Happy in Ha Noi

I'm really enjoying myself here. You can get a full meal for 12,000 VND (65 cents US-ish), probably for less if I spoke Vietnamese and could haggle lower. But 65 cents is as good a deal as any. You can walk just about anywhere, and there is always something to see. Oh, and the coffee is really good, VERY strong with sweetened condensed milk added (SO GOOD!), and of course there is tons of tea. This last thing makes me very happy... Tea is good... Oh, another fun bit, there is a 35000 VND store (a just-under-2-dollar-store) with all of the junk nobody would ever want, which is why I didn't buy anything (but it was cool to browse through).

So for a bit more information than on the smog (though it is really noticeable, especially at night when it catches the light from signs and street lamps):

My host family lives in the city near Lenin Park (which I have still not managed to explore, maybe tomorrow after class), a few kilometers from the Hanoi School of Public Health. Tang (my host father) is a math teacher and his wife (She is currently in Cambodia, I haven't met her yet and thus cannot remember her name for the life of me, I will meet her in a few days) works at a bank. They have two children, a 23 year old daughter who studies economics in Paris, and a 17 year old son named Long. Long and Tang both know English, which makes life so much more simple.

The Hanoi School of Public Health is in a different district, the Ba Dinh district, and it's just down the block from the Ministry of Health. Every morning I ride a bike my host family has lent me to class, which is rather refreshing. However, it is tricky given the rush hour traffic and the tons of motor bikes that define Ha Noi transit. Some other IHP students walk or take the bus, but I ride the bike because it is quicker than walking but nice and outside. Except if it rains, then I will take the bus. It has been cool lately, so I have needed a jacket, but the weather varies this time of year. I haven't explored any of the places to see really except for the old city, but I plan to see a lot this weekend.

So far IHP has been good here. The country coordinators are awesome, and had packets made for us, maps ready, they have power point presentations printed so we can have a copy, they got us all bus passes, they really thought of everything. Nguyen and Nyoc An are totally amazing. They also have insane connections. Today we heard from an expert on health insurance from the Ministry of Health, and from two of the leading economists in Vietnam, all on the topics of healthcare and economic development (respectively). The collective brain power of today's speakers is staggering, and unbelievably influential. If that is in the first week, I am really excited for what is yet to come.

For a city in a part of the world I've never been to that speaks a language I don't know and celebrates a culture in which I do not live, I find Ha Noi surprisingly accessible and open, and I am so happy to be in such a neat urban setting.

Until next time!

So, Bushbuckridge Homestay Pictures:

1. Peniel, my host cousin. He's 11 and in 7th grade.

2. Amu, she's in her final year of high school, and is my host cousin.
3. Lemlemu is my 10 year old host sister in 5th grade.
4. On the left is Phindile, my host cousin. Jasmine (IHP) is to her right, then Tintswalo, another cousin, then me. Lemlemu is next to Yoshi (IHP).
5. Phindile again.
6. Mama Merlyne, my host mom.

7. Lemlemu and Jasmine.
8. Yoshi and Viola, our four year old host cousin (so cute!).

Not all, but some of the family! Slightly late in posting, but better late than never.

Smog

It's really smoggy here.

I'm in Hanoi now, that took a while. We flew Joburg to Kuala Lampur, and then from there we changed planes to Hanoi. I sat next to a lady from Namibia who worked for the government on women and children issues, and was attending a conference in Malaysia on the empowerment of women through information and communication technology, or something like that. Pretty neat lady.

Hanoi is a fascinating city, I feel like I need more time to have something useful to say, so until then. Just saying hi from Hanoi!

The Edge of the World...

So, It's back to me, as in the person you expect rather than someone else being nice. Due to lack of access, I never got to finish Cape Town I Am Straddling Continents style, so here we go.

Where I last left off, I was in Cape Town. Two events are worthy of mention: the LSB bonfire and sand boarding. Let's go in order.

