Summer Line Up: Coming Attractions

I'd like to say I have been saving the blog for a rainy day. Well...it rains just about every day in Hanoi and most of the time in Sapa (Vietnam). I have let the dust gather on this crystal ball into my world. I've been busy, I promise. Exploring temples of doom, sweating from grunt labor, lounging on white powdery beaches, custom tailoring suits, playing pirate, and motobiking the topography of the Tonkinese Alps are all very distracting activities. I have time to burn in Vietnam as I sort out a Chinese visa (hopefully) and await a care package from my former roommates at Oregon State. Here's my general plan for blog entries over the next week or so:

One > Cambodia as a Traveler: Footloose and On the Move

Picking up from my first experience in Kampot, this story heads north to Battambang and Siem Reap, including a bold culinary experiment in river life. Siem Reap burns days and nights in a blur of temple exploration and full-on partying. Phnom Phen revisited and revamped sees the formation of the International Brotherhood of Cheap Watches and a free breakfast. Returning to Kampot with a fresh visa, a little R&R is enjoyed on nearby Rabbit Island.

Two > Cambodia as a Local: Putting Down Roots

This is a chance to reflect on my several week experience in Kampot. Sometimes life tosses a wet blanket on the fire of ambition, but creative adaptation is a strong tinder. Arriving with the simple intention of offering a hand wherever I could, I have my share of successes and shortcomings, but the experience is positive overall. Lessons plan: salt efflorescence, Cambodian construction standards, the Khmer language, emergency flood drainage, pepper production, Khmer sign language, teaching English, government corruption, and the pros and cons of being a local in a place like Cambodia.

Three > Good Night, Vietnam: Phu Quoc and the Kingdom of Dogs

Here's a wild one. This particular story may have to wait for a live telling. I give myself a new country to explore for my birthday. Specifically, the tropical island paradise of Phu Quoc. Several days on Phu Quoc leaves me with a profound respect for dogs and renewed curiosity in the mysteries of the universe.

Four > Cantho to Hue: Tourist Trapped!

Two nights in the Mekong Delta city of Cantho provides me with a foundation in the Vietnamese language. Teamed up with an Aussie I'd met in Cambodia, we begin the migration north through Saigon, Nha Trang, and Hoi An. I have a few words on custom-tailored clothing and on Vietnamese tourism. Solo again, I follow my father's footsteps in Danang and wander the classic city of Hue.

Five > Hanoi and Ha Long Bay: A Holiday for My Inner Pirate.

I love Hanoi. Sure, it boasts a dodgy past, an exalted embalmed body, and an overabundance of gun-toting men in olive uniform, but it's got character spilling from rooftops (monsoon rain, too). Even more, I love Ha Long Bay. Under cover of darkness, my pirate crew and I politely storm a dinghy and a ship.

So there it is. For all the world to see...I'm getting back onto the blog train. No apologies for the delay, though, I've just been too busy making stories. Grandma, I promise I'll keep the posts coming!