Jack Rebney fights back!!!

this made me laugh my ass off, first seen at bikejerksmpls

this is the walk up the creek bed to fairy falls

the white and yellow sand dunes

the sun setting over the fishing village of mui ne

ho chi minh city is not what you would call pedestian friendly. the sidewalks are filled with motorbikes and street vendors and one is forced to walk in the streets. mui ne however was quite nice, wide sidewalks no traffic and a white sand beach. from where the bus dropped me the place i was looking for was quite far and after being sent in the wrong way by a directionally challenged bar tender i had to take a motorbike to find the place. it was worth it. located on the beach the saigon cafe's rooms were clean and cheap and lovely. my first morning there i met a group of backpackers that i ended up hanging with most of the time. i went on a small hike up fairy stream to a little falls, i went on a tour to the sand dunes, i watched the sunset from the fishing village, i swam in the ocean, but most of my three days there were spent playing cars and relaxing. i am now back in HCMC and need to start shopping around for a job.

the raised voices make it seem as if there yelling at each other. but theres no way that anger caries through all daily interactions. the smiles, laughs, and horseplay tell me otherwise. when i finally find a bar thats open and not full of prostitutes i think i've found heaven. that only last till i have to pee. the bathroom is clean, well stoked and smells nice. the only problem is the size. the bathrooms are like tiny caverns, i have to hunch over to use the toilet. its like pooping in the Cu Chi tunnels.

tomorrow im leaving for the coast. i'll be relaxing on the beach in Mui Ne and exploring the ruins of Phan Rang. it will be nice to escape the chaos of the city for a few days and let all i've seen so far sink in. pictures to come soon.

the tables stretch out from the store front onto the sidewalk bluring the line of comerce and public. i guess thats enigmatic of the country though. public and private engaged in a delicate dance, harmoniously blending the war torn past with the bull market future. in this the tourist district we are constantly reminded of the econimoc despairities, as it is a driving force in the sales of sunglasses, shoeshines, and bootleg dvds. sales based on guilt rather than need. relaxation is a chore under the flickering lights of the crazy buffalo. but if you squint your eyes just right, fill your ears with the white noise vibations of the world, and try to let the tensions flow out through your toes, you might just find peace in the chaos of this paris of the orient.

we all have good days to accompany the bad. today i wandered my subconsciousness instead of the city i've plopped myself in. i hurt my foot yesterday walking back from the zoo in flip flops. my lack of activity compounded with my sense of self prescribed loneliness to create a noxious brooding and somehow a desire for a cigarette. the more i explore my own head the more i realize i need the lighthearted stimuli of the dear friends i've continually made and left behind. i run and run but cannot escape myself. somehow the happiness i'm continually chasing, and i think we all are, always seems to be within reach until i grasp for it and realize its fleeting nature. but who the fuck cares cause tomorrow i will wake and inevitably forget all this nonsense that i've put myself, and the sorry audience, through.

P.S. fuck your simpathy, we've all been through it, most just don't discuss.

today i went to the jade pagoda and the Saigon zoo and botanical gardens. on the way there i got a ride on the back of a moped. the moped man was a tiny old guy who probably only weighed 100lbs. about half way there i started wondering why we were going so slow, our combined weight was still less than the mopeds packing whole families that were passing us. i looked down and realized he hadn't taken it out of 4th gear the whole time. slow and steady.

holy pagoda my feet are killing me

these are some pics of my new room its nothing fancy but it will do for now

yesterday i bought a phone with the help of carmen, but i dont seem to be able to make calls outside the country with it, or maybe im just doing something wrong. on the way back to my place i walked through a sculpture park and also by the cathedral. i wanted to go inside but the line was arround the block and i hate mixing with tourists like that. i have to move out of my current hotel today, so i spent some time looking for a new one. i found a nice place; A/C, fridge, TV, WiFi, hot water, and was able to talk them down to $260 for the month. so i move into my new home today and im starting to feel like i've got the swing of things.

day 2

yesterday i spent the day wandering the streets, back alleys and marketplaces of HCMC. the streets are not set out in any kind f grid so it is quite easy to get totally lost. the congestion or main roads is easily escapably by stepping into the maze of alleyways that create the real heart of a block, filled with little shops, cafes, and merchants of all kinds. everyone was very friendly, the children all saying hello, and most people offering a smile or a wave to the foreigner off the beaten path. i ducked into a courtyard to seek refuge from the oppressive sun, and the little old woman who sold me soda was the cutest thing i have ever encountered. she spoke no english, and i no vietnamese, but she asked a million questions of me and we laughed under the shade of old tree. with my thirst quenched, and smile across my face, i set back out to the streets to explore my new home and before long i realized i was completely lost. after wandering through a sprawling but tightly packed market full of exotic sights and smells, i came to the canal and came to the conclusion that i was much further from my district than i had guessed. so with the sky filling up with clouds i hopped on the back of a moped and the driver quickly piloted me through a swamp of traffic back to my hotel. his salvation from my aimless wandering cost me 20,000 dong, which is about $1.10, and worth every bit because open returning to my room the heavens opened with a rainstorm that for an hour flooded the streets. i rested up listening to the rain washing the streets and when it had subsided i met carmen for dinner, we ate pho sitting on the sidewalk outside a cafe, the sidewalks here are not for walking, and she told me about working in HCMC and what to expect. after dinner we went to another cafe to drink beer and eat snails. the vietnamese love to drink beer on ice and eat snail, cockles, and some shelled creature that translates to finger snake. they have a name for this kind of sidewalk evening snacking/socializing but its pronunciation is beyond me. this city is gonna be really fun.

yesterday i kicked it with pham and tasha here in the tourist district of HCMC. it was just like hanging out on the porch in the central district except with more prostitutes, people trying to sell us sunglasses, and no rummy. this city is insane, its like NYC on crack. crossing the street is taking your life into your own hands. i think im gonna really like it here.

well i made it, after 17 hours of travel time im in Ho Chi Minh City. its muggy here but the people seem nice, and the traffic from what i saw isn't as crazy as everyone says, i only saw half a dozen near collisions on the way from the airport to the hostel. it seems like everyone drives as if they were bike messengers, just going with the flow bobbing and weaving as necessary.

welcome to korea

i hope that when i get to Vietnam i cant stop having the reoccurring dream of packing my suit case. somehow that simple act manages to get more and more stressful as my departure draws nearer. once i get there it will probable be replaced by a new nightmare involving something just as boring like going pee or eating breakfast, i just don't want to pack that suitcase for the 200th time.

god hawaii sucks. the sun is always shining, the breeze smells of flower blossoms, and the girls hardly wear any clothes at all. every night we party and every day we play at the beach. i don't know how anyone could live in such an awful place.

well bye for now