Phousi Hill- because it was there

Life, as they say is full of ironies. For example, the other day I was getting the poops with the Hotel where I am staying. I have been noticing the extraordinary number of FOREIGNERS who own a lot of properties- hotels, guest houses, cafes who employ Lao staff. But rarely any Laotian managers or business people.

The hotel where I am staying is adequate, but lacks those little touches- like being able to turn on the tap in the bathroom basin without thinking it is going to come away from the wall- as just one example. -I won't even talk about the chintzy materials provided....

So, on a walking adventure- I started noticing other guest houses that looked really lovely. It began in a lane way I accidentally strolled down, which was laden with trees, cool and quiet but within cooee of the main drag. One particularly stood out, and I wrote the name down. Then proceeded along writing the names of hotels and guest houses that looked good in case I ever came back here [which I would definitely like to do, and probably before it gets any more touristy than it is right now].

When I came back from my tour yesterday- to Pak Ou Caves, the manager at the hotel remarked about how I would be checking out today! [the 31st] I of course- having looked at my tickets at least 100 times in the past couple of days- finally remembered that I was actually flying out of here on the 1st. The conclusion of this set of circumstances was that I would be basically "homeless" for a night as they informed me that they were full for the next few weeks. [I know, you are by now thinking- what has this got to do with Phousi Hill?] I'm getting there.

To their credit, the hotel owner said he had a friend that ran a guest house up the road and would ring to see if there was a room. Better than that, Tan- the Laotian staff manager- who is a fire cracker- went up on his motor bike and secured a room for me- in the guest house that was first on my list from yesterday. So I am now in a gorgeous-little but workable- Laos Style building with big wooden doors and lots of windows and a big giant Queen sized bed for the night. [sometimes you don't have to be careful what you wish for]. And I am away from the incessantly smoking French people who lived next door to me at my old hotel- YAY!

Now to the point...... [I do eventually get there]
Phousi Hill is in the centre of town - a rather large mound of a hill seemingly emerging from flat ground and rising above the city. I have been nervous about climbing it because I have been sick, but after checking in I decided to tackle it-[actually, I went to the museum, but it had closed for lunch, and the hill was across the street, so why not?] - No, really, Actually, I ran into someone of the street that I met yesterday, and we were chatting and I missed the morning opening hours for the museum.

The first set of stairs were a challenge, but then the steps started switchbacking up the hill and most of the climb was really gradual and almost flat. I made it in no time. And the view was worth it- doncha think?

Switch-back steps on the way up the hill [and down too]

Luang Prabang from Phousi Hill

One section of stairs to the top of the Hill

The added feature is that there is a temple at the top of the hill. Also behind the temple is a gun turret, left by some army after a war. When I rounded the corner, there were 3 very young monks swinging on it and turning it round like a merry-go-round.

See what I mean about ironies?
[No photos of this though- couldn't bring myself to do it]

The Monks Breakfast

The morning gathering of alms

Every morning somewhere between 5:30-6:30 people in Luange Prabang [including some tourists] gather to pass out "alms" in the form of food, to the local Monks. Sellers hock rice- some of it freshly cooking on the street and baskets of bananas and other fruit to give to the Monks who at around 6-6:30 walk along with street with big metal bowls in which to gather "breakfast"- and probably lunch and dinner as well.

Early morning rice sellers

Most of the photos I took are a bit of a blur-too early in the morning [dark, not dim like my mind], so I hope you can make them out....I have a video, but it will have to wait for another time...I am not having success loading it up here for now.

Monks gather food from the locals

A View From and On the Bridge-shots from Luang Prabang

Monks in the Mid Day Sun

Stairs back down to the bridge

Temporary Bridge across the Nam Kham

Walking on the bridge-hooeee

Luang Prabang with one hand tied-

Well, I have arrived...and this is such a different scene than in Siem Reap!

Yes the place is crawling with tourists. Yes there are the usual plethora of shops selling local wares. Yes there is the night market and yes there are a squillion cafes offering western [mostly French] fare and a smattering of Lao food too.  There is beautiful scenery to look at all around.

Here is what isn't here:
People harassing you to "buy, Madame, buy"
Tons of smog to fill the sky and cover the sun and stars
Streets choked with Tuk Tuk's, motor bikes and cars.

