Jack Yan’s Neighborhood

It get the distinct impression that, the longer and travel, and the more infrequently my posts here become, so also do they become more boring.  I could blame it on things like slow internet and lack of time, but really I'm just unmotivated.

So I apologize for the dry posts, and will try to step it up a bit (key word = try... so don't judge).

As many of you know (yay Facebook!) I arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam on 2 November.  I will spend only one full day in the city, but have learned from experience that I enjoy rural areas more anyway.  Still, that one day was nice.  I visited historical sites/museums and just wandered around, taking in the sights and sounds.  In contrast to Thailand (where there are more Starbucks than in New Zealand), Vietnam feels distinctly foreign, and I like that about it.  Though there are many foreigners around, I still find that I stick out, and have had a few (Vietnamese) men predictably profess their love to me.  While I could get by speaking my American-version of Thai, I have trouble saying "thank-you" in Vietnamese.  Still, it's much easier than either Ghana or India, and so I'm not too worried.

There are two things one has two worry about in Hanoi:  traffic, and the scary basket ladies.  I had been warned that the traffic would be ridiculous, and it is.  Street signs mean little, and buses and motorbikes and cars and bicycles and about every other vehicle you can imagine whiz around with little regard to what direction they should be driving, or what side of the road they should be driving on.  As Lonely Planet says, might means right, and if you're a 18-wheeler you can pretty much do whatever you want, while we lowly pedestrians must watch our steps carefully.  When I first arrived, I thought to myself, "It's MUCH better than India", and on the surface it is.  There are breaks in traffic and I get the distinct impression that most people TRY to follow the laws as long as they are semi-convenient to them.  The main difference to the pedestrian, however, is that, in contrast to India, Vietnam has no usable sidewalks.  What would normally be pedestrian space is littered with motorbikes and street vendors and made totally un-walkable.  One must walk along the side of the road, listening to the horns blasting around, and just hope that people will weave around one's backside.  My personal strategy is to walk calmly and cooly, giving the impression that not only do I belong in the middle of the street, I have more of a right to be there than anyone else.  The theory is that motorists, like dogs, can smell fear, and as soon as your eyes widen at the site of oncoming headlights, or your steps quicken to dodge the spinning wheels, they know you are powerless.

I haven't died yet!

The second thing to worry about in Hanoi is the scary basket ladies (not the technical term).  These are women who walk around the streets selling food from two baskets suspending from a pole they carry on the shoulders.  They look harmless enough, and when one first sees them, one gets the impression that one should purchase food from them because they look culturey and authentic.  That is all part of their game.  Avoid them at all costs.  I have had few dealings with these women, but they have taught me that the scary basket ladies are the pushiest, craftiest, most-prone-to-cheating-est, people I have ever come across.  They do things like charge 4x's the fair price for a banana and then snatch it out of your hand when you try to bargain.  They grab your arm and won't let go, and they slam their baskets and cone-hats on you for a picture that they then try to charge 20 USD for.  The worst part is that they are everywhere.  I spent the past few days in Halong Bay on a boat, and woke (sweaty and panting) in the mornings to the sounds of their little rowboats hitting our own, and their little voices yelling, "Buy something?! Buy something?!"  Be afraid.  Be very afraid. 

Anyways, like I said, I only spent one day in Hanoi.  As touched upon, the past few days were spent on a tour of Halong Bay, a natural wonder near Hanoi that is reminiscent (though much much larger) of Doubtful Sound (Fiordland, New Zealand... where I went kayaking).  We stayed on a "junk" boat and spent our days relaxing in the sun, kayaking, swimming, and even did a bit of trekking.  Much of the time, we just watched the beautiful scenery go by.  There are thousands of huge limestone cliffs jutting out of the emerald waters, and small, brightly colored, fishing villages are scattered around their bases.  While kayaking, tiny schools of fish would jump out of the water around us, and we saw monkeys (I think Japanese Macaques?  The grey ones with the red faces and bottoms) climbing around the cliffs.  It was beautiful  In addition to the scenery, the accommodation was absolutely the best I have had my entire time abroad, and the food was plentiful and delicious.  For the second time while traveling (apart from my first 3 months living in Wellington), I had my own room.  For the first time, I had my own bathroom.  It was glorious!

