Every person who comes to Vietnam is either mesmerized or scared to death. First they notice the traffic and motorbike culture; appearing as chaos. However the second thing they notice is the mangled electrical wiring above their head; which leads to the question – how do they fix a wiring problem if something goes wrong?! […]
I love to reflect upon my time in a place, so it’s fitting that after a year I’ve sat down and actually thought about what I’ve learned about Vietnam, Asia, and myself. I realize that a year in Vietnam has taught me a many valuable lessons; things I will take with me for the rest of […]
I spent the weekend going back to square one; back to where I started my life in Ho Chi Minh City. Let me back up a bit; I’ve been living out in a ‘suburb’ district for the last 6 months. Even though I have to come into the ‘city center’ (District 1) a few days […]
Rush Hour Start from the Beginning – Motorbike Diaries Vol. 1 Resistance is Futile – Assimilation I’m not sure how it happened, but I’ve become one of them. I wear a jacket (which I’m boiling in), a mask, a poncho, ….I’m a Vietnamese motorbike driver. I’ve become used to being squeezed into small places and driving […]
Start from the Beginning – Motorbike Diaries Vol. 1 What’s in a Name? I’m going to state the obvious – I’m a girl. What I mean by that is I can exhibit typical girl traits at times; especially when it comes to my knowledge of cars. As long as I can remember, I’ve never really been […]
Last month I produced a Saigon City guide podcast for one of my favorite travel websites, The Indie Travel Podcast. I love writing, and I wasn’t really sure how I would like researching and doing a podcast, but it proved ot be a lot of fun! So – here’s everything you want to know about […]
I often wonder how many months the pollution and dust in Saigon will take off my life. For this reason, I can’t imagine living here long term. Hell, I imagine that living here long term is akin to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day! That may be an exageration, however no one really knows what […]
Just a quick update – I’m on the move once again; I’m taking a vacation….yeah! Ever since I made the decision a year ago to come back to Asia and live in the area, I knew that one of the things I wanted to accomplish was to round out my Asia travel experience. There’s one […]
After 8 months here I finally found some Vietnamese friends who have taken me on as their ‘foreign friend project’. Meaning – they are helping me to see and experience the Vietnamese culture from a local perspective. It’s easy to experience the touristy side of Saigon, however I have found it hard to really integrate […]
I decided to start the process of getting my passport renewed as many countries won’t let you enter if you don’t have more than 6 months left on your passport validity. I certainly didn’t want to be turned away at the border of Mongolia! Plus, I’ve learned that working through the American consulate while you […]