And on the 7th day, she rested

Whooooo; with only today and tomorrow te explore Paris.....i was a lazy woman today and couldnt leave the house.....of course it's lovely being around DElphine and her family and I got to have a lovely Sunday meal, look through all my photos with Delphine and laugh hysterically with Delphine about funny things that have happened over our 3 or so weeks together, so it's fine that i didnt discover and explore more of Paris...I have tomorrow.
So yesterday, had a huge day....started at 10 and came home at 1....the entire time i've been in France....excluding some of the days I was sick, though i can include some sick days too, i have not gone to bed before midnight....I al a party animal.
However; even though i stayed out late with C and D's friend, my eyes were red and i was tired by 6 pm...but i worked through it;)
We started off in Montmartre and walked up, down, and around the neighborhood. There was a fabulous singing duo that i happened to hear and we were lucky enough to catch the end of their act, i swear to god one was Johnny Hallyday, the french"elvis" but when i showed the pic to Delphine, she said, "You are so not French, because no french person would believe he is Johnny."
Then we walked and we walked to the Bassin de la Villette, where I was treated to the BEST, non-homemade, French seafood meal I have had in Paris (I have to be very specific because I've had so many best meals. After a 3 hour meal, it was off to 3 different parks I've never been to, followed by the canals of St.Martin made famous in Amelie Poulain and where I was lucky enough to find rocks i could try and skip, then to a homeless encampment at the place de la republique (sf and paris are not that different; i'm so happy to learn!), an aperitif with Campari, which might be one of the worst types of alcohol i've ever tried, then a nighttime bikeride past le louvre, notredame, les iles de la cite, and the latin quarter and finally a picnic along the Seine including a candle...because as C and D's french friend explained you always have to have a romantic moment in Paris.
So...I had to rest today. 4 big, packed days and one more tomorrow, and then home again home again, jiggidy jig.
xoxoxoxoxo

latin quarter

Yesterday, i was this close to the tomb of Alexander Dumas!!!!!!! He was along side Hugo and Zola.....which leans he is a "grand ecrivain"!!!! an important french writer!!!!! my teacher's at SJ State always downplayed his influence, stuck their nose up at his style, and wouldnt include his books in any of our classes.....ok ok, so some of his books are swashbuckling heroic tales, but still...oh it was magic to be in the Pantheon,this close!

Today I'm not sure what I'm doing but going to meet up with a friend of Cyrille and Delphine's and probably walk around Montmartre, Belleville, and the canals of Amelie Poulain.
xoxoxox

3rd brush with death!!!!

Wow, yesterday was certainly not a walking death tour....it was a deathride on a bike; I was sure I was going to die because Delphine was my guide and her philosophy is, "Well if they hit you, it's their fault!" Good God, My Lord!!!

None the less, touring Paris on a bike, which I have not done before and really only if you are French do you do it;), was fantastic. We went into the opera, (I now have to go to the Milan opera house to compare but Paris's house is opulance to the t) While the actual stage and seating is small in comparison to SF, outside, the staircases leading up, the large salons on each floor, truly the opera house is a place to show off your finery and be seen! Then it was off to La comedie Francaise, the big theater in Paris, which used to be a palace, and then to Marais, the gay neighborhood....sadly i didnt dance, but I did exchange a bauble for a few others (thank you Mick)
Then it was off to the Jardin des Plantes, the oldest structure in Paris, a roman arena, which was kinda like a circle of rubble, then on to an old aquaduct that has been turned into a raised park above the streets near la gare de lyon, and finally a race to Belleville....but sadly we didnt make it because we were meeting a friend of C and D, who took us to a Mauritien restaurant, he's from l'ile Maurites, and we went for drinks afterwards....a very big day.

And finally, I also realized that Paris is not that different from SF in that there are sadly a lot of beggars and crazy people. In Begle, where D and C live, I had run into my first crazy person, a man who told me, "You cant kill me". It's true, I couldnt kill him. Yesterday, though was a different story. As we were parking our 'Velibs' and then getting new bikes, a guy with a beer can in his hand told me that the way I "style my hair" was all wrong, that my glasses are wrong because my eyes are too small, and that I was ugly. Delphine thought it was hilarious that i attract crazy people....i find it hilarious that not all frenchies are adorable!
xoxoxox

Day of the DEad

I love Paris...it is romantic, magical, bursting with excitement....it's amazing!!!! and so on my first full day, I decided to go on a death walk. Inspired by my sister and figuring at least one person in the family should do it, I went to the catacombs...Now, i dont know if i described Carcasonne at all, but it was like Disneyland....and well the catacombs was like waiting for a ride at Disneyland...Bif, I waited 2 hours in line to get in!!!!! That's the only time and the longest I've had to wait in line this entire trip...but it's Paris; I can wait! Everything in Paris is worth the wait....and the catacombs were incredibly interesting. I greatly admired the detail oriented workmanship of placing the bones in a very organized manner:)

Then I went and walked around the cemetary in Montparnasse, I saw the tomb of Beauvoir and Sartre and missed Man Ray, Col. Dreyfus, Serge Gainsbourg, Marguerite Duras....basically everyone else....including Petain....but that would have been a long shot to find since he wasnt even listed with the other noteworthy individuals.
Then it was on to more death in churches!!!!! Went to 4 I've never been too, tried to get into the Pantheon another great crypt for the dead but it was closed...c'est la vie.
Finally, walked on the Ile St. Louis and then came back to Delphine's parents house for another home-cooked meal and voila!!!
If you havent guessed, I am doing things that I havent done before and trying to stay off the beaten path....of course 2 hours waiting in line at the catacombs is not a non-touristy site....but then again I'm in Paris in August and basically it's one big city of tourists right now.
Tomorrow, Delphine is coming with me for an adventure!
xoxoxoxoxo

Paris Paris!!!!

