jdrichie-blog

[jdrichie-blog]

the other things

sure,

you tell me

you love me

and

say it

at the right times,

somehow

knowing when i

need to hear it,

and yeah,

you’ll give

me a kiss

when you walk

through the door

knowing

i need to feel

your angelic softness

to calm my anxiety

from a day

of fabricated stress,

and it’s true,

you’ll wrap your

flawless body

around me

in the morning

when we

wake and

open our

dream weary

eyes next

to one…

[jdrichie-blog]

A blog from my friend Hannah on Danang, Vietnam in CultureTrip!...Enjoy!

A blog from my friend Hannah on Danang, Vietnam in CultureTrip!…Enjoy!

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/vietnam/articles/danangs-golden-bridge-hands-and-other-structural-marvels/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=091118community&utm_content=091118community%20CID_46a26962557b99bb130c68e36769469d&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=Danangs%20Golden%20Bridge%20Hands%20and%20Other%20Structural%20Marvels

[jdrichie-blog]

Caves, bats, jungles, mosquitoes, sweat, trekking, swimming, and hospitality—if these make your ears whistle with pleasure, Phong Nha, Vietnam is the destination you want.  Besides being home to the largest cave in the world (Son Doong Cave), it’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site with hundreds of caves and, well, too many other things to list here (just click on that link).  I’ll write briefly about my three day experience in Phong Nha, which took place during July 2018.

As I mentioned in an earlier post about Ha Giang where I utilized Flamingo Travel for booking accommodations, transport, and a tour, they were also able to book me an overnight train from Hanoi down to the city of Dong Hoi.  They also recommended a place to stay—Phong Nha Farmstay—who will arrange to pick you up from the train station (approximately 40 minutes away from the train station in Dong Hoi).  I want to take this moment to say how much I enjoyed the hospitality at the Farmstay. The entire staff was incredibly nice and accommodating (they will set up all the tours you may want during your stay, which should be NO shorter than three days, four nights).  I especially enjoyed how Hien and May indulged my warped sense of humor, banter, and evening drinking (which some may describe as overconsumption). I’d venture to say they’re almost as cool as me. 😉

I took a one day trekking and cave exploring tour, which was helmed by the wonderful Phuong from Jungle Boss Tours.  The tour included Paradise Cave, a trek through the jungle, lunch, a visit to a sacred temple, a 600 meter swim in the Tra Ang cave, capped off with a beer on the ride back to the farmstay.  If and when I return to Phong Nha, I will book a longer expedition, but I think the one day tour is a good start and not too physically strenuous.

The other free day I had (the first day there was a rainout), I visited Phong Nha Cave, which is accessed via dragon boat.  This was heavily populated with tourists despite the heavy downpour. The cave itself is beautiful and well worth a half-day visit if you need to fill some time.  Unfortunately for me, because of the rain, many of the other caves in the area were unavailable. So I suppose my piece of advice is to plan accordingly, i.e. avoid rainy season.  

With respect to clothing and shoes, bring items that you may not wear ever again.  Also, I highly recommend a waterproof bag for your trek in addition to a must-have mosquito repellent and adequate sunblock.  The farmstay does provide overnight laundry service, which proved quite helpful. However, my shoes (already hurting and not quite recovered from Ha Giang) took another environmental beatdown.  

The last highlight I will mention is a large dinner that the farmstay and their excellent chef puts together once a week at a very reasonable cost.  Because of the number of drinks I consumed, I can’t recall how many dishes were served, but I do remember the entire meal giving my taste buds “palategasms.”   Also, the co-owner Ben from Australia (don’t hold that against him) bought me a glass of wonderful rice wine, so of course, he gets a shout-out from me.

Phong Nha, Vietnam has something for everyone and will satisfy the person looking for extreme adventures to the person seeking a more relaxed vacation destination.    

–JDR–

Phong Nha, Vietnam Caves, bats, jungles, mosquitoes, sweat, trekking, swimming, and hospitality—if these make your ears whistle with pleasure, Phong Nha, Vietnam is the destination you want.  

