHOON season? it's hot, it rains and cools, heavy sheets of rain, as thisk as fog and heavy as an evening shower. nd then before you know it, it's sunny and steam is rising from the pavement!
A new culture, language, and all the rain, wow! I am on Susan-vaca-brain!
It's funny, when I travel, it's like I snap right back into the person I was the last time I traveled, and all these memories flood back. Of my cravings for Halal roti with curry for breakfast, and 4am massages, and meeting people. of the drunken Australians with great accents and warm spirits. of staying with Cari in Taiwan over New Years. It's ALL like it happened like, yesterday or so recently. and I'm sitting in a cafe with Nina thinking about all those great memories and they're feeling so much more real than what I'm doing RIGHT NOW, and I think of all the possibilities--and I toast to new adventures, memories, and a continuing story. Welcome back, vaca-sus! I've missed you.

tomorrow we will tour the Cu-chi (yes I said that) tunnels and the war museum, watch a documentary, and visit a night market. Don't worry about me, I'm making good use of my time and attentions. Nina is proving so far to be a good travel buddy. We had some snafoos getting here-thanks to my travel-brain not paying full attention, but it's getting better now :)

goodnight, and See you in the AM!