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I’m in Hanoi now and just got back from a 2 day trip in Halong Bay. That was very beautiful, with 100s of little islands, one of which we stayed on last night. On Tuesday I went to see Ho Chi Mihn’s mausoleum, which I imagine is a lot like Lenin’s if you have seen that. There is a huge line of 10s of 1000s of people that they corral through the building so you can glimpse him for 30 seconds. He looked like he was either asleep, or a wax statue from Disneyland. I met a Vietnamese student there who is studying English to become a teacher. I gave him some of our local slang for an hour, then he invited me to his house for lunch. He lived in an area of the slums, with 2 other students and they paid about $55 a month total for a 1 room shack. He almost died when I told him how expensive SF housing is. We ate at a very local food stall and a huge lunch of rice noodle soup with these minced snake meat fritters was tasty and about $0.40. We ended up rapping for several hours, after which he took me back to the museum and gave me a private tour. It was an amazing experience and I was impressed by his progressive ideals about social situations, freedom of speech and press, education and government. He listens to Radio America all the time and reads Time and Newsweek and was quite knowledgeable for a 23 year old.

‘Nam is absolutely fantastic. It’s much better than I imagined. I wish I would have skipped Laos and spent that extra 6 days here. I’m running out of time here, so I fly to Hanoi tomorrow for 4-5 days there and around Hualang Bay.

In 1990 the Vitenamese govenment opened it’s borders to travel, lifted a large amount of restrictions on the people and adopted many privitization and capitalization practices in the economy in hopes of establishing new political ties to the West and especially America. It turns out that they are worried China wants to dominate them and are willing to take more democratization steps to gain and keep the support of the west and retain there independence in the years to come.

I just spent 2 days on the Mekong Delta on an organized tour with some fellow backpackers. I’m traveling with a very cool English guys for my few days here. Our guide was a translator for the US Army, then was evacuated to the US in ‘75. Because his family was still in Vietnam he decided to return in ‘76, but the government thought he was a spy because he worked for the US and he got put in a “re-education” labor camp for 6 years of hard labor. Most of the citizens are very pro-American and anti-communist, though only in private. They are also surprisingly anti-China, as the Chinese want to dominate their country.

I just got to Ho Chi Mihn city in Vietnam today and Charlie definitely don’t surf! [Apocalypse Now reference]
The people are really friendly to tourists, suprisingly so to Americans. I had heard this was the case but until I experienced it I had a tough time setting my expectations as such. I guess the key detail is that 55% of the population has been born since the war, so most people don’t remember it nor do they have any animosity towards Westerners and Americans specifically. Several people talked to me as I was coming in from the airport just to see where I was from. It’s way more friendly and clean than I expected. I will wait to see if the locals’ perception towards Tourists/Americans will be different in Hanoi. My room is the nicest I have had in the last 3 weeks, for $12 a night (a bit more expensive than most places but at least 5 times as clean and comforting). I’m trying to hook up with some of my friends I met on my trek in Chaing Mai here. They are supposedly here right now, so hopefully they check their email soon. Internet cafes are everywhere in Asia. What an amazing invention and convenient way to travel!!!!

Hello again from Bangkok.

I’m off tomorrow for Vietnam and am very excited. Laos was cool, but there was not as much to do other than to see the Meekong River and some waterfalls. It is also more off the beaten track so I didn’t meet very many western travelers there and traveled alone for the 4 days I was there, which is the first time I haven’t been with fellow travelers from more than 24 hours in the last 3 weeks. Laos is also pretty underdeveloped and dirty, definitely more 3rd world than Thailand and surprisingly slightly more expensive (though still cheap by Western standards). Transportation is also pretty bad in Laos, so I flew between Vientiane and Luang Prabang, then back to Bangkok, all for about $150, which saved me probably 36 hours of travel time were I to do it by bus.

I just got back from a brutal 3 day trek into the mountains around Myanmar and the Golden triangle. Even after 3 or 4 tough hikes in Central Thailand, the trek hiking was absolutely the most brutal ever and I though I was gonna die. The route went straight up and down the steepest mountains you can believe (no switchbacks). They called this a “medium” level hike, but the other 10 travelers in? my group were nearly as devastated. I’d hate to see the “hard” or “expert” treks. It was very cool, though, as the group really bonded under the extreme effort. I’m absolutely crippled right now from the hiking. I almost couldn’t go on at the end of the day yesterday as the hills were so steep and my leg was cramping. It was an unbelievable and memorable outing.

We also got to climb in some caves, sleep in some very primitive native villages (that were surprisingly cold at night), ride/surf some really primitive home made flat bamboo rafts down a river (that was the best part), cruise through some opium fields and ride some elephants. The trek was the highlight so far and the group of Canadian, English, New Zealand and Spanish travelers was perfect. I may hang out with them for a few more days.The trip was grueling and absolutely the coolest group bonding event ever.
It’s been in the 90s in Thailand since I have been here so I can’t even think about winter back home and mountain snow, though it did get down to 55 in the mountains the last 2 nights and I was f#*king freezing in shorts and t-shirt. It was still great and the challenge only made the group bond more.

I got some great stories to tell you guys when I return.

later,

~Vagabum Mike

Greetings from Thailand,
The vacation from the roommates (Barf and Gino) is great!!!

This country is killer. The people are incredibly friendly and Americans are actually favored here, unlike Europe. That’s a nice change. Everything is dirt cheap. Medium level rooms are $4-8 a night. Budget level can be kind of gross but only cost $1.50-2.00 a night. The first night I got into Bangkok at 1AM and the only place I could find was a guest house called Paradise - the name was a huge misnomer beleive me, this place was a shit hole. Really gross but I was so tired and I have my own bed sheet to protect me from unwanted coodies. The food here is really epic!!! SF has some good Thai places, but here every place is good and most dishes are about $1. It’s all good!!!!

It’s nice to be in a country where American’s are loved and celebrated — which is certainly a nice change from the attitude one gets in Europe. Bangkok is really dirty, but the people are cool and the food is the best and everything in the whole country is dirt cheap. I’ve spoken to some people about diving in Phuket and according to them and the book it is a 5 star location. I can’t wait.

Greetings from Thailand,

I’m in Kanchanaburi on the River Kwae (as in THE bridge over the River Kwae). It’s f*#kin’ hot here, 90s all week and a high of 100 on Sunday (of course the day I had to rent a bike to tour around some ruins with some Canadian chick). I almost had a heat stroke. :0 We hiked up to a series of falls here today that were unbelievable since the limestone deposits turn the water a jade color of green. Quite amazing. Tomorrow I’ll go to see the WWII memorials, the bridge and the Death Railroad exhibit.

I’ve been meeting many Aussie, American, English, Canadian, German and Israeli travelers. I’ve traveled with some, partied with others and everyone is very friendly (especially the locals). I’m off to the North in another day or two to Chaing Mai, then into Cambodia, ‘Nam and Laos after that.

I’m amazed at the availability of internet cafes in a 3rd world country.

As this is my first solo international ad venture and the first major trip in nearly 10 years I believe I am undergoing a metamorophosis akin to Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) as he travels up the river to confront Kurtz in Apocolypse Now. There’s no telling how I will end up….

More details to come in future sessions.

later,

~Vagabum Mike