Luang Prabang is a very pleasant place with:
Wide streets with beautiful French inspired buildings.
A Wat [temple/pagoda] on most every corner
Two rivers that meet at the apex of the town.
A laundress who gives me a hug when she hands me my bag of laundry and holds her gorgeous little boy up to me for another type of hug
Lots of chickens roaming the streets
Extremely friendly laid back people.

I can't provide pictures in this post because for some reason I am unable to connect on the supposed Free WiFi in my hotel [which is on one of the Rivers- the Nam Kham] and so far have only used my computer in a cafe [forgot my card reader for the snaps] and now I am in an Internet room on the main street in town- Sisavangvong. [again without the card reader]

Here's what I've been up to so far....[snaps to follow]:

1. A visit to the Night Market- which seems about 10 kilometres long full of the most amazing array of goods
2. A walk around the perimeter of the town-which borders on two rivers- Mekong and the Nam Kham
3. Up at 6 AM this morning and gave out food to the Monks- this happened by accident- I was walking up the street and a woman sold me a basket of bananas and told me to sit down on a mat on the footpath and wait for the monks. A French Laotian man coached me on what to do- though I spoke little French and he spoke not much English, we  managed it. And of course as soon as the first lot of Monks came walking through I got it and bought more food. It was a wonderful thing to do and it happens every morning. I wish I had a kitchen to make fresh rice to hand out.
4. A visit to Big Brother Mouse - thanks again to Kev and Glen for telling me about this place- where young people come to practice their English with us English speaking volunteers. They have a great literacy program  going. I spoke to a nice, smart young man who was studying English at University and is about to take a final examination, so we looked at his homework and spoke for 3 hours! It was fun. I am definitely going back there.
5. A walk across this amazing bamboo bridge which is built only for the dry season- it was surprisingly strong but looked so perilous. It was amusing to watch the other people have as much fear -or more- than I did walking across when I came back.

I am planning more- like a walk up Phousi Hill at sunset, a trip to the Pak Ou Caves [Google it!] and a waterfall or two, but I seem to have the flu [again- 3rd time in as many months] and though it is not [knock wood] as serious as it has been, my energy is not high and I tired easily-not to mention the coughing and continual nose blowing. I have been visiting the local Pharmacie and the pharmacist has been advising me, so hopefully between the two of us all will be well.

[Can't wait to connect to WiFi at the hotel- the guys next to me are trawling the Internet for Lao boys to meet- and they are really seedy- reading the entries outloud to each other]

Til then......
Sa Bai Dee

Guess Who Came To DInner??

It's not my experience when traveling to be invited home to dinner by a native- unless I went to High School with one of them, or am related to one or two of them. But two days ago, the guide who has been taking me around Angkor Wat temples for the last week- Mr Sath [pronounced Sat] invited me to dinner at his house and to meet his wife and children. Needless to say, I was honoured.

Many times-from the back of the Tuk Tuk, I could see many local Cambodian households which range from semi-large [2 story] houses made of brick and wood to one room [I am guessing] "shack-like" buildings on wooden supports with thatch or tin roofs. Mr Sath's house fell in the latter range.

Some typical Cambodian houses-not Mr Sath's though

When the dinner night arrived, I got picked up by our Tuk Tuk driver- Bros [pronounced Bruze] who is an old friend of Mr Sath's and has been driving us around for days. The two of us were very dressed for dinner- you know, proper shirts/blouses with buttons and proper pants-both of us congratulating each other on our appearance. When we arrived at the house we were greeted by Mr Sath, who was adorned in a bath towel, and only a bath towel-and stayed that way for the whole dinner! Mr Sath lives in a neighbourhood kind of like the picture here.

Inside the house, were two rooms- the main one, where we ate, had a large bed- which I suspect sleeps the whole family, a TV set glued to the cartoon channel - playing cartoons I saw when I was a child, a table- which was borrowed from a neighbour so I/we did not have to eat on the floor, and many decorations, which mainly consisted of magazine pictures.

Above the door to the second room-I think it was the kitchen- was an altar to the ancestors- Sath's mother, who passed away a couple of years ago, and Mrs Sath's [who never got introduced] mother and father who were both killed by stepping on a land mine while picking rice. I couldn't take my eyes off either the walls, the television or anything else in the room. And though I brought the camera, I couldn't bring myself to take it out because it seemed too crass.

