The Delta Tour was just a big circlejerk so I bailed a day early and got some money back. I'm actually immensely disappointed by the tour since the Mekong was a major attraction for me in Vietnam. Unlike the other tours I've had like in Sapa or Halong where we had plenty of free time to explore on our own, this tour was Jurassic Park style. Get off the boat or bus, snap some shots of some pathetically touristy attraction, then back on the boat to the next hell hole. To make it worse the attractions were all staged boring things like "how they make coconut candy". The Mekong's such a natural beauty but we stuck purely to these stupid tourist traps. Honestly we might as well have been wearing matching Mickey Mouse hats and throwing up peace signs as we hehehe'd from spot to spot.
Whatevs, you live and you learn. Next time I know to take more time and do it on my own. The homestay I did for the one night I was there was really nice though. We stayed at a house right on a secluded tributary and helped cooked dinner. Then after dinner we shared some rice wine with the host and talked Vietnamese politics which was really insightful.
Said goodbye to Alby the other day so I'm back to flying Hans Solo in Saigon. I don't know why but without him I've been getting harassed nonstop by hookers and pimps asking if I want boom boom or Thai lady for rong time. Luckily the ~10 phrases in Vietnamese I know have really come in handy to hammer the point home that they need to piss off.
So I have a couple days to chill in Saigon now. I've seen all the major sights so I took the afternoon to get lost in some back alleyways without white people or special white people prices. Started the morning off right, with pork? meatball noodle soup and Vietnamese iced coffee. Wandered around for a bit and then ended up at the zoo somehow. I had to usar el bano so for $.40 I figured why not relieve myself and check out a third world zoo. Goodness those animals are mistreated. The elephants are f'ing chained to the ground. The river otters are trapped in a tiny space with two measly puddles of stagnant water. Watching the otters cry for help I couldn't stop thinking that what if it were Bert and the ROC in the same situation!?!? Stay safe Bert.
Found a cool street market for some din din tonight and hopefully gonna meet up with Jodie and Lee.
Oh! And change of plans. Long story but Kenya's not in the cards for me anymore. I'm gonna wait a year or so and go with Eric and Kijani Grows when the time's right. Headed to Costa Rica at the end of April.
Vivir para viajar cabrones!!!
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