Does anyone still read this?

Just wondering.

Let's just forget about that last post, yeah?

So, I'm returning to this blog for a post/update.  That other stuff about recap of Australia/Indonesia/Vietnam... let's just pretend that didn't happen.  I could erase the post, but that seems like too much work for something that doesn't matter so much...

I'm currently living in Heidelberg, Germany (as I'm sure the majority of people who will bother to read this blog already know), and I have been here almost 5 months (Wow!).  It's been a pretty enlightening experience, trying to live successfully in a foreign country, and I both understand and thoroughly dislike the reasons countries make it so hard on immigrants (and even people who just want to live for a bit somewhere else).

I came here with the idea that I would find a job, and be able to get a work permit/residence visa because of it, since that's what all the official pages say.  I should have read stuff from people who had actually tried.

In certain parts of Germany, it's not very difficult to do this path.  I have met a few people who frankly amaze me at their ability to have any sort of job, especially one taking care of other people's children, but who have nevertheless been able to attain work allowing them to stay in the country.  In Heidelberg, it's not that simple.  There is a large international community here, due to the university in the middle of the old part of the city (the second oldest university in the world!!), and there is some structure to support that community (international schools/kindergartens, tons of stores/businesses from all over the world, etc...).  However, there's also a big old American Army base right in the middle of Heidelberg as well, meaning there is a surplus of Americans looking for things to do (family members of military, for example).  Also, because of the university, there is a surplus of students looking for work as well, to be able to pay their 500 euro semester fees.

Ok, I still have a shot, at least...

I applied.  First I applied at kindergartens, just to find something a bit more normal and possibly better paying than restaurant work.  Those were huge failures from the beginning.  Just like America, people don't return calls, you have to keep following up, and the average person isn't worth the time for a simple rejection email/letter.  The interviews I had were over as soon as the teachers asked "where did you get your education degree from?"  People in other parts of Germany could get jobs with children just by speaking English.  Here, I needed a degree.

During one of the "interviews," I went to talk to the kids, because I thought that would be a better measure of my ability than a piece of paper.  While I was doing the rounds, watching kids dance around the floor, read books, and pretend to be flying dragons, I asked one of the other teachers: "Oh, is this the unstructured play time part of the day?"  Her response:

"It may look unstructured, but actually, the children are learning very important lessons about interpersonal communication and how to react in social situations.  This is a very important part of the learning cycle for any developing child, and we try to foster that growth in every child. So, no, this isn't 'unstructured' play"

(I will add that the tone of this response was somewhere around "Why would you bother me with this type of question? Don't you know anything about children and child development?")

Well, that's not too bad, I thought.  I don't want to be around those types of people anyways.  I've worked at some really nice restaurants.  I have a pretty good cooking resume.  I should be able to find something more specialized than everyone else looking for jobs...

I applied.  Fabienne helped me translate my resume into German, and I went all over the place, by foot and by email, and applied to about 15 restaurants/catering companies.  Most of which I got no response back.  The catering companies wanted an interview, but couldn't provide me with a working visa.  The one michelin starred restaurant said that my experience wasn't at a high enough level (Clio has no michelin stars because there is no michelin guide to Boston yet...).  A French Bistro had me try out, and then the owner told me that he couldn't help me until March, and walked away without even saying goodbye or shaking my hand.  The politeness and courtesy that seems normal to me was completely lacking.  (Full Disclosure: He wasn't German.  He was Turkish.  And there was only one French person working at the bistro.  All of their food was heavily oversalted and cooked with one of three sauces - tomato, white, or brown)

I sent an application to the only 5 star hotel in Heidelberg, Hotel Europa (name translated for easier typing), and within an hour received a reply from the Chef, asking to schedule an interview.  So, I did.  All in German (with Fabienne's help for the email correspondence, of course).  I went in for an interview, and then a second one, and then a trial (where I made sushi with risotto rice and spinach instead of sushi rice and seaweed).  They offered me a job, and they told me they would sponsor me for a work permit.  Awesome.  Problems solved, all on time (You are allowed to stay 3 months without a visa in European countries, and I had gotten a job about 2.8 months in).  I got the paperwork filled out, and turned it in to the proper office.

Here's how it works: You give the work permit sponsorship form (filled out by the job) to the Foreigner's office.  They forward it to the Worker's office, who puts a posting on their job board for a few weeks to see if any EU citizens can take the job.  If nobody takes it, then I get the job/work permit.  That's how it's supposed to go.  This process is affected by: Specialization required of the job, how much the job pays, where the job is, what color tie the person delivering the papers has on, whether or not the person in charge of the paperwork had coffee in the morning, the nationality of the applicant, and many other very critical factors any fair and just democratic country would take into account.

I waited 3 weeks for this process, asking the foreigner's office weekly for updates, and trying to stay in the head of the hotel (they wouldn't let me just hang out and work for free, insurance is annoying).  After three weeks, I emailed my contact at the Foreigner's office, asking for an update.  I got a response saying that my application was rejected, and I'll be getting a letter soon.  This was Monday.  I went the same day to the hotel to figure out what is happening and what I needed to do.  They could do nothing until the letter came.  The letter came Friday, dated on Monday, saying my application was rejected and I had 2 weeks to figure something out or I had to leave Germany.  Not the most friendly correspondence.  The Human Resources woman for the hotel had my back, and did all she could to work things out with the offices concerned, but:

As long as there was a jobless cook within 200 km of the hotel, I couldn't have the job/work permit.  The work office had "found" an applicant for the hotel.

Nobody has applied to the hotel.  They had been looking for 4 months before I came along, and they couldn't hire me.  This hurt them and me.  I recognize that governments have to look out for their own people, but 200 km is a huge range.  If the work office has no problems finding people for these jobs, why don't they do it always through that office?  Not the best situation.

So now, I'm back in a German course, and figuring out the next step.  I have applied for the Masters program in Biology, but I won't hear anything until August.  I can't work here, and the only way for me to get a work permit is: to be sponsored by an American company (which is annoying for them), or to get married.  I have met a few people in my German classes that have taken this way, and heard many stories about how that process was undertaken just to enable one of the couple to work/live in the country.  What a way to uphold a tradition like that, huh?

Now, to be fair, I've looked into America, and it's no better.  Nobody can just come in and look for work to obtain a visa (that doesn't mean people don't do it, but it's easier to swim across the gulf of mexico and get in than to go through JFK border control).  You have to come in with a visa, the paperwork is mindnumbing and the process can take up to 2 years.  There is no temporary work permit/residence permit, if you want to move and look for work, you need to apply for a green card, which is the first step towards citizenship (it's not called permanent residency for nothing..).  Every country has their own individual way of being a huge pain in the ass for people looking to come in.

I'm not saying this because I'm unhappy here.  Heidelberg is beautiful, the majority of the people are very nice, I'm really having a great time.  But the structure of being able to live anywhere aside from where you were born is upheld in such a way to create the absolute minimum amount of people moving from one place to another.  The idea of nationalism and isolationism is not dying, as it continuously is upheld by governments around the world.  The only way to get around it is to go through a quasi-religious route (Marriage, which has been usurped by religion) or through corporations (another evil, but seemingly the only way to get nations to work together - aside from science/scholarship, but there's no political power there)

Ok, end of my rant.  I'll post something about cats and happiness, or the beauty of this place soon (maybe).  I have more photos too...

Thanks for waiting patiently...

An update is coming, I swear.

I got back from the trip 2 weeks ago, and I'm now settling back into living at home, and working as a sous-chef in a restaurant not yet opened.

I've started a food/cooking blog at http://8707sous.blogspot.com, and if you wait patiently, an update or a few updates will be here as well...

It was fun though.  I have lots of good stories and 5500 pictures from the whole trip.  Going through them is like another full time job...

Hitchin' a ride...

Who would have thunk it..  I feel like an avid hitchhiker now.  Going from Sydney to Melbourne was easy... We went out of town a bit by train, held up a sign for about 10 minutes, and got picked up by a guy in an 22 year old truck that kept overheating... We had to stop every 20 minutes to pour water all over (and in) the radiator... twas very interesting.

He was a cool dude, huge into politics, and we chatted for a good many hours about Australia, world politics, and such stuff...  And, right before he had to drop us off, he started driving around to trucks at a truck stop to try and get us a ride down to Melbourne!  He saw a truck he recognized, drove us over to it, and got out, met the driver, saying: "Do you know Peter?"

The driver was thoroughly confused, and said... "No. Is he a driver?"  "No! He's the name on your truck!  I went to school with him!" 

The driver (named John), had no idea what this lunatic was talkilng about, but did offer to give us a ride to Melbourne.  He was a bit quiet/reserved, but when I bought him some energy drinks and started eating a pie with chopsticks (it was hot..), he warmed up...  Dude had internet in his truck (where my last post was from), and was a wealth of information about trucks and such stuff around Australia.  Interesting.  And there was a bed in the back!  Fabienne had it that ride, but I got to ride there on the next trip (which I will touch on later...)

We got to Melbourne, caught the last train into the city and went back to the squat.  Just like returning home!  It was good to see everyone, and we spent the next few days chilling, catching up with people, showing Fabienne the city (I was like a freaking local), and a full on swing dance night in a park!  Summer in Melbourne is pretty freaking cool...

Then we hitched to Adelaide... It was a bloody hot day, and I think that's why we got picked up from the highway.  A nice dude who just got in from a diving trip, but a very weird guy.  Kept talking about how all the women outside of cities were fat and ugly, and Australians were stupid, and generally just very anti-Australian...

Then again, he dropped us in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, Victoria, where we tried to hitch for 9 hours before getting picked up by a truckie at 1:30AM... We went back and forth a billion times between the city center and the truck stop, and were really unmotivated to keep going when we got to Adelaide in the rain at 8AM, with a serious lack of sleep (It's hard to sleep in a bouncing truck, even if the bed is comfy)...  We tried until about 2PM, and every single truck was going east (towards Melbourne/Brisbane).  So we figured we'd try taking a bus to another city and keep trying...

And then we saw a hostel with internet, and just said screw it, booked a room/flight to Perth, and relaxed...

Adelaide isn't really that exciting a place.. it's either for business or for shopping... all of the restaurants closed early, there were a few clubs/bars, but the most exciting thing was the market two blocks away from our hostel... which was awesome.  We went there pretty much every day to get food for breakfast/lunch/dinner... good cheese, good bread, good produce... mmm... it was good.

The beach was nice as well, but nothing too exciting.  I burnt the backs of my knees, but oh well...

Waking up at 4AM was a bit tough though to catch the flight to Perth, but here we are.  Fremantle is where we are exactly.  We got a random ride from the airport to freo, as it's known, through the botanical gardens and the really nice area outside of Perth... Tour guides and a hitchhiking without having to stick out our thumbs... beautiful.

Now we're watiting to see if there is a room for us at the Old Firestation backpackers, an awesome hostel in Fremantle, which is a pretty cool old harbor town style place anyways...

I won't be on again probably until after Indonesia, so don't expect much here.. we're going into the jungle!  All the best to you guys, and pray that the diarrea isn't too bad... =)

Oh, and if you want to follow Fabienne's blog, which has much nicer pictures (and some of me, for those that like that sort of thing), here's the link:

fabienne-becker.blogspot.com

10-4 good buddy..

Hello from the cab of a truck driving from Sydney to Melbourne!
I'm hitchhiking with Fabienne, and we got passed from a guy with a red pickup who had to pull over every few minutes to cool down his radiator to a truck carrying 20 tonnes of watermelons.  Apparantly, the driver has all sorts of internet and not enough useage to warrant 5 gigs a month, so I can check my email.. 

This is freaking awesome.  There's a huge bed in the back, everything is plush leather, and we're hitchhiking to Melbourne. 

Crazy times indeed....

More to come later!

Happy happy New Year!

1.5 (Million!) people descend on Sydney every year for the New Years Eve fireworks show on Sydney Harbor.  There are spots all over both sides of the harbor, and people push and shove, wait in lines, and pay outrageous ticket prices to attempt to get the best view of the fireworks.

Or, you spend all morning at the US consulate, waltz over to the Opera House at 3PM, and get great views of the evening's fireworks with little hassle (and a lot of waiting).

We showed up at the Opera House around 3PM, and while there were throngs of people there, it wasn't as crazy as expected.  The day was spent waiting, playing with a crowd passed beach ball, playing games with my companions (and a random Canadian that we met), watching the first "Family" fireworks at 9 (a nice show, but kinda like any normal fireworks show), and finally, seeing the spectacular amazing display at midnight.

You stand there, and the entire bridge lights up with fireworks, corresponding to a cool LED display in the center of the bridge, which moves/changes with the fireworks.  Then, all of a sudden, fireworks are behind you, on the other side of the Opera House.  While trying to decide where to look, fireworks spout out of the tops of the buildings in Sydney (!), and everything is just going nuts.  You think it can't get any better, and the finale involves more fireworks coming from every side of the opera house, and vast amounts of combustible powder being shot off of every angle of the Harbor Bridge....

And to add to all of it is the spirit of the people who see it.  Every cool display, every boom is accompanied by an "ah!" from the crowd.  Everybody gets into it starting early in the day, when people try to get cheers going, the wave, and any sort of crowd activity is greeted with exuberance.  People just want to get into the spirit!

So 2010 started off with a bang, and has been going good so far.  The more astute readers will notice that I said I spent 3 hours at the US Consulate.  My passport expires in April, and you're not supposed to travel with less than 6 months until expiration.  But wait, you say, why do you need that when you're coming home in a few days?

Um.  About that.  I'm kinda extending my trip and going to Indonesia from the 18th of January through the 15th of February.  I've been meaning to do something random like that for a while, and I finally broke down when invited by Fabienne, the anthropologist I met at Christmas.  I can't resist the option of going to a developing country and spending a large amount of time traveling among indigenous peoples, learning about new cultures.

Yeah, so not gonna be very accessible, but the pictures will be great, I promise.

Have a happy new year, and see you on the flip side..

Sean

How Jewish Christmas is ruined in Australia

So the usual Chinese food and a movie doesn't work here in Australia.  I'm not saying that it's impossible, only that it's much more convienent in the States.

Back home, all the new movies come out on Christmas Day, so it's exciting to go to the movies, and be non-Christian.  However, in Australia, all the new movies come out on Boxing day (the day after Christmas), because Aussies celebrate Christmas on the 25th.  Therefore, there's no point in going to see movies the day before all the big Christmastime releases come out.

Oy.

I had fun anyways, going to Bondi Beach with all of the Couchsufers in Sydney and around the world.  I met some Americans (from Boston!), a girl from Luxembourg that speaks 6 languages (wow.), and a bunch of awesome people that I drank with. What else are you going to do on the beach when it's raining?

Go in the ocean, of course.  Bloody cold, surrounded by jellyfish, a state of soberness was achieved instantly.  Pretty fun though.  And then 40 of us go to some random house and party until 3AM.  Good times.