LSB Bonfire:
The owner of LSB, Steve, found this spot a number of years back, and every so often the staff of LSB and certain invited boarders at the hostel go out there for a bonfire. Sounds simple, right? No, it's not. It's freakin awesome and rather complicated. There is this town outside of Cape Town called Llandudno, one of the most expensive real estate areas in all of South Africa. We took a cab out there to the beach, where we met the LSB people. They had wood, a fire pit, speakers, and a number of other things they were schlepping. We then walked to a group of rocks and hiked out to a big cliff jutting out into the water. It was a sight everyone tried to capture on film, but none of us could... it just didn't work. I describe it as being on the edge of the world, someone else thought of it as a sci-fi moment with the moon rising over the mountains and the ocean swirling about the lower rocks. It was sheer beauty, and we were all stunned. We stayed on that rock with the fire, music, and company until 1 in the morning, and it was so special the LSB staff deigned us worthy of invitation.

Sand Boarding:
If you've never gone, you ought go. It was fun, despite being exhausting. Joel, Mija, and I used Downhill Adventures to book a half day trip sand boarding. They took us to a place called Atlantis, a five square kilometer sand dune area that is a natural filter for water in the local area. We would hike up the dunes, strap in, and board back down, like snowboarding only with many fewer turns, and at a slower speed. I will admit, I had one MASSIVE wipe out, where my board hit an edge and I flipped head over heals 540 degrees and landed completely winded, my face in the sand, my board over my head. It was special. Great morning, great fun...

That's really it for Cape Town. The group came back together and we flew to Vietnam (next post)! Farewell Cape Town, we'll always have Paris.

... thanks the stranger for his/her kindness

I'm also working on signing out at internet cafe's.
I left my facebook and blogger account signed in, lucky a stranger took pity and signed me out of both and left me this message to remind me.

cheers.

Cape Town!

For those of you who have been waiting forever for my next post, wait no more. For those of you who are not my die hard fans but appreciate hearing from me, this one is for you as well.

jk, hi.

So Cape Town is a wonderful place, and a real mix of stuff all in one city. I'm staying on Long Street, which is a fun and youthful area with bars, cafes, clubs, and shops, and a market a few blocks down and around the corner. It's loud and quiet, quaint and bold, it's a cool place in general. And that's just this one area. I think by now we've been to all of the places within a block of our hostel, and we're branching out.

Then there's the beach, a short cab ride away. Clifton 4 is this great little beach with nice rocks to lie on and read a book, and freezing cold water to dip in briefly. There's great little spots along the beach, and it's a great way to spend a morning.

Then there's Table Mountain. Everyone told us there was a hard way to climb it, and that we should take the easy way. So of course, thinking we were avoiding the hard way, we took it instead. It was exhausting. But also amazing and the view was spectacular. It was a clear and crisp day, and you could see soooooo far out. Being tired, we then took the gondola down. It rotates so that you can see the whole view no matter where in the car you are. Pretty snazzy, he?

It's also nice to walk around the waterfront, even if not to buy anything because it's all overpriced. But it's a nice half hour walk there, maybe 20 min., who's counting?

Places of note:
Mr Pickwick's- great food, R9 breakfast (eggs, toast, potatoes and onions, and tomato for $1.20). Also good burgers, and fun atmosphere.
Loafers- AMAZING sandwiches, and rather cheap. Great little spot, only been there a few months.
Zula- cool bar with great music and lots of people dancing and having fun.
Long Street Backpackers- our hostel. So good. The lady who owns the place, Chris, is a no-nonsense kind of woman who is really helpful, and the lot of them are wonderful. People staying there are nice and from all over, and the location is superb.

This break from IHP has been wonderful. With Deeba's birthday on the 26th, mine the next day, and Joel's the day after, it's been tons of fun with good company. And tonight it will continue with a beach bonfire, and then tomorrow with sand boarding (so excited!) with Mija and Joel.

I'm psyched for Vietnam, but who would ever want to leave Cape Town?