My weekend in Pays Basque was absolutely amazing!!!! I have never eaten so much in one weekend and never met so many family members, that are all amusing, adorable, and very proud of their Basque coutryside.
And then we came back to Bordeaux last night where Delphine declares diet and noone would drink any wine with me because they said they drank too much already....Pffff....they're still adorable but that's not very French!
So Cyrille is not continuing with us to Paris and I was very sad to say good-bye because he's a very nice, good Frenchie and though he said I can come back whenever I want, I dont think we'll ever be able to travel the 3 of us like we did this trip. It will of course be different the next time I come to France. ;)
But if I write cards to all of his family members, like his grandmother hinted to me on 10 different occasions, I will remain in their good graces.....as many of them said, I was absolutely charming;) ;) ;) hee hee hee hee!
Oh they're adorable!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

la fete de la famille

Yesterday went into Bayonne, a small/large city/village depending upon who you talk to.
I went on my own and did a little shopping, a little walking, and a little people watching.
Then Went back to Tarnos to meet C and D and off to Espelette, an authentic BAsque town where C and D were married and where C's aunt lives.
D and C gratiously reenacted marriage photos for me and i did a little more shopping and tasted a little bit of this and a little bit of that in the cheese, meat, and chocolate.
Then it was another big meal!!!!Fois gras, cheese, gateau basque, wine, champagne....more and more relatives.
And in a couple minutes, another family midday meal!!!!!
I love it!!!!
xoxoxoxox

La fete de Bardos

The basque country is not good for the waist line. There's no denying that most French like to eat but here at least when family comes over or there's a festival most of the day is reserved for eating and drinking.
We arrived in Tarnos, a suburb of Bayonne, yesterday around noon and went straight to Cyrille's grandmother's house. There we had a noonday meal, (buffalo mozzarella/tomato salad, sirloin steak with onions, potatoes with fresh cepe mushrooms!!!!!, cheese, fromage blanc with berries, lots of wine and pastis)which lasted until 4 and then at 5 went to Cyrille's great uncle's house for the aperitif (more pastis and champagne), and then at 9 went to the festival where there were more aperitifs (pastis) and dinner(tuna steak, pipperade, bardos cheese, gateau basque, and of course more wine), which concluded around midnight-1in the morning. What did i do in between eating and drinking, sit and chat!
Now i am not complaining because the food was excellent, the conversations were greatly amusing, and of course the French are adorable! But I am likely to come back weighing a ton! It's ok, i'm on vacation!
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Basque country

In a few minutes we'll be leaving for the red and white area of France....I am wearing an all white outfit for the "fete of Bardos"....I better not have an episode like yesterday where I'm sitting in front of the Opera House of Bordeaux, people watching, with a frozen yogurt (omg the yogurt is out of this world here) and surprise, at the end of the cone there's a bit of hard chocolate, so i bite into it thinking, 'wow what a nice surprise' and BAF!!! under the hard choco is melted choco that goes all over my hands, arm, legs, and my white sleeves of my sweater....it was not very French!!!!
At least it wasnt poop.

But I'm trying again today and no chocolate for me and lots of bibs!
xoxoxoxo

Filet of fish

Yesterday, it rained and poured in Bordeaux, in the afternoon, and while I was bike riding with Delphine, on the most adorable bike with a basket, I had my first bad hair day....I know, I've gone this long without having one, survived the monsoons and humid weather in Asia, even when I was sick I dont think my hair was that bad...it was bound to happen, even with all the products I brought with me. it was bound to happen!
Anyways, we had dinner last night at the home of a French couple Cyrille and Delphine know and WOW, learned that the French are really not that different than us...that it's easier then you think to be French like I strive to be....(I hope Matt you read that last line, it's for you;)
Many French like cars and find it's just not practical to take public transport, there's not enough buses and trains and if you really want to go to good places, you need a car (these past couple of days I've just been in complete shock!). I said, "But you have the most adorable bikes to get around on!° and then they replied with a shrug and sigh, "If you want to go somewhere on the weekend and still have a breakfast in bed morning, you need a car."
It's true, but I dont expect to hear this!
And then for dinner we had a type of fish, similar to tuna and it was fileted!!!!! The shock again. This was my first filet of fish since San Francisco, everyone has always served fish with the head and bones because it enhances the flaver and it's fun to take out the bones (at least that's part of the reason i think they keep them in). Shock I tell you and then relief because delphine asked the French couple who in their opinion were the heros of the 2nd World War and the couple answered exactly like I had, America and England...with a little French resistance.
So we're really not that different.
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Tu te couches pas aussi bete ce soir

Well father, I've calmed down...and now I know why Delphine and Cyrille would never say they live in a Socialist country and why even with their health care system and their social security/retirement benefits, which everyone benefits from....I now understand thqt they were not created by the French government because they wanted to create "freedom; equality, and brotherhood" amongst all and redistribute wealth and services equally amongst all Frenchies but because the French goverment was scared of the Commies just like the Americans!

So the French govt. wanted to ease tensions and undermine the incresingly popular Communist party and with many strikes and marches by the French people, the govt. created programs that are seperately run from the govt. and they take money from everyone's salaries and then either redistribute it amongst everyone for health services, or keep it for every Frenchies retirement....anyways, the French system is complicated and the mix of capitalism with "socialism".
But again it's the darling French, who have fought, marched, and won their social services, and not the government, who just decided to be nice and give the French collective so many benefits.

Ok, so the ham I had was not smoked but deli-sliced ham, but truly I have never had ham like that and i would never put it in a sandwich....you have to eat it by itself to fully appreciate all the complexities with each mouthful;) amazing amazing...dont worry i've taken lots of pics of the ham.
and I have been riding around town on Cyrille's bike that has the most adorable basket; i dont think i could get anymore French....unless I had straight hair and wore a beret and had the best baguette ever in my basket and smoked a cigarette....but then I might be bursting with too much frenchiness;)
xoxoxoxoxo

O my God!

