Managing to sleep in the sleeping compartment of a train basically comes down to who you have to share it with. My first choice for the trip here had been a soft sleeper, but it was sold out. The soft sleeper has four people in the compartment and an actual cushion of some kind. The only option was the hard sleeper. It has six people in the compartment and pretty much a sheet over a hard bench. Not much choice so I paid my $26 and left HCMC last night at 7:00. I spent my last day walking around a lot and dodging mopeds basically. Actually, I also went to the War Remembrance Musuem which displays in harrowing detail, all the horrible things my country did to this country during the war. Though it may be obviously biased (though it would be impossible to present a museum of this type in either country and not have it be biased one way or the other) it once again highlights the lunacy of war, period. The most chilling thing is seeing what politicians and the great thinkers of the day (usually not the same people, by the way) had to say about America's role. It's chilling because many of the sentiments expressed over 40 years ago are eerily similar to what's being said now. We just don't get it.
So back to my train. The conditions reminded me of my first couchette experience in 1992 from Berlin to Prague. This was only three years after the wall came down and the train was an old Russian job with burlap for sheets. I kid you nyet. But back to last night...I was fortunate in that the inhabitants of my compartment weren't a bunch of drunk backpacking teens, loud families or (as in one trip in France) a particularly amorous couple. That was awkward. They were pretty quiet folks who let me get some sleep. All seven of them. There was a baby. A first for me. Cute kid and all, though not so much when he awakened with a blood-curdling cry to indicate hunger, I suppose. Oh and there was an eighth guest who made himself at home on my bench and over my arm and over my pillow, but I don't count cockroaches as official passengers. Also a first, but fitting, given the condition of the train. On the off chance that you just finished eating, I won't go into the aesthetic wonder that was the bathroom. Let's just say that after my first visit there, I willed my insides to wait until arrival before having to go again.
This is my third trip to Asia and something happened today that has never happened. I swear, I spent the entire day here and saw less than a dozen western-looking faces. I don't have a problem with it, but it was odd. I mean, I didn't just finger the index section of my travel guide and pick a place. Granted, it is known for not being so well-known, but I wasn't expecting this. So, the unusual physical attributes that I bring to the town have granted me celebrity status almost. Mostly, it's the little kids that trip all over each other saying "Hello", "Where you from?" and "What's your name?" At one point today, I was spotted by a mom who was walking with her two young boys. The kids hadn't seen me so she said something to them along the lines of, "Hey...a white guy!" and they instantly greeted me very enthusiastically. On the way home from dinner a little bit ago, I was surrounded by a bunch of little kids saying hello and wanting to shake hands and all. It was hilarious and I am very cool about playing along. I wish some of the grown ups wouldn't stare quite so much, but it'll soon be over.
Tomorrow I get back on the train for about 5 hours and head to Hoi An where I will be for three nights. It's supposed to be a very laid back town that somehow managed to avoid being obliterated during the war, so I look forward to that. Also, Bourdain says the food in the market is amazing. So that's a plus. By the way, my hotel here is $15/nite and is huge. It has A/C, cable TV, a balcony, a fridge and is immaculate. The people there speak next t0 no English, but couldn't be nicer. And the no English has been par for the course here. Breakfast was an adventure. I picked what looked like the nicest place in town and got a menu. Luckily I recognized 'Pho', so I picked one of the Pho options and hoped for the best. It was very good and with my coffee (a sweet, super strong Cuban-like variety) I was out the door for under $3. Well, I am surrounded by kids playing video games and it's getting loud, so I'm out of here. By the way, I had to go back and edit this because the space bar basically doesn' t work. But as I sit here and watch kids treat the keyboard like a pinata as they play their very violent, bloody games, it's no wonder.
Plan to wake up very early for some pictures of the fishermen doing their thing in the bay.
Z
So back to my train. The conditions reminded me of my first couchette experience in 1992 from Berlin to Prague. This was only three years after the wall came down and the train was an old Russian job with burlap for sheets. I kid you nyet. But back to last night...I was fortunate in that the inhabitants of my compartment weren't a bunch of drunk backpacking teens, loud families or (as in one trip in France) a particularly amorous couple. That was awkward. They were pretty quiet folks who let me get some sleep. All seven of them. There was a baby. A first for me. Cute kid and all, though not so much when he awakened with a blood-curdling cry to indicate hunger, I suppose. Oh and there was an eighth guest who made himself at home on my bench and over my arm and over my pillow, but I don't count cockroaches as official passengers. Also a first, but fitting, given the condition of the train. On the off chance that you just finished eating, I won't go into the aesthetic wonder that was the bathroom. Let's just say that after my first visit there, I willed my insides to wait until arrival before having to go again.
This is my third trip to Asia and something happened today that has never happened. I swear, I spent the entire day here and saw less than a dozen western-looking faces. I don't have a problem with it, but it was odd. I mean, I didn't just finger the index section of my travel guide and pick a place. Granted, it is known for not being so well-known, but I wasn't expecting this. So, the unusual physical attributes that I bring to the town have granted me celebrity status almost. Mostly, it's the little kids that trip all over each other saying "Hello", "Where you from?" and "What's your name?" At one point today, I was spotted by a mom who was walking with her two young boys. The kids hadn't seen me so she said something to them along the lines of, "Hey...a white guy!" and they instantly greeted me very enthusiastically. On the way home from dinner a little bit ago, I was surrounded by a bunch of little kids saying hello and wanting to shake hands and all. It was hilarious and I am very cool about playing along. I wish some of the grown ups wouldn't stare quite so much, but it'll soon be over.
Tomorrow I get back on the train for about 5 hours and head to Hoi An where I will be for three nights. It's supposed to be a very laid back town that somehow managed to avoid being obliterated during the war, so I look forward to that. Also, Bourdain says the food in the market is amazing. So that's a plus. By the way, my hotel here is $15/nite and is huge. It has A/C, cable TV, a balcony, a fridge and is immaculate. The people there speak next t0 no English, but couldn't be nicer. And the no English has been par for the course here. Breakfast was an adventure. I picked what looked like the nicest place in town and got a menu. Luckily I recognized 'Pho', so I picked one of the Pho options and hoped for the best. It was very good and with my coffee (a sweet, super strong Cuban-like variety) I was out the door for under $3. Well, I am surrounded by kids playing video games and it's getting loud, so I'm out of here. By the way, I had to go back and edit this because the space bar basically doesn' t work. But as I sit here and watch kids treat the keyboard like a pinata as they play their very violent, bloody games, it's no wonder.
Plan to wake up very early for some pictures of the fishermen doing their thing in the bay.
Z
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