Vietnam

Photos: Train view from a town somewhere in central vietnam. Modern city scene in Saigon (Ho chi min). Some calm traffic in Hanoi with the typical pyramid hat. A group of newly formed slackers with the guy in the white shirt wearing miragio around his neck. Some fun people that I had lunch with on the out skirts of Hanoi whom also served me some home brew alcohol and charged me the local price.




Hello everyBeing,
I hope this post finds you Present.
Well I'm in Vietnam now and will be heading back to China tonight. Last time in China we couldn't get access to the blog so that may occur again.

Well I think I had some unconscious expectations for Vietnam. Romantic ones of course, I knew about it from an early age when hearing about the war and hippies. I thought it would be more communist and old but it's quite modern in the big cities which is all I've really seen. On the out skirts of the city and along the train ride there were a lot of rice fields, small wood houses, oxen tilling fields and that sort of living.
Traffic is quite fun. There is seldom a traffic light or stop sign at four way intersections but you just have to know where you are going and it most often works its way out. I've been cycling through it with joy.
Here as well as in Cambodia people think I'm a cross dresser or lady boy. I felt strong negative emotions arise in me when asked whether I was a man or a woman. I see it as another opportunity to dis-identify with emotion. Kind of cool that people don't know what gender I am. I suspect it doesn't matter as much as we think it does and this is giving me a chance to help transcend gender.
In some ways I find that Vietnamese culture is a bit aggressive (in my eyes) or perhaps there is more ego here from the war or other sources. I've found myself get taken over by my ego a few times and let anger overcome me. Be me. More challenges :)

The night before last I saw some guys break dancing in a concrete park. They had music playing, there were skateboarders, and fruit booters (roller bladers), families, people selling stuff. A really nice scene. I stayed around for a long time watching. The break dancers were really talented. I noticed too that there is a lot of macho behavior in this activity. Lots of ego, I percieve. I also noticed that I felt the urge to join or say hello but upon noticing this thought I decided I don't need to participate. Last night I went back to the square after thinking that Mirage, my slackline, would also fit in quite nice there. People really liked it. A big crowd formed and lots of guys were trying it. Some of them were progressing quite quickly and some of the break dancer guys came to try and we hung out a bit:) One guy was really progressing fast: jumping on, walking there a back with a turn. I gave him Miragio. I figure I can get another slackline in Canada pretty easy. This guy and many others showed a lot of interest. And it is just a material thing. It felt right. I hope they don't think that because I'm from Canada I must therefore be rich and can just give things away just like that. But from the way I look and our interaction together I don't think they get that impression. The people were so much fun.

Well I'm heading out for China tonight and plan to be on that cargo ship home soon!
I'm really looking forward to that and seeing many of you folks

Love