Home, sweet cold home

So I've been holed up in my house the past few days.
Jet lag was no problem just like last time - I just have to travel sleep-deprived and I adjust pretty quickly. It also helps that 'bed' = plush, cocoon with flannel sheets and a bed topper that you sink into, with a good pillow.
Got a followup on a potential summer job at an English teaching institute, but otherwise just relaxing.
It is strange to be back in America. The first day was like a dream, and I kept having strong, almost visions of being back in Thailand and following my daily routine. It still hasn't sunk in that I'm staying home right now. But in other ways, Thailand is now in the past and a world away. It's strange the way time and memory works.

Goodbye Thailand

And so from Suvarnabhumi to the rest of the world...
I will miss here.

I'm leaving - on a jet plane; don't know when I'll be back again

So here I am, about to hit the road again. I can't believe I'm leaving. It's just hitting me.
I spent almost all my time in Vietnam unable to wait until I was back in Thailand, and I'm leaving.
My church. My friends. My apartment. My school. My teachers. My students. The pad thai on the street. The kanoms. The heat. The easy travel. The language. The looks. The food.
-Sigh-
But I packed early this time - and I have my retainers! Now if I'd just gotten to school in time to access all my files in the department's computers...those dang lesson plans. Well, they'll have to wait.
My itinerary:
Phitsanulok to Bangkok Domestic - taxi to International - take-off to Japan at 6:40 am - Tokyo to Washington, D.C. - D.C. to JFK and arrive at 6:30 pm, same day.
All in all over 30 hours of travel, but mai bpen rai.
See you all soon!

Back in Bangkok

Okay, had a rather nightmarish experience involving missing my flight, having to a catch a morning one (and really paying for it) and missing half of the end of the Fulbright meetings.
Ugh, just really big ugh.
But I vented to my roommate Ahna and actually feel a lot better. It's unbelievable - I really only have three days. I return to P'lok to clean out my apartment, attend my last church service, last visit to the Night bazaar (if anyone has a request -JESSICA!!!!- please ask now, because I'm terrible at picking out gifts for other people), last visit to school, last lunch with P'Noi (my spiritual big sis here), and then my school's sendoff. I fly back to BKK, taxi it to the international airport, and then I'm gone.
It's unreal.
Tonight the Fulbright dinner. It's strange to be back in familiar settings, after so much time has passed and then think - I'm saying goodbye to all these people.

Leaving Vietnam

It's been a crazy week. But tonight I leave Vietnam to return to Thailand, our last Fulbright meeting, and saying goodbye to Phitsanulok.
It's going to be hard. Being here in Vietnam has ground home just how comfortable I've become in Thailand. How much I love the people, the climate, the language, and the customs.
I walked all round yesterday and a bit of this morning, touching the echoes of history. Seeing American hueys and bomb debris, statistics and very-biased museum signs, viewing maps that chart centuries on centuries of rebellions and resistances to 'foreign' oppression. It's crazy to be here and think how easily my Dad could've been here - his lighter being sold off in the War Remnants Museum for 5 dollars.
But there are still a few things to buy, so I'll bid adieu.
Lol, this blog really has been me around the world - I've been in four different countries in the last six months: Thailand, Sri Lanka, Laos, Vietnam - and of course that four hour layover in Japan.

More adventures

So yesterday was a bit interesting. Had a crazy relay with my parents for a few hours trying to figure out how to unfreeze my credit card. (Ironically, when I finally found my hostel, the woman in charge got it worked out in 5 minutes tops.)
Leaving the railway station, I got a motorcy to my hostel - in theory. Actually we drove by it twice. I walked to where the number should've been (31), but only found 32 and 28. Not encouraging. Then got pointed by someone to a different street, which turned out to be a different branch of the hostel.
I should probably add at this point that the numbering system here is not the most consistent. Going down a street, I saw 159 in between 64 and 53. Anyway, it turns out that my hostel, after I trudged all the way back - and consulted a map in another hotel (helped by this Australian? guy who stayed at the hotel, he couldn't understand why I wouldn't just stay at that hotel), shares lobby space with a travel agency that has the big sign outside and there's this tiny little sign underneath that says Yellow House Hostel. It's also opposite 64: Hotel Madame Cuc. Go figure.
But I took a bus and managed to see some of the pagodas I wanted to. I gave up after three - the Lonely Planet map is not really accurate and I had a heck of a time finding the Daoist temple (apparently the 'only one' in Vietnam) especially since no one recognizes the Western names (or my mangled pronunciation). It was actually hilarious, I'd just given up and was getting off my motorcy, going through the 'but I don't have change, pay me more' routine with my driver, when we were talking to random people and a woman with one tooth just walks over and started loudly exclaiming she knew the place (at least I think that was the Vietnamese). It turned out to be on some way strange winding alley. (And there was this sweet ice cream/fruit shake/four dish restaurant right next to it were I had lunch. Yum.)
Met up with JR in the night. Ate at an Indian restaurant and talked about social justice and stuff for about four hours. Then he was still hungry so we went to the Vietnamese equivalent of Burger King. LOL! Apparently he's been having a great time, traversing the city and getting to see how the people live here.

