It’s been two countries and almost two months, and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t feel twinges of homesickness once and a while. I talk a pretty good game about being stoked to be away for who knows how long, but sometimes it hits me that I don’t know when I’ll see my friends and family again. And all it takes is for me to log on to facebook to discover that a friend’s baby has been born, or that there’s yet another wedding that I’m going to miss, or just an epically fun night out that I wasn’t there to witness for it to really sink in.  I love the Jet Set Zero crew, but they just don’t cut it for being able to take my mind off the fact that I’m so far away from home.  So it doesn’t happen often, but there are points when the homesickness finds its way through a fissure in my relatively tough shell.

So what do I do when this happens?  Usually, a Skype call to a few select people is enough to brighten my day, but lately the internet has been intermittent at best and the call is more frustrating than anything.  So I’ve had to find alternatives.  Some people take great comfort in the familiar taste of a McDonald’s french fry in their mouth when they’re missing home, but unfortunately, there are no McD’s here.  Instead, I’ve developed a different tactic.

The first thing I do is put on my iPod and select a playlist designed by a close friend with a collection of my all-time favourite songs.  I turn it up loud to try and block the sounds of traffic and horns.  And then I go to the local supermarket.

There’s something about a big, air-conditioned, modern supermarket that makes me forget where I am.  I don’t actually need to buy anything, but I take great pleasure in going up and down the aisles and spotting Pringles, Knorr Soup Mix, Nescafe, Spam, Lipton tea, Snickers, Listerine, Colgate toothpaste, Juicy Fruit gum, Oreos and Fruit Loops.  I briefly consider buying a huge block of blue cheese and some Ritz crackers and think better of it (on this particular day, I’d probably eat the entire thing in one sitting).  They have big bottles of Wyborowa vodka (my favourite) for $15 but again, this is probably a bad idea.  Then I spot a package of Chicken-flavoured Instant Porridge and some unidentifiable meat products and remember that I’m still in Asia.  But for those few precious moments, I have escaped back home.

So much cheese. Love it.

I got the death cold here in Saigon. Sniffles, body sores, whole shebang. After two days of laying in bed and being pretty upset I couldn’t go job hunting, our friend Nguyet (this girl ends up in a lot of our stories, she never ceases to amaze me) who’s English can be hard to understand at times, tells me “(something, something), sick, (something something), back, oil, (something something), it’ll make you better”. Cool right? Nguyet is totally going to come upstairs and give me a sweet ass massage? WRONG. Check out her Vietnamese “cure” for a bad cold. It involves some weird Tiger Balm smelling oil, and a key gouging out the top layers of skin on my back.

FYI, its the day after this lovely incident and I’m still sick as all hell, but hey, the red gashes on my back have turned into more of a lovely shade of a light magenta after 24 hours. It was totally and utterly, not worth the pain. Although I can now say I royally got my ass kicked by a Vietnamese chick that probably weighs 80lbs.

Oh, and I also have good news, but you’re going to have to wait for that one. I like to add some suspense to the equation. Duh, duh, duh.

So, here’s the plan.

After more than a year of non-stop traveling, of long days working local jobs, followed by working on production, followed by working local jobs, followed yet still by an endless series of adventures the first stage of my journey is coming to a close.

Our primary goal in all of this is to enable and inspire others to have these experiences, to not only travel, but to really explore the cultures of other countries.  After more than a year of telling our story we wanted to give some of our followers a chance to do just that.  Jen, Kris, Serene, and Laurene will carry the story forward and share their experiences, journeys and adventures with you.  In the meantime Rob and I will be back in the US and we’ll be working hard to launch some exciting new projects that should expand the scope and depth of our story.  In some ways it is a difficult transition, but when it really comes down to it I am happy to trade some time in front of a laptop in the US if it allows dozens of others to tell their own Jet Set Zero stories and adventures.

We’ll be behind the scenes for a little while, but we haven’t gone anywhere. 

Thank you to everyone who made this first year possible.  We promise that the second year will provide some amazing new directions, locations and adventures.

And of course, we’ll be back soon.

-Brian

Istanbul will be the last stop for Brian, Nick and I.. for now. We passed the one-year mark last September, somewhat unceremoniously, after having lost Matt, Jed, a cast member that is never to be, and our two good friends, Kevin and Bryan, who were the legs beneath us behind the scenes.

