S.E. Asian Expedition 2008...Cambodia/Vietnam...

[ngakpa]

Unfortunately for me, I can not eat any type of seafood, whether it be in the form of a fish, a prawn, crab, mussels, you name it...if it came out of the sea it cannot be for me. This makes dining in SE Asia a bit problematic because they use things such as shrimp paste and fish sauce/oils in virtually every dish. This is a very serious health concern, so much so that it requires me to travel with an Epi-Pen full of adrenelin to be administered post haste if I go into anaphylactic shock (sever allergic reaction causing difficulty breathing...swallowing...and a multitude of possibly unsavory side effects which can if untreated in some cases be fatal!)

Gypsy knows exactly where to find my Epi-Pen and has had instructions on how to administer it if ever needed.

Hey DG - it seems you are well aware of this already, but yeh I think it is unavoidable that seafood finds its way into fairly much every savoury dish in SEAsia if traditionally cooked... be it as anchovy pastes forming the basis of sauces and chilly pastes, or all the many other fermented flavouring sauces which could well be chucked unwittingly into a vegetarian stir fry by a busy cook... it sounds like you are very much on the case with this, but yeh I would keep the epi-pen with you at all times

btw I think Gypsy mentioned "sour peas" above - I may be wrong, but I am pretty sure those hard round green "peas" you get in green curries etc. are actually very very young baby aubergines/egg plants

best of luck tracking down some great smoke in Vietnam

Ngakpa

 

[Sundance]

you could write a book about this.

Sex, Drugs, and intrigue

 

[Dutchgrown]

Chamba....yes, good idea. I carried a handwritten note in Vietnamese given to me by someone who is from there and fluent in English also, so there was no misinterpretation as to what I needed written out. It definitely came in handy on more than one occasion.

Saigon (HCMC) as Gypsy said would be a short visit, but sweet it was. We splurged on a 5* hotel which was a most welcome treat after roughing it a bit in Cambodia. Oh yes, a nice large bathtub with fragrant herbal bath foams and oils to soak in. And TV with satellite channels!!

We checked into the Caravelle and it was like entering a grand palace. When we arrived in our room there were a few welcoming gifts waiting for us that had been placed on the table. The fruit was perfectly ripe, the pastry delicious and the champers ice cold!







Also in the room was a bouquet of flowers, each flower was absolutely perfect!






Later that evening we ventured up to the rooftop bar where we were given a table on an outside balcony. You could see from there many brightly colorful lit buildings in the area. I tried my hand at capturing a couple of the sights on my digital camera using a low light setting, but these pics surely don't do justice to how spectacular the view was from the rooftop venue.

 

[grapepunched]

DG, such wonderful images and words...
You and Gypsy are so fortunate to be able to see the world and enjoy your lives every now and then... thanks for the update and both of you know I'll be here reading as it unfolds... Hope those Khmer Gold seeds make it, it sounds like a wonderful smoke.

-gp

 

[DIGITALHIPPY]

DG, such wonderful images and words...
You and Gypsy are so fortunate to be able to see the world and enjoy your lives every now and then... thanks for the update and both of you know I'll be here reading as it unfolds... Hope those Khmer Gold seeds make it, it sounds like a wonderful smoke.

-gp

took the words right out of my mouth!

thoes seeds made my jaw drop! i never seen anything like that before!

cambodia sounds intimidating! have fun! some an extra bowl for me.

 

[Capt. Crip]

Really crossing fingers those beans make it home!!!
I can only imagine the all sativa hybrids that could be made with those babies!!
WOW!!

Mex sativa X Viet gold,,,Lebanese sativa X Viet gold...


Durban X Thai X
Oh yes oh yes........
DG,
if all goes well will these be at the bay in a month or so.....

Thanks.................................CC

 

[Capt. Crip]

Was watching a show on the history channel and it was showing the street and the temple at the end that you guys took a pic of that rainy day out in Saigon....(Ho chi min)

Pretty cool to see...........................CC

 

[mark6699331]

WOW- kMAR GOLD- sounds nice!


What did that newspaper shot say on the plane photo-

"Games off with a bong... i mean a bang" LOL

either way bong bhang all the same..

Man igotta get out of humboldt and see the world- you mean its not still the 60's everywhere????

M

 

[Scay Beez]

I feel ya on the fish thing DG. Very few vegetarians in Thailand. Gypsy - get a bamboo rice steamer and sticky rice w/ mango can be every night..haha.

Sip down some lemongrass tea for me.


- sbz

 

[grapepunched]

Give us more!
I'm waitin' to read the wonderful updates,
and so are my buddies... right guys?

all my best~

-gp

 

[b8man]

Asia is great - as long as you don't get caught.

 

[Dutchgrown]

Sightseeing....rain or shine!

Sightseeing....rain or shine!

Although it was a rainy day, we were determined to make the most of what little time we'd be spending in Saigon (HCMC).

One place of particular interest I wanted to visit in Saigon was the US Embassy. Not to go inside, but to see the historic site where the helicopters landed throughout the day on April 29, 1975 and then again on April 30th, when one last flight was made to hurridly evacuate the last remaining US Marines who were located at the embassy assisting with the evacuation of civilians out of Saigon when the city fell to communist control.

