On December 20th of 2006, I received an e-mail from my dad. It contained this Powerpoint file. The forwarding messages all included such phrases as: “I CANT EVEN LOOK AT THE PICTURES WITHOUT GETTING DIZZY!!” […]
The following is not actually a single narrative of one continuous evening, but a composite of many. It’s written as a representative summary of my average night out in Kyoto. Nothing is exaggerated. It’s Saturday […]
You know how I’m always seeking out new and interesting experiences? Well last weekend I went drift racing. One of my coworkers, Miki, is extremely into cars. He has a Limited Edition Impreza (one of […]
Warning This post contains some graphic images. If blood makes you queasy, you may want to skip it. I’ve mentioned a few times how, although I do travel mostly without plans, I also do so […]
How many of you have heard the name “Transdniestr?” Not too many, I’m guessing. Transdniester – also known as Pridnestrovie in Russian – is a small rogue nation occupying a narrow strip of land along […]
I’m here. In Tokyo. Finally. During my idle time on the flight over I kept on thinking, “what am I going to write to everyone once I finally get to Japan?” Most of you already […]
Every single morning since I arrived in Hanoi the weather has been absolute crap – so overcast that at times you can’t even tell where the sun is. Sometimes it would clear up in the afternoon, but often not – leading to an experience my friends in Japan once dubbed “The Darkfternoon.”
But as if the Gods were on our side, today, my dad’s first day in Asia, we awoke to a sunny blue sky. It was the first morning sun I’ve seen since I got here. Nice!
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My dad’s here!
This is officially the first time we’ve traveled together overseas in nearly four years – since he came to visit when I was still living in Japan.
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It’s simply amazing how much lodging you get for your money in Vietnam.
The first place I stayed – Hotel Especen – costs less than $17 a day, yet it offers private, centrally located, brightly lit rooms with everything you could need. By stepping up to $25 or $30 you can easily find a spot in a high-class hotel with elevators, bellboys, a concierge, and free breakfast buffet. I’m no stranger to great-deal lodgings…but even I think this is ridiculous.
(Not to mention that the sheer number of options is almost overwhelming – it seems like every other building in Old Town is a hotel or guesthouse. Kind of ironic that one of the first cities where I actually prebooked a room has perhaps the biggest selection I’ve ever seen!)
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Vietnam is known for a unique kind of “street bar” where dozens (if not hundreds) of locals sit outdoors on small plastic stools, socializing over a microbrew called “bia hoi.” Bia hoi is prepared fresh daily and sold mindbogglingly cheap – until just a few years ago a glass cost as little as 0.10c, but as inflation has skyrocketed it’s now about 0.25c.
Oh dear, looks like I only get 25 beers for $10USD! 😉
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By a totally unexpected coincidence, today(*) is a major national holiday in Vietnam. Usually I’m pretty on top of these kinds of things, but because I’ve been so focused on work and planning for my dad’s visit it somehow slipped by me completely. If I hadn’t gone out to visit Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum this afternoon I likely would never have known.
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