Asia Trip - LONG READ
I am back from Asia!!! Well, I've been back for a few months, but you know how it is. Be prepared !! This is a long entry !!
December 25th - LAX Airport: Cathay Airlines
The damn airport was flooded with people on Christmas day. I couldn't believe it. It was 8PM and there were a load of people getting ready to leave. I thought only bachelors like us would travel on the actual holiday, but I was so wrong. We finally got our baggages scanned and checked by 10PM. Our flight was to take off at midnight so I walked around the airport for a bit. Security sure has gotten a lot tighter, but I can see a few loop holes. I guess it's the criminal in me HAHAHA
December 26th - Hong Kong
We arrived in Hong Kong after a 13 hour flight. I couldn't remember what time it was, but I was wired since I slept pretty well on the plane. I would have to say that HK International Airport is one of the nicest airport I've ever been in. It's HUGE !!! The restrooms are clean (I found out after the trip that it's only cleaner inside the departure area. The restroom in the common areas weren't as nice, but that's expected). We also met this girl on the plane, but I didn't sit next to her so I didn't talk to her. One of the guys traveling with us sat next to her so he got her contact information while she was in Asia.
Off to the connecting flight's terminal - So we got our connecting flight's boarding passes and headed out to the waiting area. I bought a book since I knew we were going to be sitting around for a while. Yes, I know I should have bought the book while I was home, but hell, I didn't think about it - mistake. Tom Clancy's Everyman a Tiger was to be my friend for a good duration of the trip.
Bangkok, Thailand
We arrived in Bangkok and headed out to pick up our baggages for our connecting flight to Phuket. Damn....I was tired. It was such a blurr, but I remember smelling BBQ duck and standing around in Bangkok International Airport while the ladyboys walked by....ewww.
Phuket, Thailand
The city is beautiful. The view of the island and the ocean from the plane is one to kill for. I have pictures, but I still need to gather them all from everyone and resize them before I post them up.
We got to our hotel after an attempted hijacking. Our cab driver drove us to his office so he can check-in. YEAH RIGHT!! This was a straight up AMBUSH. These two women came out and tried to sell us tours to some island amongst other things. Some stupid gay guy was hitting on me while the ladies were hustling my friends GRRRR. Once they realized we weren't going to buy anything the guy came out and drove us to our hotel.
Our hotel overlooked the entire strip on Phuket beach. But we were tired after all those flights and smelled like crap so we unpacked and showered. By 6PM we were ready to party....actually to eat...HAHA
Thai food in Thailand is obviously different from what we have here. It was 1000% better, if there's such a thing. We ate so much, and the bill was less than $10 a person. Yeap. I am starting to love my trip already.
After eating we went around checking out the local bars. I've never seen so many Brits and Aussies before in my life. Then again, I've never been to England or Australia. What's funny is that you would see an older Brit or Aussie walking around with young Thai women. OK, not funny, but it's a common thing over there.
We checked out various places. All the bars were filled with tourists. Funny how all the Thai people thought we were from Singapore. We all told them we were from Vietnam instead...HAHAHA The bars were actually pretty boring....unfortunately.
And now it was time to get massages. Man, my girl was talented. She knew exactly where to hit me. Too bad she was inexperienced so she had a hard time cracking my back. She said it was too stiff and she couldn't bend me HAHAHA
After the massage I really didn't have the knack to do anything else so I went back to the hotel. I slept so well that night.
BREAKFAST - fresh pineapple juice, fresh everything else.....Off to the beach we go. We walked around and got some lunch. Again, we over-ate and found ourselves in food comas. We checked out the local shops - RIP OFFs - and headed out to the beach. The water was very nice and clean. They also had some volleyball tournament there as well, and of course we saw another ladyboy LOL. All that walking made us tired, so we went and got more massages HAHAHA.....Unfortunately our massages were so good we all fell asleep around 7PM and woke up around 4AM. Dammit !!! Wasted 1 night in Phuket.
Bangkok, Thailand - Blah
There's nothing to do in Bangkok besides the bars. OK. I lied. We went to the riverboat tour around the city and saw some interesting stuff. But besides that we spent a lot of our time in the redlight district at the bars....HAHAHA. I was careful not to touch anything there since I know where they've been !!!