Does anyone I know, know that it was the Russians that "won" the Second World War at Stalingrad in 1943 before the debarquement of Americans in Normandy???? That it was only with the victory in Stalingrad that the Americans could move into Normandy?
Does anyone know about the pictures of Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt at Yalta or a picture of the Russians holding a flag over Berlin similar to the picture of the Americans holding up the flag in Japan?
I'm in shock!!!!! and I dont remember seeing those photos in any of our history books.
and can anyone remember a photo of Degaulle, Roosevelt and Churchil together because I want to say that that is the picture i remember from history books and not of a picture with Stalin.
But I cant find such a picture when i type in their names in Google France....maybe it's because it's a French site:)
But still.....Dad are you going to be the only one to answer this and say yes, we learned that Russia was just as or more powerful than the US during the 2nd World War?
P.S. I had the most amazing smoked ham tonight for dinner
xoxoxoxo

blackberries a calling

I dont know what it is about the French; there's definitely something irresistable.
As I was explaining to Delphine and Cyrille, after watching a cute movie in town about a mother who, in her late 40s, early 50s still manages to find lots of romantic entanglements and I told them that it's only the French, who have that "je ne sais quoi", which is so appealing to every other culture....and Rosana stop rolling your eyes because the mother hooks up with a brazillian samba band and their director in the end so even Brazillians arent immune to the French charm.
Anyways, yesterday after having the most delicious midday Sunday meal (Fois Gras!!!!!!, Maigret of duck with a balsalmic and honey sauce with fingerling potatoes, and cheese with my new favorite baguette in the world), we went for a sunset bike ride in the countryside and to pick blackberries.
Now I love picking blackberries because it reminds me of summers with my family at teh cabin. However, at teh cabin, once you're done picking blackberries you can walk to the river and wash your hands, which is not the case in Bordeaux.....though, the magical French dont need a river because as Delphine showed me her hands, which were free from a red stain and her hair, which was free from burrs....and she tells me matter of factly, "But Jenna, you dont NEED to squish the berries and you dont HAVE to stick your head in the bushes".
The French are so adorable!!!!!!!
xoxoxoxoxo

oh the bread, o the food!

Honestly there is nothing like French food, nothing!!!!!!!!
My last meal has completly changed in the last few days, no longer could it be fried chicken....it would now have to be fois gras, followed by leeks in a vinaigrette, then a Dorade (fish with bones, but luckily i know now the special technique), followed by either filet of lamb, or rabbit in a mustard sauce, or veal in a cream sauce with ratatouille, followed by cheese, and then either a charlotte, creme brulee, une tarte aux fruits, un gateau basque......o there's way too many choices.....but never again will I say friend chicken for my last meal!

Since the last time, i wrote, I took the boat back to Nice and visited the town, tried Socca, which is the garbanzo bean crepe of Nice (interesting, but not my choice for a crepe batter), went to Marseille and walked, biked, and sailed all over....really got to know the Mistral, the wind of Marseille and tasted the most amazing almond pate patisserie, really good frozen yogurt (the yogurt here is like NOTHING i've ever tried), amazing ratatouille, and a so-so bouillabaise. o the food.........anyways, i'm going to the supermarket today and I'm on pins and needles. It's something i've wanted to do since arriving and now that I'm feeling better and we're in Bordeaux where we can cook, it will be so much fun to go shopping for meat and yogurt!!!!!!!!!!!!
The food honestly, i think the rest of my entries in France will be about the food and probably how nice the French are....kinda like the Vietnamese. They bend over backwards to help you and they're adorable!
xoxoxoxoxoxo

It's a miracle!!!!!!!

So yesterday......while writing the post, again had a temperature around 103 and I really thought it was it that I couldnt stay another week in France, couldnt ask the Solans to continue to take care of me, that i would have to return....I slept of course most of the morning until my appointment with the doctor. We go to the lab, not the pharmacie!!, the lab to get the results of all the tests, go see the doctor and guess what he says?
I'm healed! Lord have mercy!!!
Now this is slightly hard to believe, Vanina's brother, who is a doctor too, had told me several days before that I should be healed, but then that's when the fevers began.
So I come back to the house, tell everyone I'm cured.
We go out on a celebatory car ride to visit some of the neighboring villages and the have dinner. I again have a fever during the trip....we get back, we all turn in....and then today...I feel normal again. It's crazy insane! No fever, no squirts, no pain, less fatigue....I dont know what to tell you all. Two doctors have no idea what I had....some bacteria perhaps that was too difficult to find in all the samples or perhaps a virus.
At any rate, it appears that I am on the speedy path to a full recovery so I will finally start exploring lots of France and I have lots of lovely bills to give to Kaiser!
xoxoxoxoxo

Oh M-F!

Is this how my vacation is going to end? Sick, unable to go out, lying around.....will I have to throw in the towel?....These questions will be answered soon. Fingers crossed I get better! oh and Corsica has bigger ants then in southeast asia, but then again the ants in SE asia are just mean.

Race you there

So I had the lovely pleasure of hopping like a bunny down to the pharmacy today with a bag full of my poo (Rosana that is what was all over my sheets, pillow, and myself the othertime, wink wink)
We're doing analyses because I can't get rid of it and so while I didnt think I would be able to go until tomorrow morning, i luckily found myself with a sample about an hour ago. Noone was here so I race to get dressed and leave the house unlocked because I dont want to be outside waiting and I'm also not supposed to be in the sun due to my medicine.... so i race to the pharmacy because the doors open/house unlocked. I'm in line and then am called up. I say in French, I hope I have the right pharmacie and can give you this. The guy motions me to give him the bag, he looks at, give me the darkest look i've ever seen, and says, "This doesnt go here! Dont you know this goes to the labratory!"
I ask in a very small voice, um do you by chance know where I could find the lab? with a nod to the right with his head he hands back my sample and quick like a bunny leave....I need a nap after all this hopping!
Fingers crossed that he's not part of the corsican mafia and I wake up with a horse head next to me.
xoxoxoxo

My long absense.....

I apologize for not writing sooner; hopefully, I didnt lose all of you or you were worried sick on pins and needles wondering if I successfully left Bangkok in the pathetic state I was in.
O good God, my Lord...I dont think I've ever been this sick in this way.
So when I left you all, I was in the lounge of my "4 star" hotel writing to you and then went to have breakfast. I had also checked out sites with info on diarrea and stomach bugs. Supposedly, I was supposed to eat only rice (correct), apple sauce????really, toast (correct) and bananas......?????really, really. I tried bananas at breakfast and nearly threw up all over the buffet...honestly, I was the most elegant guest at the hotel:) After having to leave at 12, I wanted to see a little bit of Bangkok, but knew I couldnt move much or stay out in the heat that much...so I went to the BANGKOK MALL!!!! and stayed there for 8 hours...at first, I couldnt beleive I was in a mall but after spending an hour inside i realized how WonderfuL the mall of Bangkok is. Oh the people watching I did, oh the crazy things I found for sale, oh the furry creatures roaming around, and the movie theater/club where during a half hour of commercials, everyone stands up and salutes the thai first family, who evidently stopped the flooding and brought electricity to the people of Thailand.
At 8 I returned to my hotel, picked up my "new clothes", which was my laundry, which cost $20 to have done....but after all I was in a 4 star....but my 3 dresses and all my underwear were nicely pressed and wrapped up in packaging and put in a shopping bag....so worth it!
and then the beginning of my plane, train, boat, and automobile...and in 2 days after taking all of those transports to arrive in Corsica, here I am where I am so lucky to be with two adorable French families that I adore and are taking such great care of me while I am trying to get better. And so this week in Corsica will be all about getting better and I cant think of a better place:)
xoxoxoxoxoxox

Adieu...

