vietnam, oh vietnam

I am not sure which day it is (maybe 5 days into our trip) and still so much to see and do and EAT! Vietnam is such an incredible country…I am not sure where to begin. The flight in the back of a very crowded plane was incredibly painful (for 15 hours), but the two hour flight from Hong Kong on the “upper deck” in first class couldn’t have been any better. The first day in Ho Chi Minh City was a shocker…

lesson #1: learn to cross the street. Motorbikes and cars move at a constant pace with really no rules or logic…so my bro advised that we just start crossing the street at a slow pace and keep our head down (i.e. don’t look).

lesson #2: try to eat and drink like the locals without getting sick. We have still yet to really accomplish this, but have had some amazing meals. The cuisine here can’t really be beat (as long as you know what animal the mystery meat came from). Today (now in Dalat) we had pho soup in a little tiny hole in the wall which looked a lot like a home. My favorite meal so far.

lesson #3: if you are a male and you are looking for a girl to just “hang out with” make sure she is not a prostitute before going out. My brother learned this lesson very early on. I guess he will not be sticking to Australians or Americans.

lesson #4: don’t spend a lot of time on the internet…there is too much to go see and you can write a lot later.

Author: Ali Carras

At a very young age I lost site of my mom in a local grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. I did, however, have the smarts to go to the customer service counter. The kind woman at the counter asked "What is your name little girl?" My reply: "Assi." The woman gave me a look like, "Are you playing with me you little devil?" but she proceeded to blast on the loudspeaker the "We have a lost Assi at the front of the store." Customers throughout the store gagged and giggled, but my mom knew exactly who the woman was referring to: the mullet haired little girl with a tongue too big for her mouth, wearing a leotard, skirt, tights, and jelly shoes (with florescent green laces in them...even though they didn't need the laces). A shy little character for whom every little detail in life was a huge thing. I am pleased to report that today I am able to fully pronounce Allison (aka Ali), but the Assi pseudonym has always stuck, evolving into Aszi. As for the shy little character for whom every little detail in life was a huge thing? Some things never change. I have closed my comments due to mass amounts of spam that no filter could ever control. Feel free to contact me abeckord [at] gmail.com! View all posts by Ali Carras