Saigon, Vietnam Dec. 31st
My friends went back last year and met up with this Australian dude and he just happened to be back again so he picked us up at the airport. Unfortunately our flight was delayed for 3 hours and we landed at 8PM instead of 5 PM. It was NEW YEAR'S EVE! There were scooters ALL OVER the place. I've never seen so many people out and about in the entire city....LOL. It was so insane. There were families just out riding around town for fun or whatever reasons....but they sure packed up on those scooters. Did I mention it was hella hot and humid?
We checked into our hotels and took care of business. I showered and got ready to go out. It was too damn hot and humid.....I was sweaty after my shower. DAMMIT !!!
The restaurant we ate at was decent. I had wild boar for the first time in my life, and so far it tasted like BBQ pork HAHAHA. Overall I wasn't impressed, but hell, it was our first night there so I couldn't really complain too much. Not to mention that all the food set us back like $70, and there were 10 of us eating. I mean, that was a ton of food. Supposedly that was expensive, but what the hell do I know?
The first club we went to was somewhat dead because it was close to midnight. There's one thing about Asia that I don't like is that all the legit places close down at midnight. Dammit all !!! We headed back to the hotel and hung out there instead. I was actually exhausted so I went to bed. Some of the other guys went out to look for some action, and some action they found. I wasn't exactly in the mood for that type of company, and that's just not my thing so I stayed in my room and slept, only to be disturbed an hour later. One of the Aussie girls snuck in my room and wanted to sleep with us. How lame is that? It's bad enough that they didn't have the double beds available so I have to share a queen size bed with my friend Allan, and now I have to let this little girl sleep with us? What the hell? Also, she's only 16 so no ideas in that dirty head. Blah, she slept in the middle and almost pushed me off. Damn her !!! She tried to do that the following night too, but we got our room with double beds and I also didn't let her in when I heard her knock HAHAHA
Jan 1st, 2006
I started out my day with fresh squeezed Orange Juice for breakfast followed by a lunch that would be the envy of some people. I had rice with a prawn larger than my hand. I think the thing rivals the size of a small lobster. Amongst the lunch was a nice sour soup, porkchop, assorted veggies, and a winter mellon drink. Damn, I was stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey. Yeah, I had to roll out of that place because walking was just an impossibility.
After lunch we went straight for the coffee shop. This is where you can pick up chicks !!! HAHAHAHA I wasn't exactly an angel you know? Well, there were a few there, but they didn't really spark my interest. One girl winked at me while I was walking in and out, and like the snoob I am I smiled and kept on walking HAHAHA. Later I found out she was friends with one of the girls I would meet a week from that day who just happen to be from Philly. Confused?
Sooooo....now I don't remember what the hell we did. Oh yeah, we went around shopping for random crap. The day was much of a blur since we just lounged around and ate almost everything in sight. Holy shit, did I really forget the second night in Saigon? What the hell? Oh yeah, we went to sing Karaoke at this "bar". Funny thing is that the system never came on...hehe. That was the first time I've seen a girl on girl show on the table while showered in beer. Yeap...good times.
Soo...that was the night....we went back to the hotel. I passed out while the other guys had some fun. Morning gave me a repeat of fresh squeezed OJ along with some other goodies. We met up with these girls my friend knew from the previous year he came back. Had more coffee after a lunch....went back to the hotel to chill for a while before we headed out for some partying.
The club was packed! I ran into people I knew back from the Cal State Fullerton days. It is a small world indeed. I mean, who would have thought I would run into people I know in Vietnam? Geez. Well, two bottles after the fact showed me that I really should slow down on the cognac, or maybe I should have drank more since I was still able to keep track of the drinks. So I pretty much went back to the hotel to pass out while my friends were entertaining “guests”.
Following that night I think it was pretty much the same. We would wake up in the late morning or early afternoon, go have lunch, coffee, pick up girls, go back to hotel and do whatever, then head to the clubs when night falls.