And that's the beautiful thing about Couchsurfing.  In the span of 5 hours, you go from being with a bunch of strangers to an instant group, where nobody is excluded, and everyone has a good time.  I've met over 50 couchsurfers so far, and every single one is interesting and ridiculously kind and giving.  Something I have to get more into back in the states (Mom... volunteering the house...) =)

Anyways, time to get beaten in chess.  Housesitting tomorrow for a German couple going to Canberra for a few days.  I have to take care of the cat, a lazy creature that spends more time on his back than any cat I've ever seen.  Should be fun to torture...

First impressions can lie

This city is still beautiful. 

Today I went to North Sydney (Walked across the Harbour bridge!), and sat down while eating a pie (new favorite snack food) and took in the entire Sydney CBD skyline, including the Opera House.  How many places in the world can you walk to a park and view the whole freaking skyline (and then take the train back to where you're staying!)? 

This city is undoubtably one of the most pretty/atmospheric places I've seen (for a city).  You really get a feel that you are in a living/breathing cosmopolitan area.  Especially during the holidays.

And that might be why I have problems with it.  I've never been big on shopping/consumer culture, and it's here in spades.  In Melbourne there were more restaurants/cafes/bars than shops, and here it's the opposite.  There are way more places to spend money on things than food/drink.  The few places that you can eat/drink are probably really good (the menus look it), but you'll end up spending a pretty penny, and going all out.. I'm not sure how much in between is here.

On a side note, I went to Tetsuya's yesterday.  It's probably the most famous restaurant in Australia, and it's guarded by a freaking gate.  I had to wave at a girl talking on a cell phone outside so that I could get a menu from there... Couldn't stage either, they require 6 month stay minimum.  Oh well, I'll just eat with my eyes.

The people did seem more colorful/relaxed at first, but then I started to think about it, and I'm feeling that all of these swanky places to be seen contribute to a lifestyle based on looking good/spending money, and the inner city reeks of it..

That being said, I'm sure the outer parts of the city have something different, it's just a matter of finding it.  There are a TON of travelers here, and they all focus in a few areas, which are much less shiny looking...

Newtown is the "counterculture" center, with many shops devoted to trendy goods (A retro-furnature warehouse anyone?), but the vibe is very laid back, and the food is dirt cheap and really good (I had Sri Lankan food... A big dosa filled with lamb/potatoes for 8 dollars!).

Also, through the powers of randomness, I am house/catsitting for a German couple living in Sydney.  They have a sweet hammock, and a garden I'm going to try not to kill for a few days.  They basically packed up their suitcases and left Germany because there weren't any jobs, and moved around before settling in Sydney (for the past 3 years!).  Now they have a baby, but they're still of a wandering mindset... kinda cool to see that it can be done...

Sorry my thoughts are scattered.. it's bloody hot over here, and all the walking around must be frying my brain... I'm going to go have some water and make some dinner...  Enjoy the snow everyone!  I'm missing it!  Save some in the freezer for me...

First Impressions: Sydney

I dig this town. 

It's much more international than Melbourne, and a whole lot more laid back.  Melbourne is trying to be a big city, with it's underground culture and emphasis on the arts (which is in no way a bad thing), but Sydney is like the Big Sister that is just like "here I am, take me as I am."  The people are more laid back, the clothing is more colorful (I began to really dislike the Melbourne Black fashion...), and the city has a bright vibe (remember, this is just the first day).

I went walking around the CBD with my new couchsurfing friend, Peter.  He's a Chinese who has emigrated to Sydney, and lives in a suburb 20 min outside.  He showed me the big sights, and we just kind of meandered around the main area of the city for a while, which was great (I love peoplewatching, as we know).  The Sydney Opera House is more amazing than pictures.  I'm a sucker for cool archetecture, and every aspect of the building is just awesome.  The curves are everywhere, the rooves are actually made with tile (I'm sure some of you knew that, but I'm ignorant... and anyways, I touched it!), and it is just this stunning piece of building that fits in perfectly with the harbor (harbour?).  The bridge is nice, but it's a bridge.  The rest of the city feels like a cleaner, more open version of New York, but a whole lot warmer, and based around the harbor rather than the rivers (or the fact that it's an island).

I've gotten multiple offers of places to sleep, including a guy in the check-in line at the Melbourne Airport who offered me a place in Adelaide, and a couple that wants me to house/catsit for them in Sydney (here's hoping!  I replied, but we'll see).  The Aussies are so amazing to travelers, probably because so many of them do it, and understand the trials and tribulations of moving around the world so quickly.  I guess it helped that I looked like a haggrid backpacker, with my 23 kilo bag of random crap (that I wish I was rid of), and an unshaven face...

Anyways, this is a great place, and when I'm not dealing with airport crap (or hauling my luggage around), every place I stop is one that I could see myself ripping up my ticket for...

Tasmania - Go before you die.

Seriously.

This is probably the most beautiful place I've ever seen in my life.  And it's been cloudy a bunch of days.  And I met a girl who lives in Alaska that agrees with me.  If that's not a resounding arguement, I don't know what is.  I'm quickly running out of pictures as well, but even they don't do justice to this place.

The last few days I've been camping around the East coast of Tasmania, and I'm heading down the central part now to get back to Hobart, so I can go to Sydney (last leg of the trip!). 

First of all, the roads are stunning, in both driving and views.  I think if the Top Gear guys came over here, they'd be blown away.  Every road is fun to drive on, although some of them need 4WD, or monster trucks.  If you have that, then you're all set.  But even the paved roads go through stunning countryside, amazing ocean views, up and down mountains, and every kilometer is a blast to drive...except when you get stuck behind a logging truck.

The people are great as well, for the most part.  Alot of people move to Tassie (as it's called), to get away from things, and those people don't want to be bothered.  But the people that do talk are awesome.  I met some divers down on the Tasman Peninsula (Tesselated Pavement, look at a map), and after chatting to them for about 10 minutes, they offered me a wetsuit to use for the week, so I could go into the water.  I didn't take them up on it, cause it was a long drive, and it's cold here (not like home, but still, after tropical weather..), but so many people are like that. 

There's a cheese factory, making cheddar (pretty good, but cheddar is my least favorite cheese...), and chatting with a family for a while, I got invited to stay at their home in Sydney for a few days while I'm up there!  A family from Queensland shared some apples/pears they got at a farm stand earlier on.  A hotel owner in Scottsdale let me use her personal computer's internet for free, because the library was closed (her kids were very cute.  Logan, a 4 year old, grabbed my crotch, and a few minutes later said "You have a big nose!")

Seriously, all that, and the beauty of this place is amazing.  This rugged, untouched, pristine (almost) landscape, and sometimes you feel like you're the only one there (if you find the parts not that touristy, which of course I did..).  My bladder woke me up at sunrise over the Bay of Fires (named so because as the explorers sailed by, there were tons of aborigninal fires on the coast), and it was the first clear day in a while, so the sunrise was amazing (that and my campsite was 20 feet from the beach).

I have no means of showing you all how spectacular this place is, but I can tell you all to put it on your lists.  You won't regret it.  And hopefully, as a large part of the land is a reserve or national park, it won't change for a long while...

Cape Tribulation, Weary Bay, Mount Sorrow. Happiness in Queensland.

So this Lieutenant Cook guy mapped a whole lot of Australia and New Zealand, but when he got up to Queensland, his boat ran over some coral, and punched a huge hole in it.  So big, he needed to use a sail wrapped around the hull to keep the water out...

"Here my troubles began, at Cape Tribulation..."

It's in the north part of Queensland, along the coast (almost at the top!), and it's where the rainforest meets the ocean.  I took a tour to get up there for 3 days and 2 nights, staying at "Cape Tribulation Beach House," a glorified hostel kinda removed from the tiny village on the Cape.