[jdrichie-blog]

where i’m going is where you might be

[jdrichie-blog]

where i'm going is where you might be

where i’m going is where you might be

things are about

to go back to

normal

to a place of

anxious comfort

and

empty

meaningless

“how are yous?

fines.

and yous?”

  looking for love

around

three-quarter-

felt-grey walls

short enough

for me

to peer

over

at peers

  staring out

wall-to-wall

windows

on the 12th floor

wondering

what the freshly

paved asphalt

feels like from here

  cords wrapped

around limbs

wrapped around

phones

[jdrichie-blog]

There are many “must see” places to visit in Vietnam as natural beauty is ubiquitous throughout the country; however, in my opinion, the one area that everyone should visit is the mountainous region of Ha Giang, a.k.a. The Northern Loop.  The awe-inspiring views that you will witness very well may change your human existence.  Below, I will provide a few details about the trip including contact information for the travel agency I utilized.  

There are various options for reaching the province of Ha Giang so I won’t go into all of those particulars.  I was recommended a travel agency by a friend who has been living in Vietnam for a number of years. The travel agency is called Flamingo Travel.  The owner’s name is Hung and he and his staff were extremely helpful (their main operation is located in Hanoi; although they do have other locations in Vietnam).  There are a few different options for the Northern Loop: You can rent a motorbike yourself and explore on your own, you can rent a motorbike with a tour guide and explore the loop for a few days (including off road trails) or you can rent a motorbike and tour guide as an easy-rider (meaning you sit on the back of the motorbike).  You should choose the option that best suits your adventurous self; however, unless you can speak Vietnameses, I HIGHLY recommend hiring a tour guide as you can easily get lost and very few people speak English in this region (there are quite of few people indigenous to the mountain towns who don’t speak Vietnamese).

The wonderful folks at Flamingo Travel will accommodate whatever option you’d like to choose.  They will set up your bus ride to and from Ha Giang and book your homestays at the various check-in points throughout the loop.  These homestays usually include dinner and breakfast options. Typically, I’m a hotel guy, but these homestays provided a more authentic experience (especially after the 10th shot of homemade rice wine).  

The travel agency will also provide rain and motorbike gear for your trip.  A bit of advice, I’d recommend you bring shoes that you’ll no longer want after a trip as they will get rained on, extremely muddy, and very likely, ruined.  Depending on the number of days you choose for the trip, bringing the right amount of clothes could be a challenge, but some of the home-stays do offer laundry service (I recommend you ask the staff at Flamingo what you should bring).  

I chose the easy-rider option for my trip and although being on the back of a bike wasn’t ideal physically, the ability to gaze at the magnificent natural beauty without having to pay attention to the road was worth it for my first trip (if taking subsequent trips, I’d definitely rent a motorbike, but plan a longer trip so I could make more stops).  My tour guide’s name was Thang (you can check out his great Instagram account @thang_pham_van_ which is full of amazing photos from the various tours he gives in Vietnam) and he is more adventurous than I am, which normally might worry someone like me, but the routes and detours he took were well worth the physically soreness that accompanied the sometimes bumpy and broken roads (and the occasional riverbed crossing).  He’s done the Northern Loop trip hundreds of times, but he was obviously still entranced by the landscape (it’s refreshing to see someone enjoy their job that much).  

You’re going to meet locals.  You’re going to drink lots of rice wine.  You’re going to get dirty and wet and rained on.  You’re going to be sore. You’re going to eat the amazing local fare.  You’re going to stare at scenery that you’ll attempt to capture with a camera but the pictures won’t do this magnificent terrain justice (although I tried my best).  But most important of all, you’re going to feel peace and awe and stillness and fresh air and wonderment and fulfillment. My advice: Go visit this area before the tourist get a hold of it. –JDR–

Ha Giang, Vietnam There are many “must see” places to visit in Vietnam as natural beauty is ubiquitous throughout the country; however, in my opinion, the one area that everyone should visit is the mountainous region of…

[jdrichie-blog]

"A GUIDE TO BALLIN’ ON A BUDGET IN SINGAPORE"

“A GUIDE TO BALLIN’ ON A BUDGET IN SINGAPORE”

If you’re interested in visiting Singapore (especially on a budget), please read my friend’s excellent travel blog by clicking on the following link –  HowFarIllPho.com

Hannah also has an assortment of other posts about Vietnam, which all are well written and informative.  I’ll be posting her blogs from time to time and I may even write a travel blog or two when I’m in the mood.

