Long time no write

Halloh. Sorry I haven't written. I didn't have much to write about when in Chiang Mai. Then when I hit the road I was busy moving about.
The only friends I hadn't connected with were Shaun and Boong, (the blessing). When I arrived in Thailand I went south to the islands and they were in C.M. We chatted on the phone. They were going south the day I headed north to C.M. Later, on the night train south I was looking out the window at the Lampang station and there was Shaun on the platform! He and Boong were going to BKK again to fly to Vancouver. We had a nice visit in the dining car sharing a bottle of Regence brandy. Arriving in BKK early we had time to kill and had another visit over coffee in the train station. I've again lost the ability to install photos onto this blog. The one computer I could get to work had Picasa installed. Oh well.
I spent a night in BKK and flew to Saigon. Two nice Vietnamese ladies offered to share their taxi. They had been on a one week holiday to Thailand. They wasted it by going to Pattaya. The sleeze capital of the country. What a shame. I got settled in to my hotel and arranged a sleeper train the next night for Nha Trang. Then I went straight to Bobby Brewers to watch a movie! I had met a Viet lady named Pom my previous trip. She was still working at the same bar. I bought Pom and two friends beers and shredded Cuttlefish from a street vendor. Her friend One, rents motorbikes next door. She suggested we (I) rent one the next day and Pom could drive me around. Pom weighs about 33 kilos. I must have been difficult rear ballast at 73 kilos.
The next day we met and she motored us out to a large amusement park. It was kinda stupid, but a lot of fun. There was a roller coaster that did a double inverted loop followed by a double corkscrew. There was a very tall ferris wheel. After being scared on the roller coaster, Pom wouldn't go on the ferris wheel. The view was impressive. I didn't see another westerner all afternoon. We headed back just as the rain started. Pom hadn't been to the park for ten years and got lost going back. Poms bar has no food but the famous Cafe Zoom will deliver from across the street. It's a great people watching area.
Racism is alive and healthy in Vietnam. There are many black Africans wandering the streets in the evening. They didn't look like tourists. The Vietnamese don't want them in their country. No one wanted to talk about them or tell me why they were there. Finally my guesthouse owner explained that they are football players looking for jobs on Viet pro soccer clubs. They get short time visas, and if the don't find a job they have to go home.
I said farewell to Pom and headed to the train station for an overnighter to Nha Trang. The sleeper train was very nice. I was in a four bunk cabin. There was only one other person, a young West Virginian named Hathan. The interior of the cabin and passage way were rough cut wood looking much like a sauna. Bottled water, a tasty baguette sandwich and coffee in the morning were included in the ticket price. Beer was available. Our attendant pounded on the door at sunrise. We thought we had overslept. She had coffee for us. We still had about two hours before arrival. The countryside was beautiful. There were many rice fields with farmers working their oxen. In Thailand many farmers are reverting back to oxen powered plows because of high fuel costs. The valley was rimmed with rugged hills on both sides. It was quite lovely. As I travel around this beautiful place I often imagine the sound of choppers and American troops tromping through the paddies looking for V.C.
Bye for now, Ducklass