Wow.  Wow.  This country keeps getting more and more beautiful. 

The weather started out rainy, but got progressively sunnier and warmer (which meant, really freaking hot and humid, as it is rainforest).  There was a big push to get on tours and activities up there, but I just kinda walked along the beach (which you couldn't get into, because it was jellyfish season), hung out by the pool, and just reveled in the vast natural beauty of the place.  It's like when they take the helicopter to Jurassic Park, with the way the island looks.  Lame comparison, I know, but I'm not sure how else to describe it.

The ride up was awesome, it was a psuedo-tour, with a crazy driver who talked to herself and made terrible jokes, but the scenery was amazing.  A drive just like the great ocean road, a stop for a swim in a natural-mountain fed gorge, and a fun group of people.  There was a guy who spent 3 months in the jungle learning survival skills, two british girls on a long journey around the world, and two german au-pairs that were traveling because they're work was done.

The german girls were staying at the beach house with me, so we just kinda hung out for three days, going on walks, finding swimming holes at freshwater streams, and just generally relaxing.  It was a great time, and my batteries were recharged.  

Now, in Hobart, Tasmania.  Renting a car tommorrow, and seeing what I can see in this National Park filled island...

This screen is wobbling...

because I just got back from a 3 day/2 night cruise on the Great Barrier Reef!

(Pause for cheers and applause)

When it comes down to it, though, I think that I had a better time in Belize during school.  Not to say that it wasn't a great trip, but I'll explain.

First of all, let's talk about the boat. The "Santa Maria" (the captain/crew didn't know why it was named that...We're really far from America/Columbus) is a two masted 80 foot sailboat that was our home for the weekend. 

Crew:
The captain's name was Sean (ironic!), and he was one of those embittered sailors, from New Zealand originally, but has done more dives than anyone I've ever met combined, and has been all over the world before settling on a boat in Cairns, living the dream).  He had great stories, and smoked like a chimney.

Johnny was the first mate/divemaster, a young guy from Scotland, was taking classes to become a skipper and helm the Santa Maria as well.  He spent most of his time talking with Captain Sean, but was friendly enough.

Jill was a young woman from Ireland (a completely non-Australian cruise!), the ship's cook (but she didn't really cook.  The company had a set menu, and she just executed it.  Kind of a random hand to have on board, helping with whatever needed help.  Very much hungover the first day, didn't talk much until that night...

Passengers (besides me.  You know me.):
A couple from New Zealand, here for a wedding, and decided to go on a cruise beforehand so that the stress of the wedding wasn't the only thing for their vacation.  Very nice couple, and I used the underwater camera that they rented to take pictures (otherwise, you would have gotten nothing from the reef.  You should go yourself anyways, before it's all gone...).

A couple from Norway, world travelers the both.  Very well off, and but an odd combo.  The wife was very very quiet, didn't even like swimming anywhere where she couldn't touch the bottom with her feet.  The husband was very friendly, and super talkative.  He was an electrician that managed a group with Caterpillar involving marine engines, and he talked so much.  You know those people that have to always one up others, tell a story involving something awesome that they did, or generally be the focus of converstaion?  Yup.  I started tuning him out by the end of the trip, but he was very nice, and shared his beer with me.

Now, according to the crew, there are only 3 tour groups that operate sailboats out of Cairns, instead of the speedboat/dive boat thing for day trips.  The reason is because it takes 3.5 hours to get to the reef from Cairns in a sailboat, so it doesn't really work for day trips, or even 2 day-ers.  I specifically chose a sailboat so that I could sail (well, not me personally) for 3 days, and that it was more eco-friendly (especially for the reef). 

The seas were rough. 20-25 knot winds pretty much the whole time, and I've never been on such a choppy ride.  I was mostly fine, but the guy from New Zealand didn't make it the whole way.  The boat was using a combination of sails and motors to expedite the trip, but we were definitely sailing.

Basically, the whole trip consisted of cruising to different spots, and snorkeling/diving at each one, with breaks for food and sleep in between.  No organized touristy things, just a whole lot of reefing.  The Norwegian guy was the only one who was diving, and aside from him, I was the strongest swimmer, so basically they gave me gear and sent me off, which was fine.  I knew what I was looking at, and I didn't have anything specific to look for aside from the general condition of the reef/fauna on it.

The thing that blew my mind the most was the striking similarities between the fish/inverts in Australia and the ones I saw in Belize.  The fact that everything was so similar was a huge point for Evolution, and made it very easy for me to identify things.

I saw all sorts of fun stuff.  The usual fishes (Parrotfish/Surgeonfish/Damselfish/Butterflyfish/Wrasse/etc..) were all over the place.  Some of them were huge!  There was a bumphead wrasse which was easily 3 feet long, and the parrotfish were huge!  The second day I saw a green sea turtle every time I went into the water.  On the last day I spotted a blue-spotted ray and chased him around a bit, which was fun.

The reef itself had much lower visibility than I remember in Belize (probably because of the wind, and the fact that it's way more open than the one in Belize), and the condition of the coral was good, but not great.  I saw a fair amount of bleaching, and places near beaches where it was obvious it had been stepped on/messed with.  It's really sad how something so beautiful is dying so fast.  That being said, however, you forget how beautiful it is when you haven't seen it in a while...

I don't regret it for a second (even though it was the biggest splurge of the trip), and I recommend it to anyone..  It was so nice being on a boat for three days, without any worries at all.  That may be the next random job I do... cook on a boat.  How hard could it be, yeah?

(they're kicking me out.. I'm a bit too sunbaked to remember any exciting stories that happened, and I'm right off for another 3 day trip to Cape Tribulation tomorrow... where the sea meets the rainforest... 2 nights in a beach bungalow....)

It's pronounced "Cans"

Cairns.

If Cancun had a giant reef and huge rainforest right next to it, I think it would be Cairns.  It's a completely touristy town, full of travel agencies, bars, hostels/hotels, and cheap restaurants.  It's right on the beach, there are mountains within viewing distance, and most of the buildings in the main area are not high rises, so it has this beach town atmosphere.

Oh yeah, and there's a giant free pool, called "the lagoon" in the middle of the city.  It's open 24 hours, and it's awesome.  Especially when it's this bloody hot outside. 

You all know me, and I'm not into the Cancun drink till you drop scene, but lounging in a pool at 11PM on a night with a full moon is pretty damn cool, getting out to have a drink with two Swiss, one Italian, and one French guy playing guitar...  It's just got that kinda vibe to it.  Very chill, and very international.  Everyone seems to come here, and just end up staying (my roommate is a Cop from the UK, and he's been staying here weeks longer than planned because he's fallen for the girl who works the front desk...), because it's the type of town where beach bumming is a lifestyle that is viable.  You get a job at a restaurant/hostel, and you work to live.  (Don't worry, I'm coming back... I'm not that much of a beach bum, but it is nice to have those days on this trip)

I've got a 3 day 2 night sailboat cruise to the Great Barrier Reef tomorrow, and I'm headed to Cape Tribulation (Where the rainforest meets the ocean) for 3 days after that, so my days in Cairns will be full.  But, while here, hanging out with my roommate, his girl/the front desk manager, and other random people that travelling seems to bring together.  There are free public barbecues, so I'm making dinner (of course) tonight for everyone, although the drinking will have to be curbed.  The security is strict around the Esplanade, with tons of cameras, and guards patrolling at night.

