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Hash-Packing the World
  • Nancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

Hash-Packing the World

Whether you know me as Nancy Webb or Pat Bonetar, I hope you enjoyed my trip through 4 continents and 17 countries! I can't wait to do it again!! Lue lisää
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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo Prison)

    16. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 86 °F

    The infamous prison where American servicemen, mostly Air Force pilots like John McCain, were held during the Vietnam War. Now, it is a memorial to the mistreatment of the Vietnamese by the French. Two small rooms are dedicated to how well the American POWs were treated.

    Had to post this. Many more photos are on my Nancy Facebook page. Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Halong Bay Trip Cancelled for Weather

    17. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 84 °F

    Well, poop. My day trip to Halong Bay has been cancelled because of a storm rolling in. The harbormaster has closed the bay to all tourist boats. The tour bus picked me up at my hotel at 0730. We almost made it there when the guide found out about the closure, so at 1115 we turned around. We should get back around 1500. Wasted day, but they said they will refund the cost. Oh well.

    I took advantage of the bus's wifi to buy my overnight train ticket to and book accommodation in Hue, located around the middle of the country, leaving tomorrow. Should be great.

    Pics:
    - My flip-flop blew out a few days ago, and I finally bought a new pair in the same style to keep my tan lines going.
    - Traffic in Hanoi is amazing, with very few stoplights. Everyone has the right-of-way and simply dodges each other. If you're a pro, you'll never put your feet down.
    - Giant bonzai or something. Incredible.

    Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Walking, limping, sweating...Air Con!

    18. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 88 °F

    Today, I woke up early on purpose to have Phở (pronounced fuh) for breakfast, then pack and check out of the hotel. The hotel let me store my big bag--which now consists of the large backpack, the small backpack, a bag with bulky stuff, and a bag with hash shoes--until later today when I go to the train station. My overnight train leaves at 8:30 pm and arrives in Hue at 9:30 am. Sweet.

    I'm currently sitting in the air conditioning at Legend Beer, a semi-German style restaurant (they have lager and dunkel). My poor feet have had enough walking, plus it is super humid today. At noon (the selfie on the street) I was by the old Hanoi City Train track remnants. Squallid tenaments have grown up along them now.

    Last night, I met up with my new hasher friend (picture of the blond). She's in the Air Force and is stationed in Bangkok, but routinely works in Hanoi and Vientiane. She's part of the ongoing effort to recover US servicemembers' remains across Southeast Asia. Awesome mission.

    Anyway, we have several friends in common, and it was fun meeting a new old friend in a great place: The Unicorn Pub, the Hanoi Hash House Harriers Bar!! The owner is a hasher with whom I also share a mutual friend and whom I will see in Nha Trang, Vietnam, this September for the Mekong-Indochina Hash event. Love it! Oh, she makes a most delicious drink called a Phở Cocktail, which is poured by flame. [Hmm, that reminds me of a time at a Schnapps Haus in Germany with the Ramstein HOG Chapter. 🌬️🔥]

    The building pictured is the old city cistern, which I stumbled upon while walking to the pub. I didn't walk home, though. Instead, I took a GrabBike. Yes, the scooter taxi. They make you put a helmet on your head, which would be good if it actually fit or even buckled, and I rode sidesaddle. It was cool, cheap, and quick.

    Today, I visited the American War Memorial by the larger lake just north of the old city center with smaller lake. It's really just a marker where they pulled Navy pilot [Thanks, Kelly!] John McCain out of the water after he was shot down. I didn't take a pic of it with my phone, but grabbed the attached screen shot for you. After that, I made my way to the Ho Chi Minh Memorial and Masoleum where his body is on display. I went mostly out a morbid sense of curiosity--similar to the the Icelandic Phallological Museum (Google it)--but it was closed. Oh well. There are remains of a ahot down B-52 further west, but I was simply too hot and tired to go there.

    All in all, Hanoi was great. I could definitely spend more time here and would have loved to have seen Halong Bay to the east and the Sapa area up north. I'll save those for next time.

    Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Welvome to Huế

    19. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    I arrived in Hue by the overnight train from Hanoi around 10 am this morning. I and to the other toruists were immediately bombarded by taxi drivers, so much so that we had difficulty getting out of the station gate. I didn't walk 50 feet and had at least 10 offers. It was a 25-minute walk to the hostel, which I much preferred over them and after lying down for 14 hours.

    This hotel is very clean and the air conditioning works very well. The mattresses are foam pads just like we had at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, in 2002, which is going to be better than anything else I have slept on in over a month. Luckily, I got a bottom bunk, and it's stuck in the corner. Just how I like it. My little cave. With my poncho pulled closed and my earphones in, I'll sleep very well and soooooo much better than last night.

    The sleeper train was awful. No seats, just your bunk. The bathroom was disgusting. Our sliding cabin door fell off the track, and the girl below me couldn't get it open until the train guy came to let her out. It never went back on the bottom track; it just hung from the top, so it banged against the wall all night. A Vietnamese lady kept yelling in the hallway, and a kid was screaming for a long time. [I heard all of this even with my earphones in full volume.] The very old train constantly ricketed and racketed, tossing you left, right, forward, backward, up, and down. I felt like I was laying down in a gyroscope. And to top it off, the person on the other side of the wall from me banged it all night, which I could feel. Never again.

    I've had a cold shower, but I haven't eaten since yesterday's post, so I'm off to find a bite and see about renting a motorbike tomorrow. Traffic is crazy here, too, but the places to see are well out of walking distance. Wish me luck.

    Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar
    1

    Khe Sanh Base & the DMZ

    20. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    Last night, I went to a local hangout called the DMZ Bar. The ceiling was the map of the Khe Sanh area (the Demilitarized Zone DMZ), and they had the coolest ceiling fan ever: the helicopter marking the location of the air strip. I met some Kiwi and Aussie expats and had a really nice time.

    Today, I'm on an organized tour of the DMZ. We stopped for a picture of the Rockpile. There's only a flag pole on top now, but it was a US radio Outpost for several years. Next was the beginning of one of many Ho Chi Minh Trails, which is now a two-lane highway.

    We just left the remains of Khe Sanh Base. There are a couple of Army helicopters, an Air Force C-130, some recreated bunkers, and a museum dedicated to the might of the North's Liberation Army (Viet Com) and the desperation of the South Vietnamese Army and the US. Most of the pictures of the US men were of them either running towards airlift in an attempt to escape or squatting in bunkers of trenches in fear of the mighty LA. There's one display of seismic intrusion detectors that are labeled US electronic spying devices. I guess the military museums in the US are the same way, but it's still weird.

    Now we're on to lunch, then a 1.5-kilometer-long tunnel used as shelter from the US bombing raids and defoliation efforts.

    Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Imperial City

    21. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 93 °F

    Today, I'm exploring Hue on foot. Now, I'm at the Imperial City. Dating from the early 1800s, it's pretty cool.

    The second half of the DMZ tour was also pretty cool. The two pics below ate of the actual five kilmoterea on each side of the Ben Hai river, which the dividing line between North and South (17th Parallel). The bridge is still painted blue on the north and yellow on the south, the respective colors.

    Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Da Nang Me!

    22. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    Welcome to the Vitnamese Beach resort town of Da Nang! It's raining, but nonetheless, I am lounging at the beach under a palm fronds shelter. The water is wonderfully just the right temperature, and with a slight breeze, getting out makes the muggy day seem so much cooler.

    I've just had a massive plate of rice and unprounounceable toppings (carrots and green beans mixed with some organs, some minced meat rolled in a leaf, pork chop maybe, crawfish thingys) for about $1.30. My hostel is a grand total of $13.37 (three nights) and includes breakfast. A 1.5-liter bottle of water is about 45 cents. The Viet beer Huda is usually around $1.10 per bottle (12 oz-ish). You can easily live comfortably for very little money.