Jan 3rd, 2006
Nha Trang here we come !!! Well, the car broke down along the way and we had to make a short stop, but it was only like 10 minutes and it was a nice break from the long drive. Our driver was very knowledgeable in terms of where to go to eat. Of course, he was getting kick backs from these places so he would definitely know where to go.
Our dinner was at this restaurant along the way in Phang Rang. I swear they put crack in the seafood because I still have cravings for it even to this very day. The crab was larger than both my hands put together. Our fish was so big that they were able to turn it into 3 dishes, and those dishes kicked ass mind you. The calamari was fresh along with everything else we ordered. The bill….was $60…HAHAHA….what would have cost $200-$300 here in the US…..damn.
We got to Nha Trang around 7PM or so. Of course we were somewhat dead tired, but we made it out to the clubs after all. I wasn’t exactly impressed with the female population, but hey….I wasn’t exactly looking for anything either. It was just an observation. My friends, though, had a lot of fun with the locals….more on that later.
So our first night composed of visiting the bars next to our hotel. Fun, but somewhat exhausting since we had an 8 hour drive for the day. Of course, I woke up happy because I basically passed out from all the drinking.
Second day in Nha Trang was slower paced. We went out to have a late breakfast followed by a visit to the beaches. I haven’t been to Hawaii, but these beaches are even better than Phuket by far. We actually had a sitting area where in Phuket we wandered for some time before locating a seat. The day sure passes by a lot slower than normal, but I suppose this is what happens when you sit around not doing a damn thing. I bought a few trinkets from the ladies walking around the beach trying to make a small amount of change.
The afternoon rolls along so we did the only sensible thing left to do. We all went to get massages. For $7 I went to this strange steam room, sauna, shower, and a long 1 hour massage. Yeap, I think it’s about nap time so I went back to our hotel to take a nap. The weather was too nice so I decided to hang out on the balcony and continued reading my book.
Night time rolls along and we were off to the clubs again, but this time it was a bit different since this club catered more to tourists. Of course, a fight broke out since this club was known for having fights….HAHAHA. Some Aussie was trash talking and apparently the Russian dude did not appreciate the comments.
I got bored so I went home early….around 1AM or so….passed out.
Jan 4th 2006
I woke up around 8am or so and had breakfast at the place right next door. I just love the fish with tomato sauce. I mean, what else can a guy ask for? I love tomatoes!! Yeah, I know that people don’t usually eat this stuff for breakfast, but sue me, I am on vacation.
We had an island tour scheduled for the morning so off we went. The tour started out ok. Nothing fancy besides a few islands and beautiful beaches. I went out and rented a jet ski on the main island for some aquatic fun. Riding that thing made me realize that I really have to get my bike fixed when I get back to the US…hehehe
Once my session was up I went back to the resting area we scoped out and took a nap. Nothing beats this….until I heard screaming and woke up. Apparently one of my friends allowed his girl to ride the jet ski, and she crashed it. Yeap. Needless to say the owners tried to rape us with a 20mil repair bill. 100 USD = 1.5 mil VND. You do the math. Naturally we told him to go to hell and said that 1.5 mil is all we have with us. He didn’t like that answer so we took off to avoid trouble, but before we left his boss called him and told him to take the offer. Soo…..we went back to the hotel to pay the asshole.
2 hours later the “boss” returned with more of his goons and demanded we pay him more money to save him some face. Shit. I don’t need this BS while on vacation. So yeah, we gave him some more money….and took off the next morning. Way to ruin a trip. At least we did most of the things we planned to do in Nha Trang.
Jan 5th 2006
Back to Saigon……..
We arrived back at our hotel at night and checked in……got ready…and headed back out to the clubs….HAHAHA
Lots of drinking later I woke up with a semi-headache…
Jan 6th 2006
I wanted to check out my old home in Saigon so I took a separate trip from the fellas. I did not realize how close it was to the hotel until I got there. Geez. Lots of things have changed since I left, and for obvious reasons. The walkway was paved, and my old home was demolished somewhat. I guess the new owners wanted a bigger house so they remodeled it into a 3 story home. Oh well.
My old elementary school was still there. I wanted to go inside to my old classrooms to take pictures, but the damn guard didn’t want to let me in. WTF? Geez. It’s not like school was in session at the time. I told him I’ve been away from this place for almost 19 years, but the guy didn’t budge. Oh well.
Jan 7th 2006
More eating and clubbing…..
Jan 8th 2006
HONG KONG !!! Not everyone is a movie star.
We got to HK in the afternoon, but something was amidst. I was wearing shorts and a T-Shirt because it was scorching hot in Vietnam. Well, people around me on the plane were bundling up with scarves and coats….so yeap…I thought I was totally screwed. Just as I suspected, I was definitely under-dressed for the weather. I made a quick trip to the restrooms to slap on some jeans and a sweater….AHHH…much better.
Of all the airports I landed in I would have to say that HK International was the best airport. It was so convenient. Surf and I took the train that was in the airport all the way to the main island…grabbed a cab…and boom…hotel.
After a quick shower and change….we headed out to the bars in HK. We actually went around Time Square instead trying to find some place to eat. Stupid me….we ate at a Japanese restaurant….hahahaha. So yeah, the rest of the night was more wandering around until we stumbled on this bar. I swear I was back in the US again in this bar. There were tons of “working” girls and a bunch of old Caucasian men trying to hook up with them….hahahaha
If you’re wondering….I didn’t go home with any of them….yuck.
Jan 9th 2006
Today we’re going to Kowloon for Stanley Market, Victoria’s Peak, and some more drinking….HAHAHAHA
Victoria’s Peak was pretty cool, but it was rather foggy so we weren’t able to enjoy the view as much as we’d like. I think they were in the middle of building this sophisticated tram system because there were engineers and the likes all over the place. The construction crew and the half built railings were also a dead give-away HAHAHA.
Next up was Fisherman’s Village or something. We took a boat out and cruised the harbor. I really wanted to eat at the floating restaurant, but we didn’t have enough time. Bummer! The boat people were rather interesting, though. I remember that they were featured in some movie, but my memory escaped me then…and now as I type this log.
We made quick stop at some jewelry factory. This girl was asking all sorts of questions because I just happened to be looking at rings. She was pretty cute actually, but she had a solitaire diamond ring on her wedding finger…hehehe….when I asked she said she’s not married, but she likes to wear jewelry so that’s why the ring is there. Right…..
Stanley Market is where we spent most of our time. Surf and I bargained away for different trinkets just for fun. I finally was able to eat my fish ball on a stick while we walked around. Man….Surf is a cool guy….I just wish he would lighten up on food sometimes. You see….I love to eat. I try different types of food everywhere I go. Hong Kong was the place for all sorts of street vendors I want to try. Yeah, most people would think it’s disgusting, but I was originally from Vietnam…where food from street vendors is the best thing you can get while walking around at night.
Night falls…so we headed back to the hotel to get ready to go out. We took this shuttle they had, and while we were talking this girl asked us where we were from. Interestingly enough, she just came back from San Francisco where she was visiting her brother. Small world? Well, the guy sitting behind her started talking to us. He was from Orange County !!!!!!!!!!! What the hell? He married an ABC (American Born Chinese) Chinese wife and moved to China so they can teach English. WOW !!! So yeah…that was a fun-filled bus drive.
Vickie (the girl on the shuttle) told us where we can go for the night life. Surf and I were excited enough, but excitement died down because that area was like how it was back home. Bleh.
Jan 10th 2006
I am going home today!!!
Since our flight was leaving at 8PM we decided to take another tour of HK. We went out to the Ladies Market in Kowloon and ended up at this huge shopping mall. Also, I don’t have to say this since most people already know, but I’ll say it anyway…”HK is a HUGE shopping center connected by walkways.” I swear, I walk into another mall while trying to walk out of a mall. It’s nuts!!!
The ferry ride back was pretty cool. We got to see the other side of HK harbor amongst other things…
HOME !!!!
I know I left out a few things, but most are private things hehehe or I simply forgot because it’s April and I am finally finishing up this entry. Overall, it was an experience to remember. I’ll definitely do this again next year with more focus on one location instead of multiple areas. This was my first time back in Asia since I left in 1986 so I had to try out the variety….
