Howdy, howdy,

Other things that I miss: music! There’s no radio here and the tv music channels are not the greatest so I broke down yesterday and stocked up on Take That, Ronan Keating and Nick Lachey to fulfill my need for boy bands and English-language ballads.

hehehe I’m still allowed; I’m young, and yes, I love the Backstreet Boys.

Work is great: I’m using the editing skills from CGA at East Meets West and reading reports about hospitals, clean water systems, heart operations for children and using a map to learn more about Vietnam. So far, this job is really allowing me to explore and learn lots about VN, its landscape, ppl etc…….No complaints at all

Danang has some redeeming qualities: far-flung restaurants, coffee shops, and roads that can be interesting and ready to lend themselves to adventure. Although I miss good tortilla chips and salsa and hummus and chicken breasts and BBQ ribs, I can live here. Yesterday, I went s/where in a A/C’d car and it was a treat….I wonder what it’ll feel like to drive again…..

I’m looking forward to going home and eating on outdoor patios in pretty restaurants with good views and decor. I want to go to Whistler, do the Grouse Grind, rollerblade and bike, go to night markets, go to big grocery stores, meet friends and family (of course!), go to a shopping mall with familiar shops, recycle, watch What Not to Wear and American Idol, and be Canadian again.

CAN’T WAIT! But before then, work, Japan and HK await….and then I’m playing hostess to friends, and trying to still live a balanced live here….

ttyl lovely ppl

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Ahhhhh I have to clear this off my chest: on a country road trip yesterday, I hit a cow in the road!

We were doing so well and it was fun crusing the roads on our way to My Son and Hoi An. The views are really quite something although it’s better to be the passenger and not the driver so you can really enjoy them.

The cow incident occurred near the destination point after at least an hour on the road. For whatever reason, I didn’t think the cow was going to panic and run straight into my bike but that’s what happened. Afterwards, it ran off wounded although it wasn’t severely hurt. My motorbike is small and I wasn’t going fast….it fell over and amazingly still worked although the basket and mirror were bent. Now I have cruise control on my bike which means I don’t always have to have my hand on the accelerator which is not a good thing. But actually, it’s very convenient… And I just brought her in for repairs a couple days ago….

On the bright side, I’ve taken to wearing a helmut and my Vina alien socks actually protected me from scraps on my ankles, so all I got were some bruises and cuts on my knees and thigh. I’m very sore actually! But things could have been a lot worse! I’m thankful that nothing serious happened but I feel pretty guilty and stupid!

Why me?

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It’s been just over a week since I got back to Danang, and I really miss and savour my days in glorious Bangkok. I went on this trip by myself, on a last minute whim (friends of mine were planning future trip there), and it was well worth it!

This year, Vietnam has added several new state holidays to their calendar and luckily, I’m here to benefit…..I had 6 days in BKK and it was soooooooooooooooooo fanstastic!

But let’s try to describe this briefly:

Things started off great: I met a Thai guy in the DN airport who offered to take me to my hotel and since I was clueless about BKK, he gave a map stocked with tips and cool places to check out. He also taught me some key Thai phrases which were really useful for bargaining and making friends with the locals.

Day 1: I settled in, worked a bit (tight deadlines already!) and headed out for a night on the town. I ate at a 24-hour food joint (non-existent in DN) and met two Austrians…they were a bit older AND undercover cops! They had classic Austrain names: Wolfgang and Helmut, and they took me to a beer garden, showed me where to exchange money, and gave a card for a cheaper hotel! (And gave me tips on how to avoid crime

Me on a public bus in bustling BKK!

Day 2: Lunch in a nice Italian resto and SHOPPING….In BKK they have quality brand shoes including my absolute favourites: GEOX!!!!! AND they were having a sale so I HAD to buy!!!! Now living in Vietnam means lower costs but also less income but when I saw my beloved, sweatproof darlings (with style cuz they’re Italian), I became the Canadian that I always was and tried on a billion pairs…however, I only bought one cuz they didn’t have colours that matched my now too tanned legs. Oh well, what a thrill!!!!! Then I went to the FOOD COURT and I’ll tell ya, it’s awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwesome!!!!!! You haven’t seen anything like it! BKK has the best movie theatres, food courts, great shopping (gorgeous centres) and really cute guys!!! And great food and it’s clean and I can’t use enought exclamation marks really!!!!!!!!

Day 3: I went out to the streets to eat brekkie and in BKK I made a rule: I must eat every two hours b/c there’s just too much to try! Noodles, sweet sticky rice and mangoes, jelly-like cakes with coconut milk, Thai ice tea!!!!, rice and bamboo-chicken breast stir fries, and seafood hot pots on the streets!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhh I drooled everyday and everything was soooooooo delicious! I bought a pass to a hotel gym n pool which was truly a treat b/c I don’t have gyms to go to in DN and so it was amazing….I even liked the treadmill and I took an aerobics class in Thai and the instructors were fit guys! Yeah! And the pool was clean and empty and the shower was HOT HAWT HOT and I had daily saunas and whirlpool action all to myself b/c ppl just didn’t use the facilities! It was freakin’ amazing and I really appreciated it after so many deprived months in DN w/o good basic lovely exercise Now that was a vacation!!!!

I felt just so crazy, speedy, and North American again. I woke early and went to bed dead tired and did tons, tons, tons!!! It was great to be on my own, feeling like a strong, capable, POWER woman! I loved the feeling of being able to go and succeed! The Thai ppl are incredible nice and it was truly a great place to be even if you didn’t know anyone there

Day 4: Sightseeing!!!! I headed to the Grand Palace and yes, it lives up to its name. Amazing! So beautiful and ornate and just an incredible sight to take in…I’d go again and half wish I were Thai so I wouldn’t have to pay…it’s soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo beautiful but unfortunately at this time, I don’t know much about it cuz I was completely unprepared for this trip. Working off some tips from my friend Barbara (merci mon amie!) I went for a fabulous massage, ok two, at Wat Po (another gorgeous temple) where I had a total crush on my massuse and wanted to go out with him…..It was an amazing two hours spent together with a great, nice good looking guy—only prob was that he was paid to be there! Boo! It was only $20!!!! Afterwards, I jumped on the river taxi for less than one dollar and with wind blowing in my hair, took in the sights of BKK along the water….it was amazing amazing spectacular spectacular! Then I landed in who knows where and decided to use the public bus system. Not really speaking Thai, I went on and blindly asked for the backpackers’ area. Two Thai addressed me in English and told me that they would let me know where to go. One called me Miss and yes, I was totally smitten by the Thai by this time. And I was whirling around a foreign city on a fast bus breathing in nightlife in a way that was totally fantastic! I got to tour the city, see Chinatown and watch the crazy lights and smells enter into the bus and pass right out again! TBC

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