...Vietnam, how i love thee...except you Nha Trang
...Cambodia, how I like you
...Thailand, maybe sometime in the future, I'll return and give you another try

Well I am up and out of bed, I am feeling 65% normal right now and I'm wearing my white linen pants bcause I'm optimistic that I can control eveything from here on out. Oh the last two days have beaten me down, run me over, pulled me over a grater...you get the jif. So on my last day here before getting on my flight tonight at midnight for Frankfurt, I'm going to try and walk around a little bit, see more of Bangkok then just through my hotel window.
I will have to say that Thailand was incredibly difficult trial that showed me how strong I can be when i need to...:)...oh how easy it is to flatter one self when one writes ones own blog.
First example, and really not for anyone who just ate or gets queasy easily....
After the Danish boys had left and I was in a new, grumble grumble, guesthouse....and that main reason i dont like guesthouses is for some reason the hippies have resigned to sleep in towels...so you cant find a blanket, they give you a towel....I really didnt want to stay in a guesthouse adn was going to pay a lot just for a little blanket (still when your feverish, not sure why you're sick and alone a blanket is quite impt) but i found a guesthouse not far from where the previous one, close to the ferry and pharmacies and run by a Frenchy! How I love them and cant resist. so when I saw that he too had towels, after he had assured me that his "blankets" were the softest i'd ever feel and feel the best on my skin (bolognie!) i said i needed a 2nd blanket.
He went into a diatribe about living on an island and water and electricity were scarce so washing was difficult but after talking a little bit longer, he gave me a 2nd towel and i lasid down immediately for a nap......not a half an hour into my nap, i feel like passing gas and the worst most horrific thing happened!!!!!!!It was like I had jumped into an outhouse....images from Schindler's list and slumdog millionaire came to mind but this was so much worst because it was happening to me!!!!! and my two towels, all the beddind, my legs, my dress, everything was covered in it and i of course started to sob uncontrolably because it was the worst thing i couldpossibly think of happening.....after calming down a little bit, cleaning myself off, and the ground as best as i could....i did one of the most difficult, embarrassing, energy draining things i've ever done...I went down slowly to talk to the french guy, explain what happened and ask for a new room. He was very nice about it, luckily there was another one...i lost my deposit on the first of course but again got a 2nd blanket for the 2nd room...............and that experience, awful as it was, might be the best one i had in Thailand...which will probably mean it will be a long time before i come back.
Anyway, a quick summary now of since then: took a ferry/bus duo to Bangkok which was awful of course (made me actually think longingly of sleeper buses of Vietnam), got a lovely big bump on the head that had me seeing stars when i hit my head on the metal window frame of the bus as we went over a bump...had a taxi ride at 5 in the morning where the taxi driver didnt know where my hotel was,kept taking me to seedy hotels and asking them if they knew, noone knew, finally get the address off the internet, and of course during this time, keeps upping the price...but i stick to my guns, give him what i initially said i would and then walk in quickly with the doorman...check in to a nice hotel on my last night and spendthe entire day yesterday in bed.
I honestly cant wait to go to France, I hope my stomach and bowels will be better soon because i cant wait to eat something good.
xoxoxoxxoo

Koh Tao adn me are not friends

Sadly, there are many reasons why I really dislike this island! First of all there are a ton of dirty hippies and I've never seen so many hemp bracelets and hippy dippy types of paraphaneila....by far,it is the most expenisive country I've been to, which doesnt make sense since there are so many hippies here...but i guess they're trustfund hippies....thirdly, all the thai food I've had is either bland or of the food poisioning quality, because I've been sicker then a dog for the past day and a half. So...I'm leaving Koh Tao today for Bangkok, hoping that the boat and bus ride wont make me too sick and hopefully bangkok will be better....otherwise i just wont leave my hotel until my plane leaves. Boooooh Boooooh Boooooooh!
xoxoxoxo

turtle island sans the turtles

Oh good god my lord, had the best spicy glass noodle pork salad for breakfast, whose flavers and spiciness was at the most satisfying degree!!!! having a lot of problems finding GOOD thai food...going to explore Ko Thao this afternoon. IT's kinda of a sleepy, hippy, small beach diving community...but since i have not come to close to any smelly, dirty, hippies, I'm fine:)
The only beach i've gone to so far has nothing on Vietnam....but i'm here with the adorable, young Danish blokes who i can tease all i want and get along with swimmingly.
one more day then they leave for home and i will leave the cement furniture guest house they booked for us...and into accomodations of my choice. At least, i didnt get the room with the bed covered in ants....choy oy! I would never have been able to set foot back in the guesthouse!
xoxoxoxox

Mak-wa mak-wa!