    Time to digest then go for a dip. Out for now. ✌️

    P.S.: The attached video was from last night's traffic jam in Hue. Lol.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Scooter Tour of Da Nang

    23. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    I finally rented a scooter and have been touring Da Nang this morning. I've just arrived at the Marble Mountains after seeing the giant lady Buddha and the top of Son Tra mountain.

    I am so very sick of the constant selling. I stopped the scooter on the side of the street, and within 3 seconds a lady on a scooter was next to me selling something, probably tickets to the mountain. 5 seconds after she left, another one was there. I'm becoming quite a bitch and firmly saying no even before they finish their pitch, and sometimes before they begin. The second time I have to say it because they won't go away, I am a bitch. After I had to say no twice to both of them, both ladies said "fuck you" in perfect English. Back atcha.

    I'm dreading going up the mountain beause of all the tourists, but WTF. I'm here. Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Heat, humidity, waves, and sand

    24. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 95 °F

    Weather Underground says it's 95°F and feels like 110. I decided I'd had enough heat yesterday, so I stayed in this morning. However, the hostel turns off the air con in the dorm at 8 am (with a reprieve today until 10), so I've made myself some lunch, then will head down to the beach.

    Yesterday evening after it was completely dark, I took the motorbike to the many bridges they have here, all of which are gloriously illuminated. Wonderful. I then went down to the beach with a couple of chicks from the dorm (a Vietnamese from California and a Brazilian from Houston). We ran into two German guys and had a really nice evening laughing and joking around.

    I've booked a bus to Hoi An tomorrow. For now, a nap to digest while the dorm is still cool, then an afternoon lounging on the beach. Loving it! Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Another crappy van

    25. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    I'm in another crappy van on my way to Hoi An. Yesterday after lunch and a nap, I hung out at the beach with one of the girls from the night before until around 9 pm. Awesome.

    As I learned over the past 24 hours, the place I stayed at the past three nights in Da Nang turned out to be little more than a scam. More than 12 hours after I returned the rented motorbike AND after they rented it to someone else, they tried to claim I crashed it. The left front fender and indicator were broken. Since another place tried to do the same, I now video them before and after I return them, so they can suck it. They charged me both times I used the kitchen. What hostel anywhere charges to use the kitchen? I made her show me the sign, which was in very small print stuck in the far corner. I took five foam pads from the common area (used for sitting on the floor) and laid them on my bed to sleep on because the mattress was so old that the springs were wearing through the fabric. The first morning I woke up, I could barely move. Although you pay for air con, you're not allowed to run it from 0800-1700. And to.top it off, the entire place was riddled with mosquitoe and no netting available. I wrote them a scathing review on Agoda. Not even worth the $4 a night.

    Anyway, enough venting. I'm treating myself for the next three nights in Hoi An at a real hotel with full-time air con, a restaurant, a pool, and even a mini bar in the room. If there's room service, I may not go outside at all. Wish me luck.

    Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar
    1

    Luxury

    26. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    An extremely comfortable bed. A bolted down safe. A semi-river view balcony overlooking the pool. A clean bathroom with a rain shower head. A bathrobe. It's so very nice to rest comfortably accompanied by three English-speaking movie channels. Once I checked in yesterday, I didn't leave the room. I went down for breakfast this morning and intend to hit the pool after lunch.

    Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh

    27. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    Well, I haven't left the hotel since I arrived two days ago, and I feel much better. Tonight is my last chance to see any of the town, but I'm waiting until the sun goes down. I'll probably be tied up until then anyway.

    I've been organizing my photos today. I can see the few days that I haven't done anything because, other than my noon selfies, there are no pics for those days.

    Lots left to do, so out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Time to go

    28. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    Hoi An was very beautiful last night. I didn't stay out very long, but it was nice.

    So far today, I've checked out of the hotel until my 5 pm sleeper bus to Mui Ne, about 700 km to the south. I have to change buses in Nha Trang tomorrow morning and should arrive Mui Ne around 12:30 pm. I'm staying at a campground/hostel in the beach and am hoping to put my hammock to good use. There is no air con in the dorm, so a hammock on the beach may get more breeze. We'll see.

