Back in the US of A

The break is over and it's time to get back to regular posting here on Gretchen 2.0. It's hard to believe the first one third of my year off has flown by already. Here's a few updates on what's been happening since I last posted to the blog.

The first order of business was that I had my 39th birthday. From the look on my face when I was blowing out the candles, I am already thinking about what 40 will feel like. OK, not really - Mom put trick candles on the cake. Thanks to Sharon for throwing an awesome party!


As far as Austin, one word: rain. It has been raining all the time. If you don't believe me, check out this blog: http://austinist.com/2007/07/05/summer_storms_b.php
That picture is taken not far from where I used to live in west Austin. We need the rain, last summer was a terrible drought. But as far as boating or golfing, it's been a bit tough to keep up with. My yard looks great, though, and my water bill is at an all time low.

I reunited with my pals from the Tribal Council in July. Here are a couple of photos including me with some Irish guys we met. One of them proposed marriage to me, but did not leave a phone number. Bummer!




Last week, I went to visit Andrea, one of my very best friends from business school. She just moved to Norfolk, VA and lives in a really cool house near the river. Unline Austin, Norfolk has been having a drought. Andre has spent all summer working on her lawn. Here is what it looked like before she got started:

She's had to water a lot this summer, but when I went to Norfolk I brought the rain with me. At least 5 inches fell in only 24 hours. It was a real test of her drainage system, as you can see...




Thanks to her great neighbors, we got a pump and the water was gone by the next day. It also did not stop us from going to the John Mayer concert. What a show! The only complaint is he came on way too late (9:20pm for a 7PM show). We are getting old I know, but that's a ridiculous amount of time to make people wait to hear good music. It was, however, a beautiful night.

I like his new haircut and love the music, but I can't help but think John Mayer is getting too big for his own good. He has a My Space Page and a blog (http://www.johnmayer.com/blog). I mean, really. I know he's a rock star and all that, but what happened to a good old fashioned blog? I think dating Jessica Simpson had a poor influence on his ego.

Next up: Carolyn and I are headed to golf school in Bella Vista, Arkansas. Look for updates on that next week.

Blog Holiday

The blog Gretchen2dot0 is taking a holiday. Check back for new posts in a couple of weeks!

Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) was the last stop on my southeast Asian adventure. It is a HUGE city that makes Hanoi look small by compare. There is a lot to do in terms of shopping and nightlife, and I only had time to barely sample it.

We ate lunch at Pho 2000, Bill Clinton's favorite restaurant when he is in town, and we shopped the Ben Thanh market. Bargains galore! Then, it was time for some sightseeing.

Here is a statue of Uncle Ho near a former French government building. The statue came after the French left.

We saw the old post office, still in operation. It has maps of Indochina under the French regime which have been preserved as murals.

No visit to Saigon is complete without a trip to the War Remnants Museum, formerly the War Crimes Museum. It is a rather disturbing place. Unfortunately, the balance in how the war is reported is not exactly evident. But humbling all the same.

I saw the Hotel Majestic, where my dad stayed when he covered the Vietnam/American War as a journalist.

The last day, we had our farewell dinner. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone, especially our great guide Mr. Loc. There was also a confession at dinner regarding some hijinks with Nigel's camera. Who would have thought...

All in all, Vietnam and my trip were amazing. I'm at home now after a fairly eventful 30+ hour journey, which included an elderly Chinese man dropping his pants on a flight after some confustion over a seat belt, and a Filipino woman undergoing a panic attack and having to be restrained by 6 flight attendants. Air travel is very overrated :).

July 4 in Nha Trang, Vietnam

The cycling part of my Vietnam trip came to an end this week as we arrived in Nha Trang. We cycled 100k the last day, and even though it was not the hardest terrain on the tour (18k of straight downhill!) it felt like a real accomplishment. The great staff at World Expeditions/Buffalo Tours put on a celebration for us as we arrived in town. Above, you can see me with Mr. Chung, our coach and mechanic on the left, and Mr. Loc, our guide on the right. Mr. Chung is 53 years old and he is one of the top cyclists in Vietnam!

On July 4, we spent the day on the beach in Nha Trang, and took a boat tour around the bay.

Later, some of the girls went for a ride on a banana boat and we did not get thrown off!

I had to go all over town to find sparklers so I could celebrate with my new Australian friends. I finally found them at a wedding cake store. I think everyone liked them.

The next and last post of the trip will be on Saigon, as I am headed home soon.

Happy Fourth of July all!

What Goes up Must Come Down: Biking in Vietnam, Part 2 (Hai)

A couple of people commented that I had gone hard core on the wilderness adventure, when I decided to come on this trip. I now realize, they were not kidding.

