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| Monday, February 12, 2007 |
Good Morning Vietnam,
Here's a quick travel lesson for those who ever go to Vietnam: No matter how many copies of your passport you own, how much backup ID you have, without the real thing, never leave where you are without the original.
Right now, I should be cycling around the Mekong Delta. I was going on a nice four day trip with some cycling friends of mine but instead I am back in Ho Chi Minh City. Why? Because I lack a real passport. The real thing is at the Thai Embassy getting a visa stamp on it so I can stay there until June. (I used all my visa's on arrival.) No problem right? Usually, copies of your passport are fine anywhere I've been. So after biking 77k from Saigon to our first stop, I found no hotel would let me book a room or share a room without the real thing. A copy of the passport, the visa, the reciept from the embassy- none of it mattered. So I had to come all the way back to Saigon where they are less strict and would let me in with just a copy! (No I didn't cycle back either- I took the bus! 140K in 1 day is way to much for me!)
What a pain in the ass! So instead of enjoying the one section of Vietnam I really wanted to see the most, I'm back in Saigon and decided once I get my passport on Monday, I'm leaving Vietnam. No time or funds to go back and do any organized tour of the Mekong because I really want to spend as much time as I can in Cambodia before I go to Thailand. I'll be there for 3 months so if you go there from March to May, look me up!! I'll be living in Bangkok for most of that time.
So that is that. I'm no longer sick. When I die, I need to thank Pastuer for discovering penicillan. That stuff works wonders. I've been meeting a lot of Americans here on break from teaching English. Really weird. I never meet Americans when I travel. Saigon is a cool city. It's like a Asian version of LA. A lot to see, a lot to do- a little for everything. Yesterday, I found the Japanese section of the city so I might get sushi today. My friend Seth and I walked around for awhile. I like Saigon. It's not too bad if you can get over the crazy drivers here. 1000 people die a month from traffic accidents. Seeing them ignore traffic lights, go down streets the wrong way, and drive on the sidewalk makes you understand why. If you don't cross the road carefully, you'll probably die. No lie! I almost got hit 3 times biking out of the city! They just come out of no where! It's quite scary.
However, I am very ready to leave Vietnam. I don't think I'd come back here unless I was with someone who was never here before. There are too many places to see and Vietnam didn't grab as much as other places have.
Until Cambodia,
Cheers!
Matt
PS- If you can tell me where this blog title comes from, I'll give you a cookie!
THIS IS OLD SITE!!! CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY NEW ONE!!!!
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posted by Nomadic Matt @ 7:11 AM  |
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