Orphanage Idear

Okayyyy.. so after feeling a little bit distressed, bummed, and at a loss to being able to help enough, I laid in bed one morning racking my brain for better ways to help. As throughout my life experiences and learning, as well as influence from my dad and Uncle Greg's wide perspective and experience, I've realized there are greater ways of helping more people on a grander scale sometimes than just using your own two hands. But I also accept that sometimes we need to just get down and dirty with our own two hands too. Right time and place for everything. I realized early on in this endeavor that my two hands and little wallet was really just not going to be enough to make a difference. After racking my brain, I came up with this really weird idea... that probably won't work.. but it doesnt hurt to dream, and ya never know what happens from there,, newer better ideas, etc. The concept is to create a larger impact... how could I get more people to understand and help too, as there are sooo many NGO's, help-centers, etc asking for money... and how many of them can we actually contribute too. Afterall I've only ever dontated to MADD (mother's against drunk drivers), fire/police calls when I can, Greg's house rebuilding project in Pakistan, Tsunami 2004, and maybe just a few other... but I can't save the world with just those contributions. I know the american public is hassled every day for money, and its not necessarily the most efficient route. There was a study about monkeys, where one monkey in a cage was electricuted everytime another monkey in an adjacent cage was given food. Eventually the adjacent monkey starved itself to death. The idea was that they cared empathetically, and that human nature reflects this as well. As I told this study to my bf one day... he made the comment that maybe that was only because they could see each other and indirectly feel the pain then.. but for most of the world this kind of analogical pain is "out of sight out of mind." I think this is really true, as it is soooo much harder to eat a full meal literally in front of a starving begger. While a picture with a donation card is easier to throw away. Also, we learn by experiences and by doing, by being here/there too. This made led me to think of ways to get people here/there (there being anywhere of need, namely in this example for sake of ease: Cambodia).
Now that I have over-elaborated on my train of thought... I don't have time to get to the point... very typical of me =) ... next blog standing by =)

Sleeper bus to Hannoi, Vietnam

So Lucy and I had a little pre-christmas shopping for each other... and splurged a little too much in someways... but overal we think it was okayyyy. The tailors are ridiculously cheap here.... so we just couldn't help passing such an opportunity up. That was really all Hoi An was about. Now we are much tooo overloaded which is really causing a bit of a travel problem lately. So if I don't come home soon I'm definitely going to have to send a package back again.

We rented bikes again,,, and just marveled again about how much we LOVE riding bikes here... it is just so dreamy, exciting, thrilling, and a good source of exercise. I found that I'm getting better at weaving and dodging through the crazy motorists when crossing through uncontrolled intersections.. but every so often I have to remind myself not to become too confident and always pay close attention as the unexpected is ALWAYS happening.

Oh- we also finally took a cooking class we've been promising ourselves forever. AND IT WAS AMAZING. We really can't tell if its just because we cooked it ourselves that it tasted sooo good, but it had to have been some of the best food we've eaten in Vietnam so far. And the instructors we're really good, nice, and most of all- patient-- becuase Lucy and I soon found out just HOW lame we are when it comes to cooking... We felt like really stupid westerners that obviously don't know how to do anything for themselves because we've always had stuff given to us like that... interesting lesson. Mostly just we cut really really slow ad sloppy.. but I guess we have to be a little easier on ourselves given we're not seasoned chefs or anything =)

Took a sleeper bus (with beds and all) to Hannoi... and that was quite an experience in itself... even though I'm deathly tired again from the lack of sleep again. While Lucy again took the cheaper bus. We had better luck connecting in our final destination this time though. The bus was a little trippy though... I felt like I was in an alien spacepod, it was pretty weird/crazy.
I got another peice of art to add to my collection now...effectively have one from every country I've been in now... so that's been fun.. and theyre' all so unique. Laos will maybe be next?

Lucy's blog also always has another good and different perspective on our combined adventures too: adventuresbylucy.blogspot.com

Orphanage spurred idea

I have been meaning to detail this great new idea I'd come up with a few weeks back while volunteering at the orphanage, but I just haven't had time. So I will come back to this, but I wanted to start it to serve as a reminder.

It starts with 5K, and a "pay it forward" pyramid kind of concept,

Health stuff

So a decent enough portion of the time, I'm okay... but it just strikes regularly throughout the day lasting usually between 10-30min at a time. So it's more disruptive than anything else. The hardest thing that I've noticed is that over time (a long time now), it has just made life more like a task than a blessing. Even touring which should overal be fun and somewhat enjoyable.. just feels like work. This makes the idea of work itself (at say, a real job) even more intimidating.. as its hard enough to drag myself out of bed everyday just to try to supposedly have fun. Many times even just going out dancing or to a bar... is such a task.. I do it because otherwise I will just rot away in my hotel room.. but in reality every time, its such a push.. I feel like I should be paid on the job... because its just not enjoyable.

Bicycle bicycle

Lucy and I have been continually excited about our 1$ a day bike rentals. I've always been partial to riding bikes, but in a whole other country it has taken on such an adventurous ride I don't know if it'll ever be the same back home. We had a lot of fun today.. but after we went so far as to leave the safety of pavement into the dirt backstretches, I couldn't help but ask Lucy if we'd even recognize a ghetto if we were in one. Houses of all shapes and sizes... but many are usually made of just some makeshift tin slopped together barely enough for a roof. You never can really tell what kind of neighborhood you're in here... so we decided to carefully find a better way home, esp as our butts aches from the hard seats of a long trip.
Oddly enough, Lucy and I are temporarily splitting ways as I take the train because of my sleeping/health issues as well as safety concerns, and she prefers to take the more backpacker route. Although I'm a bit jealous her entire ticket all the way to Hannoi is cheaper than just mine to Hoyan, I know I will rest even better with overall peice of mind. Meeting up the next day should be interesting, esp in our half awake grumpy states.

In Nha-Trang

Nha-trang has been alright...

We went on a boat tour today... that of course doesn't compare to Thailand as we suspected.... but was different enough in some funny ways that kept us entertained. For example-- the floating wine bar that we had to swim to in the rain.

Tonight I also had a very strange and unwelcome experience at a massage parlor. But I suppose that was all in due time after having been to so many during my stay. Maybe uncomfortably undesired, but still an experience I will probably never forget! Let's just say that I don't think I will be getting a massage in Vietnam ever again =)

We leave for Hoian next.

Health Tidbit

I just got off an overnight bus 6:30am from Saigon last night arriving here in Nha Trang. I really am opposed to overnight tranportation with all the assoicated sleep deprivation. Unless emergent, I really don't think its ever worth it. So you travel all night supposedly saving a day's worth of time.. but in reality your whole following day is shot, as well as the next couple days of repair. I've been feeling a bit of pressure the last few times to do it, to stay with the group. But after last night, and all the stress/frustration/worry-- I've decided I'm just not going to do it anymore! I really have to watch out for my health these days being so much more fragile than normal. ANd its hard because the people around you don't really seem to understand (even myself sometimes) because it does feel wimpy and un-roughing it... but I really just need to take care for my body here. I've always been an avid sleep nazi.. but now more than ever. Particularly worse is that my already ongoing issues actually get noticeabley more painful the day after. I had to make it perfectly clear to Lucy this morning that I would no longer be doing any trips like this whatever the circumstances... there will be absolutely no comprimise on my health here anymore. It's really odd to me that people will do this kind of trip to save time, yet sleep almost the whole rest of the day... either that or be zombies... you've saved nothing in the end.. at the cost of your health... however small or large of an affect it is for varying people.