Hey everyone! I got back from Vietnam yesterday morning at 7:30am, but I was groggy and busy getting caught up with school, so I didn't post anything about the trip yet... I know it doesn't have a lot to do with NG, but maybe some of you will be interested in hearing about it anyway! :)
I left last Friday (Sept. 28) to fly to Vietnam and visit my girlfriend Tegan, who is spending a semester at the university in Hanoi. I flew out of JFK airport (NYC), which supposedly has the tightest security of the NY airports.
In order to get to the gates I had to go through a lengthier-than-usual security check, where they patted me down and rubbed a hand-held metal detector all over my body (and I mean RUBBED ALL OVER, if you catch my drift). The lady even searched through my wallet! Surprisingly, however, they didn't take notice to the two aerosal cans of bug repellent that were in my schoolbag - which was carry-on luggage. I thought that would be an issue, but it slipped right by.
Tegan's aunt works at the airport, so she hooked me up with a pass for the Business Class lounge. HOLY CRAP! If this is the Business Class lounge, I can't imagine what the First Class lounge is like - I had tons of FREE SNACKS (tasty cookies, biscuits, fruits, etc.) and FREE DRINKS - including.... FREE BEER! Not just any beer, either! They had GUINNESS and BASS! Woah!
I had two hours to kill before my flight, and this was the place to do it. I was able to get on the internet and post on the NG BBS, and the place was full of huge cozy chairs of every type. The lounge area was huge, with lots of different places to sit. There were also TVs, showers, and a room to sleep in. Tegan's aunt said that the lounge was normally packed on Friday nights, but on this night there was barely anyone there at all. I can see how the airlines must be hurting!
So anyway... I got on my flight, which was headed to Hong Kong with a stop in Vancouver on the way. When I got to the Hong Kong airport, I had to go through another security check for my carry-on luggage. This time, they DID catch the cans of bug spray! After taking a look at the cans, they let me take them on. From Hong Kong I flew into Vietnam, where Tegan met me at the airport! I was actually one of the last people to fly in to Vietnam's old airport, which looks fit enough to land a crop duster, but is definitely outdated for international visitors. We seriously landed amongst rice fields, and the airport was just a big, junky building. It was really ugly, but Tegan was there to brighten things up with her hottness!
At this rate I am going to be writing forever... Let me try to sum up Vietnam... It rocks. It is a third world country and you have to adjust to a new standard of cleanliness (bugs and rats running around while eating is ok there), but there is so much that is cool about it. The main form of public transit is riding on the backs of motorbikes, and there are apparently NO TRAFFIC rules - cars and bikes drive around ANYWHERE on the street where there is an opening for them. You seriously feel like you are in a hollywood chase scene when you get there - cars and bikes and driving straight towards you, and everyone is swerving around eachother. People honk their horns CONSTANTLY to let everyone around them know they are there... It isn't rude, it is what they do. It is TOTAL INSANITY, but it somehow works and you get used to it after a few days.
I seriously can't believe that I have never seen it on TV, though... People have to see how crazy this traffic is. Sometimes there are big intersections where people obey red lights, but many intersections are just a free for all, with all of the traffic weaving through eachother - you can't believe how INSANE it is.
The best thing, of course, is it the PRICES. People there work HARD, and you can buy the stuff cheap. A really nice "western-style" restaurant that would cost you $30-50 in the US will cost you around $12 here. If you eat at the places where locals eat, it will cost you less than a dollar.
Vietnam is new to tourism, so they are slowly getting the hang of catering to Westerners. There are a lot of new hotels that weren't there a few years ago, and the accomodations in them are good. I spent a few nights at the university, but spent a few in a really nice hotel for only $30 per night - and that included breakfast in the morning and my own balcony overlooking Hanoi.
Over the weekend I went with Tegan's class on a trip to central Vietnam (Hanoi is in the north). We flew into Da Nang, and then took a one hour ride to Hoi An, which was much more relaxed and not as hustle-bustle as Hanoi. It is also near the beach, and the beaches there are beautiful! Stuff was even cheaper there, and I met an artist who I REALLY liked, so I bought 7 of his oil paintings for $80. These are big, awesome paintings... $80. People there always negotiate prices, but I didn't want to - this guy deserved every penny! I will take pictures of some of his paintings and put them on the site later.
We also visited some ancient ruins, which were bombed by the US. The Vietnam War was so completely POINTLESS - we wanted to stop the "red menace" from spreading, but Vietnam became Communist anyway and it never spread beyond there. We basically came in and killed a bunch of them for nothing. I need to rethink my whole stance on Jane Fonda now. :)
ANYWAY... Sunday night I flew back to Hanoi, and Monday morning I left for the US (via Hong Kong and LA). I was OFFICIALLY the FIRST person to go through the gates at their NEW airport! That is right, they just opened a new international airport, and it looks as nice as anything in the US. International visitors will no longer get that "I'm landing in a country full of peasants" feel when they come to Vietnam. I was there early, and my flight to Hong Kong was the first international flight of the day. After I got my customs ticket stamped, a girl came up and congratulated me on being the first! I'm part of history!
The flight to LA was 12 hours, and I had a nine hour lay-over in LA... Thank god for Advanced Wars and my Gameboy Advanced. I would have died without it. I also finished reading Timequake, by Kurt Vonnegut. Good book.
So now I am back, and I'm still re-adjusting to the sleep schedule! Vietnam is a 12 hour difference, so you have to completely reverse your sleep schedule there.
I will put together an "official" essay about my trip, with a lot more details and pictures! It's good to be back!
It looks like a lot of crazy stuff happened while I was gone - we had a total press frenzy and Wade was interviewed in a bunch of newspapers, including the New York Daily News! The craziest was last night, when FOX NEWS mentioned Newgrounds and played Diplomacy in its entirety on TV! That is too awesome!
So uh... How is everyone doing? What have I missed? What do you think of this Anthrax scare?!
