April 16th Seoul

7AM We arrived at Seoul and I left immediately for the city (12,000 won). Seoul is cold even in April, around 5 degrees Celsius during the morning and can get up to 10-15 degrees at noon.

8:30AM I arrived at Gyeongbokgung Palace and after getting a few people to call (they are really nice here) for me, I finally got to Suhee. She is really sweet and offered me some red bean bread? Anyway, it was great.

I found her waiting for me at the corner of this building.
Students Visiting the PalaceSuhee is also a world traveler and she may be a better photographer than me :)

10:30AM I told Suhee I wanted to go fast and we went up to a village. It was a great view of Seoul up high. I was a little tired after walking around for a few miles following an 8 hour flight. I called Hailey Park, a CSer, but she said she is busy now since I did not call earlier. How early am I supposed to call?

Suhee and I

After this, we went to Insadong and looked for places to eat. Suhee was very considerate my budget (the 30 dollars which is only 10 dollars after the round trip from and to the airport) and found me a cheap place underground.
Suhee also brought some delicious food from her mom! Very delicious!

Suhee treated me to lunch underground (4000 won total). That was delicious too. She is really a sweet girl and gave some of homemade food to the owners!
Cheonggyecheon Stream

1PM I bought us some yogurt (25,000 won). Next, I toured around Namdaemun Market for about 1 hour. I checked out some camera stores but I think the prices are a little higher that in the US. O well, I did not have enough money anyway. Suhee was my guide until we were supposed to go to Hongik to meet Jung Park but she said 45 minutes to 1 hour is too short. I was perplexed but whatever!

Egg Tart at 1000 Won
Sweet and only 500 won? I forgot because I only had this once.

Final goodbye to the kids before I left! They are really friend in Korea.

April 14th and 15th, 2010 Saigon and Out

10AM 14th I went to Pham Ngu Lau and walked around. I also realized I had broken my cord and went to a Lenvo service center called FNPT or something like that. They refused to give me a new cord, something that would have been resolved in 5 minutes in the US. As a result, I got very angry and visited another one of their branch that was not exactly a repair center. I pointed out an employee who was browsing the internet and said, "Vietnamese people do not work and just play." I called them no good and left.

A few workers at Saigon share lunch.

2PM 14th I had a blueberry yogurt from Chewy Junior (45,000 VNDs) and it was the best!

Shark Fin Restaurant: Thao and I ate here before I went to China.

3PM I had a body scrub (body renewal) here for 120,000 VNDs. I would say it is decent. I have been very dirty in Vietnam. Their phone number is (84-8) 38364404 and they are at 35 Do Quang Dau Str., Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, HCMC.

7PM Dinh took me to this shell fish outdoor restaurant place. It was delicious and only around 120,000 VNDs. I paid, of course.

We had yogurt at Yofana afterward. Mine was 414 mg (104,000 VNDs) and hers was 208 mg (52,000 VNDs). I would rather eat seafood in Vietnam because yogurt is mediocre and expensive.

8AM 15th I treated Tu to breakfast (around 60,000 VNDs). We took a cab and she left first. Here is a story: I gave the cab driver a 500,000 VND bill and he turns around and said he only got 50,000 VNDs. We looked everywhere and wanted to go to the police. He finally shelled 480,000 VNDs and started crying, without tears. I am not sure what happened but I swear I saw the 500,000 VND bill when I gave it to him.

Breakfast is Bun Moc.

12PM I looked around Saigon for some plates and bags. I also tried to sell my iPhone at Saigon Square and got an offer $260. I talked to Tu and she said that Yola would buy it and I declined the offer.

2PM I revisit Chewy Junior and they dropped the price of the yogurt along with everything else by 5,000 VNDS. Unfortunately, I wanted internet and went to a yogurt place next to Ban Thanh Market.

Live Octupus

Nhat and I

April 13th, 2010 Mui Ne and Saigon

8AM I left Da Lat for Mui Ne (120,000 VNDs). It was a four hour bus ride to the coast and I got to it a little after 11AM.

Fishing Village at Mui Ne

11AM I took a moto bike (45,000 VNDs) to take me around Mui Ne. It was really hot. I went to the red sand dune, which is what Mui Ne is known for. It was pretty big but Michigan's sand dunes were bigger in my memory.

12PM I leave Mui Ne for Saigon (70,000 VNDs) on a 4 hour bus ride. This was the last bus I took and thank God it was a good one. It was clean and only half-full of foreigners.

Ben Thanh Market at Saigon

I went back to Duong's home and saw him for the very last time before he left for Hanoi.

April 12th To Da Lat

8AM I took the bus to Da Lat. Well, I actually tried to book for the bus leaving at 8 and ended up staying until 10:30AM. The girl working there actually canceled the one she booked for me at 8 after I told her that I wanted buses that took the new road (3 hours vs. 5 hours on the old). I got mad at her after she told me the bus left and I would have to wait until 10:30AM and pay 105,000 VNDs. I argued with her and called for her boss. She gave in.

1PM Just an hour before Da Lat, our bus break down. This time they took an hour but they did fix it on the spot.

2PM I arrived at Da Lat and it was still hot. It did not seem like this was much of a tourist destination. I couldn't find a place until I walked uptown about 2 miles to the center. I found a place for 95,000 VNDs. I was shocked to not even find a fan in the room. The owner assured me it would be tolerable at night. I was dubious. I tried Bun Bo with crab meat and duck. It was not as good as mi or pho.

Bun Bo

6PM I toured the crazy house, the only thing worth seeing here since the waterfall is dried up due to the dam.

A Narrow Path at Crazy House

8PM I ate at Da Quy recommended by Lonely Planet. I would not recommend it I tried a half dish of venison for 35,000 VNDs (69,000 VNDs for a regular dish) and it was not good. I wished I had gone to the other place but then again, how good could it be? I also tried a cake from the bakery, which is everything but like that of Hoi An.

Lamb or beef at Da Quy?

10PM There is almost no nightlife here I feel. But it is cool at night and you don't need a fan.

April 11th, 2010 Last Day in Nha Trang

7:30AM I mentioned that the couple were going to move downstairs. Richard denies it and asks me to move out. At this point, I did not care anymore. Obviously he wanted me out because I was not taking his course.

Same drill: I am off to the last three dives. I kept a shell at 10 meters, which is the deepest I dove during the first dive. I had some quarrel with the other German instructor, who now wants a tip for the contact lenses he gave me. I refused to give into this scoundrel. Thanh helped me get another pair from him. Thanh is actually his master. Afterward, I asked Thanh if we were going to go down to 18 meters, which is the limit for the open water course. He sensed that I wanted that and down we went. After 6 meters it really was not that difficult to adjust by equalization. What made it harder was how cold it was at 15 meters, about 20 degrees Celsius.



10AM I think I ultimately went down to 17.5 meters and not all the way down to 18 meters. But I knew I could have done it. After that, we did one more dive and went back. I did meet a group of 4, which includes a couple, from 廣西. They spoke Vietnamese and said they do not have accents. One guy had a Nikon and took a few photos for me. He was not very good though, blowing out quite a few on the way.

12PM I finished my last dive, down to 10 meters. I skipped lunch and got my 20,000 VNDs toward dinner. I got into another quarrel with the European instructor, Thomas. He asked me to buy him a beer and I refused. He said I could imagine what he wants to say about me save the ladies in presence. I said likewise and he made some gesturing about my parents working for the Chinese government, which I vehemently denied right away.

1PM I got back to Richard's place and he asked me to move. There was no discussion and I moved right away. It took me about 25 minutes to find a place for 120,000 VNDs but I negotiated a bargain at 105,000 VNDs for an AC room on the sixth floor (which is 301 but really it is the 6th floor). I also met a fellow from Shanghai, who was conversing with a couple also from there, at the Sinh Cafe. He was looking for a place I guided him to the same place I was staying. They charged him 120,000 VNDs and I shut up. I argued to move down to the 201 since I brought them another customer and they finally agreed. I liked this place. It was by far the cleanest hotel room in Vietnam I have been to and it was a steal at just over $5.

3PM I met a girl back at Richard's place. Her name is Pan Xiaomin from Zhejiang. She is staying at Richard's place for free as a CSer and she is taking his course. Well, by then it was obvious to me that Richard kicked me out because I was not taking his class. She had the entire room to herself. O well, it was just one night and it was much more comfortable.

5PM I went back to the hotel. 劉陽 and I walked on the beach until we got to Sheraton. He thought I was good company and we had a hearty meal from 6:30PM until 9:30PM. We shared our respective stories with girls and that was a good bonding time.

A View of the Flag at the Beach
Sheraton


Yang and I

10PM We got back and I asked Pan Xiaomin to join us for a drink. She was not into drinking and also warned us that she did not bring her wallet. She had a juice and we shared a bucket. 劉陽 treated us (85,000 VNDs).

April 10th, 2010 Diving at Nha Trang

7AM I wake up and walked to turtle, which was just 3 blocks away. We hopped onto a minivan and there was the same Israeli couple that I met in Cambodia who are also diving for the first time. Instead of diving 2 days like me as I am short on time, they were diving 3 days for the same six dives.

I was really worried about my ears, you know, with my flying troubles and all. I told the managers at Turtle Dive and asked for 10% discount on the discover scuba diving cost ($36) they were going to charge in case I had to quit right away. The female manager agreed. We left at 7:30AM.

At 3 meters I was really uncomfortable. Thanh helped me go up and down and we worked until 5 meters. I felt comfortable after 5 minutes in this area and though I was going to be able to do it. I agreed to take the entire open water course and went down to do 2 more dives, the deepest at 9 meters.

Thanh told me not to drink tonight. The lunch included was awful. I told the manager that and asked to get 20,000 VNDs back for the lunch next day. She agreed. I also did not eat dinner as the staff told me about the seafood buffet at Sheraton.

For the rest of the day, I checked out Truc Linh at Biet Thu, Four Seasons and the Sailing Club at the beach. There were expensive. Out of those, Truc Linh had the best deal for 640,000 VNDs for a snapper fish, a lobster, 6 mussels, 6 clams and 4 tiger prowns. I checked out Sheraton's buffet ($23.10). Even though there were only two ways of cooking the small lobsters and the shellfish at Sheraton, grilled or steamed, I found that those are the traditional way of cooking in Vietnamese cuisine. This is when I realized Chinese seafood is much more creative and better in more ways and not. In my opinion, the steamed tiger prawns is the only seafood memorable in Vietnam besides the garlic crab at San Francisco (which is not even Vietnamese but fusion). But for nearly the same price, I thought Sheraton offered the most and I decided to go with that and skip lunch the next day also. That hefty price in Vietnam demanded it.

6PM Before I went out at night, there were a couple of new arrivals. Richard told me that there is another one tomorrow so I had to leave in the morning. I said okay but I checked with the couple later and they told me that they were going to move downstairs. At the moment there were Marlon, me and those two in the room, which was at maximum capacity. But if they move, would not there be enough room for me?

April 9th, 2010 Nha Trang

6AM I arrive at Nha Trang and got to Richard's place at around 7AM. I met an Austrian fellow Marlon Breuss, who led me to Richard's other shop. He has two. Richard manages a scuba diving shop. Nha Trang's center is littered with them. The internet is free here but the staffs here wash clothes for you at 15,000 VNDs per kilo. I settled on the third floor and then talked to Richard about things to do in Nha Trang.

8AM I walked a little bit around the beach and I was impressed with the coarse, yellow sand and the murky water. My standards have been raisen by the beach at Hoi An. I returned to the scuba shop and asked Richard what I could do around Nha Trang. As a business man, he naturally tried to sell his package, which is $225 for the open water course for 2 days. I had to start the following day since the diving crew leaves at 7AM everyday.

I roamed around and there really was not that much at Nha Trang other than scuba diving. I shopped around and talked to several shops. Finally, I found Turtle Dive. I talked to a guy with an European accent and he said he would do $200 and no less. I then talked to Thanh, who offered me a 10% discount so it was down to $180. Richard was really not negotiating and said he could not even do $200. So I took Thanh's deal.

10PM I slept on the third floor fan room. Well, there is AC but it is "not working". I gathered that Richard offers free housing for the divers and couchsurfing is just another avenue of drawing tourists.

April 8th, 2010 My Son and to Nha Trang

Mi in the morning at 7AM, I bought half a bowl for 5,000 VNDs.

8:30AM I get on a bus full of foreigners to My Son. They call it the My Son Holy Land, or 美山. I tell you, you would appreciate Angkor Wat more once you get to My Son. It is much smaller in scale and the temples are not as impressive. Now I wish I had a guide at Angkor Wat because our guide certainly made this little My Son much more interesting.

The American Jeeps from Vietnam War are used as transportation to My Son sites.

The bricks compared side by side show that those built two thousand years ago withstand wind and rain much better than cement between bricks. I believe Angkor Wat was built the same way.

12PM I paid an extra 15,000 for the boat ride back without lunch, which was vegetarian for others and seemed forgettable. The boat ride was also unimpressive. The fishing village on an island was decent. There were many carpenters there and the guide showed us the flooding line, which has been much higher in recent years. The people that lived on this island would have to move to the roofs.

2PM We got dropped off near the center of Hoi An and I headed to Hoi An Beach for seafood. The beach was the best I have see in my life! It was quiet. The water was calm and blue, much better than that of Miami, Phu Quoc and Nha Trang which I visited later. The food was another story, I bought 2 small crabs cooked with sau for 85,000 VNDs and grilled fish for 60,000 VNDs. I must say I have not really had stellar seafood in Vietnam except for the shrimps I had in Phu Quoc.

Hoi An Beach

3:30PM I returned from the beach and spent an hour bargaining with the saleswomen at the market for a few dishes. I wanted the bamboo bowl, for which they wanted 50,000 VNDs, the coconut bowl (50,000 VNDs) and three plates decorated with eggshells 200,000 VNDs (they were going to give it to me for 180,000 VNDs. They wanted 265,000 VNDs but I did not bite in the end.

6PM I was picked up at Thanh Binh for Nha Trang, which was 280,000 VNDs I believe. I think I paid around 345,000 VNDs for My Son and the sleeping bus to Nha Trang, though my memory of this is not entirely solid. It was 12 hours to Nha Trang.