Last night, we were sitting, drinking some wine, and this Aboriginal guy and his friend come sit down, very drunk, and start bitching about their lot in life.  He hates what the white man has done to his people, but he doesn't do anything about it except drink and complain, especially since the government gives him a check every week.  It's kinda sad how it works, and I'm sure it's no different with the Native Americans in the US.  He has huge scars on his belly, which he attributes to the KKK, and it seems to be a Black vs. White thing for him always.  We spent 30 minutes telling him how not all white people are part of the KKK, and the Swiss girl was trying to convince him that revolution was the answer, and that she will stand behind him when they start rising against the government.  Yay for anarchists!

She was on call (as the night manager), and got a call from her boss, because the A/C had gone off in the entire hostel, and she wasn't inside (she was right outside).  We go back, and a fuse had blown, but they wouldn't take the help of an Electrical Engineer from LA who was trying to help (makes sense, they can't make a guest liable...).  The A/C eventually went on, but we were sitting outside, eating kebabs and chatting (and playing more guituar) with the whole group, until I decided to call it a night.  The Swiss Revolutionary goes "you're going to sleep without A/C?"

Ha.  As long as the revolution is done at a comfortable temperature, she's all for it.

Alright, time to go lounge by the pool a bit more...

Melbourne Underground...

So, these past few days have been a complete opposite from the traveling I've been doing so far.  Late nights, late mornings, more drinking, more randomness...

Last we talked, I was squatting at a couchsurfing hub in Melbourne, and I'm still there (for 2 more nights, until I head to Cairns and to the Great Barrier Reef on Wednesday).  The hosts are still the very definition of hospitality, as they will take in anyone who needs a place to stay, share food with whoever needs it, and not really turn anyone away. 

One of the reasons they can do this is because they get lots of stuff for free.  Housing is free (except for utilities, which they pay), food is free (for the most part, which I will get to soon), so they are able to share what they have with others, because it doesn't put them in the poorhouse.

On dumpster-diving:

I've done it a few times now, and it completely blows my mind.  The things that people through out because they are not "fit for purchase" boggle my mind.  The introduction I had was at the Queen Victoria Market, which I purchased bread/cheese from earlier in the trip.  We would walk around the produce market after it closed with bags, and pick up amazing amounts of produce.  Entire boxes of cherries, bags of potatoes, enough apples to make 10 pounds of applesauce, jars of Patak's chutney still sealed (!), boxes upon boxes of day old doughnuts...  Take it home, clean everything off, and cook it either that night or the next.  Most of the stuff is in perfect condition, or has just a few dents/dings in them, but nothing to make them inedible...

Then there is the actual dumpster-diving.  Get bags/people/car, drive around to various stores dumpsters and root through them for whatever can be found.  These bins are locked, but somehow keys are obtained (that is probably the most illegal part...).  The stuff in there is mind blowing.  Entire hunks of nice cheese, gallons of milk (a week before expiring!), cans of sauce, personal grooming items (hair bands, combs, all in a separate area, not mixed with normal trash), bags of chips/rice cakes, etc...

And you'd think that this stuff is a bit on the freaky side, but I assure you these people are some of the pickiest people I've met when it comes to food.  If it looks like it's on the verge, or open wide, or too many dents/dings, the stuff is not picked up/tossed back after inspection.  Nothing that isn't 95% perfect isn't taken, and they can afford to do this, because of the sheer wealth of stuff there is available.  My friends here say that they can be picky, and they are, which is really impressive.

Now, I'm not going to go home and start digging through people's dumpsters, but I will think twice before throwing stuff out, and judging anyone who goes through what others throw out.  We as a society have such a strong "if it isn't perfect, throw it out" mentality, and there are so many people in the world that can't afford to be as picky as us.  I realize that this isn't why the squatters up here do it (it's more of a 'damn the man' mentality), but if you really think about all of the waste that we as a western society make (and I'm sure America is just as bad, if not worse than Australia), and how much of it doesn't really need to be thrown out, the only conclusion that I can arrive at is that we figure out how to transport what can be used to people that need it.  I'm pretty sure that people will never pay/expend time to follow through, but maybe if we try and buy less superfluous stuff, which we know we will never use, a small difference could be made?

*end ideological rant*

I'm not just digging through trash over here, don't worry.  I'm cooking the trash, making veggie pot pies, roasted corn/tomato soup, and tonight I have to come up with a feast for 12 people using all the stuff we got yesterday...

When I'm not cooking, we're all hanging out, eating, going to parties (and meeting more couchsurfers randomly...), and being generally young/in school.  The people that I'm staying with are still in college, so it's got that kind of mentality in the household.  People across the world party the same way, just with different accents...

Last night, we went to a park near the Yarra River, where a group of firetwirlers go to hang out every Sunday night and practice.  We brought along food (of course), and some little toys to play with (I'm starting to get the hang of those devil sticks... might need to get a pair when I get home..), but when the really good people got there, I gave up and watched.  There were flaming sword fights, flaming poi (balls on the end of chains that you can twirl), staffs (sp?), and even flaming hula hoops (I totally did that! It was crazy, but awesome!).  It was totally a much more fun thing to do than go on a tour bus and see a historic temple, but maybe I've just done too many of one, and not enough of the other...

There is this very chill mentality to these residents of Melbourne, a complete opposite to the well-dressed advancement types that normally run through the city streets.  I guess every city has different levels to it, and it's nice to see another side of things over here. 

I'm meeting people that aren't content with the normal run-through of life, instead choosing to go on adventures that make me jealous of their freedom.  There seem to be the two extremes in life:  Those that are ok with 9-5 lives, working towards retirement, growing a family and a home.  On the other side are people that renounce all material things, all normal lifestyles, and live out of a car for months, basing their advancement through life on people they meet, experiences they go through, and adversities they conquer. 

Both sides are valid, and as long as you are happy with where you are, there is no need to pine for the other side.  There are, of course, shades of grey in this black and white description, and I think this is where jealousy lies.  I'm in the middle, probably almost exactly.  I have a job I love, and can't wait to get into it and acheive the goal of owning a restaurant.  At the same time, I go on mini-adventures, and apparantly do things that others can't (although they could if they tried).  But hearing about people that live on the extremes and love it make you jealous, and promote a desire to sway more towards the extreme that you idealize...

Cassie, the girl I'm staying with (well, the one that I first contacted), sat and went through her pictures and told me stories of her adventures.  It really was amazing hearing her talk about living out of her car for months, finding caves with millions of glowworms, putting up an advertisment asking to be crew for a sailboat making it's way back to Melbourne from New Zealand.  It made me want to give up my flight back and see how far I could make it (I'm not going to, I promised Pedro help at this restaurant, which I still really want to do).  Then, I met Amy, a couchsurfer from Illinois, who gave up everything from a job in NYC to travel for a year (so far).  I told her how I admired her ability to give it all up and travel, and she basically told me how much she gave up in order to do it, and how difficult it would be for her to get back to a "normal" lifestyle.  Swinging so far towards one extreme, it becomes extremely difficult to go back to the other one.  Leaving friends/family for so long really puts you out of the loop, and you can miss out on a whole lot that you may not want to.  Finding the balance must be another key in the multi-padlocked door of a happy life.

I love where I am, I love what I'm doing out here, however, I am starting to get antsy to return.  I am really wanting to get back into a kitchen, and I'm wanting to get back to a place where I'm comfortable. 

At least until I'm ready to go somewhere else.... =)

Back in Melborne, living a bit differently

So,

Back from Vietnam, in a land where people actually speak the language, and I don't need to bargain at all (although sometimes I still try...).  I'm on the couchsurfing kick now, for a bit of a change of pace before I go up to Cairns to get on the Reef.  The people I am staying with are squatting in a house in North Melbourne. 

It sounds a bit dodgy, and it is.  The house isn't theirs, it's totally unfinished (although there is gas in the kitchen, electricity in part of the house, and the plumbing/running water works fine), and the food that they obtain is through dumpster-diving.

