Vietnam!

Saigon Hotel Chronicles: Chapter 2, Death Threats and the Apocalypse on our First Night in Ho Chi Minh City.



We landed in Ho Chi Mihn City (still called Saigon by the locals) around 10:30 pm last Friday and waited an eternity for Phil to get his landing visa. Don't go that route. We spent some time negotiating our taxi fare and once we got it down to $8 USD, or maybe $128,000 Dong, we made our way to the Saigon Mini Hotel. This place, hostel, mini hotel, boutique hotel, whatever you want to call it was actually great and only $14 USD a night! God I love Vietnam.


Since it was already pretty late, we freshened up and got to the clubs. Picked up Powers and Kiki at their hotel on the way. We threw down at this place called Apocalypse Now. If you think I'm kidding... they also have a place called Heart of Darkness for anyone who wants the true Joseph Conrad experience!


After some tequila shots and a lot of dancing on a super crowded hot and humid dance floor, we decided we needed some Pho.


We hopped in a taxi and as soon as the car doors swung open at our destination, we were bombarded by little girls hawking flowers. The boys politely tried to turn them down, and Phil even said he was allergic, and then the little girls started screaming, "LIARS!" Oh it got worse. They started hitting, pulling, and then they started shouting out, " I will kill you!" I wish I had it on video!

The death threats continued and even though they wanted us dead, they told us to be careful as cars were coming down the street.


We finally settled on a sidewalk cafe for Pho and Cora gave the chicken feet a whirl.

We walked back to the hotel and by this time it was 4 something in the AM. No problem right? We only had to be ready for breakfast at 6:30.

Next, our day of Cu Chi!

Memorial Day Weekend in Vietnam!

Saigon Hotel Chronicles: Chapter One, Meet the Bunsholes.



Two weeks ago I got an email from Powers. He was going to be in Vietnam for work and invite a handful of us to join him for a rock star weekend. I said, yes please.

My pals Cora, Daven, and Phil wanted to go too. So we booked our flights and spent the week sending each other awful/hilarious messages in an email chain that I may one day turn into a play called Saigon Hotel.


Friday after work, we booked it to the Hongkie airport where we shoved fast food in our faces. It's the only place in Hong Kong to get Popeyes!


Also had at the airport... the first sunset I've seen here. That's right, almost 6 months in Hongkie town with no sunsets! Although our plane was boarding, we figured we had enough time for at least one cocktail and a shot.


The super friendly dude checking us in informed us that we had been profiled as English speakers and were therefore sitting by the emergency exits. It was there that me and Daven witnessed some strange things, like a guy with a Jesus Freak shirt on, an Aussie redneck with a flat top mullet, and a super fierce male flight attendant who said something about about spraying his johnson... huh?

Up next, my debut in 'Nam. Hope you had a fabulous Memorial Day Weekend.

One Night Only

Since it was a quick trip home, I was left with one night only to throw down with my peeps.

For as quick as it was, and working during the bulk of it, I think I was pretty successful with my rounds. Some time with the parents, some time with Pepper's parents. Some time with Sophie, and a wee bit of time with Cougar. A night with my ol school girls Sarah and Erin. A night with my former favorite workmates. A strange night in the Valley with my Life Partner. A lazy afternoon in Redondo with the crew, and we topped it off with ONE NIGHT ONLY.

The picture above is at Frost's. Manolo, his betta fish since our humble beginnings in Silver Lake had passed away the day I arrived in LA. He is now cryonically frozen in an Ed Hardy water bottle where we will keep him until we can bring him back to life.


Yep, that's good ol Manolo keeping the Jager company.

















I loves my friends.

Home to the Valley

This is home. Her name is Sophie and I loves her so much.

The trip home went by super fast. It's so hard to manage family, friends, and also workin hard for the money during the week but somehow I squeezed just enough of the good stuff in.

Immediately after stepping off the plane, Marie and I headed towards the water with a pit stop at Anthropologie and Jamba Juice.


We crashed my sister's place cause that's just what you do when your sis lives right on the water. We gabbed by the pool and it was like time I had never been away.


There was tons of crap to be eaten. Lots of Mexican, not nearly enough In and Out but at least I got one in.


And there was also all the crap I ate with my dad at lunch. It started off with the Sizzler, then some dodgy place for falafal, no Taco Bell but somehow we ended up at Weinerschnitzel.


There was good food too. I had a lovely dinner with Bonaduce, Cam and Kelly.

And now I'm starving thinking about all that wonderful and terrible food but have to settle for some crap lunch in Lai Chi KOK.