Hmmm, the coffee here seems to be having a weird affect on me. It makes me hyperactive or something. And the funny thing is that I don't even realise it. It makes me wanna get out and do something. Like today, after I had a coffee and was halfway through my second, I found myself joining a bunch of random Vietnamese guys on the street for a chat. Then I went for a wander through the backalleys....in the mud...and in thongs. When I got back, I had splattered mud all over my legs. Lucky I was wearing shorts.

I never used to drink much coffee back home, but here you could say that I am addicted to the stuff. It's just everywhere and so cheap and easy to get. If I'm not doing anything, I'll just wander around the back alleys trying out coffee at different stalls. I'm getting pretty good with my Vietnamese now, I try and use it as much as possible. I can buy a coffee speaking entirely in Vietnamese!

In the first few days, I was pretty much just eating at the western-style restaurants in the backpacker quarter. You can get an Aussie burger (a massive burger with chips) for about $2 Australian. But they are still getting used to the idea of Western food. The other day I ordered a cheese & lettuce sandwich, and they brought it to me with the cheese stuck on the top. And I was only going to the big coffee shops for my coffee. You have to understand that coffee is a big thing here. In Australia, most people go to the local pub for a drink if they wanna meet with friends or whatever. Here, they go to the coffee shop. They are quite large too, about the size of a large restaurant. The coffee there is amazing, and about $1-$2.

But just recently I discovered the street coffee stalls. They are everywhere if you look for them. One coffee in a plastic cup for about 30c Australian. Ngon qua! (delicious!). I was told not to drink the ice here because it's not safe. But I must have had a few dozen iced coffees by now, and it hasn't made me sick or anything. I love having a chat with random Vietnamese on the street, especially after a few iced coffees. They are funny people! Often when I am walking along the street with a coffee, they'll invite me over to join them for a chat.

My guesthouse is in a backalley in one of the poorer areas, but pretty close to the backpacker district. The backalley streets, where most of the Vietnamese live, have a lot of atmosphere. Very crowded and narrow, in between apartment blocks. I'll have to take some pics, because it's just an interesting place to walk.

Oh, and another thing - the Vietnamese are much more subtle than the Chinese. They won't openly gawk at you, like in China, but if you look closely, you can see them watching you out of the corner of their eyes. It's kinda funny.

As for the weather, it's pretty much exactly the same as Australia when I left. It's dry season here, which feels exactly like an Australian summer. Today was the first day that it rained since I got here.

I think the thing that you notice the most in Ho Chi Minh city is the traffic. It really is something! Especially at around 4-6pm on weekdays. Crossing the street can sometimes be an adventure in itself. They have no sidewalks, so a lot of the time you are sharing the road with a constant stream of beeping and growling bikes. But you get used to it.

My class is pretty cool, all young people. There're five of us: three Canadians and a Brit. The oldest of us is 26! We've gone out together a few times and I've met some pretty cool peeps along the way. There was this bar or club or whatever, Yoko, just this tiny hole-in-the wall kinda place, with great live music. They were playing covers of The Killers, Bon Jovi and so on, it was great! Really friendly people there, one of my classmates (who has Vietnamese parents, but was raised in Canada and is staying with his brother in Vietnam) knew the band, and the singer (well, one of them) came over and joined us. Pretty cool people.

Anyway, waffle waffle waffle. I'm having a great time here and I've met some great people. I'm not really homesick, but it would be nice to meet some more Aussies. I've been too busy to really think about missing home, I must say. I go out for dinner and lunch every day. It actually turns out to be a lot cheaper then if you cooked at home. Not that I can cook anyway, but I was considering buying a toaster. You can save a lot of money by eating like a local on the street. It's like $1 for rice and beef and it tastes awesome! There's a food street stall thingy just down the road where I grab dinner if I'm in the area. It's another good place to practise my Vietnamese and chat with the locals. There're two smoothie stands right next to it which I haven't tried yet. I think I'll give 'em a go tonight.

It's only been a week, but its already starting to feel like home! I'll try and write here once a week or so, and keep you guys posted. Oh, and Brendo will be meeting me here in a few days. Can't wait to catch up with someone from home!

I'll try and take some photos in the next couple of days.

Taynos out.