The night and the life

In answer to the many troubled emails I've received regarding how I am possibly coping with the nightlife here... Yes, there is one and I'm enjoying it. In fact, I'm quite amused by the concern that's been voiced over my nocturnal well-being. Was I that much of a party animal in New York?

So far I've been to a few different spots and it seems like the nightlife varies quite a lot from one place to the next. There is everything from the ghetto dive bar filled with backpackers and pool tables, to the more shwanky lounge type of place. My favorite places so far have been the sidewalk cafes where the Vietnamese sit for hours drinking, eating and talking. The atmosphere is festive and energized and you rarely see many Westerners joining in the fun. It's literally plastic chairs and tables spilling out onto the street but it's awesome just to observe the people and the crazy street scenes.

This friday night I went to a really shwanky bar that was upscale in comparison to many places in New York! It was a really nice place with a fun Vietnamese rock cover band, but it felt a little too colonial for me... (the irony of a Cape Townian saying that is astounding.) But it seems like they're a fair amount of cool places to keep me occupied so don't worry, you can all stop worrying about me! As far as I'm concerned, as long as there are good drinks and better company, I'm a happy girl!

Massage sir?

At any given point in time, the bars and coffee shops and streets are filled to the brim with older Western men and their gorgeous, young Vietnamese “companions.” It seems that this country provides a playground for men in their fifties who find themselves smothered with lavish attention from the ladies.

I had heard this stereotype about Thailand and its problem with prostitution but the reality of it on the streets of Saigon are overwhelming. Some of my male classmates have complained of their inability to have a beer in peace without propositions of “massage” and companionship throughout the experience. One of the girls I study with is enormously offended by this custom and continues to point it out.

It seems that many of us have been culturally conditioned to be shocked by the idea of prostitution, but what is happening here makes one wonder whether the custom is paying for the very existence of the women here. Do these girls enjoy the lavish attention of these men or do they dread their days of constant exploitation? Are the men lonely expats who become enthralled by the beauty of the Asian woman? Or are they veterans returning to the “good life” of Saigon in the seventies? Whatever their reasons may be, it will take time to get used to the sight of countless old, white men with their pictures of pleasure on their arm.

Vietna-sheez

Before arriving in Vietnam I had looked up various words and phrases in my phrasebook and had practiced saying what appeared to be a more difficult language than anything I had seen before. Little did I know...

After a week of twisting and contorting our mouths (and minds) every which way, me and my classmates have come to terms with the fact that the Vietnamese language is not for the dummies! Even pronouncing a simple phrase such as "Bao nhieu dong?" (How much is it?) leaves crowds of young Vietnamese with blank expressions or, more often, in hysterical laughter.

The source of the difficulties lies in the intonations and accents of each word. One word such as "ma" can mean six different things according to what accent is placed on it. Therefore, even the smallest mistake can change the meaning of a sentence completely. While the hope of being somewhat fluent within a year has been completely squashed, I'm now working on the hope that i'll be able to master the simplest phrases at least.

Snake blood, cock fights and motorbike mayhem

On Sunday afternoon I was walking down Pham Ngu Lao street (the main road of the backpacker ghetto) and I noticed a crowd of people gathered on the pavement. I walked over to see what was happening and what I saw completely astonished me. A man was crouched over a mesh bag filled with over 10 snakes of various shapes and sizes (some were huge.) He would systematically pull out one snake at a time by it's throat before reaching his hand into its chest and pulling out its heart which would continue to beat on the floor for way longer than I expected a heart to last out of a body. After draining the snakes' blood into a nearby jar, the man would slit open the rest of the body and pull out the innards and throw them away. Soon each snake was slipped into its death jar where it would continue to writhe in pain for a long time. I wondered how a snake with no heart or organs could continue to move for so long. I watched four of these demonstrations before I could tear myself away from the spectacle. Snake blood is a delicacy for the Vietnamese and is seen as a sign of Machismo (or whatever the equivalent of that may be) when a foreigner can drink it. I can only imagine the look on some poor expat's face when his manhood is challenged with a glass of snake blood.

And then yesterday I left my hotel only to witness two cocks fighting to the death (literally to the death) on the pavement. Amazing that the sport which is illegal or underground in most countries happens freely right outside my hotel here!

I started TEFL training yesterday which is really exciting and time consuming and tiring and exhilarating. I sucked up my fear and climbed on the back of one of the Vespa taxi drivers to get to school which was one of the braver moves I've ever made. As I got swept into the mass of traffic I grinned and laughed and imagined everyone I know seeing me in an expanse of Vietnamese traffic on the back of a motorcycle on my way to TEFL training in Ho Chi Minh City!! In In 4 short weeks I'll be a certified English teacher and then the real fun begins!!

