MY BIRTHDAY -7th OCT

So I got to Ho Chi Minh City 6th Oct, the night before my birthday and although I would have liked to have spent longer in HCMC and do the tourist things I had a date on Mui Ne beach with the Welsh girls for a joint Bday celebrations. I went to bed (after a few glasses of vino with my roomy Alex, a guy I met at the Orphanage) and got up 7:30am went down stairs to book what I thought would be a 9am bus and was told it was 8am, so I rushed back up stairs, packed my bag and was back down in 15 mins to have an egg roll/ I left my bag with the guy and told him I was sitting just around the corner. I went back and saw my bag had gone.... that's right, GONE. So I asked where it was, he said it had gone to the bus... I questioned this and he assured me it was ok, even tho' my bus wasn't ready for me.. hmm. I did sit there thinkin.. 'what if my bag was stolen', but I let it go (this is a consequence of my new chilled state). So 20 mins later a guy came to get me I followed him through the streets to the bus where he lifted the luggage compartment for my bag.. to my puzzlement I told him he had my bag... he argued "no .. no" and shook his head erratically... OMG... at this point I started to panic. I tried arguing with him and after several phone conversations later with an unidentified Vietnamese, lost patience with me and waved me on to the bus .. i was about to start crying to myself and then we stopped 2 mins down the road, this English speaking Vietnamese guy got onand told me to get off the bus.. he brought me to his travel agency and asked me to explain. He made several calls, turned to me and asked, what I thought was, to describe my bag.In my insolence I told him it was yay high, grey and had 2 straps for my arms.He responded by nodding and saying "yes, I know, we have found your bag", I let out a girly scream and threw my arms around him, he let out a fearful scream as if he had been violated. Next thing I knew this motorbike pulled up, I was ushered on the back of some random guy, weaving in out of the HCMC traffic (chaotic) wearing a German style helmut, chasing and flagging this bus down. I finally got my bag (which was the lat the bottom of all the luggage) and went back to the agency. They told me I missed my bus and now had to wait until 3pm.Seeing as the journey would take 6 hours, realization seeped in that my beach party birthday was not going to materialize and the eyes began well up .I think at this point they felt sorry for me, the guy who ushered me on to the bus originally, extended a finger and proceeded to make circular motions on my back in an attempt to show his 'caring' side and Tai (the English speaking Vietnamese guy, who had bright pink painted nails, and spoke an octave higher than genetics intended) insisted on taking me for breakfast but not before showing me the line up of Miss World online and asking who I thought was my favourite. obviously I chose Miss Vietnam.. his response " yes LeAnee,..she is Buuuuteful ..right?" (American accent).

But before we went for Breakfast and in between the quivering chin of mine... Tai felt the need to console me.. "LeAnne, we think u are very Buuuteful" (bless him, he didn't have to say that so I took it graciously) "Thanks Tai" … "yes, you have lovely teeth" ( okay i thought.. possibly not true, but again thanks) " they are Sooo bi-iig.. big, like a rabbit" ( YOU WHAT?? Big? like a F'king Rabbit??) I think my face, which was sporting a 'WTF' look.. made him change the subject .. and in a High pitched voice, I got " Breakfast?". So he took me to this side alley where the locals eat.. we were talking about my journey up North and the floods and that I should fly... i told him i would come back later to discuss. This all happened before 9:30am.. I now had a lot of timeto kill so I went back to the room where Alex (my roomy) was sleeping and got back into bed for a couple of hours, to get over my ordeal. (this was also where I left my brace case)

2:30 went back to Tai's office and he tried selling me an expensive flight, so i pretended to hum and ha over it and then 3pm the bus arrived, he knew I couldn't stay at this point and was rather rude.. saying " whatever.. u go... safe trip and all that" :) how quickly they turn.

6 hours later I am at Mui Ne and have met the girls.. they waited for me to have food, so had gorgeous grilled Prawns and some cocktails. Then went for drinks and met this obnoxious, pain in the arse guy from Oz.. who was a traveller wannabe.. had make do dreads, with some random plaits... a massive Jesus like beard ( gingery blonde.. ew) and these ridiculous bands up his arm. He was the type that tried to be provocative and argumentative and talked about himself non stop, which turned out to be bloody annoying. He would answer your question with a question.. and he was going by his traveller name of .... wait for it... " Tiger" but couldn't explain why this was and would not for the life of him say his real name.. so I assumed it was something boring and normal like Robert.. from then on in the conversations went something like this; " Robert… have you made many friends whilst travelling?"or" that's interesting Rob"and soon became "Bob?Bob?Bobby? He can't hear me…Bob?" .He was also one of those that tried to analyse your personality.... apparently I was the S&M one of the group? no more needs to be said there.

So After a few tequila, vodka and malibu shots ( which were more like shooters) we headed for this club/bar.. where I met my Vietnamese salsa partner..which also seemed to include some sort of martial arts and war dance.. he flung me around the dance floor like I was a rag doll, snapped my flip flops but good fun.
5am we got in.. very drunk.

So this was my 29th Birthday!!!!A very LO-ONG Day!

11:30am I got up and the girls left me for the last time :( So a hangover coupled with being on my own for the 1st time in weeks.. meant I was a little low and teary and for the 1st time a little homesick. But Didn't last long.. especially as I booked myself in to a nice hotel, courtesy of mum for a bday presi. This hotel was gorgeous, 2 kingsize beds, TV, Hot, walk in Shower, balcony over looking beach... heaven.. especially as it was raining. A Couple of nights later, I met this couple and had dinner together and then from there, an Irish lad, 2 German guys and a Romanian.. and another 6 am finish..I stayed way too long In Mui Ne, I wasn't all that fussed on the place, the weather was s***, but I was so tired from all the travelling and had a bit of cold and bad chest, I just couldn't be bothered to move on or face another 6 hour, nauseous bus ride. 13th Oct I decided to leave and head for the mountains in Dalat, even tho others said not to bother as cold, wet and quiet, i did anyway and the best decision. I will save the details for another blog entry.

So hope u are all well and if there is any goss from home, please email me :) Any weddings, pregnancies, engagements.. break ups?
lots of love x x x x x