I just finished visiting some distant relatives 50 kilometers outside of Da Nang. Talk about taking a step back in time. No electricity, getting water bucket by bucket from a well, harvesting the rice by hand, carts pulled by water buffaloes (they smell like feet by the way), and the squat toilets. :yikes:
It was fun learning how to do things the way it used to be done and helping out, but there was some nasty surprises (like the aforementioned tarantula), not to mention the football-sized roach that scared the crap out of me while I was taking a bath, or that water buffalo that decided my torso was its long lost love, or that sudden freak downpour while I was standing on a dirt road that quickly turned into a mud road.
It was also lonely as hell. Nothing but rice paddies as far as the eye can see, with the occasional small tree every now and then. No cafes, bars, clubs, or anything for entertainment. So we had to find our own entertainment. :wink3:
Fun experience and all, but boy, am I glad to be back in Saigon. You know, with a modern toilet to use, air conditioning, electricity, and best of all, not having to keep an eye out for bugs the size of my face while doing my business. :tongue: