Back in Japland again

OK peoples I am back in Japan!

Reluctantly. The last 2 weeks have been great fun and coming in to work this morning was a little bit like what I imagine walking up to a carefully arranged bonfire above which you are to be tied would feel like. At least most of the teachers are not here owing to a PTA event tomorrow that they all have to attend. How stupid am I? Coming back from holidays to work on a Friday? Anyway let's think about my vacation.

I did some updates in Thailand I think. If I ever go to Thailand again I would like to avoid the tourist spots. Patong was fun, but it doesn't seem like the real Thailand for me. It is all there just for the tourists. A bit like Cairns is in Queensland I guess. Most of the population are only there for a week or so. I did get a Thai massage though which was very very relaxing and made me wish I could afford a masseuse on staff (but what with the cook and personal trainer, my budget is a little stretched at the moment). Lying by the pool was also lovely, got chatting with a few of our neighbours. We met heaps of Kuwaitis for some reason. After a while you get used to dealing with all the pressure from the locals to use their tuk tuk or buy from their shop. At first I didn't want to be too rude and not say hello back when they spoke to us, but in the and you realise sometimes it is the only way to avoid being dragged into a big long conversation that always ends in "Oh well, I can take you there in my tuk tuk!". I didn't find Thailand as cheap as what I was told. My funds ran low very quickly and mum generously paid for a couple of things that I did - like the massage.

I'd be interested to travel around a bit next time and see if things are different elsewhere. Vietnam was a lot more up my alley. I stayed in Saigon for a couple of days and went up to Nha Trang and went swimming and snorkling and stuff. Crossing the street in Vietnam is just the best. At first you stand there looking at the barrage of motorcycles wondering when they will stop so you can get across. But then you see the locals just wandering out in front of them and not dying and realise that you have to do the same. So the idea is that you just walk slowly, without stopping across in front of all the traffic and it just avoids you. And it works! The bikes just readjust their path slightly to avoid you. The streets are quite wide so it was all good. I didn't see a single accident the whole time I was there. They all beep their horns impulsively though. I don't know who they are beeping at or why because at any given time there are at leasts 3 people around you breaking the law in some way. Once I was looking out into the street in the early hours of the morning, it was totally deserted, just one scooter putting along and it beeped its horn!! It must be a disease they have. Call me crazy but I kind of enjoyed the chaos on the roads. It just seemed to work in the end. Everyone just expects the road rules to be broken so they are more aware drivers (well most of them are riders since there were many more bikes than cars). It was also quite funny watching them use a motorbike as the family sedan. Often you would see a bike coming towards you with a child of 1 appearing to be in control, propped up on the petrol tank, 3 more kids on the back and mum holding them all on.

I checked out a museum in Saigon, walked around aimlessly a lot and did absolutely no shopping although I was approached a bit to buy postcards or flowers. There were heaps of crazy fruits and stuff. Saigon doesn't have tall buildings. I think that's what I liked about it. The sun gets in everywhere and it feels a lot roomier. It is a bit of a mix between new and old. More old than new - there seemed to be a lot of construction going on, but everywere was still a tad messy. I don't know if I was just rebelling against the perfect precision that is Japanese town planning, but I enjoyed the messy streets and odd angles and unfinished look to everything. The Vietnamese themselves are very friendly I reckon. Although not when you would expect them to be. Like, when you go somewhere official where you might expect good service at home you don't get it. Like at Vietnam Airlines office. They don't go out of their way to help you out, but in the streets people are heaps nice. I had a tour of the Cu Chi tunnels and my tour guide was just hilarious. Pretty cheeky fellow.

I would love to go back to Vietnam when I have more time and check out Hanoi too. I reckon it's gonna get heaps more crowded with tourists over the next few years, so better go before it gets "discovered" like Thailand seems to be. It is still pretty cheap too. Plenty of cheap beers were consumed... Next time I should make more of an effort to learn some Vietnamese though, I only know how to say Thankyou!!