OK…..now to write about my trip to see my brother in South Carolina back in March hahahahaha
December 25th - LAX Airport: Cathay Airlines
The damn airport was flooded with people on Christmas day. I couldn't believe it. It was 8PM and there were a load of people getting ready to leave. I thought only bachelors like us would travel on the actual holiday, but I was so wrong. We finally got our baggages scanned and checked by 10PM. Our flight was to take off at midnight so I walked around the airport for a bit. Security sure has gotten a lot tighter, but I can see a few loop holes. I guess it's the criminal in me HAHAHA
December 26th - Hong Kong
We arrived in Hong Kong after a 13 hour flight. I couldn't remember what time it was, but I was wired since I slept pretty well on the plane. I would have to say that HK International Airport is one of the nicest airport I've ever been in. It's HUGE !!! The restrooms are clean (I found out after the trip that it's only cleaner inside the departure area. The restroom in the common areas weren't as nice, but that's expected). We also met this girl on the plane, but I didn't sit next to her so I didn't talk to her. One of the guys traveling with us sat next to her so he got her contact information while she was in Asia.
Off to the connecting flight's terminal - So we got our connecting flight's boarding passes and headed out to the waiting area. I bought a book since I knew we were going to be sitting around for a while. Yes, I know I should have bought the book while I was home, but hell, I didn't think about it - mistake. Tom Clancy's Everyman a Tiger was to be my friend for a good duration of the trip.
Bangkok, Thailand
We arrived in Bangkok and headed out to pick up our baggages for our connecting flight to Phuket. Damn....I was tired. It was such a blurr, but I remember smelling BBQ duck and standing around in Bangkok International Airport while the ladyboys walked by....ewww.
Phuket, Thailand
The city is beautiful. The view of the island and the ocean from the plane is one to kill for. I have pictures, but I still need to gather them all from everyone and resize them before I post them up.
We got to our hotel after an attempted hijacking. Our cab driver drove us to his office so he can check-in. YEAH RIGHT!! This was a straight up AMBUSH. These two women came out and tried to sell us tours to some island amongst other things. Some stupid gay guy was hitting on me while the ladies were hustling my friends GRRRR. Once they realized we weren't going to buy anything the guy came out and drove us to our hotel.
Our hotel overlooked the entire strip on Phuket beach. But we were tired after all those flights and smelled like crap so we unpacked and showered. By 6PM we were ready to party....actually to eat...HAHA
Thai food in Thailand is obviously different from what we have here. It was 1000% better, if there's such a thing. We ate so much, and the bill was less than $10 a person. Yeap. I am starting to love my trip already.
After eating we went around checking out the local bars. I've never seen so many Brits and Aussies before in my life. Then again, I've never been to England or Australia. What's funny is that you would see an older Brit or Aussie walking around with young Thai women. OK, not funny, but it's a common thing over there.
We checked out various places. All the bars were filled with tourists. Funny how all the Thai people thought we were from Singapore. We all told them we were from Vietnam instead...HAHAHA The bars were actually pretty boring....unfortunately.
And now it was time to get massages. Man, my girl was talented. She knew exactly where to hit me. Too bad she was inexperienced so she had a hard time cracking my back. She said it was too stiff and she couldn't bend me HAHAHA
After the massage I really didn't have the knack to do anything else so I went back to the hotel. I slept so well that night.
BREAKFAST - fresh pineapple juice, fresh everything else.....Off to the beach we go. We walked around and got some lunch. Again, we over-ate and found ourselves in food comas. We checked out the local shops - RIP OFFs - and headed out to the beach. The water was very nice and clean. They also had some volleyball tournament there as well, and of course we saw another ladyboy LOL. All that walking made us tired, so we went and got more massages HAHAHA.....Unfortunately our massages were so good we all fell asleep around 7PM and woke up around 4AM. Dammit !!! Wasted 1 night in Phuket.
Bangkok, Thailand - Blah
There's nothing to do in Bangkok besides the bars. OK. I lied. We went to the riverboat tour around the city and saw some interesting stuff. But besides that we spent a lot of our time in the redlight district at the bars....HAHAHA. I was careful not to touch anything there since I know where they've been !!!
