Leaving Hoi An a lot lighter in the wallet and smoother on the face. I am heading off in the early morning for a day that travel nightmares come from. I decided to not only do a 4 hour bus ride in the morning to Hue, I decided tonight to extend that because I just couldn't get excited about going to Hue so I am staying in Hue for 5 hours and then on another sleeper...me.....waker for a 12 hour ride to Ninh Binh cause that was where I wanted to be. The really daunting part of this is the bus was nearly sold out - the long 12 hour one so I am in the very back, sharing the shagging wagon seats with who knows who,
The configuration is like a normal bus, except for three rows of hospital beds......window beds and then the crap row in the middle. Along the back are 5 beds - together....usually couples and some poor sucker with poor planning (me) who gets to be in the middle of the couples. Except I took a window bed in the back (not much choice) so I would have to crawl over three people to get out. I will not drink anything tomorrow!!!! And I hope the good karma I earned today will find my bedmates extremely attractive and sweet smelling....... If I can have just one.....nice smelling......fresh feet.......no snoring.....which reminds me - recharge IPod now.
Picked up all my dresses today and one shirt and decided I liked the shirt so had the nice ladies in the sweat shop make me a "Maude "outfit. I am officially old when I am choosing to wear a "Maude "outfit. You know - the baggy pants and the long tunic??? They whipped it up in an hour and I loved it so much I had 2 more made. Got to love this custom stuff. I had the kindof-Indian-looking-thing made out of very thin gauzy fabric - really cool yet keeps the mosquitoes off and can be jazzed up with a scarf. At least that is what I am telling myself. Really it is just pajamas and who cares.....Nina???? I have gone to the dark side.
My dresses turned out better than I had hoped...thank god for low expectations. That works for me as I am rarely disappointed. Try it - lower the bar so low you are always pleased.
Three Thai silk simple shifts. Two with embroidery, one Chinese silk traditional - I will get it home and wonder what the hell and wear it for Halloween, and nice silk pajamas, and one lovely fitted fine cotton dress. One fine cotton long sleeved shirt and three 'Maude "outfits (black, red and plum). Then I went to the fair-trade market where there is a workshop with adults with disabilities (who make the stuff right there so you know it is not a scam) and bought some more stuff. Packed up a box and it is in the mail. I really hope it makes it as I really like the dresses. I am even going to part with my very old brown plaid baby that seems to appear in every travel photo I have since I bought it at the 96 Atlanta Olympics nightmare. It has been the perfect hot weather dress - not pretty but functional. Letting go.....now with my new lovely face, I need a new look.   The dresses ranged from 20 - 35 dollars (US) and the tunics and pants were $17 for a set!!!! Includes two sets of fittings!!!! Basically all I did in Hoi An is shop and get fitted and refitted.  
Heading north - looking forward to Halong Bay and Hanoi and actually getting out of Vietnam and into Laos. So far can't say I love this country. You are always getting ripped off and the people are not very friendly at first - very suspicious. One on one - very nice but I think the tourist trail is not well liked here. A real sense of entitlement to rip off tourists. Like the Caribbean Islands. And the noise....very loud with zillions of scooters honking incessantly. Looking for some calm - first in Ninh Binh and then soon enough in Laos.
The big news is that my friend Janice is coming to join me in a month to go to Borneo. She helped me plan this trip as she was living and teaching in Thailand and then went travelling after her contract was up.......all the blogs made her so homesick for SE Asia, she decided to come at the end of March. Quit her job and coming over to continue her extensive diving ..... The truth is Jan has been not very secretly pining for Asia since she returned to Canada. I know why. Some of the smaller towns are so charming and the life is so simple and the weather is so perfect, it would be hard to enjoy driving the 100 km or something ridiculous she was doing every day to her counseling job in Strathmore. The snow just isn't fun after you have lived on pineapple banana shakes on the beach for a year. I am looking forward to Janice's arrival as she knows Thailand inside and out and it will be nice to have a guide. And she is one of the sweetest people on earth to boot.
I wonder how Rich Veldhouen will do when he and Tara and the babies return from Bali and Thailand where they have been living out his paternity leave. Me thinks the transition might be difficult, but good on them to take two little kids on the road on a big adventure. Far more difficult getting the whole family and all your stuff on a motorbike taxi. I have enjoyed their blogs.....very funny.
That's it - thought I would let you know the change as I will be in transit a bit. Happy Birthday Marion. Hope you and Dad had a great time at the dance and you have someone else make the cake.....not Dad.
Stay tuned for the 24 hour bus adventure. The bus will dump me in this town at 4:20 am....as it then continues on to Hanoi. This will be the one time I will be hoping the touts meet the bus with rides to guesthouses. Maybe I will wear my new red Maude outfit and my headlamp!!!!   Starting to get eccentric......yes I said starting.....
Love Deb