Hey, back in Asia! Where am I again! Vietnam, right?

So let's talk about Vietnam. My home is Bien Hoa, a small town on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City. And when I say outskirts... wow? Even more so than Thailand, HCMC is city city city and then suddenly, like someone drew a line in the sand, suddenly not city. (Limited) Bus travel ends at 530, there are no stores aside from the mom and pop places (alright, there is a KFC but c'mon, this is Asia). Consequently getting around is pretty difficult without a personal vehicle. There are some good points though. The school looks great, and it's in walking distance. There are a number of mom and pop restaurants, serving up bowls of stuff for a pretty cheap rate. My house is more like a mansion, with a sprawling living room and kitchen, complete with a "garage"... for a motorbike.

Still, a garage. Look who's Mister 1%.

So, about HCMC. Roommate Chloe and I grabbed the bus into town, starting out at the Reunification Palace. The former home of the South Vietnamese President, the war basically ended when a tank crashed through the gate here. It's pretty much exactly the same as it was 40 years ago, complete with 70s era decor. It's like if your grandma was put in charge of interior decoration. There was also a bunker downstairs filled with old radio equipment, maps, and other random cool things. Also, the Vietnamese word for "bunker" is apparently "Ham", which made for some chuckles on the bilingual "Ham Bunker" signs.

After, it was onto the War Remnants Museum. Basically the "Hey. The Americans Were Dicks." Museum. I mean, it's like the Rape of Nanjing Museum (Actually no, nothing is as bad as that). It's a masochistic kind of curiosity, made a little more real because it's "my" country that's presented in a negative light. There was a bit of a propaganda tint to it, but that's not an excuse to make up for the fact that America messed up pretty bad there. I suppose war is never a clean affair, and you can always pick out examples to show what you want. But there are some horrible examples of "what not to do", because it's only going to cause people to hate you more. And there was a lot of that going on, especially with the chemical defoliants and their effects on the general population. And even if just 1% of the crazy preserved fetuses were caused by those chemicals, that's 1% too many. Oddly enough I didn't take any photos there, mostly because it would just be photos of photos. But there were some interesting physical things there, like some vintage military hardware and small arms.

After, it was a trip to Ben Thanh Market for some old fashioned Asian haggling. In particular I wanted some Oolong Tea, and there was no shortage. From a high of 250,000 VND ($11.50) down to 80,000, my haggling ability remains intact. Wanting to insert a bit of levity after the museum, I joked with one of the more persistent vendors I was looking for a Vietnamese wife. He pointed out this younger shopkeeper a few paces away, and they shot back and forth in Vietnamese about this crazy foreigner. At one point, a pregnant woman stood up and said "Hey! (gesturing to her baby) Buy one get one free!"

Now in fits of laughter, Chloe and I headed out to see the Post Office. An odd tourist sight, but a really impressive building across from another equally impressive Cathedral. It looks like this post office has not changed in over 100 years, but it is still active and working. There's not much more to say about it except it was like a step back in time and a pleasure to see.

Then back we went, and work orientation started. We learned about our classes, I quit my job, we found a nice coffee shop, yadda yadda.

Backing up, let me tell you about this coffee shop! Nah seriously, I quit my job and went back to Bangkok. I know this was quite a decision, and really nobody was as surprised as I was. Basically, I had a "chance" to stay in my room for 3 days straight with dodgy electricity. And instead of just browsing the internet endlessly (alright, I did do that on the first day), I uncharacteristically didn't feel like doing anything and just think. Just sit in the dark and think. And I thought about the way my life was going, and I decided it wasn't going exactly what I wanted. I think I just kept myself busy and doing stuff enough that I never let myself think. So I tried to think about the times I was happiest. Going to away to college was pretty high up there. Deciding to travel and teach was pretty high up there. Being with Ella was pretty high up there. Unfortunately I can't go back to being 20 anymore and I already left America. But maybe if I'm really lucky I could go back to being with Ella. And I got really lucky when she decided that she would take me back. And I've come back to Thailand with a fresh mind, with a new home, new job, I'm trying to shake things up to make things feel fresh. That time the taxi driver tried to steal my rice cooker? That time the taxi ran over my bike? That time that taxi driver tried to not use the meter? That time the taxi shortchanged me? That was Thailand 1.0, this is 2.0. And to top it all off, I still get to do all the things I wanted to do (live in Asia, travel the world, try new beers, sing karaoke, be an idiot), but I get to do it with my best friend. So right now, this is exactly where my travels should take me.

