FRIENDS & GUESTS

Going Away Party

Please see "Sponsors" page for information on an awesome program called Hospitality Club

Hai from Hanoi and sometimes Dalat

Hai is part of a group of friends that I met while I was in Hanoi.  She had recently finished getting her tourism license which is no simple task in Vietnam.  I had the good fortune of meeting up with Hai again in Dalat where she was finishing up with her degree.  She was my personal guide for the experience and did a fantastic job.  Thanks Hai!

I know it seems like I am meeting a lot more girls here than I am guys... I am.  The reason for that is simple... the girls in Vietnam are more willing to talk with me and establish (platonic) friendships. It could be that in most cases they also appear to speak much better English then the men do.  I would enjoy a boys night out... where the heck are they?

*side Note - How to tell Traditional from Westernized?  One way you can tell the difference between a traditional Vietnamese girl and a westernized one when its time to say hello or goodbye... The ones that have had exposure to many westerners, while reluctant, will hug you.  The more traditional girls will not have it... when you attempt a hug... you can almost feel the pain they are experiencing as they cringe and stiffen up.  It is not socially acceptable for a VN girl to hug or show affection to anyone other that family or a significant other.

Allyson from Australia

Living in Ho Chi Minh City

Hospitality Club Member

Code Name: Allyson

Allyson is teaching English at the University of Vietnam

and is well traveled. She is very knowledgeable about VN and was happy to share with Ben, Zuki, and I.

I had the pleasure of staying with Allyson twice, what a lucky guy I am.  She was instrumental in helping me get my money belt back... thanks Allyson!

It has been a great experience getting to know Allyson... she's is just one cool traveling chick. 

Allyson up to bat... Mosquito Ball

Allyson and Zuki

Zuki

HC member

Code Name: zuki

Zuki is the Finnish girl we met while Ben and I were staying at Allyson's.  A Vietnamese girl from Finland?  How the heck did that happen? She is fluent in Northern Vietnamese.

Zuki telling me that she thinks I'm number one or is that number two?... now that's a nice HC member =)

I hope your mother sees this!

(I warned you that I would post it, hahaha)

Peter from Phuket

Hospitality Club Member

Code name: smallroom

I met Peter through HC.  He is in the field of tourism in Thailand and has traveled extensively throughout Asia.  Thanks Peter, Phunn, and Neng for the free accommodation and introduction to Thai culture.

Some photos of my stay with Peter and friends:

"hey what are we going to do tonight?"

"I know, let's make the Fah lung some really spicy food and watch him cry"

Fah Lung = Foreigner

The Market

"How bout a nice bag of meat... that would make ya happy, now wouldn't it"

Neng selecting ingredients at the market

"yeah, this should bring tears to his eyes"

Consolation: Sticky rice and mango for dessert... yum, my favorite

In the kitchen

"Curry Pop (Phunn) I think this is too spicy! we don't want to kill this dude."

Killing time!

We were joined by our friend Braw (left)

The finished product was out of this world... totally Thai, totally Delicious

Side note: haha guys... Isan food is hotter!!!!

Puk from Pattaya

Puk is the cousin of a friend of mine, back home.  P-1 works in many of the Thai restaurants I frequent.  We became friends over time and when he found out I was coming to Asia he insisted that I meet his crazy fun cousin, Puk.

Puk owns a very successful travel agency and is a huge help. 

Travel Ideas

Sureeporn Tongchan (Puk)

General Manager, Owner

111/9 Moo 10 South Pattaya Rd., Pattaya City

the_travel_ideas@hotmail.com

If you are in Thailand, contact her for all your travel needs, or if you wanna get into a lil trouble around town J

Puk Says: Thai Girls are #1

"Undeniable acts of bravery in the face of danger."

VIsa from Finland, living in Pattaya

Visa was my SCUBA dive instructor and was the first person to give me helpful insight in how to survive in Pattaya.

Thu in Vung Tau

I met Thu online (vietfun) prior to coming to Vietnam.  She caught my attention because of great sense of humor and the thoughtfulness.  I have visited Thu on several occasions and have learned much about Vietnam and it's culture.

Thu works in tourism and is a translator for her company. 

Thu has become a good friend over the past five months. 

