Of lime slices and poo

Hi I'm writing from Dalat, Vietnam.

Obviously, I did not die in Hue and Hoi An. So congrats to me!

Some of you might know that I have never been too fond of dogs (more of a cat person, and ahem.. except YOUR dogs). Well, I have sort of fallen in "like" with vietnamese dogs because they have short legs and I miss my cats and they have short legs too they remind me of my cats but they don't land well when I toss them and I forgot they are not as nimble as my cats.

Anyway, I really liked them until I stepped on poo after dinner.

My right hand smells of lime everyday from squeezing one too many lime slices into my pho (noodles).

Vietnamese people drive really, really fast especially the freight trucks and buses. As opposed to logic and Newton's Law, pedestrians and cyclists have to give way to buses honking loudly, like those trucks in the movie Joyride and I had been on a motorbike everyday, dodging oncoming buses from both the left and the right side of the road! It's amazing!

Every bus that passes me (and have not killed me) made me pray for an unseen God who I have never tried to seek who probably never even intend to look out for me. But I am still alive, so it doesn't matter. I'll keep on being a pagan for the time being. Its more fun.

Every encounter with a passing bus sets me thinking about about death. What would I do if I was to be killed in an auto accident in a foreign country, where I am supposedly having the time of my life? Can ghosts travel across the big blue sea? Can I come back to my beloved family and friends?

Which led me to think what would I do if I were to be a ghost? I bet being a ghost is by far the saddest thing to happen. I will come home and try my very best to be at the side of my beloved ones, waiting to see them move on with life by forgetting my existence. I'll be sad to see them forget me, but at the same time, I will have a secret desire for them to not move on with life. Because moving on means throwing away part of their memories and accummulating new ones to drown the sorrow. Then, I'll have to leave too.

So sometimes, it's better if life is a science fiction where there is no afterlife.

Sometimes, I have very brilliant things that I have thought to write about, but these brilliant moments only occur during the twilight zone of between falling asleep and barely staying awake. And I am too lazy to jot them down. I love this very moment as out-of-this-world thoughts only occur at this time when imagination defies logic.

Sweet dreams, people and enjoy life, wherever you are!

You want spring rolls??

Ahhh... Vietnam.

Sorry guys, you'll have to wait till the end of my trip to see the pics! My digital camera is kaput. Or was kaput for a very long time and I didn't fix it. Or let's just say that Canon is shit, and they have not fixed it yet. Ahah!

Today is my first day in Vietnam, and I have just crossed the Laos/Vietnam border at Lao Bao (overland). It is an experience not to be forgotten! During my trip to the border on THE dreaded cattle bus (7 hour trip) to the border (from Savannakhet which is in west Laos), I sat with this old couple (Guelain and Bernadette) from France, going to the same destination as myself. We had a very good chat and he gave many, many advice about traveling in Vietnam.

The border was a complete havoc, like an abandoned construction site. Well, that's not all. No one at all, only four person crossing it.

So, the Vietnamese bus station did not want to sell us bus tickets, so we had to take a van to Dong Ha to proceed to Hue. This is the most interesting part..

The purpose of the van pestering to bring us to Dong Ha is because they are... tadaaaa.. smuggling cigarettes!! The 3 ladies and 2 guys in the van had strapped their bodies with Lao cigarettes. Vietnamese passengers getting into the van midway were wide-eyed, looking at these ladies stuffing their shirts and pants with boxes of ciggies.

Finally, the van stopped at a police check point. Well, it did indeed look like a van ferrying tourists, alors, pas de probleme.. We did nothing to point it out, and like Superman, the tourists saved the day. Not a word of thank you though, and definitely no discount on the fare. Twice that of the local people. Not interesting...? Okay, I understand...

French people are GOOD at demanding discounts! All the while, me and my friend are to remain silent and act (as in acting) accordingly to the situation. Don't get it? It means like pretending to be staying at least 7 days at a hotel, pretending to call a friend, walk away, look pissed etc etc. They really saved the day!!!

Arrving in Hue, it was a relief as this is a bustling charming little town with lots of cyclists. I am going to rent a bike tomorrow. Please hope that i won't die, as I am more used to the left-hand drive than right.

If I still alive, I will post again from Hoi An (2-3 more days).

Bye-bye, busters!

Checklist # 01

Bangkok

1. Buy fake Birkenstocks (/)
2. Eat those damn good duck noodles near Hualamphong (/)
3. Come back for more ( )- k.i.v
4. Massage ( )

Laos - Si Phan Don

1. See Irrawady dolphins (I'm so fahking lucky!) (/)
2. Get to know some dodgy characters (/)
- J.P the Ganja-smoking Monkeyman cum Shaolin Kingfu Enthusiast (Scorpion Style)
- Duncan The Outpatient
- Monkey The Ganja-smoking, whisky-drinking Monkey
- Matthew The Typical American
- Forst The Landmine Fanatic
- Tou The Ambitious Lao (not so dodgy)

3. Try beer Lao (/)
4. See the most magnificent sights! (/)
5. Bathe/swim in the river (/)
6. Learn Lao (nit noi - a bit)

Laos - Pakse

1. Eat the best soup noodle (noodle soup?) (/) - twice

Laos - Savannakhet

1. Eat cheap and good lao and french food (/)
2. Mingle with locals (/)

To Hue, Vietnam tomorrow morning!

More to come folks!

Gone AWOL!

Dearest fellow bloggers,

I am sorry to have been very quiet for these few days. I have just graduated so I have spent my days rocking out so much that I hardly have time to write.

I would like to anounce that I won't be posting for a month until the 8th May 2005.

I'll be awwaaayyyy (yay!!!) seeing Irrawady dolphins in Si Phan Don, southern Laos; eating rice paper rolls in Hue, kissing buildings and romancing the wide boulevards of Hoi An, slurping noodle soup in Danang, surfing in Nha Trang and of course rock out Vietnamese style in Ho Chi Minh! Then it will be Phnom Penh and in order to unleash the inner archeologist, I will proceed to Angkor, Siem Reap.

Bangkok, here I come!

Bye all, I will be very sad for not being able to comment on your sites as consistently as before. To sum it all up, you guys are great!

Have to pack now! I have 3 hours left!!