Saigon, Vietnam Dec. 31st
My friends went back last year and met up with this Australian dude and he just happened to be back again so he picked us up at the airport. Unfortunately our flight was delayed for 3 hours and we landed at 8PM instead of 5 PM. It was NEW YEAR'S EVE! There were scooters ALL OVER the place. I've never seen so many people out and about in the entire city....LOL. It was so insane. There were families just out riding around town for fun or whatever reasons....but they sure packed up on those scooters. Did I mention it was hella hot and humid?
We checked into our hotels and took care of business. I showered and got ready to go out. It was too damn hot and humid.....I was sweaty after my shower. DAMMIT !!!
The restaurant we ate at was decent. I had wild boar for the first time in my life, and so far it tasted like BBQ pork HAHAHA. Overall I wasn't impressed, but hell, it was our first night there so I couldn't really complain too much. Not to mention that all the food set us back like $70, and there were 10 of us eating. I mean, that was a ton of food. Supposedly that was expensive, but what the hell do I know?
The first club we went to was somewhat dead because it was close to midnight. There's one thing about Asia that I don't like is that all the legit places close down at midnight. Dammit all !!! We headed back to the hotel and hung out there instead. I was actually exhausted so I went to bed. Some of the other guys went out to look for some action, and some action they found. I wasn't exactly in the mood for that type of company, and that's just not my thing so I stayed in my room and slept, only to be disturbed an hour later. One of the Aussie girls snuck in my room and wanted to sleep with us. How lame is that? It's bad enough that they didn't have the double beds available so I have to share a queen size bed with my friend Allan, and now I have to let this little girl sleep with us? What the hell? Also, she's only 16 so no ideas in that dirty head. Blah, she slept in the middle and almost pushed me off. Damn her !!! She tried to do that the following night too, but we got our room with double beds and I also didn't let her in when I heard her knock HAHAHA
Jan 1st, 2006
I started out my day with fresh squeezed Orange Juice for breakfast followed by a lunch that would be the envy of some people. I had rice with a prawn larger than my hand. I think the thing rivals the size of a small lobster. Amongst the lunch was a nice sour soup, porkchop, assorted veggies, and a winter mellon drink. Damn, I was stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey. Yeah, I had to roll out of that place because walking was just an impossibility.
After lunch we went straight for the coffee shop. This is where you can pick up chicks !!! HAHAHAHA I wasn't exactly an angel you know? Well, there were a few there, but they didn't really spark my interest. One girl winked at me while I was walking in and out, and like the snoob I am I smiled and kept on walking HAHAHA. Later I found out she was friends with one of the girls I would meet a week from that day who just happen to be from Philly. Confused?
Sooooo....now I don't remember what the hell we did. Oh yeah, we went around shopping for random crap. The day was much of a blur since we just lounged around and ate almost everything in sight. Holy shit, did I really forget the second night in Saigon? What the hell? Oh yeah, we went to sing Karaoke at this "bar". Funny thing is that the system never came on...hehe. That was the first time I've seen a girl on girl show on the table while showered in beer. Yeap...good times.
Soo...that was the night....we went back to the hotel. I passed out while the other guys had some fun. Morning gave me a repeat of fresh squeezed OJ along with some other goodies. We met up with these girls my friend knew from the previous year he came back. Had more coffee after a lunch....went back to the hotel to chill for a while before we headed out for some partying.
The club was packed! I ran into people I knew back from the Cal State Fullerton days. It is a small world indeed. I mean, who would have thought I would run into people I know in Vietnam? Geez. Well, two bottles after the fact showed me that I really should slow down on the cognac, or maybe I should have drank more since I was still able to keep track of the drinks. So I pretty much went back to the hotel to pass out while my friends were entertaining “guests”.
Following that night I think it was pretty much the same. We would wake up in the late morning or early afternoon, go have lunch, coffee, pick up girls, go back to hotel and do whatever, then head to the clubs when night falls.
Jan 3rd, 2006
Nha Trang here we come !!! Well, the car broke down along the way and we had to make a short stop, but it was only like 10 minutes and it was a nice break from the long drive. Our driver was very knowledgeable in terms of where to go to eat. Of course, he was getting kick backs from these places so he would definitely know where to go.
