Back at home in Victoria, BC, I had heard whisperings of this website called www.couchsurfing.org. People told me it was a site where you could backpack to different cities and sleep on people’s couches for the night, or if you weren’t traveling at the moment, you could host travellers on your couch. “Cool idea”, I thought. But I didn’t follow up as I was renting a room in the condo were I was living so I wasn’t really comfortable inviting strangers over to crash on our couch. And the last thing I needed was another “membership” to a social networking site.

Fast forward to Turkey. The rest of the Jet Set Zero cast are active members on the couchsurfing site, using it both to find places to stay and hosting other travellers. Still, I resist. Finally, I’m sucked in because of the great information on local parties and events that it provides – namely, the party that we ourselves are throwing to celebrate Hallowe’en and our Istanbul departure.

What do I find when I join? A well-organized site dedicated to helping travellers find a safe place to crash for the night. There is also the all-important social networking, too – you can arrange (or be invited) to grab a coffee with someone in order to meet new people or get information on something you need to know about. My joining was reluctant but it seemed like time.

Now we’re in Saigon. The couchsurfing network here is awesome, tons of people use it and there are daily posts about getting groups together to go see stuff or questions about how something works in the city (ex. sights, areas to stay, etc.). I liken it to a very social, specific model of Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree, of which I’m a huge fan.

And what has it done for me? Well, when I look back on things, it’s actually done a great deal for me here in the city:

1.) It helped me get my job. I had just started to send out emails to schools looking for work, when I realized that the task of finding a job here was a little more daunting than I had originally realized. So, I put a post on couchsurfing titled “I NEED A JOB!” Immediately, people responded with different ideas. One of those was from a teacher at Cleverlearn Language Centre (where I am now employed), who gave me the name of the HR person to send my resume to directly and also to say that I was a friend of his. That was my foot in the door which got me the interview (which obviously got me the job).

2.) It helped me find my motorbike. I had scoured the tourist strip looking for a motorbike to rent but I knew I could do better price-wise. So, I put up a post about wanting to rent one and a fellow couchsurfer responded that he knew a woman that was renting a brand new one for cheap, and they’d make any minor repairs or adjustments that were needed along the way for free. Met up with this gentleman and now I have my sweet ride for cheap!

3.) It’s helped me widen my social circle. I check out the Saigon group posts fairly regularly, and there is always something going on. I am quite okay with inviting myself along to a potluck dinner or party of someone I’ve never met, in order to meet new people. It’s especially important if you are new to a city and need a way to get started socially.

So thank you, Couchsurfing. You provided me with fellow couchsurfers who were able to hook me up with a job, wheels and friends. Now, it’s up to me to keep the Couchsurfing karma going by providing advice and assistance to others!

It’s happened three times now since our arrival in Saigon. It’s 6am, morning light is streaming in through the balcony door, and all of a sudden I’m awoken to the blaring sounds of drums and trumpets.  ”What the hell is that?” I bark to my sleeping roommates. I get up just in time to see the end of a funeral procession going down our street. “Next time I’ll film it, because despite the ungodly hour, that was pretty cool”, I think to myself. But when next time comes, it’s 6am once again and I can’t wake up and grab the camera fast enough. “FUCK!” I scream in exasperation. But the third time is a charm. I hear the first notes of that band (which I swear fires the music up directly in front of where we live) and I’m up in a flash. Pants? Not worried about them. Because I’ve finally got a shot of a funeral procession making its way down Bui Vien!

Vietnamese funerals are much different than your traditional North American ones. Relatives, friends, and descendants take part in the funeral procession to accompany the dead along the way to the burial ground. Votive papers are dropped along the way. Selected members, usually the youngest direct descendants, carry either incense, flowers, or the picture of the Buddha.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a safe and super awesome night.

On the last day of 2009, Kris, Serene and I headed to the Cu Chi Tunnels which is an elaborate underground city where Vietcongs used to hide during the Vietnam war. The craziest part of the day is when we shot AK-47s. Yes, you heard me, AK-47s. The best part is that was the SMALLEST gun. We had the choice to shoot anything from AK-47s to M16s to M60s which is probably bigger than I am.

I HATE guns. Absolutely hate them. But the idea that someone would let me shoot an AK-47 for $5 (they were a dollar a bullet) was so ludicrous that I had to do it. I have never shot a gun in my life, nor did I have any idea what the hell I was doing (which is evident in the video). The dude that works there loads the gun for you, grunts at you and lets you have at it. I hope you all enjoy watching what a wuss I am.