Hiring: Travel Gnome

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So I got a new idea from a travel blogger... Most people have pictures of themselves taken with popular tourist landmarks as background --- and then, there's a small percentage of people who bring travel gnomes then take pictures of them with tourist landmarks as background. For those of you who love getting your pictures taken, this may be a weird idea. But for someone like me who's very uncomfortable being on the other side of a camera, it is simply brilliant.


The Travelling Gnome Prank started in the 1980s, take a garden gnome from someone's garden, take it to a trip and take pictures of it on tourist landmarks and  return it to the owner *with pictures.

L-R Kitty, Rhapsody and Croc

Now, I have no plans of stealing garden gnomes and anyway, I haven't seen any here in Vietnam. Some people use dolls, some people use makeup brushes and some people even use water dippers. I, on the other hand, will most probably go with the stuffed toy turned into travel gnome. After all, my little stuffed friends will probably enjoy camera time more than I ever did. Big question is, which one will it be? Not that I have a lot to choose from. I'm in Vietnam right now so here's what I have to work with. Actually, the ones on the first picture are out of the running, since they are too big to carry around for travelling, I just wanted to show them off. Haha. Anyway, second picture --- just popped Santa-cork in, he's not stuffed. Or maybe I should use Santa-cork because he can stand on his own? BBall Guy doesn't like being on camera (or looks it). Scrump and Stitch both have a nice color that'll probably look best on pictures. Hmmm... I guess I can try them out around Vung Tau and Saigon before I decide. Oh yeah, I have 2 beanie babies in one of my boxes at Thea's flat. I'll get them later and add their pics.

BBall Guy, Scrump, Santa-cork,Stitch

Read about travelling gnomes:
http://tinyurl.com/33tnur3
http://tinyurl.com/6pxlxu
http://tinyurl.com/2wzqm3f
http://tinyurl.com/6pxlxu



Here are pictures of travel gnomes that aren't gnomes...

2008-2010

• February 2008 --> went to Vietnam, started working at NES (Natural English School)
• May 2008 --> from Thuy Van St., moved to 15 Tang
• late May - August 2008 --> substitute teacher at VT Kiddie Group
• December 2008 --> Christmas vacation in the Philippines,
• January 2009 --> went to Caramoan before going back to VN, holiday in Siem Reap, decided to come back to the Philippines
• February - April 2009 --> bum
• April 2009 --> packed my bags and went back to VN
• June 2009 --> N3 (NES kids branch) opening
• August 2009 --> Tito Joven died, emergency leave
• December 2009 --> first Christmas away from home, spent it with Gilda's family in Phnom Penh
• February 2010 --> 2-week trip to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore with Ate
• April 2010 --> quit being manager of N3, became a part time teacher
• late June 2010 --> left for the Philippines for a much needed R&R, fix documents, etc.
• August 2010 --> back to Vietnam
• October 2010 --> CELTA at ILA Vietnam - HCM

Cambodia Trip

I went on a trip with my sister months ago and I’ve never really gotten around to writing about it. Anyway, since I’m still lazy to do anything about it, just take a look at the photos on my multiply site: http://babyanj.multiply.com/photos/album/30/vietnam-cambodia_roadtrip

***On Tet holiday, I’m planning a trip with a couple of friends. We might do a Cambodia-Thailand trip for 2 weeks or if we’re short on money, a week-long Siem Reap trip or something like it would do. I like Cambodia (they speak English, yey) and I’m looking forward to going back.***

A Trip to Ho Chi Minh City

I took a trip to Ho Chi Minh City with my sister, my cousin and his girlfriend 2 weeks ago. After two months in Viet Nam, it was the first time I went there for fun. We left Vung Tau at 4:30 in the morning, that was the first trip of Hoa Mai Transport & Travel Services for that day. The driver picked us up at our street at around 4:15. We arrived in HCMC about 2 hours later and lugging my sister's bags (she's going back to the Philippines the next day) along, we took a taxi to Yellow House Hotel at De Tham street. For $26 a night for the 4 of us it wasn't so bad. On the upside it's location is right near the center of the city, near the markets, etc.

After we checked in we walked to to Ben Thanh Market to kill some time before we could hit the PC stores. On the way there, we ate bahn mi (french bread with butter, pate and veggies) and drank some soya milk. Even early in the morning, the place was all hustle and bustle. Maybe it's all the coffee. It was before 8 in the morning but everybody was already fixing their stalls and selling their wares. My sister is the one wearing a green dress on the foreground. We tried to get a little shopping done before 8am.

After checking a couple of PC stores with enough choices and at the same time accepts credit cards, we found one at Bui Thi Xuan St. After an entertaining hour with the salesperson we finally left my cousin at the store. While they were assembling his PC, my sister, my cousin's GF, and I, went to Notre Dame Cathedral. We had a nice lunch at Pho24 near Ben Thanh Market, then went back to the hotel to take a nap till we could go to the War Remnants Museum.

We saw a lot of pictures taken during the controversial Vietnam War. It was all very heartbreaking and just when my sister was feeling so sad, she heard someone crying. A Western woman was sobbing while reading some passages explaining a photograph.

In my case, I still can't get over the Tiger Cages and the other tortures that they described quite graphically. It reminds me of the atrocities committed by the Japanese in the Philippines and the Nazis during World War II.

After visiting that museum, we went around the Night Market. My sister bought me "respectable" shoes and a cute beaded shoe wallet. It was a fun to window shop and relax while walking around the city. We ended the night nicely by eating some street food.
Not an eventful day by some standards but honestly, it was one of the best days I've had in a while.