Hoi An: Blue Clouds Homestay

Vietnamese coffee, brewed the traditional way

Breakfast: coffee, fresh fruit (mango, banana, pineapple), yogurt, muesli ($2)

Outdoor common area

Lobby / common area

Double room with private bathroom ($12/night)







Hoi An: Day 1

I arrived in Hoi An last night via airport transfer from Danang. I'm staying at a homestay called Blue Clouds which is about as basic as it gets. For $12 USD per night, however, I can't complain. I ventured out looking for dinner and found this cute spot:

The food was bland and flavorless, but I've been spoiled lately as far as food is concerned. Anyway, after dinner I felt like exploring some more, so I walked to "the ancient town," which is the main attraction for tourists. It's easy to see why - it was absolutely magical. Unfortunately, the cell phone pictures aren't great (if those on my camera turned out better, I'll update with those when I can upload them). There aren't any motorized vehicles in the ancient town, which is awesome. Walking around at night, you feel sucked into a time warp. I have expected the beautiful warrior girl from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to leap across the rooftops (different country, I know).

A lantern shop

Entrance to the covered bride over the river

A coffeehouse/ juice bar called Cocobox

Is this a doggie god?!

Happy and sweaty!

It was a really beautiful night, and made me very excited to spend the next couple days in this lovely place!

Lost in Translation

I stopped in a vegan cafe in Hanoi to wait out the rain this morning. An adorable waitress in a pale yellow dress greeted me with a big smile and showed me to a table. She had the giddy look on her face of one who can barely contain her excitement at the thought of practicing her English with a native speaker. I know that look because it transcends all the cultural boundaries that I've crossed. And it's unmistakable.

She waited until I finished my fresh-squeezed juice and the email I was writing on my phone. She stood twenty feet behind me, waiting patiently for her opportunity, and, I'm sure, hoping that I wouldn't mind talking, just for a minute. 

I turned around to ask for the check and she scurried quickly to the table. As I counted the bills, I could almost feel her anxiety. I considered starting the conversation myself, but I didn't want to make her more nervous. Then, finally, she began,

"Where do you come from?"

"America," I answered, followed by, "USA," because she seemed a bit unsure of what to ask next.

"What do you do in US?" She pronounced each word carefully, paying special attention to the sounds most foreign to her tongue. 

"I'm a lawyer," I answered. She looked surprised.

"So you are a lawyer, so you help people when they have problems?"

I smiled, "Well, actually I'm a criminal lawyer so I put people in jail. I put bad guys in jail."

(You try explaining the role of criminal prosecution in the American justice system using basic vocabulary!)

The conversation continued for awhile. Eventually I realized I was not going to finish my vegan pho... When a couple customers entered the restaurant, I used the diversion as an opportunity to politely excuse myself. My new friend remained gracious, and we exchanged social media accounts. 

As I walked out the door, she smiled really big and said, "I wish many bad guy meet you!"

Don't you just love the English language?

Hoa Lo Prison: The Infamous "Hanoi Hilton"

Well. As it turns out, there is more history to this spot than serving as a holding area for American pilots (including John McCain) during the Vietnam War. At the same time, I'm not exactly convinced that the story I read on the walls of the prison was entirely accurate. One thing is crystal clear: the french colonialists never should have built the damn thing to begin with. I'll share more photos when I can upload them from my camera, including one of an actual guillotine used to behead communist sympathizers. Interesting stuff.

Betsy Goes Southeast Asia

I hate China. Sure, my exposure to the People's Republic is limited to a few hours wandering around two of its monstrous airports, but I have nevertheless formed a very strong opinion. I will readily admit that my opinion is completely and utterly ignorant and has very little to do with the Chinese people themselves (in fact, it is based on little more than Chinese airport operations). A couple of hours ago, when I was on my third Chinese airline-operated flight of the day, I would have loved nothing more than to write an entire blog post naming all the reasons that I grew to despise China in less than a day. 

But then I saw Vietnam. 

Even from the sky, Vietnam sings to you. Quaint, colonial-style townhouses with red clay shingles dot the vast green landscape. Maybe hours of squinting to make out details through the heavy smog that envelops even rural areas in China has affected my vision, but I swear colors are more vibrant here. The streets of Hanoi are alive and lively, but leagues less chaotic than the bustling (and busting) urban streets in Delhi or Mumbai. Here, I could almost see myself driving. Almost. Never in India (although India, you know I adore you with your seven rows of cars, trucks, bicycles, mopeds, camels, and pedestrians squeezed into two lanes). 

It is only my first day (has it even been an hour?), but I know I am exactly where I should be right now. I have wanted to visit Southeast Asia since I was a kid, and Vietnam since I was in college. I expected disappointment. Instead, I'm amazed. I feel like a kid seeing the Magic Kingdom for the first time, not only being taken aback by how beautiful it is, but also realizing that dreams really can come true.

So, yeah, I'm gonna start blogging again.

Thanks for reading!

This is your brain on jet lag.

WARNING: Contains disturbing footage of incoherent traveler. Not suitable for all audiences.

I arranged a 24-hour layover in Narita, Japan, following a trip to San Francisco. Unfortunately, the extent of my arrangements was booking a bed at the airport capsule hotel. I did not plan anything else in advance, so I had no idea how to get anywhere. Also, it was a Sunday night and pretty much everything was closed. If you enjoy watching complete travel fails, this should give you a couple laughs.

After leaving my stuff in a locker at the capsule hotel, I faced my first obstacle: buying a train ticket from the airport to the town:

Eventually, I made it to Narita (although I only knew it was Narita because someone told me to get off at the first train stop). I exited the train station and just started wandering around the town looking for a temple my parents had told me to check out. I did not have a map. I guess I was relying on instinct?

An hour or so later...

(Apparently, I thought I spoke Japanese when I was talking to this woman. Apparently, she did too.)

Eventually, I did locate the entrance to the temple. By that point, it was around 10pm and the temple complex was dark and deserted. I did not climb the stairs to check it out. I just looked up at the darkness and shrugged before heading back to the train station.

Moral of the story? If you only have one night in a country where you don't speak the language, plan ahead.

By Air and By Sea

By Air...

The flight from Saipan to Tinian takes less than ten minutes from takeoff to landing, so I recorded the whole thing.

...And By Sea

My friend Ike took me on an exhilarating ride on a small boat across the open sea from Tinian to Saipan.

Part 1 of 3

Part 2 of 3

Part 3 of 3