Hi all,
For those who are familiar with Vietnam, yes, I decided to skip Na Trang. It just sounded too touristy and in a negative "how much can we drink and party" kind of way. I've met too many British and other European folks who are primarily here to drink and be obnoxious, so I decided to avoid the area (or else I might kill one of them).
So today I flew from Saigon to Da Nang where I was greeted by Harmony's lovely friend "Jimmy" - thanks Harmony!! He took me to the post office so I could mail H'Thuyen the toys and then we had lunch together. His English was great and we had good conversation about life in Vietnam.
Then I took a bus (minivan type of thing) to Hoi An, where I'm at now. It's about 45 minutes from Da Nang. It was a great ride - finally got to experience how the locals travel and had a fun experience. I was told the cost was 20,000 dong (a little over $1) but I was sure it was only supposed to be 10,000. After a week in Vietnam, I was feeling more confident about sticking up for myself when being taken advantage of. So I successfully asked some locals on the bus - in Vietnamese - how much it was supposed to cost and they said 10,000. So every time the driver's helper (who collects the money) hounded me for 20,000, I kept saying no, 10,000 and that's all I would give him. Eventually he gave up. :) It sounds silly to argue over less than a dollar, but the amount isn't the point. It's the fact that westerners are always told a different price. So I was packed like a sardine on the bus and had a grand time. When I got off, I rode on the back of a motorbike (with a helmet) to my hotel - I'm no longer scared of them, which is good since it's usually my only option for transportation!
Within 10 minutes of arriving at the hotel, I met this wonderful New Yorker, Sean. He's seriously only like the 2nd American I've met in 2 weeks and it was very refreshing to be able to jabber away in my normal English. The thing is, even for other travelers (minus Canadians) I have to speak slowly and clearly b/c we're either dealing with different accents or for the Germans, etc English as a second language. So what a relief! We chatted for a while and then went to one of the clothing shops, which Hoi An is known for, and had our measurements taken for clothes. He ordered a bunch of nice suits and I ordered two skirts. Then we had a lovely dinner together. Too bad he's leaving tomorrow - he would make a great traveling companion.
Tomorrow I'm going to some ruins at My Son and then will wander around some old French buildings that make up a world heritage site. Then on Friday I signed up to take a cooking class! That's it for now. :)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
westerners come from a different economy. why NOT charge them a different price? i actually think it's fair. although i agree it is irritating when people assume they can just slip it by you thinking you won't understand or notice.
ReplyDeleteI agree to a point - right, I think it's much more acceptable when it's framed as fair trade, etc. For ex, I bought this platter thing made by people with disabilities for $28 that would've cost $5 or less elsewhere. But it's rarely framed that way...I guess I can't blame them but yes, it's usually done in a way that they think we won't notice.
ReplyDelete