Vietnam

I found myself in a prediciment the other day. I had to leave the country. Visa was up. And boy was I unhappy about that. What did it mean? Well...a few various and unsavory options. Option A: Buy a plane ticket to Malaysia and hang out with my friends that I made there for a few days. (too expensive) Option B: Hire a taxi to take me to the Thai border. Walk across the border. Get new Visa. (Requires being in a car alone with a khmer man whom I don't know) Option C: Go to Vietnam via the fast boat and spend the night in Chau Doc.

I picked option C. This may surprise some of you who know me well. Considering the last time I was here in Cambodia, I ended up in Vietnam and HATED IT!!!! Especially hated Chau Doc.

But I girded my loins, packed my bag, and hired a moto to drive me to the boat station. Where I barely made the boat because I stopped to get food. Tuna Sandwich and Stella Artois.

I arrived in Chau Doc before the sun set (a miracle, since last time it was way past dark) and found myself a cute little four dollar a night guesthouse. I then attempted to walk outside where I was bombarded with moto drivers who spoke zip zero nada english. I found one who could talk to me enough for me to say "ATM" etc. After about an hour of each other speaking in broken english I asked if he spoke french. He said he did...but his best friend spoke much more.
So he throws me back on his moto (after much fabric purchasing for clothing to be made in cambodia) and drives me to this corner bar. Its all moto drivers. He introduces me to his friend and it turns out that his friend is Khmer. Born and Raised. Escaped to Vietnam during the Khmer Rouge period. So he speaks fluent french.

I spent the rest of the evening drinking 15 cent vietnamese beer, and chatting up the motos in french. I took them all out to dinner which cost me a WHOPPING 3 dollars (including their banana based rice wine which was awful).

Dinner itself was a trip. We ate at my guesthouse and watched as all the vietnamese staff stared at the Barong (white girl) and chatted away with each other very rapidly. My fish was caught for me out of the river RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE. It was then carted off to the kitchen to be fried. SWEET BABY JESUS!!!! Best food I have ever had in my life!

I then bid them adieu (with exchanges of emails and promises of more times and meetings of their wives) and head back to cambodia.

I am happy to be here. its under my skin and I love it.