Hey hey.Its Christmas.
Just for a recap... starting from the beginning of vietnam.
I was in Ho Chi min city for 4 days and did the tourist thing... saw museums, the cuchi tunnels, a temple ceremony and ate lots of sushi and bonded with my new American Friends, Matt and John. I ended up traveling with them for 2.5 weeks.

Mui Ne was a beach town. Partied and sand sledded, swam, saw sand dunes, a red canyon. The boys tried to surf but it wasn't the water for surfing. It was very funny trying to carry a surf board on a motorbike for 20mins. Scary in a way too. I just enjoyed seeing the ocean. I love water.

Dalat was a mountainous town, colder. I had to wear a jacket. Me and the 2 american rented motorbikes and toured the area. Saw 2 waterfalls, a chicken village, lots of villager ppl, walking down a hiking path. We ate good, excellent western food. Had a grandmother special, mash potatoes, gravy, pork roast and veggies. We even stayed in a guesthouse with a tv, hot water, good beds for 9$ total. I started my tea kick again in Dalat. I drank lots and lots of tea. Mango tea, vietnamese tea, lipton tea... all kinds and I can't stop, tea is just sooo good.

Next Nha Trang. Beach town. We arrived at 2 in the afternoon to a cloudy sky. I really wanted a beach day :(. Instead we walked down the beach and ran in to friends from Mui Ne. Spent the afternoon drinking tea at a beach resort. Amazing dinner with 2 of the english chicks... bbq vietnamese food. Nha Trang is a town with a nightlife, when we met some NZ and aussia guys. I was really glad to hangout with some new ppl. I was getting tired with the american boys. The more I play pool the worst I get it seams. At this bar call Zippo... the english man that owned the bar, Crazy Rich, sang... and beer was on happy hour prices. A good night... which was followed by a excellent boat tour the next day. It is more of a party boat ride rather than the typically sightseeing tour. I met an awesome vancouver boy, who was on exchange in bangkok from sept to dec. I may see him again down south. There was a little drinking (i don't drink every night, just everyother town), a little swimming, snorkling, beach volleyball, a little more drinking, singing and dancing. We ran in to the NZ boys again. After a good sushi dinner we headed for an over night bus to Hoi An. I was stuck beside John who was drunk beyond drunk and drugged up on Valium and man does he snore.

Hoi An is a shoppiong town. There are tailors, and art stores and shops every where in old town. I had some clothes tailor made. A nice jacket (which I need in northern vietnams winter weather), 2 skirts, 2 tanks, one dress all for 50$. I need to email grandma knox/seller and tell them what I bought for me with their money. Every time I do laundry I only get half of what I sent in so I did actually need some clothing. I have lost 2 pairs of socks, 3 tanks, 5 undies. I didn't see much of Hoi An other that the french architecture of old town because it rained and rained and rained. I feel like I am back on the island in spring time.

Played lots of pool at night, saw my swedish girls from Cambodia, watched some news and a movie (rained alot). But me and Matt did the walking tour of town in the rain while John shopped too much.

I left Matt and John, my american buddies on the third day there. I needed to move on because my flight was only in 12 days away and I still had too much to see. I took an afternoon bus to Hue, but it wasn't until halfway there that I realized that I left my passport at the hotel in Hoi An. I just paid matt the money for the room b/c they were staying another night. I called the hotel and they promised to sent my passport to hue to their travel agent on the first bus of the morning. So I wasn't too worried, yet.

It was a good evening in the city. I found my way from my hotel to the backpackers area, only about a 20minutes walk with out a map. The moto drivers were annoying and always asked me if i needed a ride, but they did direct me in the right direction. I normally always bring my vietnam book, but not this time. I was planning on having a good meal and a single beer and calling it an early night, but I ran into 2 french guys I'd met in Hoi An. I need to learn french again. Played more pool with 2 irish guys because the french ppl were having a french discussion. I was home by 10:30.

Guess what. I walked the 15mins home from the bar in the dark by myself. I was a little scared because the city is full of rats and mice. I nearly decided to take a moto after one ran over my foot. But it wasn't too far.

I did a city tour in Hue. Saw some cultural things, 3 tombs of past kings. I learnt that there were 13 kings that ruled over vietnam. The monarchy fell in 1945. I saw incence made and the cone hats the vietnamese ppl wear. Ate a good meal... then set off for the citadel. It rained all day, and was so cold. I wore my fleece and my jacket, but I had wore capris. It wasn't a good day... feeling like winter more and more.We arrived back to the main city at 4:30, which left me 1 hour to pick up my passport, get my back and make it to the place to catch my bus. Which would have worked if... my passport had arrived. I had to call the hotel, they told me that my passport wasn't there in Hoi An and that it should have arrived in Hue already. There was another bus coming at 5... so maybe it was on that bus. I was hoping. That bus came and went too. The lady was so helpful and patient with me. She helped me change my bus ticket to the next day leaving me time to find my passport.

My next hope was that the american boys picked up my passport when they left the hotel. I was crossing my fingers b/c if that wasn't the cases... I would have been screwed. With the open bus tours you buy... the companies take you to set hotels. I was hoping to find them at that hotel, because we were usually lazy... and the hotels are very nice and prices reasonably, except in this city. I was directed to 3 different hotels with not luck. It was 6:30-7ish now... I decided to find a guesthouse to stay at that was cheap and close to backpacker land and the bars... I was going to get drunk ( i was in a very mad mood, I felt soo stupid). My book has cheap one listed, 3$ a night and it wasn't full. I emailed the boys and told them what bar I was going to... and I was hoping I would run in to them. And I tryed myspace.com too. No luck. Bar time.

This is were the story turns around. I am lucky. I was heading for a bar called "Why not Bar". It was 3 blocks from my hotel. On the way I was checking restuarants for my friends. I walked by the first one on the last block and saw blond hair and kept walking. But then I did the double take and looking in the bar again. Guess who i found. Matt was standing just inside, barely in view from the door. I was sooo happpyy. I hugged and kissed him and john both on the cheeks because they had my passport. I didn't drink that night. Had some awesome food and played a bad game of pool.

I even convinced john and matt to sign up for a Demilitarized zone tour, which in the end turned out as a bad investment. But I get get to see a museum, tunnels, the ocean and lots of scenary, but lots of bad food. It was a 10hour tour which was spend mainly sitting on a bus, which i am going to do to night for 12 more hours. I heading to Hanoi actually this time.

Which bring me to now. I am sitting with a girl from sydeny an a little internet cafe waiting for the bus at 7pm.I am not sure who I am going to be with for christmas. Hopefully my 2 american, 2 swedish for cambodia, and jazz and dave... if everything works out as planned, but that is rare.As for my flight.. I am going to try to change in now... but just by one or 2 day if it is free.

I am going to either Sapa or halon bay tomorrow night. It depends on the 2 americans. If they get the bus tonight too... I am going to go to halon bay, if not I am going to go treking in sapa.