Mrs Sath who never sat down with us to eat, brought dish after dish to accompany the large plate of plant stems and tree leaves that were on a big platter in the middle of the table. The whole process took about 1/2 hour- and was fascinating. The food was delicious- curries and interesting fish dishes with the required buckets of rice [Bros can eat about 2 litres of rice in one sitting]. The last bit was a dish of fruit that Bros and I brought for the family.

In the middle of the meal, two friends came in, sat down, took a bowl and proceeded to eat. They sell ice-cream from a tuk tuk in the day and are rather poor [as Mr Sath told me later]. We were never introduced, but they seemed to know a little English, because they laughed at my jokes----which were plentiful, because I was a bit nervous and so turned into Party Clown [an act I have perfected over the years, starting  somewhere deep inside my childhood].

Just as we were finishing, the rest of the neighbourhood came trouping in to check out the white chick who came to dinner. They too laughed at my jokes- even though they did not speak or understand a word of English....and I certainly wasn't performing in Cambodian. It was kind of sweet. At the end hugs and handshakes happened all around. It took about 10 minutes to give good-byes. Then Bros drove me back to the hotel.

I was invited again for tonight, but I declined for two reasons: 1. the next day I had the runs and a queasy stomach, and 2.  the other more important reason is that Mr Sath- who seems to feed more than his family doesn't need to spend his hard earned money on food for me to eat. And he like most other Cambodians work hard for very little money. It is a chronic issue here- magnified by recent and older history of war and genocide.

I came away not only feeling very honoured for being invited but incredibly moved by the generosity of people who have so little and are so willing to share what little they do have with others. Reminds me of a number of my friends.

Mr Sath at Beng Mealea temple

Bros - Tuk Tuk driver extraordinaire

    

More Shots of Angkor Surrounds

Banteay Srei- at the Moat

Pre Rup-at the top of the stairs

climbing not resting

resting on the climb up Pre Rup steps

Banteay Srei-the Women's temple

Banteay Srei Doorway

On the Dancing Road

Ok- I've done 2 days of the obligatory temples- Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm-that was the one with the trees growing around the temple- and now my guide- Sath and his friend our Tuk Tuk driver- Bros and I are visiting a lot of places that are not on the main menu-or Itineraries as they call it.

Bullocks along the dancing road

So in our quest to see the unusual, yesterday we went to a temple that was 85 K's away from Siem Reap. Along the highway- we turned off on a narrow dirt road and wound our way through Villages and lots of bumps to drive over- which Sath calls the Dancing Road.

The trip up to Beng Mealea Temple took all together 2 hours- and though some people don't like riding in a tuk tuk, I actually like the breeze blowing all over me while we are riding along. I think I see more that way as well.

The Beng Mealea temple is a curious one- it was bombed to smithereens in the 70's by USA and is full of piles and piles of large stones and other bits of rubble, but is one of the most serene places I have ever been. It's hard to explain-maybe its because nature has taken over and symbiotically merges with the temple ruins. It would be hard to imagine the place restored.

Remains of a stone gate-Beng Mealea

It took a couple of hours to walk through and there were hardly any tourists there- unlike at the other more well known temples. where there are thousands.

Today [this is the next day] we continued our journey to the lesser populated temples and went to 3 that are nearby to each other-the first was Preah Ko- temple of the sacred bull-where we climbed a lot of steps to get there- not the first time that has happened-and when you get to the top, the view is pretty fabulous. The second temple is Ba Kong- City central and the third is Loi Le-which is a sweet little temple in the middle of a Buddhist monastery. It's at the last temple, that Sath makes me walk around with Bros- who is not good at English- so he made him practice with me. Especially as tomorrow Bros and I are by ourselves for a couple of days, so he will be guiding me and trying to practice.

Tonight I have been invited to Sath's house for dinner. He has taken the afternoon off so he can go home and cook with his wife. It is an honour for me to be invited...let you know later how it turns out. In the meantime....enjoy:

Me in my elephant pants and in front of Beng Mealea

nature's way at Beng Mealea

Gardens outside Beng Lealea

Angkor Wat/s-Day 1

Yesterday I flew into Siem Reap on this very funky little plane- not the really small kind that you can't stand up in, but close to it. The minute we left the plane the heat hit me hard and hasn't quite settled in. I am having a day of heat "sickness"today [my 2nd day in the Reap] but having a rest and hoping to recover.