Thu and Cho showing me what good Vung Tau seafood is all about

Thu & friends from Vung Tau

Coming soon...  Huyen

Hi Gary,

You want to have my profile, ok, but I don't want to say much about myself, so just as follow: 

My full name is Nguyen Thi Huyen, I'm enrolling the final year at Hanoi university of Culture and will graduate in 6 months.

I’m really interested in Vietnam's Culture. I love books, esp Classical novels. My great wish is having chances to travel everywhere to explore all of the ancient civilizations over the world.

I want to welcome all peoples who love Vietnam. 

As I promised, I will tell u about some of my favorite titles: 

* Vietnamese food

* Traditional Wedding

* Religion in Vietnam

* The best way to explore Vietnam (From my point of view)  

I will try my best to give you as much and deep information as possible to help you understand more about Vietnam. 

Now I’m so tired that I have to wrap it up. See u then. 

Cheers

Huyen

Hitchhiker vs. Free rider

Ben and I received a ton of generosity.  I had purchased friendship bracelets in bulk while Sapa, we decided about mid-way through that is would be a good idea to foto and tag our new friends... Below are photos of people that either gave us rides, fed us, or provided lodging... throughout Asia:

SMILE... YOU'VE BEEN TAGGED BY DEEPSWORLD!

That deserves a "TAG".

Ben and I had been walking for quite a while and we were very hungry.  There didn't seem to be any options for food.  We had approached several people to ask for at least some bread... but the answer was no.   Then we met the man pictured above.  He had no food for sale, but he insisted that we join his entire family, all 15, for dinner.  And that is the kind of goodwill that one can expect to find on the dusty roads of remote Vietnam.

That deserves a "TAG".

Ben and I had parted at one point and I was to walk to a train station that was about 8 miles down the road... I had already been walking all day with my 60 lbs pack.  There are plenty of motor scooters for hire in VN... but this guy pulled up, asked me where I was from and where I was going.  He said get on... I told him I had no money... he said I don't want your money and took me to the station. 

Random encounters

Marianne, Line, Aniken - Norway

Marianne, Tuyet, Aniken, Line - with out new friends in Saigon

Line bowling, she won the first game... I creamed her the second J

Rebecca and Melonie - Germany

Melonie, Rebecca, Luca

 Lucca/Italy and me, caving                  Milly, from London                 Liz, Kym, & Jumbo/Aussies          Crazy man Dave/Sydney    

Dave, Kate, Joel, Karen & Kym

                         Lucca and local boys       Dave & I, I'm driving 2nite  Kay-Tee and I Chillin        Nga, Me, & Ngoc - NY day

The Boys!

Joel, Dave, Jum, Kym

The girls!... and 1 boy

Sarah, Millie, Catharine, Meghan, Joel

Benny is a hoot to travel with.  We have met all kinds of great people... and yes it's true, he speaks VN better than I do... dammit.  Ben is a vegetarian and I am resisting it with everything I've got... I will say that after out bout at the Lao border with the dogs for human consumption in transport (one of the most disturbing sights I have seen in my life), I have given the vegetarian lifestyle a thought or two.   Ben is an Engineer by trade, but a raging DJ and traveler by passion.  He has DJ'd several SE Asian nightclubs while we have been out on the road.  Here are some pics down below:

DJ Bass Drum Ben, spinning the evil sounds in a Lao dance club

Our buddy Guy from Israel gettin down with him bad self

Bass Drum Ben

These are my favorite sneak photos

The many moods of... Bass Drum Ben

Friends from Thailand

The group taking a break from a 2 day trek

Two sweethearts who's names I have since forgotten... their personalities I can not.

Thai Boxing turned to Thai Love

Ode to Lizzy

or Liz, Lizbo, Elizabeth, Kate, Kay tee...etc.

Liz and I met in Sapa and traveled together for a little over a month, on and off... in that time I learned a lot about myself... I am grateful.  Kate has gone home to Sydney... perhaps we have yet another adventure in us my melodramatic partner in crimeJ

"I bet you think this song is about you"

Kate with the children of Sapa... she loved them and they loved her.

       Kate in a calm moment          Kate, Ngoc, and I on Xmas Eve.

     Kate attends class in one of the villages.  Kate and I in Chiang Mai Thailand 

Kate, Bill, and Frank at the highest Wat in Chiang Mai

Incidentally Bill, shown at the top, is a first hand survivor of the Tsunami

Frank, bottom right, is the owner of Ching Ching Massage... he was our personal guide for the day.