[jdrichie-blog]

reunited with no attachments

reunited with no attachments

someone i know

died a couple weeks

ago

and it’s not the first

time

someone

from my

label straddling

generation

has departed

before me

  some people i know

reunited with

people they once

knew

last week

to reminisce

about what they

used to be

twenty years ago

  pictures

and all

  posts of

receding hairlines

extra inches around

the waist line

crows feet

crowing desperately

at the vanishing

act

of…

[jdrichie-blog]

bon appétit

today

as i

walked

the streets

to my local

pharmacies,

  one to pick up

syrups

and bars

  another to

pick up

codeine

  one to buy condoms

and cigarettes

  another for

paper cups

and penicillin

to dissolve

the ludes

  and one just

for the fuck

of it,

  i saw a man

walking with

his hands

  he had both

legs

  but they

were

crossed

and

tucked

  he gracefully

sauntered

with

those hands

bett…

[jdrichie-blog]

new views old habits with scorpions

I’m

in a new place

with a different view

of dilapidated rooftops

and uncoordinated

color schemes

it all

seems familiar

perhaps

the naked ladies

and the cologne

I spray

when I want to

remember

her

and

the incredible

blow jobs

ignite the neurons

or

maybe

it’s the overpriced

cheap red wine

made from

agent orange

grapes

fermented with

the blood

of the innocent

sipped from

recycled paper cups

[jdrichie-blog]

social media regrets

I was late to the social

media

spectacle

and for many reasons

I regret

my decision

to conform

to the inevitable

  my life as a contrarian

hadn’t produced anything

worth more than a

“I’m better than you”

quip

for not blindly

following the

uncivilized masses

  gifs and memes

blogs and vlogs

shares and retweets

  snaps and emojis

  insta-internet-stardom

  were not on my

lexical…

[jdrichie-blog]

full circle wants (rated R)

full circle wants (rated R)

seeing your smile

puts a smile

on my face,

but truth be told,

the only thing(s)

i want

on my face

is/are

you(r)

smile(s).

-JDR-

[jdrichie-blog]

fire hazard

the water level

is rising around

the clogged drain;

dried tears and

saliva

kidnapped

by loving women

have blocked the exits.

i showered where crazy people

lived and recovered.

i ate beside them

without utensils

and instructions.  

i stood in line with them,

waiting for our measured

doses.

i sat next to them

watching

images on a screen

while they pissed

on the floor.

i read the new yorker

while…

[jdrichie-blog]

revealed

deflated,

fallin’ down

in a free fall,

face first,

J.P. on the sidewalk,

my guts are a free for all.

livin’ among cannibals

thirsty for broken hearts,

never had a chance

even before it starts.

i want a reset,

a start over,

layin’ in your arms,

holdin’ on a little bit

longer this time,

instead of lightin’

those joints,

poppin’ the

various colors

of perfectly shaped

pills,

sippin’ aged cognac,

sle…

[jdrichie-blog]

cure me, please

the next girl that makes me fall in love is the one that can make me happy when i’m sober. -JDR-

[jdrichie-blog]

it was and still is you (4/4)

it was and still is you (4/4)

you used to like all my stuff and then it was you that liked it all, then, you, and then you, then you, you, you, you, and you, but the only one i want is YOU. -JDR-

[jdrichie-blog]

lots minus lots = you

lots minus lots = you

you’re the only one that i can send these thoughts to so i fill the boxes and ship them in bulk to overwhelm you in hopes that one day, i can whisper them to you. -JDR-