A guide picked me up at the airport and we got stuck straight into it...going to a temple called Ta Prohm- where huge fig trees have merged with the temple, so they are now symbiotically living together for all of eternity-or until the stone blocks melt back into the earth, which does not look likely.

standing in front of a Fig which has swallowed the entrance to Ta Prohm

doorways of Ta Prohm

The trees here are amazing, and in many cases provide delicious shade and therefore cooler areas. There are of course, a squillion tourists here [+ me which = 1 squillion and one] and they are tromping all over the temples.

Looking ujp from the echo chamber

I thought Angkor Wat was the name of the whole place and it was a series of buildings all located in a common area- but it is spread over 250 sq kilometres and each set of temples has its own name, as all of them were built by different Kings and in different centurys.

Needless to say, over the years several things have affected the temples- meaning wrecked them- time, neglect, wars with other countries, US bombing of Cambodia in the 60's/70's etc. Some are being restored, but most are not. Each temple is made out of these enormous blocks and you can imagine how long it would take to restore a temple back to its original condition.

Here are some more snaps from my first day. Today my camera ran out of battery [dumb me not recharging!!] so I am going to cycle out there in a few days when I do not have the use of my guide [who I've hired for the next 4 days] as he is busy with another client- and then I will have some snaps to show. In the meantime, enjoy these ones.
Heat strokingly yours- Genie

Ta Prohm

Cambodia-the beginning

Entrance to Cambodian Border Control -Mekong River

So-where was I- oh yes, on the Mekong River......

Temporarily I left the River [which I am told is the 2nd longest river in the world]-and got driven to Chau Doc-this very funky little town from where I was going to get onto a speedboat to Ponompenh the next day.

My hotel was way away from the town, so I took in on myself to walk the 2 kilometres into town to have a look at this pagoda and park. I kept thinking I was almost there, and stopped with a map I had from the hotel, to ask people how much further. This to people who did not speak ANY English-and what was interesting was that no one, not even people living a block or two away, knew where it was.

I found it, but it was 6 kilometres, not 2-so I stopped a while, ate some dinner from a street cart- still here, not sick- and then walked all the way back. Needless to say this was in stinking heat and humidity...even though it is supposedly the beginning of Winter, it is about 28-32 degrees here and about 75-80% humidity.

Anyhow- next day, I am at the Pier for the speedboat about 1 1/2 hours early- I know, what's new... and when we finally got on board, I was, at last not the only customer in the game...so it was nice to meet some folk and have a chat...one of them being this lovely Irish lass and her boyfriend who is a teacher in Vientienne- which inspired me to check it out for myself. The other interesting couple was a guy -who fought in the Vietnam War and was returning for a cleanse, so to speak- and his partner who is an artist -oh yeah and their daughter, who works for PIXAR. So we passed some lovely time speeding up the River to Phnompenh.

My guide there was waiting for me for 3 hours before I arrived, and was pretty cheesed off...but when we got talking, we had a lot of political things in common-so he thawed out a bit. We visited the Kings Palace, the Silver Pagoda- which is not Silver on the outside, but has silver floor tiles. The best bit was at a Buddhist stupa- Wat Phnom,- where I paid $2 for 2 birds which I held in my hand, said a "prayer" and then let them fly away.

There are so many sad Cambodian stories...not just the Killing Fields,which I am seeing tomorrow- but other ones throughout history, where the Cambodians have been betrayed, dispossessed of land and culture etc. I wanted to cry when Darream, the guide was telling me about it. Tomorrow will be a tear-jerker for sure.

Have a look at some Cambodian scenes...its beautiful here. Also a big thanks to Kev and Glen for the Visa advice, I was all ready with snaps and $$ and it was a snack. [and cheaper than I thought].

cyclo ride around Pnompenh

Mekong Ferrywoman-ChauDoc

Kings Palace-Pnompenh

On the Amazing Mekong

top deck and dining room of The Authentic Mekong

sunrise on the Mekong-back deck

Where do I start?? The Mekong is the life blood of most of S.E. Asian nations and right now is brimming with traffic. Business is about trade and movement and there are any number of boats going up and down the river at all hours of the day. There are also tons of diversions in the river, so basically it never ever is the same-twisting and turning and changing through Monsoon and other natural causes.

