AND I"M ON A WAITING GAME

I've been in Hanoi for almost a week doing really nothing much. I've seen the corpse (embalmed body) of Ho Chi Minh for breakfast the other day and that was such a trip. They were (the guards) very strict and we weren't allowed to were shorts, Duncan had to wear a jacket cause he was just wearing a tank top and we weren't even allowed to put our hand inside our pocket. It was so proper, formal to say the least, and I kinda like all these strict restrictions. We then checked out the museum and saw all the cruelties of the imperialist Americans to the locals during the Vietnam-American war. That was such an overwheming experience. Again, an eye opener. Until today I don't know what great a war can do but destroy everyone on both ends. Nobody really wins I mean. I'm going further up north to China to Nanning, I'm not sure whether I could afford it but I'll see if I can get a train to Beijing. I applied for a Visa 3 days ago and I should be getting it by tomorrow. I think I'm becoming more impulsive with my itinerary. I was planning to go to Southern Vietnam to join Duncan but there's something about China that I really didn't want to miss. Well, I've been to China two years ago with Wanggo. We went to Shanghai for a shoot and I really fell in love with the place. I don't think I'll go to Shanghai in this trip, but I want to do is to go to the little village of Old China and just really escape the city.The day started so slow yesterday. We just ended up in the room watching the tellie, reading books, and planning our itinerary. Duncan will go further up north in the mountains of North Vietnam and I'm planning to stay in China for another week and maybe continue my trip to southern Vietnam if I can afford it. But I really doubt because as it is I'm really scrimping on my budget. Food is actually ok in Hanoi, dirt cheap, around 50 pesos for the fried noodle. The service takes long though so I ended up taking some pics of the place (yup I finally have a digital cam, a crappy one though, I got it really cheap, so there you go, I really have to budget my way through if I'd still want to continue my journey). Last night we got so pissed again. Nothing much to do so we ended up drinking another 10 bottles of beer Hoi each in this really hole-in-the-wall drinking place. But mind you, this is such a tourist trap, everyone for some reason converge here. It's not even written on the books but it's a very popular place here called the BEER HOI triangle. The beer goes for 6 pesos, and that is just crazy. I've met two Irish college guys who were on a vacation trip for three months. They're doing the other route and they're flying to Singapore then to Indonesia next week. Then, there I was again, acting as ambassador of tourism, telling them to go to the Philippines because they will be missing a lot. Another guy Raymond told me that he was doing some surfing in Siargao the other year, and he went to Palawan too. I was so drunk I think I was inviting everyone in the hole to go to the Philippines, well at least I'm doing my part to help in my own little way. Beer Hoi is just so addictive that I decided to just sit down beside the bartender so that I wouldn't have to stand up and get the beer, such a lazy lad I am. I again didn't know how I got home, good thing was Duncan with me because the last time that I went home, it took me about an hour to locate my guesthouse. I'm so bad with direction, and even reading the map, so fuck it I always say. I'll just follow my instincts and my feet will lead me the way. So far they never failed me yet.