Gypsy is quite a history buff and very knowledgeable about all types of world history including specific dates of events...it boggles my mind how accurately he can instantly quote dates and periods of time. For example, ask him when the reign of King George was and you'll get the dates popped back to you instantly of more George's with numbers (I, II, III, IV, V etc) than you can shake a stick at! So I was quite confident that I could pursuade him to come along on this rainy day outing to the embassy I wanted to see.

To put things into perspective, here's a couple of Associated Press photos of the last two evacuations:

All aboard, last remaining civilians.....


Precious cargo....the last 11 US Marines, leaving behind an empty embassy.


We were getting close our driver relayed as the high walls topped with wire came into view.




It would not be possible for our driver to stop in front, or anywhere within a block of the embassy...as that would bring him problems...no vehicle is permitted to stop along the perimeter due to security, well not longer than it takes the traffic lights to change.

The grounds are quite large, taking up several city blocks, and in the rain...I'd have to be content with a slow drive by, managing to snap a couple of photos nonetheless. There wasn't a long line waiting to get inside now, just a few who were in a holding pattern outside the guard house/gate entrance perhaps waiting to submit their visa applications.

There are no ellaborate signs posted outside, but even in the rain you can see the US flag flying inside.

 

[DrBudGreengenes]

Wow.....looks like you guys are havin' a Great time...thanks for keepin us updated

 

[joaquin386]

wow what a coincidence. I was in Vietnam and Cambodia from the 9-August to the 29-August of 2008.

You could find some seeds if you go up north to Hanoi then Sapa(exactly cat cat). I found large fields of cannabis really close to the roads so probably it did bother them much the authorities.

Saigon is more the Ocidental part of Vietnam if you go north then it is more a town, meaning that they close everything quiet early (11-12pm).

Well you would know that already. Anyway a really nice experience to be there these summer.

 

[Bubble Puppy]

Wow ..Great update ,,,Thats a............lotta beans!!!!...Hope all goes welll..

 

[DrPoison]

Sweet thread!

Sweet thread!

Very nice read Gypsy and DG!
I think that you should bring me along on the next trip k....
Wish I had the space and freedom to grow those giant beauties.
Keep on doing what you do best guys...and girls...lol
Stay safe and be sure to bring back the dankest!
-DrPoison

 

[Gypsy Nirvana]

About 8 years ago or so I had been in Saigon and had made an effort to find some 'erb there at that time....I had asked some local expats and they had directed me to ask the motorcycle taxi guys, which I did and ended up with some of the worst examples of what was supposed to be a drug cultivar variety of cannabis that I have ever come across.....

The stuff that I was sold for 5 bucks for about 5 gramms back then smelt like hay, looked like industrial hemp and I didnt get very high (if at all) from it probably due to the fact that I could not locate a single glandular trichome on any of it (no resin)....so this time around I was'nt going to bother about trying to score in Saigon....I would wait untill I had made contact with another old associate in Da Nang very soon....

 

[Gypsy Nirvana]

Reflecting on the Vietnamese....

Reflecting on the Vietnamese....

Cities.......most can be fascinating to any-body, but I was kind of getting a longing for the country-side again wondering how my dogs were doing back on the beach....In the meantime we were enjoying our pampered stay in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) .....and made a bit of a city tour in the rain again stopping to buy yet another sim card and some load for it so that I could call my associate in Da Nang, where we would fly to within 48 hours....

The Vietnamese never cease to amaze me with how industrious and hard-working they are generally....There is no animosity towards western travellers there who from my experience are welcomed with open arms in a most hospitable way by a cultured and pleasant populace that always seem to have a certain curiosity and wonder over people from other parts of the globe....Seems like the Vietnamese always have time to try and get to know and/or help a stranger, even in the cities you dont feel the cold shoulder and averted eye contact that you might experience in say London or New York.....

As far as the Vietnamese are concerned they won what they call 'The American War'...(otherwise know to Americans as 'The Vietnam War')......and I have never felt threatened anywhere in Vietnam or that my personnal safety was at risk.....and I can honestly say that is the case in all S.E.Asian countries I have either visited or lived in over the past 25 years......

We were not going to be in Saigon long and took just one foray out of the sumpteous hotel to do a bit of sight-seeing and shopping in the pouring rain.....happy to just kick-back and relax in the Caravelle Hotel visiting its fine restaurants and the 'Saigon-Saigon' rooftop bar.....

The Imperial Palace......

Cost of gasoline in this part of the world.....

A finely decorated left over jeep....

 

[billb]

Gypsy,
i can't read the proce of the Gasoline. how much would that be in US dollar?

 

[Dutchgrown]

Here you go.....price of gas

Here you go.....price of gas

19,000.00 VND = 1.14908 USD
Vietnam Dong United States Dollars

Gas is sold in Vietnam by the litre....so....

3.785 litres = 1 Gallon (US)

so.......

1.14908 x 3.785 = 4.3492678

so....... it's approximately (based on exchange rates which can differ daily)

$4.34 per gallon