For now, I continue with my terribly pronounced Vietnamese and my friendly yet terrifying motorbike drivers.

Crazy Ho Chi Minh City

I got into Ho Chi Minh City last night and have thus far been completely blown away. The ride in from the airport felt like a surreal movie. Swarms of motorbikes and bicycles and taxis enveloped my cab and I felt astounded by the energy that seems to surge through these streets. I was way too disorientated last night to go out and explore so I went to bed and woke up this morning to the hum of taxis and the call of street vendors.

The streets are packed with people and bikes and it has taken me 10 minutes to work up the nerve to cross each road so far. I had previously thought that I was going to be renting a bike here for myself but one look at the pandemonium on these streets changed my mind for good! Ho Chi Minh City seems alive and electric and the people are really friendly and forthcoming. I have probably seen a total of 10 white people since I've been here, a far and welcome cry from Thailand where the streets seem ruled by foreign backpackers. It's Asia as we imagine it and the sights and smells and sounds are blowing me away.

I am so excited by the future here. I see a year filled with crazy experiences and massive adventures ahead. And now I'm off to explore my new city. Chao.

Computer sunsets

Three days of travelling can render the mind and body completely numb. It's a process of on and off, up and down, from one bus to the other and then some. The flight from Tokyo to Bangkok was fairly ordinary but I watched the Japanese woman next to me eat with precision and deliberation. As each dish ended she would neatly re-assemble the container until her tray ended up looking no different from when she began. This was, of course, in contrast to my haphazard tray that looked as if a whirlwind had blown through it. All this to say that I've noticed a neatness in asian people's manners thus far. They hold themselves upright and seldom make loud comments or opinions. I'm so used to the western way of loud commentary and large gestures that being here will certainly alter my reality.

My sister and I returned to Theawez Guesthouse where we chatted till the early hours. The bathrooms here will also be something to get used to. It's a "wipe with your hand" and then a spray with a water gun. Eek.

The next morning we headed down to Trat on a bus where we caught a ferry across to Koh Chang island. After a short van/car/trolley rise we then arrived at the Treehouse Lodge, a series of bungalows right on the ocean. It's gorgeous and idyllic and ends up costing 120 baht a night, the equivalent of $2/night for both of us. Amazing. We're in an adorable two story bamboo hut with a mattress on each floor. Very simple but we wake up to the sound of the crashing waves and we have a hammock right outside our front door. Soon after we arrived we came here to check our email right on the ocean. As I glance past my time ticking computer, I see a gorgeous sunset receding below the horizon. Paradise. And now off to a relaxing dinner by the ocean.

Tokyo Disorienation

I've always been a master at sleeping on airplanes but I have now officially proven that theory wrong. The fourteen hour flight from New York City to Tokyo produced a movie marathon that I didnt know was humanly possible (6 movies, back to back) and some really good japanese food (western airlines HAVE to take a page out of All Nippon Airways' recipe book)

I'm now shaking my head up and down like a crazy woman, desperately seeking to stay awake for my next flight to Bangkok which will hopefully give me a few hours of sleep. My sister whom I am meeting in Thailand is feverishly ill with what might be Japanese b Encyphalitis... scary stuff. So it's unclear what'll be waiting for me in Bangkok, a hospital waiting room or a hostel.

SO goodbye New York. It's been a wonderful three years and I will miss the consistent excitement and bustle of the city. And now onto rice paddies, asian cities and a new way of life!

6 days and counting

Sitting on the brink of departure has always been an unsettling time for me. On one hand, their is an adventure looming so large in my midst, while on the other hand life appears to proceed as usual.

The trip I am about to make may probably be the most foreign and exciting that I have ever made. I am flinging myself into South East Asia where I will begin a teacher training course to enable me to become an english teacher in Vietnam.

I will fly alone, leaving behind a city full of memories, friendships, family and opportunities and I will arrive alone with a horizon wide open for me to explore. Along the way I will be joined by various friends, including my sister who I have not seen for 9 months and my best friend who has always been an ideal travelling companion.

And besides those few yet crucial details, the future is a blank slate, an uncertain canvas that has not yet been touched by a stroke.

It's all happening so quickly yet each moment can still be appreciated. Before I know it, I will be in the air and the only question lingering in my mind will be, "How did that happen so fast?"