Vietnam, home of the American War

OK, no more pics for a month til I get my card sorted out :(. Cross your fingers for me that I haven't lost everything...

The bus ride from Phnom Penh to Vietnam was uneventful (a good thing with border crossings). I did meet a tour group and the guide joke that Cambodia's national pastime was sleeping in hammocks. I found that hysterical because you really do see loads of people all over Cambodia sleeping in hammocks. Often when you'd think they'd be working. Not that I am judging. I say more power to 'em.

First stop in Vietnam was Saigon (yes, it has been renamed Ho Chi Minh City, but everyone still calls it Saigon and Saigon is easier to type). I had been warned that the cities in Vietnam are absolutely crazy and it is true, I have never seen traffic like I saw in Saigon. And there are literally hundreds of electric wires crossing at every major intersection. This place is packed! My first day I walked up to the War Remnants museum. In Vietnam, the Vietnam War is called the American War. The museum is really sobering. It shows many terrible things our troops did to villagers and talks about the chemicals we let loose that are still crippling children today. There are also displays of protests against the war from around the world (including the US) and some peaceful artwork by kids. Definitely a must see if you go to Saigon. The next day I took a day trip to the Cao Dai temples and the Cu Chi Tunnels. Cao Dai is a hybrid religion that is popular in Vietnam. The temple reminded me of the Gaudi architecture you find in Barcelona (so I loved it). The Cu Chi Tunnels were a system of tunnels 200 km long where the Cu Chi Villagers lived during the war. We were shown all sorts of really painful looking booby traps that the VC set up for American troops and were able to crawl through parts of the tunnels. For a small additional fee, you can fire a real military rifle or AK-47, but I passed as I am not a fan of guns. My third day in Saigon I did a day trip to the Mekong Delta. We spent much of the day in varying sizes of boats along the Mekong and visited a few island villages. We got to try coconut candy, fresh honey, rice liquor, banana wine (skip it, so gross), and 5 different kinds of fruit (my first jackfruit!). I also got to wear one of the conical hats that are so common in Vietnam. I look ridiculous and yes, there are pictures.

I've been very excited about the food in Vietnam for, well the whole trip. I am addicted to the fresh spring rolls with shrimp and pork that you buy on the street for 4000 dong (25 cents). I also love the Pho. Yesterday I tried the Bun Hue which is a spicy noodle soup from the north. It was good, but I prefer Pho. Each area has its own specialties so I'm looking forward to trying loads more as I travel north.

Yesterday I took a bus up to Dalat in the Central Highlands. It took all day so other than walking around the lake and the market last night, I haven't seen much. This afternoon I am doing a motorcycle tour of the area and tomorrow I head off for a 5 day tour of the highlands on the same motorcycle. This trip is with the famed (locally anyway) Easy Riders that I have heard and read rave reviews about. So needless to say I am stoked! I'll let you know how it goes.

See some of you very soon!