Kate goes spiritual

Two peas in Asia... thanks for friendship!

Incidentally, Kate was co-creator of the hit game show in Asia called "what's that smell?"

Hien from Vinh Phu

My first experience eating Steam Boat

Nothing like a home cooked meal

Hien, at the market          Grandma and brother

Hien is working in customer service at the hotel (Phoung Nam) where I stayed just outside of Saigon.  She was kind enough to be my tour guide through her village... pictures and brief in Travel Journal section.  Apparently she has some mad skills as a secretary and management keeps trying to get her in the back office... I say Hien is right where she belongs!  

Le Ngoc Anh

Student of business in Hanoi.  Looking to have a career in the fashion industry.  picture above is while we were having a Ca fe' she is attempting to find the right words to tell me she loves me... ok.. maybe that's a stretch... thank God for Lonely Planet's VN phrase book/dictionary

http://www.vietfun.com

This is Chu Yen Chang...

Chu Yen is the person that I sat next to on the airplane to Tai Pei.  She made the trip seem to "fly" by with her cheerful smile and great laugh.  She is from Taiwan and is studying digital animation in London.  Check it out... redorangeart

Photo opts with a soon to be famous artist:

Tuyet... which means "snow" in Vietnamese.

I can not say enough about this person... she was my eyes, my ears, my voice, and my dear friend for the first 2 weeks in Vietnam.  My friend from back home, Lien, who works at Pho Bac... a restaurant that I often ate at, introduced me to Tuyet through emails.  Tuyet and I corresponded often over a 4 month period prior to my arrival in Vietnam.   I wasn't sure what to expect since it seemed that, although she spoke English, we often had slight misunderstandings in our planning.  Well I must say this... Tuyet is one of the nicest, funniest persons I could ever hope to meet in a foreign land.  She is charming, beautiful, kind, generous, and never... I mean never gets mad... and took care of me like a true friend would.  Tuyet taught me many useful phrases like how to say "where is the green field?" (the bathroom)... "bottled water please" and "so expensive"  Her famous quote that I will always remember "I buy for you... you pay money" 

Tuyet also presented me with my first exposure to true Vietnamese living... she introduced me to her family... got me invited to meals in traditional homes, and even took me to my first wedding celebration.  Please have a look at the photos below.  I can not imagine how I will ever pay you back for such kindness... I will tell you... we will be friends for a lifetime.

Hao... the man from Yen Bai, full of grace...

If you remember, I wrote a blurb about this cat named Hao.  He was to be my second contact in VN.  We too, met by internet... Al Gore... we love you!

Hao, if you are reading this... man, thank you so very much for your generosity.  You took this man into your home, introduced him to your most precious assets, fed him, gave him your bed, and gave him friendship and positive memory that will last a lifetime.  You alone have made my visit to Vietnam well worth the journey.  You and your family have shown me a side of human nature that re-enforces that there is pure good in this world.  I hope to to follow your example.

Hao is a Construction Engineer by trade and one heck of an business man (owner of an internet cafe).

Ladies, Hao is single and currently looking.

More pictures and details about Yen Bai coming... I will travel back to Yen Bai, and this time I will stay more days.  Hao and I will spend Tet holiday together... somewhere in Vietnam.

Trung... man about town

Story developing

Nga

Hotel reception

Accountant

Works full time and goes to the University of Hanoi

New friend in Hanoi.  She is a hard working student who has no time for messing around "because if I marry a man who has no money, I will have to support us...hahaha"

I'm finding it common place that a normal work day can up to 14 hours a day.

Nga, Ben, Ngoc Anh, Hao, and Nga's family on Tet Holiday

I need my CAFFEINE!!!!! This ain't no Starbucks... but the Baristas are just as sweet.

Highlands Coffee House... smooth tunes, great view, good coffee, friendly staff, and a very fair in price fixed lunch menu... about 1700 dong for a full meal ($1.10US)

Name: Vinh

Age: 18

Working at HCH for about 6 month

Student studying business - wants to be the manager

Past times - bad mitten, soccer, and practicing English

Would like very much to hear from new friends back home... drop him a line at: chuyen_doihn@yahoo.com" or vinh_vip_86@yahoo.com

Name: Nguyet

Age: 24

Very shy about personal interests, way friendly, great service, and loves the camera

Student at Hanoi University - Studying business and management

Will manage a restaurant in the future