Well, for today, I have a walking tour to hit the highlights: the Reunification Palace, History Museum and etc. Will report later.

Hochiminh!!!!

I can already tell I'm going to like it here. Free internet in the station, an ATM and it's already warm at 5 in the morning. -sigh- I used like two blankets on the train - but they didn't have sleepers without a/c!!! Whatever. (Oh and they had a charger so I filled up my camera batteries sweet. It was also nice to see the clouds part after we got more south.)
So I have an ambitious plan for this morning - 4 pagodas by noon if I can convince a drive to ferry me around. Then crash at my hostel and meet up with JR in the evening. Oh and I have to check out airasia's office here. Hmmm, have to write that down.

Leaving on - a train

So nearly done with Hanoi. I've gotten to see most of what I wanted - and I will admit I'm looking forward to my last intake of hot weather for the season!
Just about gotten my fill of museums - I think historical sites and pagodas will top my list in HCM. And money sitch is temporarly reprieved so mai bpen rai.
Getting ready to have Indian food - gotta get it good while I can.
Heading out on the over-over night train tonight.
All my love people!

Hanoi Rollercoaster

Positive: I got a flight to Hanoi.
Negative: Goodbye flights to Hochiminh and from Hanoi.
Positive: I got my visa when I arrived, even though I got in a different airport.
Negative: The guy behind the counter almost made me pay an extra $10 due to poor baht exchange rates. "This isn't Thailand!" (rude) Thankfully the guy next to me lent me some money, because I only had $22 US. But sure enough, I lost like 1,000 baht due to their crummy exchange rate. (Drat and I read a warning to change into US too!)
Positive: I got a bus to close to my hostel for under $3 - and managed to lose the guy trying to convince me he'd take me for "$25 oh and bus $10".
Negative: I could've taken the airport shuttle if I'd waited just a little longer - and known exactly where I was being dropped off.
Positive: I got a bed for the night! (even if weirdly someone was sleeping in that bed so I slept in theirs)
Negative: I got charged for the hostel I'd set up in Hanoi. (This is why I like to just show up...)
Positive: I got to see the Hochiminh Mauselum and walk to like four other sites before noon this morning!
Negative: It turns out I missed the old pagodas I wanted to check out that were close to that, but the other direction.
Positive: These two women flagged me down to eat lunch at their place (they must have seen my hungry eyes) and then dumped food in front of me! (thus sparing me the awkward 'what the heck do i order?') And it was good.
Negative: They charged me the same price as a rack of lamb at a Western restaurant here. (I thought it was high, but oy! At least now I know why the younger woman insisted on me taking three oranges)
Positive: I can walk to just about everywhere here - very nice.
Negative: It's so cold! And kinda cloudy. So not what I expected - thank the Lord I followed my travelling rules: always bring a jacket, a pair of socks, and long pants NO MATTER WHAT!
Positive: I got to see water puppets in the theater tonight!
Negative: I got nose bleed tickets and couldn't use my camera (not that I would've gotten any real good shots).
Positive: I found this walking market that was pretty sweet.
Negative: I caught someone trying to sneak their hand into my bag - thankfully I noticed (and I don't think they would've been able to actually grab anything of value). He didn't even blink when I turned on him, just pushed past me!
Positive: I got knicknacks for my teachers and friends.
Negative: I'm running out of dong and I'm not sure how much my train will cost tomorrow.
Positive: I'm getting this sweet Vietnamese gown w/pants made for about the same as my sari! I'm picking it up at 6 tomorrow!!!!
Negative: I'm supposed to be near the train station around that time. But it's no biggy.
Positive: My Hanoi hostel went ahead and reserved my beds for the nights I'll be there.
Negative: My credit card is frozen & with the baht's exchange rate sucking so much, I really don't want to lose more through exchanging more baht or withdrawing from my Thai bank account.

Negative: This trip is costing me a lot more money than I was expecting and I don't know why I felt God was pushing me so strongly to come. For me to trust him?

Positive: I have the money though - in Thailand yes, but even with my goal of how much I wanted to bring back to the US, I have all the money I need.

So Mom - don't worry, still safe and still glad I came!

Hanoi arrival

Okay, so I arrived safe and sound in Vietnam. I'm sorry for the few-liner post (yes, I've already been yelled at about it), but I was on a computer at the airport and the keyboard was terrible.
So - I am now in Hanoi, at the "only European-style hostel" they have. It's cheap and safe - which is respectively my and my mother's concerns.
For the next two days I'll be checking out Hanoi, then take a rather nice 34 hour-ish train down to Hochiminh. The scenery's supposed to be fantastic and it will be a great way to celebrate my Sabbath, and hopefully update my woefully out-of-date journal.
In Hochiminh, I'll be checking out a number of museums and pre-end of Vietnam war sites, which will be really cool. I'll also re-connect with JR, my fellow P'lok Fulbrighter. We've been bonding over church and he has friends down there.
So to all my loved ones, I am safe - just have to remember I can't use random Thai phrases!!

Vietnam here I come!

Next time I write I'll be in Vietnam. Actually in Hanoi - then down to Hochiminh to meet up with a friend on Monday. I'm so glad!!!!!