First day at work

Last night, as always happens the night before a new rotation, I slept fitfully. Around 6AM, I got up nearly every half hour, afraid that I would sleep through my wake up time and by the time my alarm went off, I was exhausted. So, I arrived at the clinic, a full 20 minutes early, to find out 45 minutes later that the doctor, indeed, was not in. I was bummed, not because I didn't get to work (I enjoy an unexpected day off just like the next person), but more so because I had a whole day of free time and nothing planned.

No problem, I ended up venturing out and having a good time. I walked from the clinic to the post office...

... to Notre Dame Cathedral ...

(only in Vietnam would you find neon lights in a church)

... to Reunification Plaza ...

(this room wasn't labeled, but you can only imagine the things that went on in it)

(a creepy staircase near the end of the tour)

... to Cho Ben Thanh to Pham Ngu Lao.

Along the way, I had "banh kot" and "che" to satisfy my tummy.

"Banh Khot"

(image from http://www.my-que.com/img/page2/imgge.jpg)

"Che Thap Cam"

(Image from http://photos23.flickr.com/32510421_df95c4d5e4_o.jpg)

Motorbike riding

Sunrise over the Mekong:

Yesterday was a day of riding motorbikes. Woke up at 5:00AM (which, I would like to point out, is earlier than the sun rises) and left the house at 6:30AM with my two cousins and my uncle. We went on an all day motorbike journey through the delta. I took us all day, we we maybe rode 80 km the entire day. We made stops at my uncle's friends' houses, eating delicious food and fruit all day. My cousin, Hoang, and I picked longans, papaya, pomelos, and "mang" while my other cousin and my uncle took their afternoon naps. Took some great pictures, especially of the sunrise over some of the small rivers.

Oh, I also learned how to ride a motorbike! After coming home and promptly taking a nap and eating, went out with my uncle to learn how to ride a motorbike. After a few spins around an empty parking lot, took it out on the road and it was so much fun! However, it's scary as hell because other drivers and pedestrians do as they wish, not yielding to other drivers at all. I would like to be able to drive in Saigon, but that requires some nerves of steel and I don't know if I've grown those in yet.

Here's a picture of two of my cousins on motorbike. I am riding alongside them on my uncle's motorbike (he's driving, don't worry!).

Sunrise, sunset

For the last few days, I have been in the delta region, celebrating the lunar new year with my relatives (Chuc Mung Nam Moi, as we say in Vietnam!). Being in the delta, away from the city, means a different pace of life. I get up at sunrise, not by choice, but because everyone and their dog gets up at this time. Then, go to bed at an ungodly early hour (9:30 last night). You start off the day with breakfast, a walk around the market or neighborhood, and then sit and shoot the breeze with whomever is around. Then, lunch! After lunch, you take your obligatory nap and then shoot the breeze with whomever is around. Then, dinner! Again, shoot the breeze with whomever is around, and it's bedtime! Throw in a few showers here and there and you have my day for the last few days.

Oh, but a change of pace was staying up until midnight to watch the fireworks (a rather disappointing ten-minute show):

Other things that got thrown into the heap:

• Take pictures - lots of them. Apparently it's a new year tradition to take family pictures so I did that with my dad's side one day, and my mom's side another day.
• Go into an orchard of "mang" - which are these red fruits, crunchy and juicy like an apple, but almost tasteless. Actually quite addicting.
• Go to the museum, where I learned (as much as I could by "reading" the Vietnamese placards) about the history of Vinh Long province (where I am right now and where my family is from), what animals reside here (apparently lots of fish - makes sense, it's a delta, after all), and what people live here (turns out there are a good number of ethnic minorities here).

Oh, I did get to ride an ostrich. Yeah, an ostrich. Apparently, not as hard as you'd think it would be.

Tet flower festival

Tonight, I went to the flower festival, across from the New World Hotel and it was beautiful. So many flowers, some in the thousands of dollars! Totally outrageous, but totally fun to "window shop." I love Tet here - it's so much fun and so beautiful. It's also not outrageously hot outside, so it's bearable during the day (though the night is so much more comfortable).