Hard to believe life in Thailand has come to a close. I really didn't know what to expect from this place, as I knew so little about it beforehand. Other than a place to party, or course. I think Thailand definitely has that, but living proved to be a bit of a challenge. There's a certain type of people that Thailand really meshes with, and they absolutely love it here.

To give an example, there's a show the BBC did (all available on Youtube) called "Bangkok Airport". In one of the episodes, it follows this tourist who came here and fell in love with it. He came with all his friends, and they went on a bender the night before and missed their flight. So while their friends tried to arrange a new ticket, he decides he wants a beer. He disappears, his friends get a new flight, and are forced to abandon him because it's leaving. So he tries in vain to get another one, and he does, 24 hours later. He goes back in Bangkok to party on Khao San, and takes 6 Xanax bought from a shady pharmacy. The next day, surprisingly not dead, arrives very late. He doesn't rush, he instead stops in the airport because he saw some instant noodles he wanted. He made his flight by seconds.

Now, my whole time watching this, I kept thinking "This guy is a fucking idiot", which, he is. He wasted a ton of money, time, and his health over what... one beer? But yet, this behavior is very typical of Thais, so I can see why he fit in. It has its upsides, though. The Thai lifestyle is very low stress, and aside from the ones that pop 6 Xanax, I'd guess stress related conditions are not as prevalent here. Anyway, as I've done with China and Taiwan, I'd like to talk about the not so great things about Thailand, and finish on a positive note with the things I love about this crazy place.

- Thais can be a lot like children. They can be very selfish, and tend to not think beyond the immediate. This can waste a lot of money and time down the road, which they don't seem to have an issue with.

- People are really lazy here. It's difficult to get anyone to do anything not involving sleep or playing on their phone. Even in front of you.

- This country is a lot different for a single white guy versus a couple, or girls. I'm hesitant to say racism, because that has a connotation of a dislike. Its more like, just accepted you treat x people x way. White single guys are rich people just here to get drunk and find girls, and since they're all rich, you can rip them off. I can't count how many times I've received the incorrect change (oddly never in my favor), how many taxi drivers ask to take me to some party area, or how many girls grab my arm to try and drag me to some massage parlor. This doesn't usually happen when I'm with Ella.

- They assume if you can't speak Thai you are an idiot. You'd be amazed at how differently people treat you when you open with Thai instead of English.

- Thailand, even more so than the rest of Asia, is about surface over substance. They will promote x to hell and back, but actually do no quality control or even care about what it is. They put on an appearance that they're moving mountains, yet are actually doing nothing.

- They're always late. Everything is late. They promise it will be on time. It won't be, because the driver felt like stopping to have a cigarette, or something that easily could have been prevented with foresight caught up to them.

- Jeez, Thai immigration is godamn complicated! You have to go every 90 days to "check in", which is a half day affair.

But, enough of that. Let's talk about the good things!

+ Thai food is great. It's cheap, delicious, healthy, and has raised my spice tolerance beyond imagination.

+ Heck, everything is cheap cheap! If you want to live like a king you can, but if you're a cheapskate like me, the bar can go really, really low.

+ Despite their lack of a comprehensive metro system, getting around Bangkok as well as Thailand is quite cheap and easy, albeit time consuming.

+ There is always something to do. Bangkok has so many districts with their own personality and events, or you can just jet off to some small town. They'll have a tourist office to point you in the right direction.

+ Thais believe if you're going to do something, you might as well have fun with it. They're a very silly, bold, and creative group of people, and I think we all could learn from them.

+ They never stress about anything. I've never seen an upset Thai, even in the most shitty situations.

+ Even the most rural areas have a plethora of 7-11s, ATMs and 3G mobile coverage. Rock on.

+ I'm apparently alone in this, but every police officer I've interacted with has been really cool and helpful. Even when I messed up.

+ Nothing is censored or PC. Sex, alcohol, violence, and other vices are not taboo, and even surprisingly young ones have no problem talking about it. Yet they approach it with a level of maturity befitting someone quite older than themselves.

+ Thais really love their king, and to be fair, they lucked out and got a really good one. And while the prince has some big shoes to fill, the much beloved princess has stepped in to be the new face of the royal family - who also happens to be a great person.

+ Bangkok is the best travel hub ever. They have tons of international flights, and so many low cost airlines you can travel around Asia for nothing.