    Now to finish my lunch, take a stroll around the immediate area, and go back to the hotel lobby. Maybe I'll put my feet in the pool to keep cool.

    Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    On to Mui Ne

    29. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 91 °F

    I'm on the sleeper bus to Mui Ne, another beachside getaway.

    We left Hoi An about 7 pm yesterday (two hours late), and arrived in Nha Trang at 0430 this morning. I caught a very nice sunrise on the beach with a large crowd of obviously crazy people since it was waaaay too early to be awake voluntarily. There we changed buses and left about 8 am. I'm guessing we'll arrive arround 1200...which I just realized is not now. Different alarm. Be back later.

    Sorry about that. It was only about 10:45. We've stopped for a few minutes, but the driver kept the air con running, so I didn't bother to leave the bus. We should be there in another hour and a half.

    Dano, your joke may be "hookers and blow," but my time in Vietnam is gladly turning into surf and suds, and I am very much looking forward to more this afternoon.

    Out for now. ✌️

    P.S.: The city pics are Hoi An in daylight.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Reading by the beach

    30. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ 🌬 90 °F

    I found the most amazing place to stay in Mui Ne. Right on the beach, with a restaurant and activities each evening. Last night was a bonfire in the beach. It was much too hot for it, but it had to be done. Everything seems to be made out of pallets--the swings, the beds, the chaise lounge, the sofas--and tires are used for steps, chairs, and coffee tables. There's a sweet dog that has three adorable pups. Their eyes aren't even open yet. The rats are twice their size (lol). I could stay here for a long time.

    Today, I'm reading a book an Aussie gave me before he left this morning. He's been on the road for 13 years since he retired from University. Cool.

    Back to the book. Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Still reading

    31. heinäkuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 91 °F

    Ditto from yesterday, except one of the puppies opened its eyes. Mom has been laying next to me for a couple of hours, occasionally checking on and feeding them, but returning to nap (hide). I read two books yesterday, had a decent sleep and was up when the sun crept into my bed. More reading today. Love it!

    Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar
    1

    Nap

    1. elokuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ 🌬 91 °F

    Nothing much happened yesterday, which was fine with me. I took a walk on the beach and came across the largest jellyfish I have ever seen in person. Wow! There was a rainstorm in the distance over the water, and once it stopped, a beautiful rainbow appeared for a while. Nice day.

    I crawled out of bed at 0430 this morning to go to the White Sand Dunes to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful. After that, we (there were four of us) went to a fishing village, Fairy Stream, and the Red Sand Dunes. Nice morning. We got back around 10. I immediately headed for my bed and mosquito netting to try to avoid the sand flies. They have eaten me to bits. Even my 40% Deet repellent isn't working. Anyway, my noon alarm just woke me up from a nice nap. I think I'll get some food now...after I put on jeans and long-sleeved shirt.

    Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Waiting on the bus

    2. elokuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ 🌬 90 °F

    If you sit still for more than 60 seconds, the sand flies eat you, so, after I finished packing, I took a long walk on the beach. If you keep your eyes focused at the water, it really is lovely.

    Now, I'm grabbing a bite to eat, then catching the 1 pm bus to Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon). I'm really looking forward to hashing with them. There are three kennels that hash every Sunday, wvery Monday, and the first Friday. I get there today, Thursday, and leave Tuesday, so I'm hoping to make all three. Yay!

    Food is here. Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Enjoying the air con & no sand flies

    3. elokuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    I had a great time on the beach in Mui Ne, but I'm glad to be able to escape the sand flies and stay in the air con again. I'm in Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City, in a very nice hostel. I'm having a nice like in with YouTube (Steven Wright, Bill Engvall, Craig Ferguson, etc.), but will be on the prowl for a haircut and mani/pedi this afternoon.

    I hit the Hard Rock Cafe last night to buy a pin, passing the beautiful Opera House on the way. There was a great band playing at the HRC, so I stayed for some food and drinks. Really great.