The last several days, I have learned how people live in a very poor country in a very real way. I’ve seen some beautiful scenery and historic sites, and I have gained an appreciation for how wonderful and friendly people can be. I’ve been saddened by some of the living conditions, the trash by the side of the road and the prospects for educating some of the folks in the villages we have seen. I had a cathartic experience biking through a rubber plantation in the middle of a driving rainstorm, and feeling like anything was possible if I could do that. Last but not least, I have discovered a definite preference for western indoor plumbing.

Less the plumbing aspect, here are a few scenes from the my first full week on the bike trip, starting from where we last left off in Hue.

We saw the scent of the Mai Lai massacre in March, 1968. Here is the memorial statue to the ~2000 men, women and children who died. This was a horrible tragedy. The only shame about the place is it's too bad it paints such a one-sided view of the war. I think it would be even more impactful on those Americans visiting if it were a bit less biased.

There are rice paddies everywhere, and you can even walk in them.

Even though it is the year of the pig, pork is still popular...these guys are off to farms to be raised.

We came to a part of road that was being redone, our truck and bus got stuck and had to be towed out via bulldozer. Very exciting!

The kids are we meet are adorable. Here are some hanging out on a tractor on Sunday morning.Our tour company seems to like Communist hotels, we've stayed in several. Here is a prime example from Buon Me Thuot.

Here is a Montagnard (hill tribe) hut. These guys do not have cable, but about half the ones we saw had satellite dishes attached.

Joylene is my cycling buddy. She is from Melbourne, Australia. We like to stay in the back with our pro cyclist mechanic, Mr. Chung.

Biking in Vietnam: First Few Days

Lots of people are writing in to ask how the bike trip is going! Right now I am in Hoi An, Vietnam on a layover day. We did a killer ride yesterday in what felt like 100 degree heat and 90% humidity. That said, I'm having a great time and the group is lots of fun. In a few minutes, we are going to Vietnamese cooking school. Here is a photo of our group:

This was taken in front of the Imperial City in Hue. For those Nelson DeMille Up Country fans reading the blog, this is where Paul Brenner has his secret meeting with the contact who tells him what his mission is!

To get to Hue, we had to take the overnight train from Hanoi in a second class sleeper, eek! Thank heavens for Ambien. Here I am getting on the train:

In Hue, we had this dinner where you dress up like 19th c. royals and dine in imperial style. Here I am with Sheri, Joulene and Pele!

The bike ride yesterday was a killer, but the views were worth it! Here are a few shots...

We really did bike up that hill, and those kids really are standing on water buffalo!

More soon, keep checking back!

Halong Bay, Vietnam: Two Days on the Halong Ginger

After my day in Hanoi, it was time to get out into the up country of Vietnam. I chose a two day cruise on the Halong Ginger (yet another Steve and Janet pick!) and had a great time.

The Halong Bay is positively the most beautiful marine area I’ve seen, other than the Galapagos Islands. One thing they have in common is they are both starting to get run over by tourists. The main difference is there are a lot more rock formations in Halong, but a lot less wildlife. In fact, the only animals we saw were bats, a couple of birds and a few fish. The pictures really tell the story here.

The service on the Ginger was great. The boat has been operational for 14 months and they are planning to build another one, the Halong Jasmine, with more cabins, more luxury and so on. I met Sonny, the managing director of the Ginger, and he is a sharp guy. You can check out their website at http://www.cruisehalong.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1.
There were two random things about my cruise. The first was actually a big problem which was the 15 year old kid who drove me from Hanoi to Halong. He drove about 90MPH the whole way and enjoyed passing when there was oncoming traffic in the opposite lane. We arrived a full hour early and he tried to dump me at the dock, which I refused. Instead I asked to be taken to an internet café where I emailed the tour company and demanded a different driver for the return. Miraculously on Saturday I had a new driver and a much nicer car.

The other oddball event was that I was the only person staying on the boat for two days. Most people go for one day. This meant that after breakfast the second day, I was shuttled onto a boat that was not exactly as nice as the Ginger. I don’t think the bathrooms have been cleaned any time recently. She was called the Huong Hai Junk, which I later learned is not to be confused with the Hoang Hai Junk or the Hoong Hai Junk. There was no AC on the Hong Hai, but luckily there was the East China Sea. I was to spend the whole day with 4 Vietnamese guys + me, one of whom spoke a very little English. It all turned out OK if a bit long - I got to swim, kayak and even eat a gourmet lunch of crab caught just that morning!

I met some very nice folks on the Ginger and everyone was hospitable to this crazy American girl traveling alone.