And that just about wraps it up, except for the collection of favorite Thailand pics. This was a difficult one.

So much to say, where to begin?

I'm writing this at 35000 feet, which despite my personal vow to use metric units, I have little bearing on how many kilometers that is. And despite the 50 hour travel time (don't ask), I never tire of airplanes. It's so therapeutic to be completely disconnected for such a long period of time. It's like how it was in North Korea, although I understand tourists can buy a SIM card there now. What's the fun in that?

Regardless Future Weg, after Singapore you went back to the US for about one and a half months to... well just because I suppose. Not to say it was a bad experience. I got to see two newborn babies, as well as my nephew who's two months away. I guess I didn't really see him, but you get the idea. It's baby season, and while I'm happy for the new moms and dads, it's amazing how much our lives went in completely different directions.

So while I was back in the States, I kept pretty busy. Of course the previous blog was about my trip to New York. It was fun, and pretty much the only city so far in the US that made me think "I could live here without going insane." I really hate cars and suburbs. I need to be surrounded by crowds, which I think has been a big reason why I've liked Asia so much. Also everything is 1/5th the price. That helps too. But part of me thinks, if I got a job in New York after college, I'd still probably be there.

Speaking of suburb hate, my friend from Taiwan, Tiffany came to visit. I swear this is relevant. We stayed at my sister's place, a very nice new house in a new suburb with a yard, deck, etc. One morning I drove up to the grocery store, got some corn and goetta, grilled them up, and we sat on the deck and talked. I thought "God, this feels like I'm married."

"God, I hate this."

And not to say Tiffany is bad of course, she's great. And I'm glad it works for some people. But it just further confirms it's not for me.

So Tiffany took a bus in from middle-of-nowhere Kansas to Indianapolis. I drove up to get her, as well as to spend a few days being tourists in Indy. It's a nice enough city, though a little small for my tastes. Yes I know it's bigger than Cincinnati. Still too small. We rode go karts, ate at a chocolate cafe, saw a museum of miniatures, and just chilled out.

Back in Cincinnati, we spent a few days doing the typical sights. Kings Island (love the new Banshee, wow!) was a highlight for me, and we went on the last day of school. So a lot of lines were super short. Score! Later in the evening we had a bunch of schoolgirls ask what language Tiffany and I were speaking. We said Chinese, and they were eager to show off their skills after studying it for one semester. Perhaps excited from just getting out of school for the summer, they came on pretty strong. I wish I could have had the camera ready to capture Tiffany's face when 4 teenagers descended upon her simultaneously saying "Hello my name is blank, I am blank years old, and I have blank brothers and sisters." I also remember them asking how to say some absurdly specific sentence like "No mushrooms on my pizza please." Jeez, baby steps. But I'm going to attempt it, please correct me Chinese friends :

请别给我蘑菇在我的比萨

We also saw other local sights like the zoo and aquarium, hung out in OTR, you know the drill. Tiffany commented on her last day how much there was to do in Cincinnati, but in the back of my mind I was thinking "Jeez if we spent another day here I'd have no idea what to do." But yeah, for a city of its size Cincinnati's not bad.

Anyway after saying goodbye to Tiffany and Cincinnati friends, my mind is on getting back to Thailand and seeing my other friends again. And after that of course, onto Vietnam. I'm still preparing my Thailand retrospective blog, I'd like to finish it after giving Thailand another fresh look. But I'm also thinking about personal improvement goals for Vietnam. I've always heard the theory that if you want to do something, you should tell a friend because they can hold you to it, or at least make fun of you for messing up. But then I also just heard on a podcast I listen to (called Hello Internet), saying you're going to do something makes you less likely to, because by saying you're going to, your brain releases dopamine like you did, discouraging you from following through. Then again, writing about nothing is boring. So for Vietnam, I want to work on my confidence. Specifically I mean social confidence. My personal confidence is pretty solid - why yes, I can probably go caving despite never doing it before. Yes, I can eat this indescribable mass of "food" and not become ill. But no, I mean the kind of confidence that has my brain saying "Ah don't say that, it's stupid." I'm sure we've all felt that way before. I've heard the expression faking confidence is the same as having it, and that sounds pretty good to me. So, hoping the first theory of wanting to do something is correct, I'm counting on friends to hold me to that. Actually that sounds like it would be untrustworthy. Maybe I'll have Past Weg hold Future Weg to it.

But, Past Weg cannot be trusted. It seems we have a conundrum on our hands.