Posted: Aug.2010, Written Oct.2009
I'm not in Vietnam anymore...it was a quick trip in the North before I decided to get the hell out of Kansas! I managed to dodge all three typhoons this week, and was one of the lucky few who managed to tan in Halong Bay! Halong Bay...was PHENOMENAL!
I happily rented a kayak for a couple days and kayaked through floating fishing villages--out in the open sea! Each villager had a hut with a guard dog too that would snarl and growl if my kayak got too close...amazing that dogs could adapt to a life in the open sea. In my kayak I had the ocean to myself...Halong Bay used to be all mountains until the sea levels changed (thousands of thousands of years ago) so every way I turned my body in my kayak I was surrounded by the mountains coming out of the water.
After Halong Bay I teased a bit around Hanoi doing some good ole fashioned sightseeing. Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and the famous 'Hanoi Hilton' (Hoa Lo prison) where John McCain was detained during the war. The museum was such a crack...all the American pilots were smiling in their photos and the Vietnamese govt kept trying to sell the idea that during the war they were incredibly giving and kind to their prisoners...propaganda BS that was tacky and painfully obvious to any sightseer. I've read McCain's bio, and his story definitely doesn't match up with what the Vietnamese are selling. They also had this whole section dedicated to the 'Evil French Colonialists' and the weapons of torture used against the local villagers during the French war...they even had a used rusting guillotine on display...eek!
Nevertheless it was interesting to see. Vietnam in a nutshell? Busy busy busy. Soooooo much traffic and too many motorbikes. The food cheap and tasty, the people incredibly hospitable, the natural scenery and landscape is absolutely stunning, and I managed to stay out of the hospitals...so this was all good :)
Right now, I'm in an internet cafe in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. Right away, culture shock! The city is huge, and clean and beautiful! It's modern and well kept so everything looks shiny and new! I had to scrape away layers of filth and dirt from my eyes and clothes from Vietnam today to fit in. Suddenly I'm back in a world where I'm constantly under dressed...tourists walk around with name brand bags, jeans, high heels, and jewelry...My rugged Keens, camos, and ripped t's seem to attract a lot of attention...No matter, I'll be out of the city soon and back in the jungle where I belong.
I'll be heading to Taman Negara national park to sleep and hike in the jungle and hopefully spot all sorts of wildlife. I have no expectations for this part of my trip, since I know absolutely NOTHING about Malaysia and Borneo...perfect! So far I'm loving the vibe of KL though---it's such an interesting mix! Walking down the streets I pass women in full burkas, walking alongside Chinese girls in mini skirts and hooker heels, and Indian women in beautiful saris...all sharing the street, markets, food and laughter together. I grabbed a taxi from an Indian Sikh, had Chinese/Malay curry dinner in China town where my waiters were Burmese, a Malay muslim women picked out a head scarf for me to 'fit in more', and met a friend who's Thai and happens to be family with people I work with back in Thailand! I've never seen such a mix of cultures on this scale before :) As far as first impressions go, I'm loving Malaysia and I think I'll be quite sorted for the next couple weeks.
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