H-o-t-t-i-e-s
A little excessive for the cost of hygiene...mind you 1,000 dong is @ 6 cents.

Silk Factory, Dalat, Vietnam
Beautiful Dalat!

Crazy intersection in Saigon. Try crossing...we dare you.
Our new friends we met along the way. Victor, Gia and Ryan. Check out his travel website at www.theroadislife.com

Pagoda nestled within the Marble Mountains, just outside of Hoi An. Oldest Pagoda in Hanoi.

My friend, he likes you.
View from Hai Van Pass, Danang
Bullet ridden bunker where my father was stationed during the war in Vietnam. It's almost impossible to imagine that these bullets were aimed towards my Dad. My stomach tightens just looking at this picture.
Old American Bunker used during the Vietnam War. My father was actually stationed here at this very site. The feelings that I experienced here changed me forever. I love you Dad. Thank you for your courage and bravery during the war( and throughout my life)...they did not go unnoticed.


Vietnam. For many of us who were raised in the United States, the word Vietnam is synonymous with the word war. Our parents, friends, siblings and others close to our hearts may have fought and even perished in the infamous American War in Vietnam. In fact, this is the very reason why I chose to visit Vietnam in the first place. My father was a soldier for 13 months during the Vietnam War. I cannot even begin to imagine the repugnant horrors he witnessed, but I always believed that coming to Vietnam would somehow fill this inexpressible void that I have in my heart. I was right. It has not been the easiest part of the journey, but by coming to Vietnam I now feel that I am able to share something with my father in a way that I cannot describe. Historic nostalgia. I must admit I was anxious and terrified to visit Vietnam and face the harsh realities of the damage caused by war. My fears were reinforced the moment that we stepped foot into the War Remnants Museum in Saigon. The tears became an tumultuous river down my face as I grasped Brad to maintain from hysterics. As I faced my fears and tackled the task of actually visiting the museum, I slowly began to see Vietnam for what it is: A truly progressive and extraordinary country that has some of the most exquisite topography, delightful people and heavenly food that I have ever experienced. I see a growing economy that has the ability to please and entice visitors from all over the world. The point of all of this melancholic talk is simple. I no longer think of war when someone mentions Vietnam, I visualize a magical place full of lovely surprises, and I hope that by the end of this blog, so will you. That said, let's begin the fun part of this blog. No more sappy stuff...(but it had to be said.)
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam January 17- 19, 2007

