The part of my Burning Man I spent the most time preparing for by far was the Burning Man Ultramarathon. I had run the race six times before, so I knew I could finish it without dying. But I knew from past years my training rigor correlated strongly with how painful the race would be, and how long it would take me to recover. There’s little sense in putting in all the effort of getting to Burning Man only to spend several days of it barely able to move — though it would still be worth it if that were the only option!
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We had a pretty chill Sunday and Monday as I mentally prepared for the race. We climbed a scary tower, then a less scary tower. We magically ran into Rob and Omar in deep playa, and then made a bunch of friends at a camp called VICE. The week was off to a great start!
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Alan and I made the journey to return Burning Man this year. We were prepared for a low key year in open camping, but it turned out wonderfully! We happened upon Rob in deep playa the first day, leading to a bunch of plans and connections right off the bat. We hung out at VICE and made many friends whom we’d see throughout the week. And I ran my fastest 50K and wasn’t dead afterward.
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At the start of this trip almost month prior, it felt like there was so much time ahead. I couldn’t believe only a few days had passed and we had done so much. It was so refreshing to be traveling again, and getting to know Patton on a’ whole ‘nother level was great. Returning to Japan briefly on our way back from Vietnam was a somewhat hectic but actually very rewarding conclusion to our trip. The juxtaposition of the two countries made me better appreciate Japan’s development but also Vietnam’s freewheeling excitement.
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We spent 2 nights in Hanoi and went on one day drip. Unfortunately I am running out of steam posting all these blogs from the trip, so this is going to be mostly photos!
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During our few days in Hanoi, we went on a day tour to the Ninh Binh area about two hours north of the city. I continue to be amazed in the amount of stuff these companies can pack into a day for less than $50 all included. It was a pretty fun trip and included a very nice hour-long boat tour through some interesting caves.
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The time on this trip has been flying recently. We finished our last few days in Saigon by getting me a tattoo, getting some art for Patton’s friend, and going to a big gay party. It was a great time, and then I was sad to be leaving Saigon come Sunday morning!
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Tuesday was a chill day, in which I ran 16 miles and then Patton and I got dinner with David. Wednesday we did another tour, this time a half day one to the Cu Chi tunnels north of Ho Chi Minh City. We ended up with the same guide, Jack, somewhat by design. Then we got dinner with him and said goodbye!
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Monday we went to the Mekong Delta with a tour group. We got to explore a bit the region called My Tho, including a well known Buddhist temple site called Vinh Trang. We took several boat rides, including one on a small boat called a sampan down a canal through some coconut trees. It was a pretty nice excursion!
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We planned to spend about a week in Saigon staying with Patton’s cousin David, who graciously let us use his guest room. In our first couple of days, we had dinner with more than a dozen of their relatives, went out to Bui Vien Walking Street and a nearby gay bar and then explored some shopping and downtown areas.
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Having spent 10 days in Japan, Patton and I left Osaka and embarked on our Vietnam adventure. I last entered the country 10 years ago. I loved my time there and was excited to see more cities there, and to hear my friend Patton speak Vietnamese! Our first stop was in the southern island of Phú Quốc. We spent three nights there.
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