So, I finished a 3 day stage at Vue de Monde, but we'll chat about that another time. I came back at 1AM, slept until 9:30AM, packed, and left for the airport at 11:30AM. So, we'll see if there's anything I forgot...
The flight itself was uneventful, except for the fact that Malaysia Airlines is very nice... constant streams of food, kind hosts, good movie selection.. you know, the important stuff. We spent the night in Kuala Lumpur, but only at a hotel near the airport, as we didn't have a whole lot of time to get into the city and do stuff. Save it for another trip, I guess...
And then there's Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon. Remember when I said Tokyo is New York on Steroids? All of the New Yorkers that are so impressed with their city have to travel outside of the states, maybe to somewhere in Asia. People are everywhere, and the drive in the taxi from the airport to the hostel was insane. You hear about millions of scooters/bikes on the street, you hear about weaving, you hear about crazy driving, but nothing prepares you for what it actually looks like. It is a constant stream of miracles that there aren't about 50 crashes an hour here... Bikes weaving in and out of traffic, and when they don't like the area they're driving in, they'll go on the sidewalk, or in the oncoming traffic lane. Everyone has one, and if you don't have one, you rent one. People bring grills onto the street with some chairs, and sell dinners from outside of their houses. The amount of pushiness coming from the locals to buy anything is insane. If you so much as walk by a store and give someone a sideways glance, you get accosted to buy something, or come into their store. Haggling is the norm, and this was all on the first night.
At least the place we're staying is nice. The lady who runs the guesthouse is super helpful, steering us clear of scams, saving us money, and even finding us accommodation when we get back from the Mekong Delta tour, even if it's not at her guesthouse.
It's hot, humid, and everything you expect it to be weather-wise, and today we're gonna walk around and see the sights. Two and a half weeks in this country. I've already been traveling almost a month... It's unbelievable. I am starting to get a bit tired, but hopefully this new country will rejuvenate me... we'll see.
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Monday, November 02, 2009
Checkmate!
Another random way to meet people:
There is a Chess Room in the Downtown Melbourne Library. I was going to see the exhibits etc, but I decided to sit at a board and see if anyone would join me. Took about 30 min (I was reading a chess strategies book, to get ready for my upcoming loss), and I played three games! (won the first, lost the next two, if you must know)
Might be a cool place to meet random smart people in the city, or get discovered for my dream of being in the championship chess league. Bobby Fischer was American, right? Just like Deep Blue!
Addendum to the science museum: In the human body exhibit, there was a digestive system exhibit, along with a piece of poo (fake?) on display, and a button. If you push the button, you get a random fart noise. So, of course, there were kids running up and pushing the button multiple times... and yes, it was hilarious.
That is all.
There is a Chess Room in the Downtown Melbourne Library. I was going to see the exhibits etc, but I decided to sit at a board and see if anyone would join me. Took about 30 min (I was reading a chess strategies book, to get ready for my upcoming loss), and I played three games! (won the first, lost the next two, if you must know)
Might be a cool place to meet random smart people in the city, or get discovered for my dream of being in the championship chess league. Bobby Fischer was American, right? Just like Deep Blue!
Addendum to the science museum: In the human body exhibit, there was a digestive system exhibit, along with a piece of poo (fake?) on display, and a button. If you push the button, you get a random fart noise. So, of course, there were kids running up and pushing the button multiple times... and yes, it was hilarious.
That is all.
Isn't 'The Nobbies' fun to say?
So, before I go into Vue de Monde for some hardcore kitchen work being unprepared, maybe I'll write a little bit to waste some time.
The lawn bowling was a success. I went to St. Kilda, wandered around the Sunday Market, which was filled with the same stuff at any artists market anywhere (Photography of the area surrounding it, earrings made of dice and stuff like that...), I wandered into the St. Kilda Bowling Club, which, apparantly, is the oldest bowling club in the country, at over 150 years old!
I sat for a bit on a bench, watching and being unobtrusive, while in front of me sat an older guy with a Maryland Lacrosse hat. I swear, I come thousands of miles away from where I grew up, and there's a guy with a Terrapins hat right in front of me. So, naturally, I start up a conversation. Jeff was his name, and this was the best thing I could have done. We chatted for hours about all sorts of stuff.. he's been all over the States, had lots of opinions on everything, and started introducing me to everyone in the club (at this point, Sunday Morning, all older, playing a tournament, and very much hungover from the night before). "Hey, this is Sean, he's a skinny chef!" Again, a few people thought I was Canadian, because I didn't have a strong accent... but I was drinking beer with them and listening to their talk about intra-club drama, inside jokes, and lewd comments about everything. This is a weekend activity I can see myself getting into.
So of course, Jeff and I started drinking as soon as the bar opened (12:30 PM), and one of the members let me use her balls, and I got to play around with the bowling. The idea is like bocce (I think), in that there's a little white ball that gets rolled first, and you have to get your bigger balls close to the small one, every one that is within a certain distance gets points. Totally different though, is how the balls roll. They are designed so that when they slow down, they will curve to one side, so you have to use that curve to get the ball where you need it, such as in between others, hitting opponents' balls out of the way, etc. It's very different, and a bit hard to get used to, but very very fun once you get the hang of it!
The rest of the day was alright. There is a HUGE horse race in Melbourne today (Melbourne Cup), and it is a public holiday, so everything is closed (except for bars/restaurants, of course). That being said, everyone just takes Monday off, and makes a 4 day weekend out of it. So, lots of drinking, all the bars were completely full by 4:30ish, and it was hard to even find space to move. I saw some pretty good bands, had a few beers, and headed back.
