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My niece in Vietnam April 23, 2008

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Hello eveyone, hope you are all well…           I have just left the north of Veitnam and arrived this morning to Hue in the central area of Nam. It was a long bus ride and I take local buses, so I get the usual alien stares…but I sat next to a girl and she spoke very little english and we shared crackers and fruit and laughed at the way we could not understand eachother.          I had a great time in Sapa…its got rice paddie fields, the tallest mountain in Veitnam (mount Fansipang about 3100m) and shares the stunning backdrops with the border of southern China.          I met lots of tribes in differnt villages throughout my 3 day trek. I learned about how the french came to Veitnam and took over and you can see it in the style of architecture today, and then the US came and tried the same thing. I think that the lasting affect has made Vietnemese people very bold and strong.  Especially the women. In Sapa the tribeswomen are out trying to sell their personal handicrafts at an outrageous price and they think that if you ahve white skin you are rich. Some of the women follow you through the trails in the valleys and I heard one guy even say, ‘If I buy something, will you stop following me?’ of course she said yes, but this is the mentality that has been accepted in the area, especially the Black Hmong Tribe. I saw 2 women get into a fight right in front of me over a tourist buying something from one of them and not the other, its so sad.           I guess after traveling for sometime now, Ive seen the ugly in people in all differnt types of cultures and societies, and for Sapa to be such a beautiful and peacful place, I just cant understand how greed can overcome them, I feel sorry for what the western world has made them feel, like they need more money…I cant save everyone, right?          Im still really enjoying the food in Veitnam, its amazing how much tofu Ive been eating, I feel great at least, havent felt sick here at all.          Ive been asked to be married 3 times now, all the conversations start like, ‘whats your name?’, ‘Where do you come from’, and then, ‘You want to get married in Veitnam’ I Cant say Im too young, most people in their early 20s have at least one child and are married here, so I just say I move too much, I dont want one.          I had a most pleasant train ride from Sapa back to Hanoi, with a family that I met on the train ride up to Sapa, my nickname was given to me in Thailand, its sky (Fa in Thai,Choui)(apparently I have big thoughts and goals and seem to be quite happy) So I learned a new card game thats very popular here nad I played with a little boy named wind (Fum) He was a really good kid.           I had one full day left in Hanoi before my bus ride, so I wen to the Ho Chi Mihn Mosileum, it was very intense, you can see his actual body embalmed, There were not very many tourists, loads of schools from all over Vietnam, so people wnated pictures with me and a guy from Australia I went with and a guy from London. We thought it was hilarious. We saw the museum, it was really intersting and saw his house where he lived. I met a swedish guy later on and it was pouring rain, we went out to play in it and have some coffee, We tried the weasel coffee, apparently, a weasel eats the best coffee beans in a bunch and poops them out whole and they are supposed to be very strong, I tried it and we both thought it was delicious, but so strong! I had really lovely conversations with the sweed, but hes going to med school for  8 years in a few months, oh well.         It was very difficult to say goodbye to my family in Hanoi, they all took such good care of me and kept giving me gifts, In Thailand and in Veitnam, so many people have hardly anything and they will give everything to you if you need it. I could almost cry just thinking about how humanitarian some people are when they have almost nothing. It makes me really want to give so much back, so If I can publish some photos, I really want to start fundraising to open up schools for young women in Thailand to give them more options instead of feeling the pressure from thier families to go into the sex industry. Young people can be very impressionable if you get them at the right age, and I really think alot of them would be amazing businesswomen. Enough dreaming for now,          This morning I arrived in Hue, where everywhere I turn Im getting hassled to buy this and take this tour, so I just walked around the city by myself and the The Citadel, which was amazing, and met some photographers here in Hue and some other travelers from England whom I had lunch with. Im very used the the crazy traffic in Veitnam, its hard to explain without being here, but there are so many motorbikes, and hardly any lights and constant honking day and night, you have to be agressive when you cross the street even if it means standing  in the middle of traffic until another spot opens for you to walk a little bit.          Im not feeling the vibe in this city too much, so I have an open ended bus ticket all the way down to Saigon, so I will be going to Hoi An next, where you can get clothes hand made and tailored for next to nothing and the beaches are stunning. I keep hearing about all the guys getting really nice suits made for 50 dollars, so maybe Ill check it out.          Until the next update, hope you all enjoy the read, or maybe even know some of the places I talked about.          Best in life, love, and happiness,Val

Craig Lyons plays benefit concert for Shriners Hospital Burn Unit April 4, 2008

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Hi! A great friend of ours Craig Lyons is the FIRST to raise money as a musician

for the Shriners Burn Unit~ he is brining out a load of talent to play

the night of the 27th (Sunday) and raise $ for the charity

(they pay in full for families to stay and all costs of the hospital are covered).

 

 

If you could please take a few moments out of your time

to go out and help by attending (or send people you know~ please feel free to forward this message)

I would be truly grateful.

 

 

He is a wonderful songwriter and he is very kind hearted

(and the women really love him….so do some guys).

 

 

So if you know ANYONE is the LA area, please have them

mark their calendar~ He is also looking for press contacts~Thanks!!!

 

http://www. craiglyons. net/

http://www. myspace. com/craiglyon

 

Hi Mimi!

Here’s what I’ve got so far -

 

April 27th

Air Conditioned Lounge

625 Lincoln Blvd, Venice 90291

Co-op fundraiser for Eagle Creek February 13, 2008

Posted by Mimi » add a comment

the co-op on Sherman, Mark and Gwendra will be bringing in some of their tunes as well…should be a fun night~ donations welcome

7 til 9