Last Day in Vietnam

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  Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Friday, November 21, 2008

Our technical problems continue. I need John G to help me. Today is our last full day in Vietnam. We leave for Siem Reap tomorrow. I have really loved Vietnam and I can't believe how much I have learned. The country is totally different from what I expected. It is much like China with a middle class in the urban areas and much more poverty in the coutry. Infrastructure is needed very desperately here and they are finding ways to get it. I hope to cover a little more on this later.
We left Can Tho this morning after seeing the floating market. Hundreds of boats performing the most basic economic function of creating a market. We saw hundreds of people who live on boats and perform all their most basic functions on the Mekong River. We hope to post photos asap. We had to get up at 5:15 this morning to be on the river at 6:00. It was a ride of about 7km to the market. We stayed about an hour and then went back to Can Tho for breakfast (bacon, eggs and toast, yum) and then drove back to HCMC.

Had lunch (6 courses, again) and finished the drive back. We got to our hotel mid-afternoon and then went shopping at a local market. We have too much weight in our luggage so we have been taking it easy. We are packing tonite and then leaving in the morning.

We had dinner and drinks at the roof bar at the Rex Hotel where the US Military gave press briefings in the early part of the Vietnam War. The briefings were generally so rosy that they became known as the 5:00 Follies and that is the name of the bar. It is absolutely beautiful with palm trees and plants on the roof and good food and drinks. Ginger and I prefer Tiger Beer to all else especially if you can get it on draft. Ginger had roast chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner and I had ribs and fries. Sometimes you just need a taste of home.

We fly out to Cambodia tomorrow. As they say "stay on the path so you don't step on a land mine." We will be flying Vietnam Airlines for the 3rd time. They have nice new jets. It makes me feel safe.

Addendeum from Ginger:  I have liked HCMC the least of all the places that we have been, but I enjoyed the last few days spent in the Delta.  I can't believe all the mileage that we have covered.  Our one bit of excitement while travelling the Mekong was on our way to the market this morning in Can Tho - as Steve said it was only 6AM so barely light and a large boat sped by our small one almost swamping us with its wake.  Luckily for us our hired boatman realized what was about to happen and turned our boat across the other boat's wake which gave us a kind of "bucking bronco" effect, but kept us from going over.  The river is extremely muddy and heaven knows what's in it - actually we all know exactly what's in it - so I didn't want to be thrown into it.  That was one travel adventure I didn't want to experience!  The rooftop dinner was lovely and after we finished eating a salsa band played and lots of tourists from around the world danced.  Imagine a completely Vietnamese salsa band with a Vietnamese singer who sang in English, Italian and Spanish!  Boy, do I feel inadequate.  We have gotten to use our basic Vietnamese, though.  And that has been really fun and rewarding.  On to Ankgor Wat tomorrow - a place that I have always wanted to see.  I think that by the time we get to Hong Kong I'm going to be too tired to sightsee and lay by the pool and nap until it's time to fly home!  Happy Thanksgiving to all in case we don't get another blog out.  Electricity and computers here are not what they are at home!

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