I had the best time on the River and it was a welcome break from Ho Chi Minh City. It occurred to me one night in HCMC as I was sitting in a funky restaurant/beer garden on some busy street, that no matter what time of day, if you look at the sky-you can't see the sun in the day for the pollution, nor the stars at night. Anyway, back to the River....

I was driven to a little teensy town called Cait Be about 3 hours drive from HCMC. I was met by this charming young man- Luin -who was my guide for 2 days. We did a couple of detours at the obligatory "crafts market" and to an old Chinese house on the River, and then got to the boat, which was GORGEOUS! All wood and bamboo and charming. I was the ONLY passenger- so I had 5 Vietnamese boys waiting on me for two days [which was nice and sorta weird at the same time]. Snaps of the boat below:

My bedroom

 

The highlight of the boat trip and there were a few wonderful moments, was a bike ride in a Village called Cho Lach- lots of children yelling out HELLO as we slid down the road...on a no-gear bike- which was actually real, not stationary and without my usual copious amounts of bum padding and heart pounding music- riding a REAL bike is so different than a stationary one- it was good to be reminded. Might get one for back home.

Luin was lovely and very intelligent and a real go getter. He made sure I was well taken care of even after we left each others company.

Other highlights included the hour foot massage after the bike ride, the floating markets in Can Tho and a trip to an orchard outside Can Tho. Below are Luin and I on the last day- next Cambodia!

riding a real bike!



Luin [he's on the right] & Me-sayingG'Day!

More Ho Chi Minh Snaps-

Median Strip on Lei Loi Street [a major street]



Bac Ho-Uncle Ho comforts a child in front of Peoples Palace



Saigon Street Scene





Old and new Saigon side by side



And yes I am doing more than writing on this blog! Tomorrow I lose Wi Fi for a week or so-so I am using my time here before I won't be able to.

Ciao Genie

Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh!!

Yes I know its a cheap joke! WOW has this city changed since the last time I was here!! Parts of it- some of which I visited today- are so upmarket it felt as if I were in New York, or Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills -what a transition. It made me very sad to see central Saigon filled with Modern Hotels and Shopping Malls- these delightful scenes were just two of the efforts to recognise Christmas- David Jones- eat your heart out!!

Santa and Reindeer on Lei Loi St



Sean and his sheep friends do Xmas!

But I am getting a little ahead of myself here.

I started the day with a 6Am walk where I found -by äccident" this amazing park where tons of Ho Chi Minians were exercising in various ways- from walking backwards [I think a Vietnamese fave with the older generation] to playing a mean game of badminton, to Tai Chi, to vigourous areobics-with music, but not Les Mills- to this very entertaining and slightly balletic form of Hackie Sack. It was wonderful and because we were all exercise freaks I got a lot of Hello's and Sin Chou's....I'm definitely going again tomorrow- if I can find it again.

After a rather gluttonous brekkie, I headed out to Lei Loi Street via the Ben Thanh Markets- which are HUGE [Paddy's Market eat YOUR heart out] and have the most amazing array of things on offer to buy. At first glance it looks like there is no pattern to it, but after a couple of visits, I could see the rationale behind the layout. There is everything from fish to Tailors who will make a suit for you in 24 hours! I got some cheap- and thin- Tee shirts, as it is rather hot here, and I don't mind sweating through $3 ones- a fan and a bag which doesn't set alight if you put a cigarette lighter to its surface [though why this is a selling point I am not sure]. Here are a couple of market shots:

Fresh fish for sale-Ben Thanh Markets



buying some dinner I guess

After this I headed toward what was once known as central Saigon, which used to have this sort of village-y feel to it, but is now plastered with swanky hotels and the like. I couldn't help myself, so I went to the REX Hotel Balcony Bar and had a carrot juice, which cost more than the lunch I had by the Saigon River and hour or so later. It was kinda worth it though- one cause it is a rather swanky thing to do and two because the ladies toilet is pretty much worth about 70% of the experience. Carrot juice below along with views- no toilet scenes though.

One hell of a carrot juice!




Saigon Hotels from The Rex Balcony Bar



The Rex and The Caravelle were the hotels where US and Aussie journalists hung out with Vietnamese informants and other radical ratbags, and wrote stories about THE war- which by the way is called The American War over here- interesting eh? I like to fantasize that I am sitting where people like David Halberstom sat -look him up if not sure- who was asked to leave Vietnam 3 times because he was reporting news from the front that contradicted President Johnson's Government propoganda- and who returned to do more reporting anyway. Just a little modern history to chew on there.... 

