Categories: uncategorized
Date: 30 January 2006 13:22:34
I am in an internet cafe in Dalat, Vietnam. Arrived this afternoon on a 9 hour bus trip I'd rather not repeat (thinking sleeper compartment on the train back to Saigon). How can one little girl puke up SO MUCH STUFF??? And why would mosquitos choose a bus to breed in? Ah well, it's all building character.
Anyway, Vietnam is great. It's crazily full of people going in all directions at once, the food is great and cheap (eg. dinner tonight - three main courses, two desserts, a fresh apple juice and a glass of wine for dinner - total $Aus 14.60), my chopstick skills have improved greatly and it's all a lot of fun.
And the traffic! Wow! There are scooters everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Driving is technically on the right hand side of the road but that is more a suggestion than anything else. Red lights? Ah well they don't apply to everyone! Crossing roads is fun. You wait til there is no heavy traffic heading towards you then you walk slowly out into the stream of scooters... if you walk slowly enough they will sort of part around you (a bit like the Israelites and the Red Sea). If you walk to fast it leads to trouble.
Buses! Buses are fun because they don't stop to let people on or off. They just sort of slow down and the ticket guy reaches out and grabs you.
So yes. Staying with a family has made it a great time because I've been staying in a part of town not frequented by tourists (I tend to get bailed up by strangers who tell me this and then try to guess where I'm from) and also because to get the full Chinese New Year experience you need to be with a family. Last night I was at the home of my friend's grandmother's sister's husband's sister and she gave me money because it was New Year. I thought it was a bit surreal at the time.
Anyway, more words will follow when I get home or next make it to an internet cafe... or... oooh hang on.... possibly some mobwiblogging... stay tuned!