Yesterday, I took a few couchsurfers down to Phillip Island, where there's this "World Famous Penguin Parade!" Basically, Little Blue Penguins come in from their day in the ocean, fishing and such, and undertake a sunset/dark run up the beach to their homes to avoid any predators/birds of prey that would get them. These things are tiny (maybe 12-15 inches), so they can get picked off pretty easily. So, of course, we build two huge parade stands, lights, and every night have a large group of people watch this event (2000 were said to be there yesterday). They don't seem to be afraid of us, but they are scared to death of the seagulls that hang around to pester them/us. It was quite a sight to behold, packs of these litle things waddling up the beach a full speed, stopping when they get scared, until a ballsy one chases away a seagull. Sometimes, they'd make it halfway up the beach, get spooked, and haul ass back into the waves.. It was pretty cool to see. And, as you walk back along the boardwalk, you can see these guys reuniting with their chicks, feeding them, and waddling along a track, where they like to hide under cars. Go figure.
The rest of the island was alright. There was chocolate "factory" that bought huge blocks of chocolate and made them into smaller blocks of chocolate, a grand prix circuit, a lame town which the guy at the information center said would be better if they just bulldozed the whole thing... Just kind of a beach community centered around the Penguins.
Oh, and a koala conservation center, which had a few koalas in trees that you can look at and take pictures of, and a natural rock jetty called "The Nobbies," which is a place that gulls/terns/other seabirds nest and rear offspring (loud and full of bird poop), and seals come to sun/breed as well. Something about waves crashing into rocks which is nice for getting wildlife in the mood, i guess...
Still, The Nobbies is fun to say. Try it.
The lawn bowling was a success. I went to St. Kilda, wandered around the Sunday Market, which was filled with the same stuff at any artists market anywhere (Photography of the area surrounding it, earrings made of dice and stuff like that...), I wandered into the St. Kilda Bowling Club, which, apparantly, is the oldest bowling club in the country, at over 150 years old!
I sat for a bit on a bench, watching and being unobtrusive, while in front of me sat an older guy with a Maryland Lacrosse hat. I swear, I come thousands of miles away from where I grew up, and there's a guy with a Terrapins hat right in front of me. So, naturally, I start up a conversation. Jeff was his name, and this was the best thing I could have done. We chatted for hours about all sorts of stuff.. he's been all over the States, had lots of opinions on everything, and started introducing me to everyone in the club (at this point, Sunday Morning, all older, playing a tournament, and very much hungover from the night before). "Hey, this is Sean, he's a skinny chef!" Again, a few people thought I was Canadian, because I didn't have a strong accent... but I was drinking beer with them and listening to their talk about intra-club drama, inside jokes, and lewd comments about everything. This is a weekend activity I can see myself getting into.
So of course, Jeff and I started drinking as soon as the bar opened (12:30 PM), and one of the members let me use her balls, and I got to play around with the bowling. The idea is like bocce (I think), in that there's a little white ball that gets rolled first, and you have to get your bigger balls close to the small one, every one that is within a certain distance gets points. Totally different though, is how the balls roll. They are designed so that when they slow down, they will curve to one side, so you have to use that curve to get the ball where you need it, such as in between others, hitting opponents' balls out of the way, etc. It's very different, and a bit hard to get used to, but very very fun once you get the hang of it!
The rest of the day was alright. There is a HUGE horse race in Melbourne today (Melbourne Cup), and it is a public holiday, so everything is closed (except for bars/restaurants, of course). That being said, everyone just takes Monday off, and makes a 4 day weekend out of it. So, lots of drinking, all the bars were completely full by 4:30ish, and it was hard to even find space to move. I saw some pretty good bands, had a few beers, and headed back.
Yesterday, I took a few couchsurfers down to Phillip Island, where there's this "World Famous Penguin Parade!" Basically, Little Blue Penguins come in from their day in the ocean, fishing and such, and undertake a sunset/dark run up the beach to their homes to avoid any predators/birds of prey that would get them. These things are tiny (maybe 12-15 inches), so they can get picked off pretty easily. So, of course, we build two huge parade stands, lights, and every night have a large group of people watch this event (2000 were said to be there yesterday). They don't seem to be afraid of us, but they are scared to death of the seagulls that hang around to pester them/us. It was quite a sight to behold, packs of these litle things waddling up the beach a full speed, stopping when they get scared, until a ballsy one chases away a seagull. Sometimes, they'd make it halfway up the beach, get spooked, and haul ass back into the waves.. It was pretty cool to see. And, as you walk back along the boardwalk, you can see these guys reuniting with their chicks, feeding them, and waddling along a track, where they like to hide under cars. Go figure.
The rest of the island was alright. There was chocolate "factory" that bought huge blocks of chocolate and made them into smaller blocks of chocolate, a grand prix circuit, a lame town which the guy at the information center said would be better if they just bulldozed the whole thing... Just kind of a beach community centered around the Penguins.
Oh, and a koala conservation center, which had a few koalas in trees that you can look at and take pictures of, and a natural rock jetty called "The Nobbies," which is a place that gulls/terns/other seabirds nest and rear offspring (loud and full of bird poop), and seals come to sun/breed as well. Something about waves crashing into rocks which is nice for getting wildlife in the mood, i guess...
Still, The Nobbies is fun to say. Try it.
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