More Saigon Scenes to follow in a different entry.





The JOYS of quequeing!!

Ok BIG airport lesson- I can her some of you laughing right now- ALWAYS check the Departures check in sign before quequeing up! I guess I thought it was 1978 or somewhere near there because I turned the corner right by the lifts from the train to International, and there was a QUEQUE! And there were lots of Asian people quequeing up and China Air signs all over- so I took my place-not too awfully far from the front of the queque.

All the while thinking- "How cool is this? Right by the escalator, not many people here etc etc- and already dreaming of the leisurely dinner I would be enjoying in just a matter of minutes!" Except I didn't factor in the amount of people who knew people who worked at the counters and got to jump the queque nor did I notice that the CA flight numbers on the signs above the check in counters looked nothing like what was on my ticket- which I also didn't look at until an hour had passed and I was now 3rd or 4th in line.

I was not just in the wrong queque but in the wrong section of the airport- MY QUEQUE was at the complete OTHER end of the departure area and the queque there was not only longer, but filled with people who had "special" issues-like 7 boxes poorly wrapped to take on the plane, or the over the weight limit on baggage or the stolen credit card person. So another hour went along and when I finally made it up to the front, and checked in, most of the restaurants -if you can call them that- at the airport food hall had closed. I did manage to wolf down a decent Thai curry though- and it was especially delicious listening to all the different voices that were going on around me.

Then onto another really really long queque getting onto the plane. I was rewarded in the end by getting to sit next to a Taiwanese couple who live in NZ and were going back to Taiwan to visit their farm. He was a farmer and she was a school teacher and they were delightful!

At Taipei Airport, I got to wait for 4 hours for the flight to Ho Chi Minh- and there I met this really lovely young woman who is studying in NZ and going back to HCM to visit with her mother and 3 brothers....we had a delightful chat and the time went by really fast.

I am here now- queque-less in Ho Chi Minh- right in the heart at a lovely hotel called The Lavendar and am about to hit the streets. It is really only noon, but it feels like midnight!

Tomorrow lots of sights to see and lots of snaps to take. AND hopefully no more queques for a while ! [I did spot a beautiful botanic garden and pagoda on the way in, so I am going to find my way back there- oh and have a drink on the verandah of the Rex Hotel]
Ciao for Now

The Game Plan- [subject to change without notice]

Bag packed - [tick]
Senior First Aid assembled [tick]
Tickets and itinerary in hand [tick]

Come join me!!

Plants watered, house cleaned, fridge emptied out [that was HARD!]

Here's the plan: [so far anyway]

• Monday 10th Dec- leave Sydney for Ho Chi Minh City [via Taiwan-don't ask]
• Tuesday Dec 11th Arrive Ho Chi Minh City
• Schmooze around HCM-including the markets and a drink at the Caravelle [famous US and Aussie reporters
• December 13th- Start a "cruise"  up the Mekong River stopping at:
• Chau Doc, Phom penh and Siem Reap 
• Arriving on December 19th  [where Angkor Wat is]
• Stay in Angkor Wat til 25th December visiting Temples, hanging out, relaxing etc then:
• Fly to Luang Prabang in Laos til next year [1st Jan] where there are more temples, caves, monks to meet, service to offer and whatever else comes my way.....
• Fly back to HCM for a day and then back to Sydney. 

 Sounds simple eh? Stay tuned for the "adventure" component. Getting ready is not actually that adventurous but sort of cleansing. 
Anyway...I'm ready for the ride- so GIDDYUP! 
 

Before Take Off

I love this bit...the time just before the adventure. Planning, packing, panicking...you know how it goes.

Funny thing is: when you are outward bound, all of a sudden everyone wants a piece of you...just a little bit of time before you head off. I don't mind- lots of practice eating out.

Pre-flight weekend includes: 2 plays, maybe a flick, definitely some packing [I already have too many items of clothing in the pile....and I know how it goes- I'll probably never unfold or wear 1/2 of them] cleaning house for the watchers and generally trying to fit it all in.

By the time I'm on the flight, it's too late to change anything anyway. This time next Tuesday, I will be in Ho Chi Minh City.....stay tuned. Oh and don't forget to comment- I 'd love to hear from you! Yes, really.