Note on dumpster-diving:  This blows my mind.  I realize that food is wasted all the time, especially working in the restaurant industry.  However, the things these people are living off of is amazing.  They cook every (are forced to), the food they use isn't bad (it just is a bit ripe, or a label fell off or something), and they need to get new stuff all the time, so food doesn't go bad (and they don't have a very big fridge).  The end result is that they seem to eat better than most people I know.  They take the time to forage and cook something that will be a good amount of sustanance, and much of the evening is focused on the meal, turning it into a social affair (which has always been my thing, as well as most of my friends, and I absolutely love it).  Last night, we made a vegetarian pasta sauce over pasta.  Tonight, Tomato Soup, Potato Salad, and an Apple/Strawberry crisp (Can you tell I'm helping tonight?).  There is no mindset of getting something fast and cheap, as cheap doesn't even fulfill their needs.  They do buy staples like milk/butter, but everything else can be found.  They have high class dijon mustard, free range eggs, all sorts of craziness...

And these people are so freaking intelligent.  Of course, they have a particular mindset about life and social awareness, but the hospitality I have recieved in the less than 24 hours I've been there has blown everything I know (and expect) from an affluent society out of the water.  I feel at home, part of the family, and finally accepted into a foreign country as something other than a tourist.

It's pretty damned awesome.  And I have all week...

The library is closing now, so I'm gonna go back and get some butter for dessert... I hope everyone's doing well!

Don't worry, I'm finally travelling how I wanted to...

That which shall not be named...

I was a bit tipsy as I ventured out, due to the 3 (large) beers that the father of the woman who runs the guesthouse gave me with dinner, so it made the already tense job of crossing the street seem even more difficult.  Maybe the alcohol was important though, as where I was going wasn't exactly prime tourist territory.  It was past 9PM, and I knew I had to get there quickly, before it closed.

Wandering in the direction I was told to go, I come to the street that is my destination.  It's not well lit at all, not nearly as well traveled as most of the other streets in Saigon, but this was the street pointed out to me.  I stumble down, looking for something I don't quite know how to find, with my phrasebook in hand...

I pass a busy streetside cafe thing, with a good amount of people sitting outside.  A man gestures me over, smiling at me.  I point to my phrasebook: "Thit cay?" I ask.  "Yes, here!" he says, with a big smile on his face.

I sit down.  There are no tourists here, and everyone is looking at me, muttering words I will never understand, and laughing under their breath.  I start to feel a bit nervous, and wondering if I should even be here at all...  Just then, a group of men walk by, one of them leans in close to my ear and asks:

"Do you want to eat dog?"

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, on the last full day that I was in Vietnam, after going to the market, buying food, and cooking dinner for the family I was staying with (not to mention drinking with them as well), I went out on my last chance to have this popular, if not widely eaten, Vietnamese street food.

Of course, I had no idea what I was ordering, I just asked them to recommend something.  Out came little barbecued pieces of what looked like pork, but I knew wasn't.  It was served with bitter herbs and leaves to wrap the meat in, and a chili/salt/pepper/lime mixture for dipping.  And of course, another beer.

You know what?  It isn't that bad.

Probably the chewiest meat I've ever eaten, but definitely not the least flavorful.  Maybe it was the cooking method, but it kinda tasted like a gamier pork, and not in a bad way.  If I hadn't already eaten dinner, and the place wasn't in the process of cleaning up (or if I had another day or two) I would have had more, to see what else you can do with it. 

I do wonder about how they obtain the dog meat for cooking.  There are alot of dogs in Vietnam, some farming dogs, many just lazy city dogs that roam around, and it's not clear if they are a part of a family or not...  I will say this about dogs, I've never seen lazier ones in my life.  The sun/heat are so intense, they just lie in the shade all day, not moving unless you are about to run them over...  I wouldn't think that there were "dog farms" per se, though...

Basically, I won't ever serve it on a menu, but it's not nearly as freaky as thinking about it.

However, there is one Asian "delicacy" that is just as scary as it sounds:  Durian.

This was another one I left until the end.  I meant to get it in the Mekong, because they grow them down there, but our guide said that it was getting out of season, so I bought a piece from the Saigon Market hours before we got on the plane... A bit more than a dollar for a 1/4 lb piece. 

Smell:  Rotten Socks mixed with wet cat/dog.
Taste: Creamy Rotten Bananas mixed with wet cat/dog

I know the list of things I won't touch if put in front of me isn't very long (honestly, Natto is the only one I had coming into Vietnam), but two more have made the list: Fertilized Chicken Egg (but I'd eat it if I had to), and Durian.  The taste of the fruit was so strong, and so revolting, my stomach was queasy for the next 2 hours, after having a fruit smoothie and spring rolls, as well as half a litre of water.

More power to you people who like it, but I'll take dog over Durian any day...  Probably a lot easier to get dog in the states, as well. =)

Halong Bay, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the world (at least when it's not cloudy)

So we booked a 3 day, 2 night Halong Bay trip with our guesthouse in Hanoi.  There were three levels based on price, and we were pushed to move to the middle one instead of going to the basic one, because the food would be much better, and the tour as a whole would be drastically improved.  At the same time, she suggested we leave for Halong Bay a day early instead of our original plans, because the weather was supposed to be much nicer.  This was the case, and I am thankful to our host for her advice, because in fog, it's not nearly as dramatic as on a nice day.

So, as usual, we go on a bus.  3.5 hours to Halong City.  It was a nice ride, filled with views of some motorbikes carrying pigs, some carrying chickens, lots of industrial parks, and country towns that we passed through.  As annoying as being on a bus is, it's really nice to see the countryside passing by, and some of the stuff that you see out the windows really is amazing.  For example, the Vietnamese have made an island and filled it with a huge resort offering everything cool that can be done in Vietnam (adventure/beachwise) all in one place.  According to our guide, it is where many people go on their honeymoon...

At Halong City, we are dropped off at the tourist wharf, where we join throngs of tourists waiting to get on boats.  It's mass chaos.  We get handed off from tour guide to tour guide, walk all over the place to find our boat, and have to take a small boat to a bigger boat, swapping people in our group around 3 times.  Like everything in this country, the organization needs a bit of work.

The boat was very nice, and our tour group was pretty good.  We made friends with an Australian guy and a British girl, only to be separated at the wharf (to be reunited the next day, because we were on the same tour, but happened to be on different ones), and our boat was filled with mostly older people and a young Canadian couple.  There were a few Finns that were very good conversationalists, and everyone was generally friendly, which was good for people locked up on a boat together. 

Halong Bay is a Unesco World Heratige site, and a 2 time natural wonder of the world.  It consists of a bunch of limestone karsts (big sharp island things) jutting out of the water, forming a bunch of islands and waterways that feel like something out of a naval movie/lord of the rings.  It really is a beautiful place, but in more of an atmospheric way than as a "holy crap this is amazing" way.  It kind of blew my mind at the beginning, but then I settled into the idea and it became a really nice place to kind of cruise around in.  We ventured into natural caves filled with all sorts of rock formations (and multicolored lights to emphasize them), around all sorts of interestingly named islands (kissing chickens island is the symbol of Halong Bay), and through floating villages based around fishing. 

These villages sold seafood, and I bought a blue swimming crab from them for dinner (not a bargain, but definately really freaking fresh!).  It was cold, but I did some swimming in the bay anyways, surrounded by women in boats trying to sell me beer so that I would warm up when I came out.  After dinner, there was karaoke (helped along by corn liquor brought by the Canadians), but I went to bed kind of early.

