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Up early and on the bus to Vietnam with a full bus of assorted characters. The drama started in the minivan that picks you up to take you to the bus. A French guy (France) was attempting to bring his rental with him and she had no ticket.... must have been a very late night decision!!!!
We all get to the bus depot - have to hand over our passports as the bus company is going to process the border immigration process. The rental has no passport. Can't go. Not happy. WHAT? Small issue like a passport? This is Cambodia!!!! No corruption, just commission. Her 'boyfriend'' had to cough up $50.00 to the passport processers at the bus depot and she got on the bus just as we were about to leave and she was assigned to sit beside me. I offered to trade and make it easier for her to sit beside her ''boyfriend'' but, as weird as this rental stuff is - she told me she would rather sit with me as she was not comfortable sitting beside a man!!!!!
I wasn't feeling all that great - first sign of RBS - (runny bum syndrome) - I think it was because I stopped taking the malaria tablets and then started them up again and took them without food. RBS and a six hour bus ride AND somehow all the meds I had put together, including Imodium which I always carry and never use and the Cipro prescription I had filled and the Electrolyte powder....my whole bag of treatments seemed to have been lost - I think maybe in Beijing cause somehow I have the malaria stuff and nothing else..... Ran down the road at 6:30 - minibus was coming at 7:30, and stopped in at two pharmacies.....both sketchy - no English - me pantomiming diarrhea!!!! - Offered drugs called Imodium but with no English instructions and outrageously expensive - $6, I decide to tempt fate.....RBS or drug poisoning? Dr Beat in Siem Reap told us that 85% of the drugs in Cambodia were fake and were responsible for poisoning many children each year. Scarfed down a loaf of French bread from the market instead .....All good.
Back to the bus....my new friend and I try and talk?, she is a bar hostess (in Cambodia they call them Boom Boom bars or Internal Massage places), met Mr France three weeks ago -she is from the provinces (poverty) and is really excited as she has never been to Vietnam. Very sweet - 24 years old, I look at all her family photos by putting her memory card in my camera and I wonder how it will go at the border. She tells me you never need papers if you have dollars and I believe her for Cambodia. Not sure about Vietnam.
We arrive at the Mekong and have to take a ferry across. It is wild - see photos. The sea of humanity was crazy. The minivans were packed with 35-40 people, sitting in the brutal heat, cars, buses, horses, and wagons, carts, loaded beyond belief. People, animals and stuff strapped to the tops, sides everywhere. As each vehicle pulled up the street kids, beggars, egg salesman and karaoke CD sales kids swarm each vehicle - banging on the windows and serving the squished folks inside everything from eggs to papayas to chicks on a stick. I give my bus food to the kids hitting my window and that just increases the frenzy - seems you can't win.
My new friend gets back on the bus and we pull away - onto the ferry in a scene from one of those Indonesian Ferry sinking pictures - you know the ones where they say ''ferry built for 500: 1000 drown".....figured I could swim if need be. Then she pulls out her big treat. She bought, at the ferry lineup free-for-all, about a pound of cockroaches and is ripping their little wings off and shoveling them in as fast as I do with popcorn at the movies. My stomach starts to do a few flips but she is so excited about her adventure that I can't say anything that might put a damper on her most exciting day ever. I decline to share in the roach ripping, she offered up the little guys - take a few photos of them going in and try and concentrate on the nonstop Karaoke video that is playing on the television. Between the crunching of the little bodies, my seatmate is singing along with the video and telling me who is hot and who is not. Her "boyfriend "is just happy to not have to try and talk to her for 6 hours.
So far so good with the RBS. We stop for lunch at a place where they have just slit a large pig's throat and are letting it drain into the ditch. It is a buffet and everyone else is quite excited about the selection. It is not the regular bats and chicks and bugs but sloppier stuff and rice. Me???? I walk around.
Back on the bus after 45 minutes or so and.......seems heat makes dead roaches smell.....very badly.....maybe it is just the bag of discarded wings......maybe it is the half pound still to be consumed.....ahhhhh!!!!
Next stop - border. Long hassle - we get out, we get in, we get our passports back, we hand them back in. We stand in line, we wait and wait. All of us, except my seat buddy - she gets to stay in the bus. Seems like it is better to not have a passport sometimes......better to just not participate in the process.
I get back on the bus with new friends made ( I met 2 New Zealanders and we were comparing trips - they were in the back of the bus with a woman behind them who, between loud open mouth chewing - belched, snorted and farted continuously). Funny what you share in a 90 minute wait wondering if you will ever see your passport again.