Oh here I am in Ko Samai Thailand....and i have to say it feels like I'm in china.....very few people speak english and the food i had tonight was more like Chinese then Thai. I chose my meal by pic since all in Thai, but i did have 1000 year old egg...which was kinda like japanese radish so i'm not sure i had 1000 year old egg????????
Today was a very trying day. Woke up in pain...back again, but scrubed it well with soap and have been putting a ton of neosporin and burn cream on it....also when i would get a chance and talk to people who seemed like they werent too squeamish asked them to take pics of my back so i could see how it was doing.....so i will have a fantastic portfolio of back blisters through the days....again they are frighteningly impressive....a guy told me yesterday they remind him of grimlins and he's waiting for one to pop out of my back.......so much fun!!!
I also felt like I was paying way more for everything today than everyone else and that is the ONE main drawback to traveling alone! Sure it's a couple of dollars here and there but espeically when they start piling up on the same day, you feel like everyone is against you and taking advantage! So today my potty mouth sometimes had the better of me! it happens sometimes, well except to Gaga.
Leaving on the ferry tomorrow for Ko tao where I will probably remain until the 20th/21st when I leave for France. I hope there are a couple of hours in the day where I can lie on the beach and finish Anne of Green Gables in French;) It's so goooooood, especially in French.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Amok

So yesterday was a "let's lie by the pool, take a cooking class, relax day....with no massages".Had a 5 buck mani/pedi in a hole in the wall beauty shop the sister of my driver runs. The shop, location, the girls, the service were all so delightfully amusing, I gave a 5 buck tip. (Laurance, je sais pas ou ta mere a eu son mani/pedi, mais chaque fois, meme le jour-meme, le vernis commence a s'enlever...)
Zee cooking class wasnt as nice as the one I took in Vietnam but the location was amazing, up 3 flights of steps on an open air roof. I took the class with 3 Belgian woman and was made aware that there are worse accidents then 3rd degree burn from a hot stone massage. One of the girls had broken her foot on her third day in thailand and was to return to Belgium today.
I am getting ready to board an airplane for Thailand hopefully will be in Ko Samui tonight and onto Ko Tao tomorrow. And I bought my tix after learning there is a guy in town that jumps through fiery hoops of knives. I'll be leaving with a heavy heart knowing i missed that.
xoxoxoxoxo

Halleluja

I amazed myself today and I'm not one to usually acknowledge that but I'm pretty freaking lucky!
So last night, good god My LORD, it was over the top in the pain and anguish department and by midnight on an evening where I meant to get in early and sleep well before I was to wake up at 4.....that never happened. (My blisters on my back though, now that they're not hurting so badly are incredibly impressive!)
I did though get up and while I had gone to bed wishing to leave Cambodia immediately, tired, angry, in pain....I woke up feeling none of that! Instead, happy to go in the pitch black to Angkor Wat, feel my way down the path to the viewing grounds because I didnt have a flashlight (honestly I brought nothing useful with me except for my hair products, which I am so glad I brought....my hair has been fabulous....way more important:)) and watch the sunrise, walk around the temples when basically noone else was there, run into people I had met before, have my first carrot juice in Cambodge...I am a carrot juice convert even if it doesnt improve my eyesight. Amazing!

choy oy for the millionth time!

O good god my lord!
I am in such pain right now!!!!
Had a 4 hand hot stone massage and well it was hot....insted of having cute little circles on my back, i have burn blisters.....yes, blisters.....choy oy choy oy. I am not a happy person, have burn cream, am going to bed, going to get u at 4 am to see sunrise....tomorrow cant be any worse!!!!!!

I remember you, buy from noone else

All I can do is laugh now....oh the poor, lovely people of Siem Reap. The pressure to buy here is insane and unrelenting; literally, swarmed by a dozen people each time
I leave a motorbike or tuk-tuk...and I have learned to say no and just walk away but whooo, it's extreme shopping here!
WEnt to Angkor wat today and took a 7 hour motorbike tour of 4 temples and the Landmine museum....and it's true; there's nothing like Angkor Wat.
Now after my dip in the swimming pool, which is the warmest swimming pool I've been in that is not thermal; going into town for a massage, an ABC beer, maybe some Amok and then sleep.
Getting u at 4:30 to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat....exciting!!!!!!!!!!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxo

mak wa and then come choy oy!

Oh it's been so long, seriously next time I come to Southern Vietnam, bringing a 'puter because in the south it's hard to find a computer and the internet cafes are almost next to nil, awful connections/old computers, pu-tuey!!!
And now I'm back writing from Siem Reap, Cambodia. And oh what a journey it was getting here. This morning woke up in a "midget room" and took a shower in a "midget shower" which of course I thought was fabulous!!! I could touch easily the ceiling in the bedroom i shared with an english couple and the shower, well with my head against my shoulder, i could wash my hair...and heck na was i sitting in the bathtub....I mean if I hadnt stayed all day with these 2 Anglish couples and not gotten into Pnomh Penh at 7 pm during a monsoon, I would never in a million years chosen, the "guesthouse" ie hostel and shared a a room with 2 of them....but then again it was for midgets so how could i resist!
So this morning had the 2nd best banana pancake for breakfast, go to check out and get my bus ticket and had my first hissy fit, yelling at the receptionist because he booked me on the cheap bus instead of the luxury bus. Now it's not that I am a pretentist?, elitist that I wanted the luxury bus. No partly because of the last three days had been in the crappiest busses, staying in crappy hotels, partly because the journey to Siem Reap was 6 hours, and finally because i heard the buses had chandeliers inside and I had to be in a bus with swinging chandeliers but no....i get the crappiest bus I've been on thus far. To make matters even better....when i get in (after being sent to the wrong bus, getting my luggage back, finding the new right bus...you can tell I''m in the best mood ever...it was like I hadnt had a good cup of coffee in weeks, it was that kind of a mood)...and then in the bus, i find then i get to share the tiniest seat ever with a Cham grandmother? and her grandbaby. Of course, she's all smiles and the monkey child is cute, but seriously she was a monkey climbing all over things, I felt bad for the guy sitting in front of them because she kept yanking back his seat and tapping on it....choy oy freaking choy oy....but then the rain clouds parted and I was back to normal when the grandmother? pulls out some baguettes and gives one to the monkey and then to me. At first, I try to give it back, say thank you, tell her I'm not hungry but she insists and then when she sees that I'm not eating it, takes it and then gives me a bag with 2 fresh ones in it. It was so sweet and unexpected; oh the lil monkey child, she seemed all the more tolerable and lovely suddenly! And the grandmnother? ket talking to me in khmer and I politely nodded and smiled having no idea but suddenly, finding her the most adorable, almost toothless woman I had seen in my life.
And then on our first stop, I got to try crickets and taratula (the last few days have been amazing for new food experiences: rice wine and snake are deicious and eel is not) Also like spider better then cricket but loved how the "monkey" ate as many as I would give her.
Back on the bus for 2 hours they showed this amazing cambodian spaghetti western type movie about vampires feeding on chinese kung fu masters with english and cantonese subtitles...amazing!!!!! So by this time I'm in love with this bus experience and the creme de la creme, the cherry on top and why i keep writing grandmother with a ?, the monkey child kept breastfeeding her grandmother/mother next to me, her head basically in my lap everytime....now again, when I am ever going to have a tel experience!!!!!! Amazing again and finally I'm in a fantastic hotel in Siem Reap, super character, very nice facilities, very expensive for the taxi drivers tastes as they tried to steer me some where else....but I'm finally at a place I like and I also have free door to door tuk tuk service included, so I'm happier then a pig in a blanket!
The Mekong Delta was fantastic; Vietnam by boat is the only way to go! And sadly I left:(
Fortunately, I had the most amazing bus adventure ever today!

