I really don't like this city. Usually on my blog posts I try and refrain from being negative, after all, when you look back you wanna remember the best bits right. But then I wouldn't be being truthful.

I don't suppose it helps that Im being extrememly stubborn and point blank refusing to go on any of the organised trips. Im point blank refusing to go anywhere at all in fact, I am officially my hotel's second longest running guest after the Canadian - Ive been living there for 3 weeks now. Thing is I am just so sick of everytime I go ANYWHERE, being ripped off. And I don't mean getting a bad price upfront, then I wouldnt get in the cab. I mean snaeky, you get there and theres always some reason why the price is inflated. Or they drive you round in circles for a while, which would work fine if I DIDNT KNOW THEY WERE DOING IT. Then theres the magic button on the meter which turns it from 60,000 dong to 90,000 dong, whilst stationary, right before your very eyes.

And I dont like the way they look at me. I can see what theyre thinking and I dont like it.

And I dont like the way that if theres 3 Vietnamese and one of you theyll all have a good mutter and a laugh at your expense. I just dont like it.

If I have to see one more dude with 3/4 of his teeth missing beaming and making the international 'brum brum motorbike' symbol "miss, where you want to go today, where you going miss??". IM NOT GOING ANYWHERE BECAUSE I DONT TRUST YOU AS FAR AS I COULD THROW YOU AND, AS THAT WOULD INVOLVE TOUCHING YOU, IT ISNT VERY FAR.

I think the final straw that just broke the camels back and made me turn on my heel to come and write this blog was seeing two young boys peeing directly onto the pavement and the mother looking absolutely DELIGHTED with them, esp after shed noted the look that registered on my face. I mean they were verging on teenagers, old enough surely to NOT be peeing in the street under the mothers, and everyone elses, eye.

Tell you my absolute biggest bug bear in Asia but esp in Vietnam is people cleaning the floor. With a broom and water. ALWAYS sweep directly over my feet which are always in flip flops. I know theyre gonna do it, no amount of walking around them helps, they gun for you. So each day you get a nice selection of god knows what all over your feet and a nice smug smile from the street cleaner. Ive taken to glowering at them, in advance of this little game, stopping dead and waiting. So far one person has seen fit not to sweep over my stationary feet.

Um and exotic smells isnt that what these places are all about. Well, Vietnams specialty is dried cuttlefish which they parade past you but not before heating it up slightly so that it really smells. The other one is fish sauce. I actually like fish sauce, (and Vietnamese coffee, much to the local's amazement) but some street-vendor emptied it into the street and all over my feet so that did not impress me Much.]

The other thing that I HATE is the musical accompaniments that come with various things like the ice cream truck, i hear it a billion times a day. And theres these women, selling something, I dont know what, that screech to advertise their wares and it is the most blood curdling sound. Every time I hear it I wince and its about every 15 minutes so over the last month thats been really fun. There is a busker person right now playing his guitar in the street at ONE BILLION decibels. Glaring at Vietnamese people doesnt work though, they think it means you want to buy something.

One thing I saw again yesterday which I LOVE is that when a man seems to be out of line agressive or drunk and theres only women staff in the bar or restaurant to get rid of him they do it by SREECHING. This dude who was clearly out of his mind drunk and had the potential to swing for one of these tiny wee ladies, she just charged at him screeching and he looked terrified. I liked that.

Other funnies, (or not, depending how you look at it), yesterday I was on the hotel guys motorbike and I looked across and saw the bike nextdoor had a dog in the footwell. It was looking very worried indeed - 'to my left a bike, to my right a bike, below me tarmac'. Poor thing was going around in circles in the footwell of this bike just trying not to get knocked out. Ive also seen people with whole dishtowels across their faces, helmet on and glasses on top, it looks so funny, like their glove puppets or something.

Anyway the reason I feel I can have this rant is that Im leaving tommorrow to go to Phu Quoc. I really dont think I could stand one more day "where you going miiiiiiiiiiiisssssssssssss". I want to leave, I want to leave, I want to leave. Roll on tomorrow.