Digression:  All of the beds in Vietnam are very hard.  I rarely sleep well, and my back isn't in the best shape after all of this... Might get a massage when I get back to Saigon...

We did a bit more sailing the next day, but transferred boats/tour guides because we were staying one more night (on an island).  We then met up with our British/Australian friends, had lunch on a beach of one of the islands along with some kayaking.  Kayaking around was fantastic, and if I had more time I would have tried to do more of it.  The karsts look much more majestic when you're in a small boat, and there are tons of nooks and crannys that you can go through and explore.  There are tours that do more kayaking, but with so many options, it's sometimes overwhelming to shop around and find what you want to do, especially when travelling with others.

Side note #2:  Every single lunch and dinner was the same.  Squid, grilled shrimp, some sort of pork, some sort of green vegetable, and some sort of chicken dish.  There was only a very slight variation on the sauces, and huge variation in quality (my beer steamed crab was excellent, however).  It was really annoying to have the same thing for three days, and it may have messed with my stomach a little bit, but I was more annoyed with the idea of being in Vietnam and not having the amazing variations of food that there are, and that the people should be proud of...

We ended up on Cat Ba Island, a great base for trekking/kayaking/beaching, but without enough time to do any of it.  Us younger people went drinking at a bia hoi stand.  This is a streetside beer place that serves fresh, unpasturized beer at crazy cheap prices (3.5 dollars for 2 pitchers), and the idea is to get completely plastered with friends.  A definate positive aspect of Northern Vietnam.  This was before dinner for us, however, so we drank a bit too slowly for the proprietor.  She would constantly come sit down at our table, keep our glasses topped off, and push us to drink.  I imagine that it would be a really fun place to spend an evening...

The next day was all travel back to Hanoi.  3 hours on a boat, lunch, 3.5 hours on a bus.  It was alright though, since the weather was very cloudy (it would have been our second day if we stuck to our original plan, so I was happy about that), and I learned how to play an interesting Chinese variation of chess on the boat ride.  I lost twice (it was very complex), but I feel confident enough to sit and challenge random Chinese people in a park..

So, Halong Bay.  Many people say that it is THE thing to see when you come to Vietnam.  As with everything here, some people have loved it, and some people have thought it wasn't worth it.  I think, as with everything, you get out what you put in.  More money for a less crowded tour/better tour guide/better boat.  The time is definitely a factor as well.  A one day tour would be useless once you factor in travel time.  Three days was nice, but because of the atmosphere and amazing amount of things to do, I think the best way to do it would be to park yourself on Cat Ba Island for a week, and just go out and kayak one day, beach one day, cruise around the karsts/see the caves one day, etc...  Those huge tourist destinations seem to hide so much from people because many lack the patience to understand what they are.  Spending a few hours at the Empire State building or Eiffel Tower is one thing.  Places like Halong Bay, the Grand Canyon, or even the Louvre really require you to give yourself over to them.  I wish I had more time (of course), but that's the trick of travelling: making the most out of the time you have, and being ok with it...

On the plus side, I made two friends that will be in Sydney when I'm in Sydney.  Rock on.

Hanoi, all the fun of Saigon, packed into a smaller city!

I like this city, I really do.  It's got it's ups and downs, and it really is crazier than Saigon, because of the smaller streets, and smaller city layout, but it has an energy and a "old school city" feel that Saigon lacks.  Like the soul of Boston with the hecticness of NYC, multiplied a few times..

We have been here two full days, with a trip to Halong Bay in between, as recommended by our first hotel (more on that later).  The first day was spent hanging out around the old quarter, an area of town that is like a big market.  The streets were named a long time ago based on the craft guild that settled there, so each street is named "teapot street" or "shirt street" etc..  The streets are narrow, and the sidewalks are lined with motorbikes (with and without people that push you to ride them.  Some things are constant throughout the country), so you must walk in the street, and it's much freakier than Saigon in that regard.  But, the streets are also lined with cool little shops and tons of street vendors.  Also, there are markets and little alleys full of cool street shops seemingly around every corner.  There is also a nice sized lake for walking around directly south of the Old Quarter, so it's a nice respite from the streetwalking.

And walking is what happened.  The archatecture is still French inspired, but since the North of Vietnam is so close to China, the people look distinctively more Chinese, and so does some of the city buildings.  Much was eaten, as Hanoi (and of course, this is the big reason why I like this city so much) has such a wide variety of street food.  I have had countless types of things I can't totally identify, and 95 percent of it has been pretty freaking delicious.  The only exception was a hen's egg that was allowed to mature a bit longer than a normal egg.  When I started crunching into wings, I had to stop.  I got halfway though before I had to quit (I'll do a post on food later, don't worry, I've been eating...). 

The city is very cosmopolitan and modern, and it's a great city to wander.  People are friendly for the most part, although everyone isn't as crazy tourist friendly as Saigon (although, that may have been the area which we were staying in Saigon, which is known as the backpacker district...).  It's a great city to experience, although after almost 2 months of traveling, I am getting a bit on the weary side, and ready for some English places again.  This language is so hard to even try and pronounce, and I'm usually made fun of.  In addition, I'm not sure the literacy rate is that high, so some people can't even understand when I point to a word in the phrasebook/dictionary thing I carry around.  All of this makes communication very difficult.

So we did Halong Bay, which the next post will be about, and got back (after 3 days) yesterday afternoon.  Our guesthouse, which I had booked on both sides of the trip, told us they had no rooms, but had gotten us rooms in a place nearby.  At first glance, it seemed nicer.  Bigger beds, bigger rooms, nicer furnishings.  However, the beds were less comfortable, the toilet/faucet seem barely attached to the floor/wall, and the staff is considerably less friendly. 

Immediately after putting our bags down, the desk clerk asked:

"You want to take a city tour tomorrow?"
"No thanks, we want to walk around."
"City tour very nice!"
"We have spent too much time on a bus already."
"Only 15 minutes on bus, very short trip."
"No thank you!"
The pushiness of everyone is insane.  It feels as if everyone is in cahoots with everyone else to try and get commission and obtain as much money as possible, by squeezing it out of tourists.  And this is probably my least favorite part about the country, as well as the most tiring part.  There are really good people around, but it's very hard to find them, and it's very hard to trust anyone as a result.

That being said, today was a very good day, filled with nothing of the sort.  I started by walking to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, where he is entombed for all eternity.  These guys really really like him.  Every year for two months, he goes to Russia for "maintenance" (or his "vacation", as the hotel girls put it), and he just got back.  It's a very somber affair, with very strict rules.  No sunglasses, long pants, no open toed shoes, double file, hands to the side, don't put your hands in your pockets, etc..  There are guards every 20 feet to make sure these rules are adhered to, as well.  I did get to see the guards change, an event Lonely Planet says is very cool to see, and it was... think like the guards at the palace in London. 

As the guards were changing, the guys behind me were remarking: "Isn't it funny how all totalitarian goverments/dictatorships have a goosestep?"  Seemed like the wrong thing to me to be mentioning near armed guards at such a sacred place for Vietnamese Communists...

Also in the area is the One Pillar Pagoda, a pagoda standing on one pillar (surprise!) designed to mimic a lotus flower.  Cool, and crowded, but kinda just another pagoda.  I then walked to the Temple of Literature, a very cool place.  It was created by one of the first Kings of Vietnam as a place to study Confucianism, and has evolved into the top university in Vietnam.  There was a graduation ceremony going on today, and I arrived on the tail end, but it was cool to see all the students in really traditional garb, and the GIGANTIC amounts of flowers all of these kids got!  The school was divided into 5 sections, based on water/trees/fire/earth/wind (heart?), and the coolest part were the turtles (symbol for long life) with stones on their back, where all of the graduates' names were etched for eternity.  There were of course giant statues of scholars, a big bell, and a big drum.  Also, in the back there was a gift shop, and a room where traditional musicians would play a bit and then push their cds on you.  I didn't even really hear any of the music, I sat down and then they finished their set and tried to sell me a cd!