Oh lordy lordy lordy

Oh hơ time flies and I am on a weird viet. keyboard so my chẩcters might be off. So Saigon, I loved it loved it loved it. Pẻhaps because it ứa àter Nha Trang, ưhich á a town reminded me too much of Cabo or Cancun so it ứa nice to come back to civilized, exciting society. Yes it's very busy and huge but I walked alot took a tãi ưhen I needed to and saw lotts of cultural landmarks, ưent shopping;) and loved the chinese mảket. No haggling no pulling you every ưhich ưay; everything's cheap and you dont feel like you're being played out ò a couple ò dollars, ưhich after many dáy begins to really get tiresome easily. And oh the píc!!!!!!!; I sưear I've been trying to upload them but noww that I'm old technology and me are no longer friends and I dont know ưhat I'm supposed to be doing and ưhatever. They ưill be posted sooner or later with handy dandy commentary and y'all love 'em as much as I do.....and well yesterday, the first dish claimed the title of one I could not finish and the lucky dish was Viet. snails steamed in a côcnut sauce. Now, the shells ưere gorgeous, the taste ưas nice and côcnutty but the ưay they eat them.....oh lordy! you such as hard as you can out of one end and if that doesnt ưork then out ò the other end (o my gawd kảren you're tưin just ưalked in to the cafe, glasses, ponytail, your style, and i think she's german it could be your long lost cousin)
so the snails, ended up being kinda like chewy snot, and more then once ưhile sucking got ưhat lôoked like a loogie/snot hanging from the shell to my mouth....so I gave it my best shot but after a half dozen, i gave up...but that's all in the pát and my stomach is hardened once again, So i'm sure no mỏe problems of the kind. and today, I ứa on the Mekong Delta on 6 diferent modes ò transportation!!!!! By far my fave was the canoe, ưhere i đint have to paddle but got to ưear a viet. cone hat!!!! and then just for sheer amusement, the lounge chairs on a flatbed behing a scooter!!!!!! and got to try elephant fish!
Nơ I'm in Can to city the largest city in the Mekong delta and lôking for some rice ưine. Tried côconut ưine and not á charming or táty as snake ưine...have to try the rice.
xôxoxoxoxoxo

Start RSVPing now

Choy oy, choy oy! I just finished with a Vietnamese cooking class and so glad I did! I made two very delicious dishes and one I can tweak to make perfect.
I started with a banana leaf salad w/pork and shrimp....choy oy choy oy, the flavor combos were phenomenal. Then for dessert it was famous banana soup, again, it was so light and delicious. Finally barbaqued ternderloin steak in lotus leaf, a bit salty for my taste but again can be tweaked. I have the most amazing photos and the trip to the market beforehand was simply divine! I have a pic of an old woman with black teeth smiling happily as she eats fruit skin that our chef said" only old people eat, kinda like shoe leather." I dont know where anyone can find a better cooking class. Now off to lie on the beach and then, wait for it...wait for it...another SLEEPING BUS to Saigon. Good god my lord, let it be the last one.
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Zee Beach

Nha Trang, the Malibu of Vietnam, is where I am presently. Crystal clear, warm, turquoise water is the main draw and the water I'm a big fan of, the town not so much.
Just got back from an island excursion entailing snorkeling around still intact coral reefs with lots of fishies chomping on my pinkies, a floating bar serving to everyone old and young, and a Vietnamese beach spot, with rickety old beach chairs and a rocky shore but very enjoyable to watch older Vietnamese women covered from head to toe being knocked around by the waves but smiling and enjoyng themselves.
Other then the water, the town is super touristy and really caters to the drinking crowds. This is the first town in Vietnam where there are more bars then hotels....I have found one place that has a dark lager, lucky me!
But I think my days in Nha Trang are numbered and I will be leaving tomorrow and onto Saigon.
Happy fourth of July and hope everyone is relaxing with bbq, warm weather, and family/friends!
xoxoxoxxo

Honk if you love me!

And then just honk if you are in any type of vehicle in vietnam because I think for most drivers that is more important than watching the road. Oh good lord, again I was on an overnight bus from Hoi An to Nha Trang. (I had the choice of that or a hard sleeper in a train, which basically means a bed without a mattress) and so went with the bus FOR THE VERY LAST TIME....which while it was on time, no overcrowding, no mad rush for a bed, and no surly bus keepers, the driver honked the entire way from 7 pm at night until 5 in the morning when we arrived. Coupled with the fact that I know it's freaking hot in this country and a bit of a/c is nice inside, but frigid arctic temps on an overnight bus means that I leave the bus like a tramp, wearing all my clothes, shivering, and saying" Eh, what'd you say, " to the taxi drivers because i still can only hear honking.
And now I'm in Nha Trang, the party capital of Vietnam. Not exactly my scene, but I'm sure this means that I will be able to find a party crowd watching the men's Wimbledon final with Nadal (suck it mick!).
Oh, and now for your entertainment, which of the following did I not do yesterday:
1)Have 25 cent light beer
2)Have a heart attack when my hotel said they lost my luggage
3)Drive a motorbike with 2 passengers
4)Get woken up at 6 in the morning by a woman offering to accompany me all day long
5)Get a new tattoo
xoxoxoxoxoxo

zee b-day!