    Out for now. ✌️

    P.S.: "There's a pizza guy nearby that only sells slices. When you go there, you can watch the guy tossing up little triangles of dough." 😂😂😂 I love Steven Wright.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Walking Saigon, I mean, Ho Chi Minh City

    4. elokuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 91 °F

    Today I'm walking HCMC to see the sites. One of them is supposedly a former CIA location from which people were evacuated out of Saigon via helicopter. It's not the ones in the pics of the big helicopters (dual rotors); that was on top of the US Embassy that no longer exists. However, the current Consulate now stands where the old Embassy used to be. I swung by there earlier. It's always heartlifting to see Old Glory flying, even when your as disappointed in the federal government as I am right now.

    I also went to the War Remnants Museum, which is yet another display of how terrible the US was during the "American War." They have several aircraft, tanks, and pieces of artillery in the outdoor display. For those of you familiar with aircraft markings--or English spelling--you can tell the markings are fake. Here are two examples from the F-5:

    BATTERY LOCAD
    RIGHT SIDE NOSE
    EQUIP COMPAMENT

    1. PUSH LACH TO OPEN DOOR
    2. PILL D HSNDLE OUT GFT
    3. TO JETTISON CANOPY

    Ha ha ha! I've taken close-ups of all the tail numbers, including from the C-130 at Khe Sanh. I'm interested to see if any of them are accurate.

    I have about a 30-minute walk to the next place, a Pagoda, then back towards the Eastern side of town and my hostel.

    Oh yeah, I got a hair cut yesterday. It's super short now. I'm working towards a mohawk. Even with it so short, a little paste makes the top spike up nicely. Mom, please don't cry again. It will grow out. At least it's not blue. Yet. 😉

    Out for now. ✌️

    P.S.: I saw the US diplomat car followed by the British and Australian cars parked behind the Opera House last night. Guess they had a thing.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar
    1

    Sunday is a Hashing Day!

    5. elokuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    Getting ready to meet up with the Saigon Hash House Harriers. Yay!

    Yesterday was a lot of walking, but I got new shoes--I'm afraid what the Hash will do about that--so it was better than it would have been in flip-flops. By around 3 pm, I couldn't take anymore of the heat, so I spent a couple hours in the hostel before heading to the World of Heineken. Amazing!

    First stop, floor 49 for the observation deck. Next, floor 60 to begin the tour, which includes my first use of Virual Reality goggles in a kind of mini-ride where you are made into beer, bottled, and sent to a party, all while you sitting in racing seats while he deck below you moves and cool or heat fans blow on you. Cool.

    Next, down the stairs to Floor 59 for a lesson on how to pull properly a glass of Heineken. Then we got to drink it. 🍺 The bar was a big red star! Next was getting behind the wheel...of a video game. Formula 1 racing thing with gas and brake pedals. Very cool. The last stop was down the stairs again to Floor 58 where we tasted two new beers named Wild Lager. Instead of using the Heineken yeast, they use one found in the Himalayan Mountains and another found in the Argentinian Patagonian Forrest. The Himalayan one was better. We also had two free beers 🍺🍺 and a water 💧(responsible drinking) and I spent a few minutes speaking with a Irish couple. Back on the ground floor, I got my personalized bottle of beer 🍺. Yay! Although I'm going to have to figure out a way to get it cold so I can drink it before I have to pack again (Tuesday).

    Got get dressed! ON ON! Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Monday is a Hashing Day!

    6. elokuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 88 °F

    I had a great time with the hashers yesterday. We took a hired bus about an hour southwest of the city. The trail had mostly been washed away, so the hare went along with the pack to remark it. Semi-live trail, I suppose. I did a lot of searching, so I wound up doing about 6 miles. Anyway, it rained buckets down pretty much the whole day, and we wound up having circle inside the bus. It was great fun. Aussies, Dutch, a Kiwi, an Israeli, a few Americans, a German and is daughter who was named, an Indonesian, Brits, Vietnamese...good mix. Afterwards a few of us went for dinner back in the city. Very nice evening with new friends.