Tomorrow morning I am off to Ninh Binh where I will do more naturey things.  I will then continue on south.  I hope that the recent typhoon in central Vietnam will not affect my travels, but am prepared to change them if I need to.

Only 10 days left!  I can't believe it!

So I don't know how many of y'all know this, but I've been taking thyroid medication for the past four years.  If I have my diagnosis correctly, I have thyroid nodules and am in danger of developing Hashimoto's Disease down the road. I have other family members who have thyroid problems, but out of the three of us, I take the smallest dosage.  

I'm sorry for the lack of interesting updates.  Let's see, what has happened since I last blogged?  There was the annual Halloween dance that I attended last Thursday.  That was fun...but not as fun as last year, because only the people who paid for a $45 4-week Thriller choreography course could perform the Thriller dance this year. I think that is pretty crappy, because besides the expense, the whole fun of the performance last year was learning it, half-forgetting the moves, and then having everything turn into a clusterfuck at the end. Oh well. I still had a good time though. I went as a mainstream punk princess.  I wore a Green Day shirt, tights, black boots, gloves with the fingertips cut off, and BLUE HAIR.  Looky:

100_2814

Despite the dreadful delays and bad service, my goods arrived this afternoon!

I am thrilled, as you can imagine. This equipment is the seed that will, God willing, grow into a successful photography career once my studies are over.

Here's what came in the box:

Goodies

I apologize for the poor quality of the last two photos.

New spice rack project (before)

Spice rack after

Spice rack finished

If you could only drink one beverage for the rest of your life (not including water), which one would you choose?

Realistically, I'd be sick of any one beverage for the rest of my life, but I think I'll choose peppermint herbal tea, which is nice hot or chilled.

Jack's post has nice images but this is a video tour. Would be a fine place to stop off on the way to the real factory…

Yas Island | Ferrari World | Abu Dhabi

“Opening in 2010, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is set to be the world’s largest indoor theme park, sitting under a roof designed in the style of a classic double-curve body shell of a Ferrari GT car. There is energy, excitement and passion for the entire family at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. With over 20 rides and attractions, including the world’s fastest rollercoaster, Ferrari World is more than a theme park – it is where Ferrari’s legendary story is unveiled.”

Ferrari World - Abu Dhabi ( Yas Island )

 

I am seriously regretting placing my camera and lens order through this particular company.

Remember, the order was placed on October 18. On Saturday, October 24, the money was deducted from my account. Then, on Tuesday, October 27, I received an email:

I thought I'd better send you a note to let you know where your order is as you may have noticed that we have charged your card.  There was a mixup with the couriers so there has been a delay.  Your order should reach you in full either on Thursday or Friday.  My apologies for the delay.

Kind regards,
S

Bad service

Notice how the courier company is blamed. The story changes in the next communication. Anyway, Thursday and Friday came and went. No delivery. So on Saturday, October 31, I sent an email asking what was going on and enquiring whether the order had in fact been dispatched.

This came back:

Absolutely, we had a mix up here and between S and I we made an error. The goods were redirected via a very good client of our in Wellington, he is trust worthy and we have paid him the extra courier tickets to send it to you. It should have been overnight. If it doesn't show Monday morning please let me know straight away and I will hunt it down.

Once again, our apologies, I addressed a Canon outfit to a regular at [a company name] and S saw what was in it and presumed it was yours ( it was yours )  I sealed the box up and sent it.

Too many chiefs, not enough indians.

Thanks for your patience.

G

Well, Monday (today) came and went, and still nothing. So this afternoon I sent another mail informing them it had not arrived and asking whether I would get a refund. I just received this response:

The camera is still waiting to be picked up.  I've spoken with the Courier company and they are attempting to pick it up this afternoon.  That would mean delivery would be early tomorrow morning.  Otherwise it should reach you on Weds morning.

Kind regards,
S