Our dinner was at this restaurant along the way in Phang Rang. I swear they put crack in the seafood because I still have cravings for it even to this very day. The crab was larger than both my hands put together. Our fish was so big that they were able to turn it into 3 dishes, and those dishes kicked ass mind you. The calamari was fresh along with everything else we ordered. The bill….was $60…HAHAHA….what would have cost $200-$300 here in the US…..damn.
We got to Nha Trang around 7PM or so. Of course we were somewhat dead tired, but we made it out to the clubs after all. I wasn’t exactly impressed with the female population, but hey….I wasn’t exactly looking for anything either. It was just an observation. My friends, though, had a lot of fun with the locals….more on that later.
So our first night composed of visiting the bars next to our hotel. Fun, but somewhat exhausting since we had an 8 hour drive for the day. Of course, I woke up happy because I basically passed out from all the drinking.
Second day in Nha Trang was slower paced. We went out to have a late breakfast followed by a visit to the beaches. I haven’t been to Hawaii, but these beaches are even better than Phuket by far. We actually had a sitting area where in Phuket we wandered for some time before locating a seat. The day sure passes by a lot slower than normal, but I suppose this is what happens when you sit around not doing a damn thing. I bought a few trinkets from the ladies walking around the beach trying to make a small amount of change.
The afternoon rolls along so we did the only sensible thing left to do. We all went to get massages. For $7 I went to this strange steam room, sauna, shower, and a long 1 hour massage. Yeap, I think it’s about nap time so I went back to our hotel to take a nap. The weather was too nice so I decided to hang out on the balcony and continued reading my book.
Night time rolls along and we were off to the clubs again, but this time it was a bit different since this club catered more to tourists. Of course, a fight broke out since this club was known for having fights….HAHAHA. Some Aussie was trash talking and apparently the Russian dude did not appreciate the comments.
I got bored so I went home early….around 1AM or so….passed out.
Jan 4th 2006
I woke up around 8am or so and had breakfast at the place right next door. I just love the fish with tomato sauce. I mean, what else can a guy ask for? I love tomatoes!! Yeah, I know that people don’t usually eat this stuff for breakfast, but sue me, I am on vacation.
We had an island tour scheduled for the morning so off we went. The tour started out ok. Nothing fancy besides a few islands and beautiful beaches. I went out and rented a jet ski on the main island for some aquatic fun. Riding that thing made me realize that I really have to get my bike fixed when I get back to the US…hehehe
Once my session was up I went back to the resting area we scoped out and took a nap. Nothing beats this….until I heard screaming and woke up. Apparently one of my friends allowed his girl to ride the jet ski, and she crashed it. Yeap. Needless to say the owners tried to rape us with a 20mil repair bill. 100 USD = 1.5 mil VND. You do the math. Naturally we told him to go to hell and said that 1.5 mil is all we have with us. He didn’t like that answer so we took off to avoid trouble, but before we left his boss called him and told him to take the offer. Soo…..we went back to the hotel to pay the asshole.
2 hours later the “boss” returned with more of his goons and demanded we pay him more money to save him some face. Shit. I don’t need this BS while on vacation. So yeah, we gave him some more money….and took off the next morning. Way to ruin a trip. At least we did most of the things we planned to do in Nha Trang.
Jan 5th 2006
Back to Saigon……..
We arrived back at our hotel at night and checked in……got ready…and headed back out to the clubs….HAHAHA
Lots of drinking later I woke up with a semi-headache…
Jan 6th 2006
I wanted to check out my old home in Saigon so I took a separate trip from the fellas. I did not realize how close it was to the hotel until I got there. Geez. Lots of things have changed since I left, and for obvious reasons. The walkway was paved, and my old home was demolished somewhat. I guess the new owners wanted a bigger house so they remodeled it into a 3 story home. Oh well.
My old elementary school was still there. I wanted to go inside to my old classrooms to take pictures, but the damn guard didn’t want to let me in. WTF? Geez. It’s not like school was in session at the time. I told him I’ve been away from this place for almost 19 years, but the guy didn’t budge. Oh well.