But the roach smell had become too brutal to not say anything.......
Me? - Excuse me? Your roaches are starting to smell very badly. Do you think you are finished with them?
Her? - Smelly bad? My bugs? Oh So sorry!
She then closed the bag and put it in the seat net in front of her. Covered roaches - better.
So, I am now in Vietnam. So different than Cambodia the minute we crossed the border. It is remarkable how you get used to the poverty and bleakness and it starts to lose its edge. Seeing the vibrancy of Vietnam was a stark difference. Met a GH tout at the bus stop and he took the New Zealanders to the Hotel they had booked and then I went with him to his Guest House. I will show you pics of the location - it is about 500 m through tiny winding lanes filled with families, motor bikes, hair salons, tiny stores - everything. The noise and pollution are something else. The New Zealanders and I went out for drinks and dinner. Very nice young couple on their way to England to get jobs. She is a lawyer and he is a chef. Will meet up tomorrow and tour this crazy place.
Came back to my spotless little room and cut my own hair. First time for everything. Every day in Asia has been a bad hair day. Baby fine hair and high humidity and 35 degrees makes for....well......bad pictures and goofy barrettes so........I actually cut my bangs using the teensy scissors on my tiny little Swiss army knife!!!! I absolutely couldn't get it cut here - they would have no clue what to do with my hair. Asian hair is amazing and hair extensions are all the rage just adding to the volume. I would consider the extensions but they seem to just come in black or off black or basic black. Tracey, when I get home I can do your hair!!!!!! And Nina! Watch out Karrie!
Ciao from Saigon,
Deb
Ps - Monty and Tracy - I have officially beaten your time in Vietnam without being robbed. Must be the Karma????
- comments
janice21 unreal oh my dear friend, You have been gone just about a month now and you have crammed more into that short bit of time than most do in a lifetime. The people you've met (and tried to set on the right path), the things you've seen, smelled, and gagged at, the adventures you've had, the crazy things you've done... girl, it is just so amazing! I worried a bit excessively thinking of you in S'ville - I remember the creepiness well, and I continue to worry as you so boldly confront people on their creepiness but then I remember that you're an ass-kicker extraordinaire and I sleep a little easier at night. I can see you shaking your head at the corruption but still smiling as you push your way through. Yep, it's a different world over there. You've made it to Vietnam - WOO! HOO! Isn't it bizarre how much of a difference there is from place to place even though there is only a couple of hours travel in between?! SO much to learn about and see and do. There was a documentary on the History Channel the other night on the construction of Angkor City and Angkor Wat - I watched it in awe, with a bit of a breaking heart for missing it, and a little bit giddy as I picture you trouncing through there just a short bit ago. Can you believe all that you've seen and done already?!?! Absolutely incredible. Are you still considering hitting Borneo? I know you're not doing much 'planning', just going where the winds take you, but if Borneo is in your plans this trip, please let me know. Tickets from here to Kuala Lumpur are doable, we could make the trek to Borneo together. I'm serious. I would quit my job for that BUT I know I'll get there someday so I don't want you to plan your travels around my pipe dreams. Seriously though, let me know. Okay, can we submit some of your pictures to National Geographic? You have spectacular talent! Your stories continue to be ridiculously entertaining - I only wish I could have written the way that you do when I was away, and your pictures, just breathtaking. They capture your stories to perfection. I really, really, REALLY think we could sell your wares and make some good cash to finance your next adventure. You have quite the eye girlfriend. Quite the eye. How's the RBS? :( Poor you! So miserable, especially when I think of some of the commodes over there, but hopefully you can find some relief in Vietnam. Seems to be a litte more westernized and english speaking there. I'm sure I could Fed-Ex some stuff to you!! Honestly. Not that you're one to stick in one place for long, but there so much to do in any given day, I'm sure I could get some good pharmaceuticals to you within the week. Do you want me to??? I'm serious! I would rather do that than have you and your bum and your bowels suffer. Let me know, I can get it sent this weekend. I'm serious. Nice touch on the hair trim with the swiss army knife. Almost peed my pants. Can see you in a cloudy, greasy, out of focused mirror, tongue lodged firmly in the corner of your lips, both elbows up and out as you squint to trim just the right amount of baby fuzz hair. Hilarious lunatic. We really do have to travel together someday. :) I love that I've wasted a good hour reading your blog and writing back. Work is dumb, you are so much more important!! Keep moving, keep shaking things up, keeping living the good life girl. I miss and love you and continue to be over the top proud of you - yeah baby!!! xoxo
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