So I just got to Hoi An from Ho Chi Minh city ( saigon, for the old schoolers). I am not sure what to say about hcm honestly... It was great fun and it has a great nightlife, it did not offer much to see for tourists but it is definitely a place I would live in, no doubts about that.

Some European expats I know took me out clubbing twice during my stay ( though I only actually made it into the club once, sigh..) and I can tell you two things: vietnamese drink like fish and there are sooo many expats in Saigon!

Due to the tragic events occurred during my first night out in HCM ( aka falling asleep in a cab on my way to the night club, damn you 5am wake up calls) and where absolutely nothing of relevance happened, with the exception that I finally ate cow tongue and that we had copious amounts of vodka on a rooftop, I would like to focus on the second night I partied in Vietnam.

Was a loooooong night.. started off at a local expat watering hole where we played pool and I proceeded to kick ass at it.not. I sucked at pool so hard I am now considering taking lessons to avoid future humiliation. I definitely should've skipped more school and hung out pool-side more often.

We then headed to an Italian restaurant (I knoooow, shame on me) where I enjoyed rigatoni with sausage and had the final confirmation that one of my worst nightmares could come true: The host, an Italian guy who has been in hcm 3 months only, was bitten on the thigh by some awful awful critter, which supposedly laid eggs or shot poison into his flash, no one knows exactly, leading to a tennis ball sized infected swelling on the part, which consequently led to a chunk of his thigh having to be surgically removed. The guy is now heading to the hospital on a daily basis to have the wound checked as he has a golf ball sized open gap in his leg. Needless say my paranoia is now running wild- I am picturing terrible scenarios in which half my ass has to be chopped off ( and not in the good 'I'm two sizes smaller now' way). I am now considering changing the name of this blog from 'southeast asia' to 'diaries of a wimpy traveller'. In facf, if today were thanksgiving I know exactly what I'd be thankful for: bug repellant cans.

We then headed to a club where I literally witnessed local girls throwing themselves at western men. The men here have definitely caught asian fever, as they believe local girls are sexier, sweeter and generally better than western women. I think they're pretty, awfully skinny and not particularly sweet, just dumb and easy but don't worry I'm not being a harshie; the dislike between me and local girls was reciprocal, in fact it was quite unsettling at times, as I felt the girls were being hostile towards me for being in their way. I even got bullied into waiting forever in the toilet queue while the bully's wingwoman propositioned my guy friend who was standing outside. Dear Lord. Not wishing to expand on that, I shall say there's another aspect to the story: Asian men LOVE ME. Now, if what they say about asian men is true, it is not something to be awfully proud about. Nevertheless, it is quite an ego boost ( although getting constantly hit on by asian randomers is't really my life ambition). They may also be misled by the fact that they wrongly believe I am mixed race and that I am half local. Seriously, this whole local thing is becoming annoying. Cambodians thought I was cambodian, Vietnamese think I'm local, in Italy I have been asked several times whether I was Chinese-HELL, my own mother tells me I look Chinese too, at times.. Dayum.. I'm all Italian, I just wish I had asian hair :(

I am currently roasting poolside in Hoi an, a french colonial pretty town where apparently the local skill is tailoring and they are SUPERB at that. I have been in town 12 hours and I am already the proud owner of a pantsuit, a pencil skirt suit, two evening gowns and two pairs of leather sandals, all made to measure from scratch. Genius.. I should look into importing some of these tailors into Italy. It would probably be a more profitable money making scheme than introducing Siem Reap's hottest tuk tuk driver to Italian showbusiness.

Anyhow heading to the beach to roast by the sea now... aaaah the busy life..

xoxo