All of these losses were due to factors like burnout, injury, and financial strain– simply the accumulation of our daily lives– and though we could see some of them coming, the losses were devastating. This is the secret behind the curtain, which we’ve struggled with silently for months, the reason behind the blips, errors, bugs and lack of episodes.

It’s been this way since in our last month in Seoul, Season 3, when Brian did what Brian does best– he had an idea. We’d been proud to bring Nick out, and despite his limited appearance in the episodes, he added a great deal the footage we have through the end of our time there. We were expecting Jen, and even a sixth cast member, so Brian’s proposal was to mostly pull out the layer of production overhead we grappled with daily, and allow them to tell their own stories, take their own videos and edit them afterwards. That’s what you’ve seen on this blog, unfolding over the past few months. You’ve also been introduced to three new faces: Kris, Serene, and Laurene.

So what about Brian, Nick and I?

Well this mode of storytelling is new to us, and so we need to pull ourselves out of the chaos, insanity, and instability that comes when you pack up all your stuff and leave home every 90 days. We’re still here, and we still plan to be out on the road again, but for now, we’re going home.

For each of us, home means something different, but for me, I will be traveling from Istanbul to Paris, Paris to Normandy, and then Normandy to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I will share a few stories of the trip over the week, but you will see me less and less, as we focus on developing our new content model, and building Jet Set Zero into a global network.

Don’t forget, you can always send me a note, ask me a question, or pose a suggestion, by emailing me at rob –at– jetsetzero.tv

Thanks, and you’ll see me again soon.

Everybody talks about the war remnants museum. It is a cheap place to visit (15,000 Dong: 84 cents), and I’m sorry to say that I think that’s all it is worth. There are a few interesting photos and a good chronology of the events. But I honestly did not learn much, and I am far from being a Viet Nam war expert.

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DECUE PAR LE MUSEE DE LA GUERRE

Tout le monde parle du musée des vestiges de la guerre de Saigon. C’est une attraction pas chère (15,000 Dong: 56 centimes d’euro), et je suis désolée de dire que ça n’en vaut pas plus. Il y a quelques photos intéressantes et une bonne chronologie des événements. Mais honnêtement, je n’ai pas appris grand chose que je ne savais déjà. Et je suis loin d’être une spécialiste de la guerre du Viet Nam.

In addition to buses, taxis, xe oms (motorcycle taxis), bicycles, or driving your own motorcycle (which will be covered in a future post titled “Almost Dying Every Single Day in Saigon”), there is the option of the cyclo.  If you’ve been to India, it’s the same as the cycle-rickshaw, and it’s a dying breed here in Ho Chi Minh City.  With the popularity of the motorcycle increasing for Saigon residents, the cyclos are becoming more for the tourists than anything.  Many streets now prohibit cyclos, and apparently the government is trying to phase them out altogether. But it’s a cheap, fun ride that should really be experienced…

Admittedly, this may be an “American specific” post.

The Vietnam War Museum is one of the most popular attractions in Saigon. I’d heard from friends that its pretty traumatic, but I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a museum so emotionally draining in all my life.

An American Warplane in Saigon.

Like Serene, I am smitten…

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Don’t trust figures! In terms of financial management, I actually did better this week than last week!

Funds on Nov 9th: 1 640 740 Dong ($91,82) (61.34€)
Cash input: 3 500 000 Dong ($195.87) (130.97€)
Current funds (on Nov 15th): 2 908 000 Dong ($162.73) (108.69€)
Spent: 2 232 740 Dong ($124.94) (83.47€)
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Yesterday I had the best day ever since our arrival in Ho Chi Minh City- except for our day trip to the Mekong river basin, of course! The day didn’t started so well since I had a job interview for a French teacher position, which turned out to be totally pointless because the school does not yet exist. (!)

But, my day will not have been completely useless. I decided to check out the outdoor public swimming pool. It was … heaven! Over lunch break- from noon until 1.30pm- we were only ten people in the pool. Even after school groups arrived, we still had a lot of room to swim and glide in the water. Oh, water! Rain! Sea! Ocean! I miss you so, very much!

Public outdoor swimming pool in Ho Chi Minh City