So, these fish are actually from another flower festival, but they sure are ugly. And yes, the gold one is swimming vertically. Apparently, they're stupid as well.

Back to the city

Le Loi street, during daytime:


Le Loi street, during nighttime, on motorbike:
The coveted mai tree. The large trees can be sold for up to millions of dollars, not dong. They are the flowers of Tet and everywhere you turn, you see yellow flowers.
I am finally back from the countryside and back in the city. They
both have their advantages and disadvantages and I don't know which
one I like more. The countryside is beautiful, quiet, full of family,
and walkable (somewhat) - but it's a bit boring and definitely not as
comfortable (in terms of air conditioning, cleanliness, etc). The
city is always awake, full of fun, friends, and work - but it also
never sleeps and I feel like I always have stuff to do!

When I came back to the city, my cousin greeted me and said, "How's it
feel to be back?" and I thought, back to where? I don't know if I
really have a home right now. Is it in California, where my stuff is
in boxes? Is it in Boston where I technically go to school? Is it
wherever I am at the moment? Who knows.

Joe Camel

Just saw a 12 year old smoking. With a hoarse voice. Scary.

Change of plans

So, a wrench has been put in my plans, which is bound to happen, and I am in the delta region for much longer than I anticipated. So, in short, I am sitting at some random internet cafe, right next to the highway that runs north-south in Vietnam, sitting next to my half-aunt who is younger than myself. I feel like traveling ios always full of situations that you never imagine yourself in. So, I apologize for not posting regularly, as I haven't been online in awhile. My goal was to post everyday.... oh well.

Here are some pictures to bide the time away.

On a boat, crossing the river to pay my respects to my ancestors:

The market in An Huu, my dad's hometown. Here are the bird sellers (they sell them as fresh as possible here), with the river in the background.

Snakes for sale, at $5 a pound, considered a delicacy in Vietnam:

Dragons, made of foliage, in Vinh Long, my mom's hometown:

Energized

That's definitely how I'm feeling here in Saigon. I spent the day walking around with my cousins, exploring, a little bit of shopping, and generally having fun. It was a touristy day for sure. I had dinner with a friend of my cousin's and the conversation was a great ending to the day. It's nice to talk to someone much like myself (though he is so much more artistic than I, and I am infinitely jealous) and who has been living in Saigon for several months now. Overall, good day today. No pictures from today, but definitely some later this week.

Tomorrow, I head down to An Huu, where my grandfather lives, and Vinh Long, where my aunts and uncles live. It's a 4 hour van ride and lots of fun - you know, cause feeling like your life is in danger every turn the road takes is loads of fun!

Poolside

The brand spanking new airport in Saigon:

I am in Vietnam! No incident getting here. Actually, it couldn't have been much easier. I slept 10 hours on the flight from San Francisco to Taipei and then got upgraded to what was a heavenly seat on the leg from Taipei to Saigon. This seat was amazing. It reclined down to sleeping position. It was 1.5x as large as a regular seat. They served me a meal on tablecloth! Serious stuff here.

Oh, so I'm blogging from my cousin's computer poolside. Yeah, I've been in Saigon for all of 3 hours and I'm poolside:

It's my break before the storm.

Some initial impressions:

• I forget how noisy and polluted the city is.
  




• I forget how easy it is to fall into the vicious cycle of staying poolside with my cousins.
  




• I really want some Vietnamese food. We drove by tons of little eateries and it was lunchtime and everyone seemed so happy.
  

Ok, that's it for now. Some more thoughts later. And some more pictures later when I get the cable for my camera.

Leaving, on a jet plane....

I am reviving the dead! That is, a dead blog!

I am embarking, once again to Vietnam.

My tentative itinerary:

• January 22-March 31: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I will be working for four weeks at a clinic there, traveling around, and soaking in all there is to soak.
  
• March 31-April 20-something: Vellore, India for travels and another four weeks at a clinic there.
  
• May 3: Depart for California

Who knows what my expectations of this trip are or what I will get accomplished. In the end, I think it's going to be an adventure and I'm glad you've come along for the ride.