Da Lat, Vietnam 2011
We rented an automatic motorbike for 200,000 VND (9 USD)/1 day for 3 days. We left Nha Trang for Da Lat around four in the morning and got there around 8:30 a.m. The drive was incredible; got the natural scenery anywhere we turned, and the cool air blowing against our skin was exactly what we needed. Nha Trang is known for its’ tropical weather while Da Lat is the complete opposite; certain changes are good. Right when we reached 1500m in altitude we were struck with a strong drift of cold air, something I couldn’t believe since it’s Vietnam and it was also during the peak of summer. We stopped several times to take pictures and rest. Poor Bao didn’t want me to drive, he was behind the wheel for the whole four hours. Initially we wanted a manual bike that would get us there a lot faster, but there was no such rental!! When we got to Da Lat we checked into a hotel which costed 10 USD a night for 2 nights. Then of course, it just so happened that Vietnam is a small country and it seems like everyone has some sort of connection to everybody else, so when we got there Bao received a call from a friend of his in Nha Trang saying that he was also in town. We met up later that night and nhau, aka partied. The rest of the trip was spent cruising the streets of Da Lat, going inside a haunted mansion, fishing and dining at this local restaurant, doing the touristy things, shopping for gifts at cho dem (night market), going to cafes, and conversing along the side walks of Da Lat at night where there are plenty of street vendors to select from. There is always something to do in Vietnam to keep one satisfied.
Da Lat continuation
To make this painlessly brief and vomit-free for viewers (hopefully)… I met Bao a week ago and instantly knew he was going to be someone I’d end up liking. It was his friendly, bold, and socially intelligent nature that made it easy for me to converse with him since there is a slight friction caused by language barrier. It was also a combination of him being a complete gentleman and a total wise ass that drove me to admire him indefinitely. Nothing serious at all. ha ha ha.
simple living
I hope one day Saigon will industrialize to its’ full potential.
Nothing fits like a pair of skinny jeans.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Gorillaz
—starshine
Do you ever get a song that makes you nostalgic? I remembered overplaying this song when I first moved out to Pomona for college. I have a tendency to exhaust any songs that fit my liking, so for the whole winter-quarter this track would be the one sound that frequently came out of my ipod, iphone, and macbook speakers. I played it in my white matrix on the way to Cal Poly; getting fast food; walking to class; lying in bed; shooting hoops with a couple friends; and doing my daily runs around the neighborhood soccer field. It would be on when I spent hours studying and joking around with my engineering buddies in the CPP library. It was virtually everywhere, call it a healthy obsession. That winter quarter I remembered it raining exceptionally, quite unusual for Southern California weather. The dense overcast, sudden rainfalls, and chilled winter air briefly gave the illusion I was back in my beloved New York City, twas’ refreshing. Such distinct recollection could result from a combination of the all senses being heightened, when the mundaneness of a typical forecast was no longer a problem, for that winter the weather had become unpredictable, and that delightful feeling one gets from fancying something, and in this case, a song that made past moments seemed traceable. Interesting how one song could bring back such fond memories.