However, it was a cool place, and I lingered in the quieter areas because it was a great oasis from the hubub of the city.  Right next to it was a restaurant I read about in Lonely Planet (Usually something I avoid like the plague) that seemed like a great idea...

KOTO - Know One Teach One was developed by a Vietnamese-Australian as a way to get kids off of the streets and doing something with their lives.  The program (now almost 20 years old) puts kids in an intensive 2 year hospitality course, learning about front/back of house at restaurants, and they train/work at a restaurant in Hanoi right next to the Temple of Litearature. 

With such a cool concept, I had to stop in.  I was there from 12 noon until almost 3PM.  The food was great (the desert was the best part, an out of this world chocolate tart), but the service simply blew me away.  These kids understood and could speak English extremely well, had been ridiculously well trained in how the front of house works (crazy efficency behind the bar, I dropped a spoon accidentally when eating desert, and a new one was brought immediately without asking), and to top it off, they were super friendly and bent over backwards to provide all sorts of service. 

I ate for a while, and as I was leaving I ran into an Australian family that had been on the Mekong Delta tour with us!  So I sat down and was chatting with them for almost 2 hours, and it was great to hear their stories (they got hardcore taken advantage of at every step of the trip.  I feel as if people can read how much money you have, and how much they can get out of you up here...), and their little girl was very cute (and a great traveller! 6 years old and telling me stories about falling off of elephants and her favorite ice cream).

After this, I did more wandering back towards the hotel, eating copious amounts of street food along the way.  I was having some meat on a stick, and this really old lady started speaking me to me in French! "Beaucoup Bon! Beaucoup Bon!"  And, she even bought me a shot of rice wine.  I've got a great picture of her, and it was totally weird to have to speak french in Vietnam (but it makes sense, and lucky I know a bit...). 

I ended up on the lake (Another thing about Saigon is that the same road has a new name every block or two, and it's really hard to navigate unless you know the city or have landmarks), and sat down on a bench to chill for a bit.  Before I knew it, two girls walk up to me and say they would like to have a conversation.  They are two University students, studying economics and finance (one wants to be a CEO and have a big house/car), and they like practicing English when they can (one of them did, the other was very shy... I can't picture a shy CEO...).  So I was sitting with them and chatting (I was told I was handsome... Many Vietnamese keep telling me this, it's great for the ego.  Maybe I should move here... who's coming with me?), and this really weird guy starts looking over our shoulder and giving us big smiles.  We try to talk to him, and nothing comes out for a few minutes.  Then he hands me a spec sheet for some sort of electrical engineering project, pointing out to me how heavy (in kg) things were...  The girls and I were thrououghly confused (and a bit creeped out) when this guy launches into fantastic English!

"HELLO! HOW ARE YOU!!?"

He then goes on to tell us (and show us) how he is an electrical engineer, does deals with people all over the world, designs transformers and turbines, has been to Switzerland ("Have you been to Zurich?" he asks me...), and is moving to Milan in a few months.  This talk goes on for a while, him dominating the conversation, and then he mentions a few times how he is a single man, and very skinny (He takes off his jacket and turns sideways to emphasize this).  He wants a nice girl to settle down with, and he gives the shy girl his phone number and email address to "practice English" with.  After this, he says he has to go, and just disappears.

While this is going on, no less than 3 random passerbys stop and watch us, sometimes coming right behind the bench and looking over my shoulder.  Quite an unnerving experience, but I got out of it alive. 

Immediately, another guy comes and starts talking with us, much less weird, much more amicable.  He was also an electrical engineer (I then murmered how it was a small world, and had to explain the meaning of coincidence to three Vietnamese at the same time.  God bless cell phone internet.)

Yeah, then they left, and said they hope I come back soon.  Nice people, finally found in a country where it seems to be dog eat dog.  At least when it comes to getting tourist's money...

Addendum on Driving

So I'm in Hanoi, and we got picked up from the airport by the hotel.  That was the first time I've ever had my name on a sign with someone waiting for me, which was kind of cool.

The drive into Hanoi was crazy.  Our driver was nuts, as all are (he had a dvd player in his car, and was watching music videos while driving), but then there was traffic... So he swerves behind a police car into the motorbike lane, and passes a good hour's worth of traffic!  And when we get to the bridge, police have put up barricades to stop people from getting on it.  The barricades are lifted, and when we get stuck behind traffic, we swerve into oncoming traffic, tailing a line of cars that are following a police car to beat the traffic.

I swear.  This place has to be experienced.  I think that they would be great at nascar, but maybe not, because there would be a whole hell of a lot more crashes.

So I guess they would be great at nascar then...

Hue

Blogging like crazy today.  In Hue, going to get on a plane to Hanoi later tonight...

The hotel we were staying at here has been fantastic (as they all have been, which is nice).  They were a bit pushy to get us on tours (as they get commission), but they had free breakfast, they carried all of our bags to our room (with the shopping we did in Hoi An, up 4 flights of stairs, no small feat), and were very helpful when it came to just about everything.

Hue is two cities in one.  Divided by the Purfume River, the ancient city on one side of the river is built in a Citadel that used to house the Nguyen Dynasty.  It is the part that is small, similar to Hoi An (with less selling), and a blast to walk around.  I saw schools, ate some great street food, and had a good wander.  On the other side of the river (and around the citadel outside of the huge walls) is a modern society that seems very much up to date.  Kids walk around in fashionable clothes, there is a large percentage of young people (and tourists).  Everything about the modern area seems more advanced/western.  The cyclo (like a bike rickshaw) drivers, motorbike drivers, and boat drivers are as annoying as flies (or even more so).  They will follow you even after you tell them no 10 times.  "Maybe later?" is the phrase here...

The historical part of the citadel (the citadel inside the citadel) is an ancient Chinese temple (ancient meaning a bit more than 200 years old), and it's weird to see something so blatantly Chinese in Vietnam.  I know that the Chinese occupied them for a while, and have a big influence on everything, but still, you expect something distinct because of the way the culture has adapted.  It was beautiful, and you could tell that there was lots of construction going on to renovate the various buildings and make them more apt for tourism.  The tilework was beautiful, and some of the renovated areas were very nice.  It really makes you wonder how life would have looked in a place where the king had over 300 wives, 1000 servants, and 400 meter squared grounds (It seemed like more though).  I would have liked to see a gigantic ceremony with a bunch of guardsmen in the same costume, with a regal procession, etc...

But when it comes down to it, it was another temple/palace complex.

After that, I walked around and got something to eat.  I found a place where there was a variety of food (chicken, pork, shrimp cakes, etc..), and sat down.  The son of the lady cooking was a student who spoke great English, so we chatted for a bit.  While I was eating, a bunch of white travelers saw me, and all stopped to eat after asking me if it was any good (it was).  The whole family, who was staring at me oddly at this point, got really excited that more people were going to eat (6 people came, but only 2 of them ate).  I chatted for a bit with a guy from Sweden and a girl from South Africa, and when they left, I continued my conversation with the son for a few more minutes. 

I wandered around the city for a bit longer, and then meandered back to the hotel via the river.  I sat on the banks, just hanging out for a bit, which was nice, because it was the one place I wasn't pestered in the city.  Even sitting here, there is a group of Vietnamese girls that are staring over my shoulder for some reason, maybe waiting to use the computer.  I swear, no peace in this country...