Jungling on the beach...

Sofar in all the countries I visited, there was always one place that was really hard to leave. In Vietnam this is definitely Junglebeach, 60 KM north from Nha Trang.

The 5 or 6 days I wanted to spend on Junglebeach became 20 days! Instead I skipped Phu Quoc Island and will go to Saigon straight ahead and (I'm still on Junglebeach :-)) then leave Vietnam to make place for Cambodia again.

Not going to Phu Quoc wasn't an easy descision to make. To me islands are little treasures...and a mystery. There's always something to explore. But after all the exploring the last couple of months I needed some rest, get back to a more in-balance-feeling and I took some more time for exploring my inner self.

Well I can tell you it's not hard to get rest on Junglebeach, unless you don't like killing your time with hanging out on the beach, swimming in the sea, relaxing in a hammock, reading books, doing yoga, eating just lovely food and having the most interesting conversations with completely strangers.

Being at peaceful places with a lot of nature around me and inspirational conversations helps me to dive deeper into myself and trying to find out what this whole traveling does to my inner person...if it's soul-food or not.....

I would love to share some topics of these conversations:

- I met someone who is writing a blog about internet-dating. The research she told me about is just hilarious. So be careful next time when you date someone you met online...it can be just research ;-) here the address: http://musingoncruising.blogspot.com

- Someone answered me on a for him difficult or maybe annoying question: 'Why do women always have to be so complicated!' My first thought was...'hey don't generalize and don't judge about a sex you have no idea of!' But my second thought was...'well though we women are such lovely creatures, I think we are just allowed to ask these 'silly', difficult, for men hard to answer questions. Even if it sometimes end up in a ridiculous discussion'

- I finished the book Shantaram, a novel based on a true story of a man who escaped an Australian jail and ends up in India. He writes about his life as a fugitive, a pretty crazy person with even crazier stories. But anyway I met someone who actually knows this guy from Bombay and had some beers with him. Well...some extra information...the Afghanistan part is made up and he was caught again after smuggling heroin into Germany! Just for your information...

and...i talked a lot about life or in other words everything between the smallest rock and the biggest energy or essence of this Universe...some call it God..

 " Smile when you feel like it"

carry

Pictures: Central Vietnam and Junglebeach

Easy riding....through central Vietnam!

Mr Tien is my driver and guide....about 1100km from Hoi An, through the central Highlands of Vietnam, to Nha Trang.

I met Tien when I was looking for transport from Da Nang to Hoi An. I saw some easyriders, but they already had a job and one of them called Tien. He brought me to Hoi An on a some kind of a 'Harley Davidson' (they can't afford the real ones). On the bike we already started talking....we talked more in Hoi An....there we had lunch together and after lunch I booked a 6 day tour with him.

Tien took me to touristic places, like My Son, the vietnamese Ankor Wat but also for example to minority villages. In one of them we took part on a 'good rice season' ceremony and for the rest have we been driving through an amazing landscape with beautiful sceneries. On the way he explained me everything he knew about the Hoh Chi Minh (HCM) trail we were driving on, Vietnam history, culture, different kind of fruit and other plantages and many more things.

During breakfast, lunch, dinner and the many coffeestops we had nice conversations, now more personal as well.

Sometimes I felt like a litte princess, not only because of the way Tien was treating me but even more of all the waving and hello screaming children we met on the way. No matter what town or village we drove through, there were always waving children, smiling faces and a lot of hello's! Ofcourse I waved and jelled hello...hello...back to them.

Tien and I talked a lot about Vietnam and about the differences between north and south, about the political situation and about possible problems for Vietnam in the future. For me one of the most obvious differences between north and south is that in the south they speak in a for us normal tone to eachother. In the north I always had the feeling that they were mad at eachother. They talk or actually more scream to eachother and that in a high speed! Not that I understood anything about it, but I do hear the difference ;-)

Some other differences are:
- in the south they have more sense of humor
- in the north they like it to show if they are more fortunated
- in the south they laugh...a lot...north is more serious
- in the south the food is more spicy so for me more tasty compare to the north
- south more friendly? I think because the weather is just better here..less rain and not so cold  
- ricewine is definitelystronger than in the south :-)

So make your own conclusion....yes right... I do like the south more...

Junglebeach is where I'm going to stay the next couple of days. After all the travelling I need some rest :-) One bamboohut....one hammock....one beach....and nothing more!

hug! a big one....

Pictures: Vietnam the north