Thank you all for your well wishes! I had a good day; went to the Cama people's ruins in My Son and had the first big guilt trip for being an American since the American's in the 60s bombed the hell out of the area to where there are very few still in tact ruins and then to top that off, my other favorite people, zee French, cut off all of the heads to the statues. And they are all in the Louvre. So my two favorite peeps causing me to have a guilt trip....but then i came back to Hoi An and went for my fittings and for the most part was content. I love that all my clothes have either L or XL labels, cause that's what I am compared to the Vietnamese!

I also was able to navigate quite easily through the market and bargain so, hey i learn! Bravo, pat on the back for me!

I rode around town on a bike too and then met up with the Danes and got to call my lovely parents!!!! Sorry I didnt call anyone else, my dad did hang up on me twice before my mother figured out it was me, so I decided to not call anyone else. I also tried Vietnamese Moonshine!!!!!!! Quite interesting!

xoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxox and next time I will be in Nha Trang.

Seriously Choy Oy deux!!!!

Oh Go GOd my Lord!!! Today was off the charts in the realm of strange!
I have sung karoake now before I'm 30 with a bunch of Vietnamese and My Whitney Houston Song, I wanna dance, became some weird awful song that i still had to sing....and then i had basically everyhair on my body pulled by that little string, gawd under the armpits hurt. I was lost, stuck, handed from one kind female merchant to the next in a vietnamese market place, and i dont know how many people wanted to touch my hair and called me lovely today but i cant count them on my fingers and toes....a very intense day!!!
I started out with the best breakfast of champions, dad you'll have to tell beth, i had the most amazing Banana pancakes and i can't wait to have more!!! then changed hotels from one that i took because i was tired of being on the bus and couldnt be bothered with flagging down a taxi or finding my hotel and then to the one i intended...and they are completely different. i am now in by far one of the most lucurious rooms and hotels for $30. then i went out into the marketplace, which while looking forward to is so intense, thatI definitely know i do not like shopping in Vietnam. It's all about bargaining and i suck, Luisa where are you to help me underbid the owner!!!!! So after i bought my clothes which i will see tomorrow, got lost finding my way back to center of town and ended up in the vientamese market place, and there i stayed for the next 5 hours. It's almost impossible to leave! 5 hours it took me and jesus christ i tried and then they just pull you back in....anything and everything is sold there are more than a million women pulling you every which way, there is no oxygen, it's insane.......!!!!!!!! and then i made it out and i thought i was done, but no! the woman who gave me a manicure this morning who asked me for beers found me and then took me on her automatic bicycle, which was so crazy amazing, but seriously crazy being on the back i have a photo! and then ate and went to karaoke with her friends and had my authentic vietnamese night out; again had amazing food, including clams but had to suffer and smile through light "Tiger" beer and then karoake which after the first song kinda sounded like screeching cats on the fence. Of course, i still kept on my crazy smiling happy to experience this face. but after i sang my non-Whiteney Houston, i wanna dance song, finally had enough.
Good god my lord!!!! is all i can come up with to describe my very intense day. My next two days in Hoi An will definitely not involve more shopping or markets, i am done;)
And wow, I just read through my post and it is not at all eloquent. My apologies but it kinda mirros my day; it was just go..go...go, which by the way is "dee, dee, dee" in Vietnamese.
xoxoxxoxo

do i hear 50 cents?

And yes, I do which is what i paid for tonight's din-din!!! I didnt know what to eat and wasnt super hungry so after walking all over Hoi An got pulled over by these cute young girls who had a sandwich cart. Not only did I get my first oppertunity to sit on the 9 inch by 9 inch perhaps foot high stool that most Vietnamese are so fond of sitting on but I got to have my first Vietnamese sandwich for 50 cents!!!! What you ask is in one? Well it isnt like what I have tried in SF more like a "scooby snack". It had chicken, more lovely bolognie pate, beef pate, fish, and fried pork with a tiny bit of mint, carrots, onion and spicy sauce. I've also discovered that I dont mind raw onions in a sandwich when it only costs 50 cents.

xoxoxoxoxo

Choy oy!!!!

Choy oy, for all y'all who dont speak Vietnamese, means OMG! and that is how i feel tonight. (I also learned from a Florida Jew who was teaching me sayings, that you say it with the same tone you'd say "Oy vay" and since both are very amusing to say, I'll probably start using them interchangably. I'm in Hue this evening, a lovely historical town of emperors and buddists. Anyways, I need to backtrek a bit because so much time has passed since last time I got to chat at all of you.
Ha long bay is where we left off and as expectations go; i've been told by many that one shouldnt have them because then they're up for disappointment. Needless to say, this is the one of 2 places where I have expectations because the pics of Ha Long Bay made me fall in love with going to Vietnam and Hoi An, well I'm expecting some fierce seamstresses there.
Ha long bay, and there is a drum roll going on in my head, well it was FABULOUS! It was so incredibly stunning, peaceful and relaxing. The junks, which were basically well outfitted houseboats, didnt sway as they glided through the green water. We stopped in a cave, which was the biggest cave I've ever been in, kayaked around, and then I Jumped off the roof. I will say it was about 5 meters, which translates into like 20 feet give or take;). All of this, while you were on a quick schedule, still was very relaxing and the kayaking and laying on the deck chairs on the roof was very leisurely. Next day, I went to CAt Ba island in Ha Long Bay where they said a trek...and I'm thinking this is a tour and yesterday was easy, today will be the same. Well think, Climbing for example to Upper Yosemite Falls (Dad at least you will remember this and understand) in 105 degree humid weather without any stops and it's all uphill. I did it, and i have a pic of me smiling at the top, but I thought I would pass out....then because I didnt want to fall off the mountain and die without some sort of witness, went down with these adorable danish boys. And yay, I didnt die!!!
After that, I tried my first exotic delicacy, snake infused moonshine! It even comes out in this sophiticated little "schnopsy" glass. Next day, came back to Hanoi and took the overnight bed bus.....a guy told me that it would be strange and that is a VERY apt term for it. I have pics...which will do better then me describing but still think perhaps 30 beds and then think 50 people in the bus. I luckily had a bed, but then there were mainly Vietnamese lying on the floor between all the beds.
Anyways, I made it to Hue and was met at the bus with my first ever sign with only my name on it!!!! and for the first time in Vietnam a chauffered air conditioned luxury car that took me to my hotel...I am livin very large here;) I then had two very "interesting" experiences with hiring a motorbike for a couple of hours, which unfortunately turned into more than i thought as well as one of those seated in the front of a bike hire...i have to remind myself that when someone takes advantage of me, it's not for more then 5-10 dollars, which i dont sweat. I just get annoyed at being taken advantage of...but then i calm down and try again. Fortunatly, like the case of tonight for the motorbike i rented for tomorrow morning...I got a good deal, which I'm happy about and everything that I want to do is written on my ticket, which should take care of any weird additional prices while on the tour. See, I'm a quick learner!
After that, I'll take a short busride to Hoi An and hopefully meet up with the Danish guys again who have computers and headsets; so for those who i owe a call to, mainly mom and dad I will be calling hopefully tomorrow or the next day.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Off to Ha Long bay

