..26.. hoi an

the rain comes down in sheets, and streams of translucent pastel ponchos float by, blurred by the rain. we navigate unmarked roads pocked with gas stations consisting of a rack of old Fanta bottles refilled with petrol. we just visited the cham ruins at my son, just outside of hoi an. hoi an itself is charming - feels very european - narrow winding streets packed with french colonial architecture holding cafes & tailor shops, all situated on a misty river. it's great to hang out with amy.

through what can only be understood as a mistake, we've been given a free room in a 4-star hotel! we took a night bus here, which somehow provided a full 8 hours of sleep! we just had a good laugh with the hotel employees, ate pomegranite with them, then returned to our room for a dance party. we found incredible corn-meal-type desserts at the market and ate 4 bowls. then we went shopping for clothes & got sundresses made. my butt is so burnt from snorkling that it hurts to sit down, but it's funnier than it is painful.

..25.. nha trang

a 7-hour bus journey has landed us in affluent nha trang, which is packed with yacht clubs and dive shops. after exploring the city a bit in the evening, then waking up early for a stroll along the ocean boardwalk, we took a boatride out to the nearby islands for some snorkling. i had a hard time relaxing at first - the sea was dense with jellyfish - like a lychee soup! apparently this kind doesn't sting, but it's disconcerting to feel them squish up against face and arms! after i got used to the jellyfish, it was incredible to watch them luminesce - red & blue disappearing ink stripes!

..24.. mui ne

camped out in a woven bamboo bungalow on the beach in the fishing village of mui ne. rented bikes with no brakes to visit some sand dunes.

bus broke down outside of mui ne. neanderthals on our bus threw large rocks at tree until coconut fell. they then banged coconut on road until open. later fed us coconut on long bus journey & we inwardly apologized for calling them neanderthals. but only a little bit.

..23.. civilization

as we progress, orchard trees align, mix, and realign themselves with graceful precision. it occurs to me that the most civilized manner of living is doing more than just surviving. we have the luxury of not worrying about survival on a daily basis - we should demonstrate this priviledge admirably.

..22.. mekong river delta

the mekong river delta is the 'ricebasket' of vietnam - an agriculturally rich area 2 hours outside of saigon. lots of conical hats, a couple ugly dogs, and some beautiful boating. met a lawyer girl from beijing who said she thought the 3 gorges dam was a terrible idea, but that most young chinese people don't care at all about politics - they just want to be successful themselves. it seemed sad, and then i reminded myself that it's no different in america, which made it much more sad. why are young people, who are so strongly affected by political decisions such as the 3 gorges dam or the iraq war, so apathetic?