    Today's hash is in the evening after work on the east side of the city across the Mekong River. There should be many of the same people, and I'm looking forward to it. Until then, I'm engrossed in an odd novel by Michael Palin, of Monty Python notoriety, about a English post office employee who is obsessed with Ernest Hemingway.

    Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    Cambodia-bound

    7. elokuuta 2018, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 86 °F

    I'm on yet another bus, this time to Phnom Penh. We've been driving for 45 minutes and we're still in the grip of HCMC. It is much bigger than I expected.

    I am surprised at the huge difference between Hanoi and what we used to call Saigon. The first thing you notice is the capital investment that is pouring into HCMC and the surrounding area. Streets and the overall infrastructure are significantly better than in the north. Some buildings have completely Westernized bathrooms; there is no hose and you can flush the paper. And little things began to pop out at me. For example, in the north, the ground floor is the first floor, like in America. In the south, the ground floor is ground and the next floor up is the first floor. The traffic is just as crazy everywhere, but in HCMC, the roads seem to be larger with more lights to which drivers/riders actually pay attention. Hanoi has very few lights at intersections, and the ones it does have, no one cares. I much preferred HCMC over Hanoi.

    The night picture below is from a hasher's 17th Floor apartment. That's where we met up last night for the Monday hash. Not my favorite. Really just runners. I and another girl lost trail completely and just went back to the apartment. I don't remember the last time that has happened to me. Also, they don't do circle or any songs, which is really my favorite part. The people were really cool, though, as usual. I'll see a few again in Nha Trang in September.

    Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    No McDonald's

    8. elokuuta 2018, Kambodza ⋅ 🌧 84 °F

    I am so tired of a choice of rice, noodles, or cold sandwich for every meal. I couldn't find any McDonald's on Google Maps, so I had lunch at Burger King. To get to it, though, I had to walk past Domino's, Dairy Queen, Krispy Kreme, KFC, Cold Stone Creamery, and Carl's Jr with a drive thru. But no McDonald's. 😂😂😂

    Food is muuuuuuch more expensive than I estimated. Thankfully, Angkor Beer is still only about $1.50, but what food I've had has been about five times what it was in Vietnam. Today's breakfast and lunch cost me the same as four nights in the hostel. I may have to stick to just beer while I'm here. 😉 I'm hoping places outside the city will be cheaper.

    Now, I am trying to determine what to do. I'd really like to walk the city, but the 87°F that feels like 100° is pretty sapping. I think I'll probably go back to the hostel and hang out at the pool with my most recent book.

    Out for now. ✌️

    P.S.: The official currency here is the Riel (aka Khmer KHR), but in reality, Cambodia uses US dollars. Because they only use the bills, you get the cents back in Riel. Or you can pay the cents in Riel. I hit an ATM thinking I could get Riel. They only dispense USD...in 100-dollar bills. I'm keeping the USD I get here separate from what I brought from the US in case the bills I get here are fake.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarHash-Packing the WorldNancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

    The Killing Fields and more

    9. elokuuta 2018, Kambodza ⋅ 🌧 81 °F

    I've just arrived at the National Museum, my third stop of the morning. It's small, but has some amazing artifacts, including a moon rock gifted from the US.

    I'm on an all-day tour, which began at the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center. It is one of the 300 killing fields Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge used to murder 3 million Cambodians in 4 years. This one is dedicated to remembrance and is supposedly the only one you can visit. Many others are either too remote or too dangerous (unexploded ordnance). It was heartbreaking, as was the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

    Having assumed control of a high school for use as a prison and interrogation center, the Khmer Rouge renamed it S21 (Security Office 21). Again, it stands as a terrible reminder of the atrocities man is able and willing to commit against his fellow man.

    On a happier note, my tuktuk driver has dropped me off at a local restaurant before we continue the tour. Shrimp cakes. Yummy!

    Out for now. ✌️    Lue lisää

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