My favorite way to explore a city- get lost in it

This weekend has been very eventful! Unfortunately my friends and I saw the negative part of traveling- having belongings stolen- but we also had a nice time. Yasmin, a volunteer from Perth, had her bag stolen when we were in Hoi An. It was right next to her, and someone came up and grabbed it at night. She lost her cell phone, camera, money and credit cards. I think we'll all be more careful in the future.

In Hoi An, we walked around the city, had delicious food and relaxed. I went for a run with Jen Cahalen from Adelaide, Australia and she kicked my butt. I realized I need to train harder because I haven't been pushing myself at all. When I got back from running a little more than 5 miles with her, I was ready to collapse! She's a police officer and in very good shape! That night we went to Hoi An Beach Club, a late night party at a beach a few kilometers from the city. I think I am too old for late nights! We got back to Hoi An at 2:00 or 2:30 and I slept in Sunday morning. It was fun to experience it because there were 10 of us volunteers but I don't think I need to do it again.

Last night I attempted my first bike ride, using the bikes available at the GVN house. It was beautiful. I live only about a mile or two from the ocean, so I rode out to the beach and then along the highway next to the beach. I cycled out to the Marble Mountains, about 10 or 15 km from where I live. I was taking photos when I saw a car pull up behind me. I glanced back, took another photo, then looked back again and realized it was our Operations Manager Jen and one of her friends! They were driving back from Hoi An and saw someone taking photos, then realized it was me because I was wearing a red shirt and a green helmet. No one wears helmets to ride bicycles here and almost no one wears shirts. My white skin didn't hurt either. I guess I'm pretty conspicuous here. I got lost coming home because I went the wrong way at a roundabout. My hour ride turned into a two hour ride. However, I'm starting to learn the streets a bit better and should be a pro before I leave!

Riding a bike here is quite a challenge. It's something akin to being a bee placed in an ant colony and trying to figure out how the h*ll it works! They have their systems perfectly laid out, I just need to figure out how to go with the flow. Intersections are really difficult because everyone goes at once. Some have stop lights, but most people don't obey them. Everyone just goes at once. Rather than yield or stop, they honk their horns and dodge other motorbikes or cars. I swear their horns must need replacing several times per year! It is nutty. I'm sure I will get used to all of this eventually, and may even feel confident enough to ride my own moto at some point, but we will see.

This week is a short week because we have a four day weekend coming up. I'm having dinner at one friend's house on Friday and going to a wedding with another friend on Sunday. It should be a lot of fun! We're still working out classes and arranging our schedules. I'm hoping to have it figured out by the end of the week, but TIV (This is Vietnam) so who knows.