2 weeks into Vietnam

Wow, I just got a call from my mum and she just landed in Ho Chi Minh City!!! heheh I can't wait to see her! Unfortunately she doesn't want any of our relos to know that she is here just as yet. My mum wants me to go to "Chau Doc" with my aunties this weekend to do some praying at some very highly regarded temple whilst she stays in Saigon to do her own things and then Sunday evening on our return trip she wants me to ask my aunty to drop me off in Saigon to meet a "friend" for a few days. There I'll meet my mum and stay in Saigon for a few days before we both go surprise our grandparents in Ba Ria- can't wait! [Jimmy, if you are reading this, don't tell your dad ok???!!!!! Because if it manages to get to grandma or grandpa, you'll get in trouble from my mum! and you'll get in trouble from me also when I hit Holland! =) ]

----------------
Well! I just came back from a 5day tour to Hoi An-Danang-Hue-Phong Nha (up to the centre of Vietnam) and it was OK (just OK). I had to go by myself because my cousins had to work and study which would've been fine with me if I didn't let my aunty do the booking. She managed to book me into a tour of only 10ppl of which all are vietnamese including the tour guide!! It wasn't my idea of a tour really because I didn't understand half the things the tour guide said so half of the historical stories and facts I had to miss out on! I thought my vietnamese was alright but going on this tour made me realise otherwise. A lot of the vietnamese vocabs I don't understand and they have a lot of slang words which made it even more difficult. The tour guide tried to be as helpful as possible by trying to use different words to replace the words I don't understand but there was no point- I didn't understand them also! It didn't matter whether I ask them where we are going or not because I wouldn't even know what or where it is so I just had to wait til we got there hehe I slept in the tour bus several times to save them from trying to explain it to me! The ppl on the tour were quite nice and it was my very first time using the words "anh, chi and EM"!!! hehehe That was a big change. My favourite place is Hoi An because its so peaceful there its just lovely. No wonder there are so many tourists staying around there and freely riding bicycles around. It isn't hectic like Saigon at all where you constantly here cars and bikes beeping or having people dragging you by the arm into their store to buy stuff. Here you don't need to bargain as prices are pretty much set and its pretty cheap. A Highly recommended place to visit in Hoi An is Pho Co, a town that remains ancient. I love it there!! This will be the first (and last) experience being with a bunch of vietstas as the next trip I'm on there will definitely be foreigners just like me AND an english tour guide! The good thing out of this tour though is that it allowed me to see how beautiful Vietnam is. The scenery is absolutely amazing!!! - and the rest, I can only laugh it all off =)


Pho Co ; An ancient palace
----------------
Im hungry.. not long til I go eat KFC with my aunty, uncle and their kids. Apparently it's OK to eat chicken over here if it's cooked well and with the chicken at KFC, it's just that (so I hear)! We'll just have to see tomorrow.... ;)

I was out with my aunty earlier on and I bought myself a white-gold ring for the very first time! I bought it so it would go nicely with my recently manicured hands, Ooh la la!

Time to eat!