and now into 2008

Yep. I never thought that I would sink to the low of an asian brothel, though the night started innocently enough with a beer and a snack on the street with some nice folks (above). I maintain that it was most awkward for me, as a woman, to be stuck in that situation, though Ryan disagrees with me. We eventually heard from Richard, the Aussie, and were relieved to find out that he was not kidnapped by pimps, bled (too) dry for money, and still in one piece. He was a bit cryptic about what ended up happening after he left, but frankly, I don't want to know. We just had coffee with him in Mui Ne, where we've spent time already. Apparently we had the same brilliant idea as everybody else to spend New Year's on the beach, and were barely able to find a room.

As Richard already said, I had a few too many Saigons in Saigon (the south's watery beer), and have been feeling pretty homesick. A bout of traveller's diarreah hasn't helped, though I'm psyching myself up for new years on the beach. Richard told us about a cool party at a windsurfing club just down the beach. We are going to spend a ridiculous sum of money to be there - $15, gasp!

Before we left Saigon, we took a cooking class to learn some dishes we can cook back at home. Like many Vietnamese tourist outfits, this one was a bit sketchy, and eager to get as much money from us as it could. We also had a class full of wankers - certifiable. A greek professor who either had ears full of wax or an incapacity for following directions never understood what ingredients he had to put into his spring rolls, fish claypot, etc. etc. His greek wife who was such a picky eater that she asked for most of the ingredients to be omitted that she didn't like. No fish sauce, no fried garlic, no tamarind sauce. I think she just made plain rice noodles. Another greek guy, a restaurant owner, had to videotape everything while trying to make food, and also take cell phone calls to talk idly about his vacation, while the class waited for him. We sort of learned some cooking techniques, but mostly just got treated like kindergartners, complete with a graduation ceremony at the end. However, we're excited to try outsome dishes for all of you back home, so hopefully you'llbe understanding, considering the level of instruction we received.

Here's a pic of Ryan fishing for aquarium fish on Phu Quoc. He is wearing his Korean boyscout shirt that he found in a street stall. For some reason, everyone in Vietnam finds this funny, and Ryan gets numerous cries of 'korea, hahaha!' as we walk down the street, especially in Saigon. Happy New Year everybody! Since we experience it first,we'll send good vibes across the world and hope you enjoy yours!