Don Hoski: January 2009

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Well I finished off 2008 with my 4th trip to Asia and logged 80,000 air miles. Not a bad year filled with fun and adventure. And I started 2009 with my lady Trong in the beautiful town of Dalat in the cold wet mountains of central Vietnam. I must tell everybody that it is official that I have become a motorbike person. At first I did not want to be on motorbike but this is how everybody gets around there and so now Trong and I travel everywhere we want on motorbike and even if death is just on the next block from some bus or taxi I have made the transition. I arrived in Ho Chi Minh the day that Vietnam won the soccer cup from Thailand for the 1st time in 10 years and the whole country went wild with celebration. So after a 24 hour ordeal to get there I could not sleep for another 18 or so hours. I did some business and saw some friends before flying to Dalat to be with my girlfriend. It was very cold and rainy when I arrived and the rain did not stop for 3 days then was on and off for the remaining 8 days we spent with Trongs family and friends. Dalat is a very romantic city and the flowers it is famous for really stun you with beauty. But we both were ready for some sun and warmth so we took bus to the beach town of Nha Trang where we both had friends to see and visit. The weather still was not great but we went to the Cambodian temple there that was built when the Cambodian people occupied the central part of Viet Nam many years ago. So after 3 days there we took the night train back to Ho Chi Minh for 6 days of fun with friends in the city and countryside. The days went by quickly and I hate to leave my lady for home but reality came and I flew home to everybody here sick with this throat crude that will not go away. Sorry for taking soo long to post this but I am just now feeling human again. I have plans for next trip and there will be some great pics and stories for the future so till then....