Jan 7th 2006
More eating and clubbing…..
Jan 8th 2006
HONG KONG !!! Not everyone is a movie star.
We got to HK in the afternoon, but something was amidst. I was wearing shorts and a T-Shirt because it was scorching hot in Vietnam. Well, people around me on the plane were bundling up with scarves and coats….so yeap…I thought I was totally screwed. Just as I suspected, I was definitely under-dressed for the weather. I made a quick trip to the restrooms to slap on some jeans and a sweater….AHHH…much better.
Of all the airports I landed in I would have to say that HK International was the best airport. It was so convenient. Surf and I took the train that was in the airport all the way to the main island…grabbed a cab…and boom…hotel.
After a quick shower and change….we headed out to the bars in HK. We actually went around Time Square instead trying to find some place to eat. Stupid me….we ate at a Japanese restaurant….hahahaha. So yeah, the rest of the night was more wandering around until we stumbled on this bar. I swear I was back in the US again in this bar. There were tons of “working” girls and a bunch of old Caucasian men trying to hook up with them….hahahaha
If you’re wondering….I didn’t go home with any of them….yuck.
Jan 9th 2006
Today we’re going to Kowloon for Stanley Market, Victoria’s Peak, and some more drinking….HAHAHAHA
Victoria’s Peak was pretty cool, but it was rather foggy so we weren’t able to enjoy the view as much as we’d like. I think they were in the middle of building this sophisticated tram system because there were engineers and the likes all over the place. The construction crew and the half built railings were also a dead give-away HAHAHA.
Next up was Fisherman’s Village or something. We took a boat out and cruised the harbor. I really wanted to eat at the floating restaurant, but we didn’t have enough time. Bummer! The boat people were rather interesting, though. I remember that they were featured in some movie, but my memory escaped me then…and now as I type this log.
We made quick stop at some jewelry factory. This girl was asking all sorts of questions because I just happened to be looking at rings. She was pretty cute actually, but she had a solitaire diamond ring on her wedding finger…hehehe….when I asked she said she’s not married, but she likes to wear jewelry so that’s why the ring is there. Right…..
Stanley Market is where we spent most of our time. Surf and I bargained away for different trinkets just for fun. I finally was able to eat my fish ball on a stick while we walked around. Man….Surf is a cool guy….I just wish he would lighten up on food sometimes. You see….I love to eat. I try different types of food everywhere I go. Hong Kong was the place for all sorts of street vendors I want to try. Yeah, most people would think it’s disgusting, but I was originally from Vietnam…where food from street vendors is the best thing you can get while walking around at night.
Night falls…so we headed back to the hotel to get ready to go out. We took this shuttle they had, and while we were talking this girl asked us where we were from. Interestingly enough, she just came back from San Francisco where she was visiting her brother. Small world? Well, the guy sitting behind her started talking to us. He was from Orange County !!!!!!!!!!! What the hell? He married an ABC (American Born Chinese) Chinese wife and moved to China so they can teach English. WOW !!! So yeah…that was a fun-filled bus drive.
Vickie (the girl on the shuttle) told us where we can go for the night life. Surf and I were excited enough, but excitement died down because that area was like how it was back home. Bleh.
Jan 10th 2006
I am going home today!!!
Since our flight was leaving at 8PM we decided to take another tour of HK. We went out to the Ladies Market in Kowloon and ended up at this huge shopping mall. Also, I don’t have to say this since most people already know, but I’ll say it anyway…”HK is a HUGE shopping center connected by walkways.” I swear, I walk into another mall while trying to walk out of a mall. It’s nuts!!!
The ferry ride back was pretty cool. We got to see the other side of HK harbor amongst other things…
HOME !!!!
I know I left out a few things, but most are private things hehehe or I simply forgot because it’s April and I am finally finishing up this entry. Overall, it was an experience to remember. I’ll definitely do this again next year with more focus on one location instead of multiple areas. This was my first time back in Asia since I left in 1986 so I had to try out the variety….
OK…..now to write about my trip to see my brother in South Carolina back in March hahahahaha