Blog
Wandering Through Northwest Vietnam
It took me 5 days to decide on a motorcycle, I ended up with a 2009, Yamaha, YBR 125G. It cost me a bit more than twice what I thought I would spend. My research was based on what I could find on the web, which is advice from folks on a very low budget. I’m also on a low budget, but i don’t care how much a bike costs, i care how much I can sell it for, how reliable it is and how comfortable it is.
Vietnam Makes Me Smile
I am so happy to be in Vietnam! Hanoi is a great city for tourists, the food is great, there is no shortage of things to do and the scenery is fantastic. After the bland food in the Philippines, I was ready for Vietnamese food!
Diving, Camping and Antibiotics
I was happy to arrive in Coron Town, but not so excited about the 30 hours of travel it took to get here. The day after I arrived I started my Advanced Open Water diving class, which is 5 dives in two days, which turned out to be a bit much for my body. The diving was great and they included some basics as I had not been diving in 15 years. The first day was very basic, we worked buoyancy and navigation skills.
Paradise in The Philippines
Sagada is as different from the rest of the Philippines as Darjeeling is to the rest of India. It’s an oasis of beauty with a slower pace. After an 18 hour journey to get from Manila to Sagada, I arrived at my guest house and was invited for coffee and cake by some educators, they were in the region for a conference on curriculum for indigenous children. They were going caving that afternoon and invited me to join them. I jumped at the chance and got changed.
On The Road in Manila
Prior to World War II, Manila was known as the “Pearl of the Orient,” now it is just an over crowded asian city with as much smog as Beijing and the smell of Calcutta. I did not find much about Manila to make me like it. It’s worth maybe a day or two at most perhaps a few days longer if you use it as a base for day trips. I’ve ruled it out as a place I might want to live in. I did encounter the best scam I’ve ever come across there, perhaps I’ll write about that later.
Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Starting over is bittersweet. The joy of moving to a new place is like an a hot fudge sunday and the sadness of leaving someplace that’s been one of the best places I’ve ever lived is like eating overcooked steak. If you know me, you know how much I hate steak that is not very rare.