I leave this morning so the next time I will be contact with a computer is in a couple days I think. However, I could be surprised. In the marble moutains yesterday on the side of cliffs, there were working tvs in tiny shantys...so if they can get electricity and cable there, why not on a boat?:)
I had an ostrich steak, which cooked so nicely, very tender and nice flaverful...one of my goals when i return is to learn how to really properly grill everything, so that it's moist and tender.(No I dont want barbqs for my b-day when i get back! I will cook with Matt and Rosana, and for people like Mick and then I will be a proper meat cook.)
xoxoxoxoxoxox

bee-utiful!

Oh my gawd, did I have an exquisite day today. took a tour to the Perfume Pagoda, the buddhist temples in the marble mountains of Vietnam. these temples rival the best cathedrals in Europe, in that they are just as awe-inspiring. Next time I come, I'm not going to wear my little shorts outfit:) We took a row boat, which was rown by a woman, down a river and then walked up to the first temple. Then a beautiful cable car ride up the moutain to a temple in a cave, with real bats!!!!, and then walked down the mountain to the first temple for lunch. If I get to do Vietnam again, I think I'll stick to the country side because it's so beautiful and so peaceful. Anyways, not I'm off to get a dark beer with my *new* irish and scottish friends I met on the tour and they're taking me to where I can get dark beer!!!!!! I'm so excited....so maybe I wont spend all my time in the coutryside on a future visit because I wont be able to get dark beer.

I'm in love...

Well on my first full day on land, I had a very producive day. For the most part, the heat isnt that bad...until I get angry and then it's intolerable and i did get angry today.
I got up with the roosters and was out walking around Hoem Lake and falling in love....with vietnamese coffee w/out condensed milk. It doesnt need it. it's so dark and rich without being bitter. It's delish. Then I decided to familiarize myself with walking through the hords of scooters and cars...there are no rules and it seems to me more congested than the nazi bicyclists in amsterdam who would run you down if you dared step in their path. I got the hang of it though and so then decided to see how hopping on the back of scooters was. Fabulous except for some gross, dirty old men that try and take advantage of you and then proposition you with nasty stuff. (That's when I got angry today and proceeded to swear for a couple of blocks before I calmed down)
Anyways, went to some temples and then ate fabulous assortment of spring rolls at a chic restaurant that is a work study program for troubled youth. They accept over 200 kids a year to learn english, hospitality, and life skills. Then it was off to a 4 handed massage and that was quite interesting. While some parts were good; I'm not sure if i got the female version of the "happy ending" since for the first time in my life my chest was massaged. It was two woman, but still a bit odd. I ended the day with a trip to a cathedral, including a smiling pic of the pope, and a water puppet show, where there were naked dirty old men puppets that chased around girls w/out tops. It is supposedly for kids...very dark and truthful telling of female/male relations.
Both were better than my first Viet. beer, Bien ba, as it's called, was so light....dunh dunh dunh, there is no dark beer from what i can tell. Good god, my lord, what am i going to do? and there is no Kombucha!!!!
xoxoxoxo
I'm now going to try and figure out how to post some pics. So far I dont see anything on this page, which would allow me to upload.

Proper Word or Two

My nap turned into 6 hours, so it's 11:30 pm here and I figured instead of getting dinner; I would write y'all. First off, I have not taken a pic yet. So tomorrow on my first day of foot travel, I will take many and finally try my hand at uploading them.
Second, I'm actually not a huge fan of congee. My shrimp spring rolls I had today for lunch were so much better (there was even a bit of bolognie pate inside, so French!)
Thirdly, I have gotten lots of questions centered on my ethnicity. When I say I'm american, then think I'm lying. "But Americans dont have curly hair", so I will start making up a new ethnicity for myself. Since Rosana doesn't have curly hair, I cant be brazillian. So I might have to go with Irish, a la Riverdancians because they all have curly hair.
Finally, I hear I missed out on the Guiness Book of REcords for the longest flight time or time in transit...and that is a shame. Because freaking christ, i dont think you would find someone who complained less due to the delays, couldnt have been happier to sleep on the floor of an airport in Taiwan, and was generally just out of it towards the end....but that state of spacy euphoria will probably never happen again. Next time, I will be a hot mess demanding where is my dark coffee, why are there so many screaming babies on this flight am I on a little country bumpkin bus, and who drank all the bad light beer on board?
xoxoxox

Good God, My Lord

After nearly 40 hours in either airplanes of airports, I'm finally in a hotel in Hanoi and am ready to take a nap again but in a bed!!!!!!!!! And yes, when we touched down in Saigon earlier today and even knowing I still had one more plane ahead of me, I was so excited; couldn't wipe a silly grin off my face.Ok, nap then dinner, then a proper word or two.
xoxoxox

Pay Close Attention to Children and the Elderly!

I tried congee!!!! So my flight to Ho Chi Minh was cancelled and I have had the grand pleasure of hanging out in the Hong Kong Airport! My flight for Taipei, I'm living Gaga's dream by going to Taiwan, leaves at midnight and then will take a plane from there to Saigon, just making my flight to Hanoi....if no more cancellations.
Surprise surprise, no one has curly hair here. Oh and congee is a savory soup that is in between malt o'meal and cream of what with chicken on the bone dropped in. So I got to try more of my ever so delicate chop sticking slimy meat, chewing off the meat in my mouth and then spitting the bone back into my bowl; I think I do it extrememly well for someone with curly hair.
xoxoxoxoxo

Leaving tomorrow

I think my blog is set up. can y'all read this?