crustyadventures Random travel thoughts from WorldNomad's Community Manager

I'm back at home this afternoon after an overnight flight (aguably preferable to your overnight busrides) and experiencing mild burn-up on re-entry symptons. A little bit of reverse culture shock going on, noticing all the large white people, the slow motion well behaved traffic and gasping at prices that now seem outrageous. But that aside...

In moments of disorientation like this, I have always found it useful to resort to things you know and like... an easy way back into the familiar life. I thought that the continuosly hot water shower was good, but then also went to Bronte beach with my friend and it felt like a very Sydney kind of welcome back. It was hot and sunny and people were smiling. I may be home, but my mind is still very much in holiday mode. (Maybe it's just the run of late-late nights all landing at once?). I hope that you late night revellers also managed to see some of the Mekong too?

As a few days have passed, my feet have slowly started to touch the ground, the space cadet sensation is dissapating and I've indulged in the best things about being home - I've had my boy to talk to endlessly for the last 3 days, the parcel I sent back from Hoi An (airmail) arrived quickly and with everything intact and small delights such as ordering a pizza (Mushrooms, pine nuts, goats cheese and rosemary) by telephone and having it delivered to my front door were reinvigorated as novel and enjoyable experiences. I also have had the fun of a serious pack-explosion around the house - and without the threat of an 8am bus pickup the next day, it may stay that way for a while. The smallest, most normal things that gathered in the bottom of my pack unnoticed seem exceptionally odd and intriguing in the harsh daylight of Australian culture. Maybe it is not until you leave that you realise that the Viet Nam you were trying to grasp hold of and quantify certainly has it's own look and feel...