Hanoi

So, I know it is weird that I am blogging again considering I am in a new country and shouldn't have this much time. But, I am here by myself, it is night, it's raining and I have to get up early. Since I had a bit of time, I thought I would at least write a little something...

First of all, my luggage finally arrived! It feels so good to be in a full set of clean clothes. Washing stuff in the sink just doesn't really cut it and being able to wash your hair isn't something I would like to consider a luxury. Either way, all is good now and I'm feeling great! I think I am most excited for ear plugs so that I can hopefully get a longer stretch of sleep tonight.

Hanoi is a crazy city, full of motorbikes, people and stuff. Every place you pass is selling something and I'm starting to get pretty good at saying, 'No.' The most interesting thing I have noticed is the pace of life here- there doesn't seem to be a middle. It seems that people are either in a hurry to get somewhere or are doing absolutely nothing. I am more inclined to model after the slower pace but that is taking some getting used to. I welcome this new lifestyle and look forward to settling into it. This is something I would like to keep with me permanently as I have struggled in the recent past with just letting go, calming down and being ok with things as they happen.

Since I have no one to talk to, I've had a lot of time to observe and here are my top 10 lessons for the day:

1. Walking on the sidewalk is not an option- there are too many motorbikes parked there. So, I have learned to walk in the street and have become decently comfortable with it.

2. Motorbikes and cyclists will dodge you, cars and buses will not.

3. If you are at a busy intersection and want to cross, the best way to do so is to walk next to an elderly lady (my rationale is that there is no way a driver would hit her!) and she will inevitably take your hand and ensure that you cross safely.

4. If you are a male, no matter what age, peeing in the street is ok as long as it is in certain places. I witnessed a Mom holding her baby above a drain in the street so that he could pee. This brings me to #5...

5. Sometimes the toilets really are holes in the ground. The good news is that they at least have a door. (Just in case you were wondering, no I did not use one of these, I decided to hold it.)

6. It turns out that when Vietnamese teenagers ask you to take their picture, they do not actually want you to take a photo of them. They want to take one WITH you.

7. Only white people ride the pedicaps and they look silly.

8. Beer Hanoi is actually pretty good and definitely the cheapest. Score!

9. A competitive game of table tennis can be quite intriguing when you don't have any place to be.

and 10. If you think you're going in circles, odds are good that you really are.

Airports

I wanted to post now because I have free internet in my room and I don't know when that will happen again! Pardon any typos, bad punctuation or spelling- the keyboard is a little weird and I'm trying to get used to it.

I am finally at my destination of Hanoi although it has already been an interesting trip. It started with a call from Parker Friday morning at 5:30 am letting me know that he couldn't get on the flight to Hanoi. Long story short, he needed a Visa, which we were told he didn't, and he isn't going to make it to Vietnam. The good news is that he is now going to do some traveling around Thailand while I'm here and we will meet up on Friday in Bangkok to enjoy Thailand together. Anyway, now I see that this was a signal for things to come... My flight from DFW was delayed several hours and I had to be put on another flight to Hong Kong (my connection city from Los Angeles) which I barely made. I, of course, ended up sitting next to the biggest person on the plane and am sore from all of the weird positions I had to sit in because he was basically in my seat the whole eï hour flight. Needless to say, the Ambien only worked for 5 hours and the rest was filled with watching movies, reading and just general excitement.

I made it to Hong Kong with more than enough time to catch my flight to Hanoi (10 hours to be exact) so I had breakfast and a beer and then went to my gate to wait it out. Somewhere in there I managed to fall asleep and miss my flight all together. I woke up just as it was leaving the gate! I was able to re-book for the following day at 2:55 pm (which is a full 3 1/2 days after I left and 20 hours after my originally scheduled flight) and resigned myself to staying in the hotel airport. It turns out that they only had rooms on the penthouse available so I ended up staying in the nicest hotel room of my life. They greeted me as I got off the elevator and carried my stuff to the room- bizarre! Honestly, I really didn't care- I was just so excited for a bed- but the plush robe and slippers sure were nice.

I woke up stupid early (4 am) because of the time difference and spent quite a bit more time in the airport. Just so you know, Starbucks tastes the same everywhere and I hope we travel to Hong Kong when we're on the Amazing Race because I know that airport backwards and forwards.

I finally made it to Hanoi but my luggage wasn't so lucky; even though I had a full day lay over in Hong Kong, it is still in LA. I feel like I won because I beat it here (that's for you Shawn, Laura and CJ) which is a minor victory but I'll take it. Hanoi is interesting- very crowded, bustling with life and full of motorbikes (and apparently it is ok to text while driving a motorbike even though there are no stop signs, traffic signals or anything- weird). Everyone has been very friendly and welcoming which has made all of this much more pleasant. If one was to add up all of the things that went wrong, it would probably equal a nightmare trip but I am enjoying myself and am in good spirits. I still know that I am on the trip of a lifetime!

I am excited to explore the city after a good night's rest. I'm not sure that will be possible because honking one's horn is encouraged here which amounts to a very loud hotel room. I am staying in a very friendly place that is $15/night and just doesn't compare to my penthouse suite from last night. Either way, I am happy to be back where I feel more comfortable. I have long been more of a hostel rather than resort kind of girl and it feels more like home.

I wish I had pictures but my cable is in my luggage which isn't with me. I promise to post again when I'm able. Oh, and here is a parting lesson: never accept what the banana girl is carrying and allow her to take a picture- she just wants money. See, I'm already learning!

Miss you all!

My First Blog

Ok, so this if my first go at posting a blog. Please bear with me...

I am gearing up for my departure date which is in just two weeks. It has been tough to find enough time to spend with loved ones and to also get everything done. It seems that I have acquired quite a bit of stuff over the years and that it feels really good to get rid of most of it.

One of my biggest challenges in preparing for the trip was renting my place out. Having a mortgage is quite restrictive and is actually one of the main reasons I chose to go on this trip. I realized that I was putting down roots, intentionally or not, and that I needed to do this now before it was too late.

The most overwhelming thing for me to deal with is how emotional this move is for me. I have only lived outside of Austin for two years in my adult life and this was while going to school at Texas A&M. I spent most of my time going back to Austin so I'm not sure if that really counts. Leaving my friends, family and all of the people and things that I love about this place is definitely harder than I anticipated. It has been a struggle for me to remain open in my relationship but I am blessed with a remarkably understanding and patient partner which I am extremely grateful for. This will also be the longest amount of time I have been apart from Tiffany. I know it will be tough but a very growing experience, none the less. (She's in the photo with me.)

That being said, I am extremely excited for my new adventure and I can't wait to start the first leg of it. Parker and I are ready for Vietnam and Thailand! It is going to be so much fun and I am extremely happy that I get to share it with such a good friend.

Anyway, more to come later. Stay posted!