It started with the coffee. Imagine a lustrous warm silk blanket being delicately teased across your naked body. The goosebumps evanesce into a perpetual sea of harmony as they unite with the most gratifying titillation that they have ever experienced. Right as you are about to explode with uproarious moans of ecstasy... O.K., O.K, I know children may be reading this but what I'm really trying to say is...: That lustrous silk blanket is Vietnamese Coffee, and that body is your tongue. Vietnam is full of an array of the most charming surprises and it all started with the coffee. That is: Cah Phe.
Saigon's population= 6.5 million. Saigon's number of motorbikes=7.5 million. Crazy huh? Just try to visualize yourself crossing a jam packed 6- way intersection with no traffic signals with what seems like an infinite number of motorbikes whizzing around you like a starving pack of rabid ligers.lol... It sounds silly doesn't it? We have seen just about everything on the back, front, and sides of these amazing machines, yet we will never fully understand the physics involved with balancing an entire family on 1 motorbike. We have actually seen up to 5 people on one of these maniacal contraptions, but the day we saw a women nursing her baby while driving with her two other children behind her ( both between the ages of 3-5), we just had to go for a few beers...you know, to help us relax and discuss this truly unbelievable motorbike culture.
Saigon is a bustling city that oozes backpackers out of every pore (some of them actually look like they came out of someones pores...gross. We've been around the world and some of the worst hygiene we've seen has been from fellow backpackers. Come one people, get it together! I will even lend you a comb so you can comb your lice infested, wanna-be dread locked, nasty nasty nasty, thing on your head that kinda resembles hair!) We met some friends on the ever-so-long and disgusting bus ride from Cambodia to Saigon. We went out for some Ginger vodka...truly delicious, and got quite tipsy ( something new). Saigon is a cornucopia of flavors; around every corner something new and exciting teases our imagination and often upsets my sensitive, and oh so vegetarian inner being. Snake wine? Iguana wine? Crow wine? How about a concoction of all three. Seriously, crows with all the feathers and everything, ENTIRE crow, snake and iguana bodies stewed together in a large glass vat, filled with wine. Perfectly viewable to all! We are told this wine is an intense aphrodisiac, and paired with dog meat (yes they eat friendly Lassie's over here), it is quite sensational. We decided to pass because we were still brimming from all of the kittens we ate the night before.
Dalat, Vietnam
After absconding from the city life we we ventured into the mountainous region of Dalat. Humble, quaint villages accompanied by quiescent mountain landscapes and once again, phenomenal food and delicious people. Maybe it's the other way around, but either way, Dalat is marvelous. We hired local guides for the day, The Easy Riders, as they call themselves, and hopped on the back of their motorcycles for an adventure ride through the mountains. Dalat is an extremely childing land. It seems that the land will produce almost anything. We witnessed fields of fresh vegetables, fruits, coffee, rice, wine vineyards, Mulberry trees for the production of silk worms, and an abundance of beautiful flowers. Our guide took us to a local village where we were able to witness the entire process of silk being made into material. It was truly magnificent. First, the silk worms are cultivated and fed a feast of mulberry leaves. The mulberry leaves are the only food that they will eat, therefore the entire plantation grows these trees just to produce food for these hungry worms. The worms are well cared for until maturity (28 days). They weave a tight cocoon of silk produced solely by their saliva. The cocoons are sent to the silk factory where they are handled by workers and turned into silk by machines. The best part is that nothing is wasted. The worms are sold to the market and eaten by locals and brave travelers! The silk produced is gorgeous and I must say I went against my vegetarian nature and purchased some lovely gifts for some seriously lucky people back home.
Let's talk a moment about the delectable food in Vietnam. Until 1958 Vietnam was still very much under French control, a terrible, unwanted and destructive situation, but one good thing did result from the French occupation: French influenced Vietnamese food. Conceptualize if you will; fresh baked baguettes smothered in fresh, creamy French cheese, add to this already heavenly mixture fresh Vietnamese vegetables, soy sauce, and a dash of spices and you have a most palatable treat! That is only the beginning! We had better Italian food here than we had all over Italy. A damn shame isn't it? They have truly honed their culinary talents and conquered the multifaceted world of food.
Nha Trang, Vietnam
A cozy little beach town, Nha Trang brought us many delights. We were able to practice our newly learned Scuba skills in the South China Sea! The visibility was only 5-10 meters, but nothing compares to the feeling of weightlessness as you cruise through the underwater world. The water was warm and the surf was huge, but a quick, refreshing dip or two in the sea was all we needed! This beach haven is where we discovered the best Italian food on the planet. Gorgonzola cream penne, pesto spaghetti, black olive & caper brushcetta, and exquisite French wine made us deliquesce into our seats and come back for more three nights in a row!
Hoi An, Vietnam
This riverside village is known for it's talented tailors and we took advantage of the opportunity to have some success oriented... lol.. suits made at great prices. There are over 200 tailor shops in about a 1 mile square radius...yikes! Madam, madam, myyyyy shop! Chilled here for a bit, drank our share of $3,000 VD( Vietnamese Dong) beers, that's one beer for about 22 cents! However, as always we are on the move, so off to Hanoi! We took an absolutely, excruciating, painful, horrifying, and utterly irritating 16 hour bus trip to Hanoi. All I have to say is if anyone turns on the lights in my bus and starts blaring Vietnamese music at 3 a.m. EVER again I will cause then great harm. I may even turn them into a silk worm.
Halong Bay, Vietnam
Pristine, archaic limestone mountains ascending from the sea towards the blue, haze covered sky. Halong Bay is one of the most beautiful places we have visited, yet the hoards of photo-snapping, Coca Cola drinking tourists took away from its' once undisturbed beauty. It's such a shame that the Vietnamese have turned this place into an all out circus. The excessive tourism has ruined the natural environment and the once clear bay is so over-polluted from all of the tourist boats I doubt any fish even call it their home anymore.However, we have no room to talk because we are tourists, whether we like it or not, and just by us being there we contributed to the demise of this alluring and mystifying natural wonder. Enough about Vietnam...let's talk about the fact that we are going to be home so soon!!!!!!! We can't wait to see everyone and once again we would like to thank all of you faithful readers!!! We love you and can't thank you enough for all of your support. See you soon!
Love, from the place with the cheapest beer in the world, Bangers and Mash 4-ever