Saigon

Another 10 hour bus ride - Vietnam is an incredibly long country. In keeping with our plan to get the hell out of dodge/Vietnam we decided to do only one day in Saigon and then head to Cambodia.

Similar to Hanoi, Saigon is very crowded and noisy. The houses and hotels are packed incredibly close together. From our balcony I could see clearly into our neighbor's room, see them watch tv and do their laundry. There is no privacy in this city.





We visited the War Remnants Museum - formerly known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes. We spent the afternoon viewing photographs of atrocities and birth defects caused by Agent Orange. This place is not for those with a weak stomach - it was pretty hard to take. Out front there were many US armored vehicles left over from the war.





Also out front was my cousin Mandy! She and her friend Anna are traveling throughout SE Asia, New Zealand and Australia for 2 months. We have been following the same path in Vietnam - we're just going at a much slower pace. We finally caught up with each other in Saigon and were able to share a meal together before we all headed out of town in different directions. It was great to see a familiar face and catch up. It appears unlikely that we'll cross paths again so I'm glad we were able to connect.



I also read my first newspaper since leaving the states. My favorite bits - the crossword puzzle and the article ripping into the lack of fashion sense of Olympic figure skaters. I couldn't agree more.



Vendors are everywhere selling illegal copies of books. It seems to be a contest to see how many you can carry at once.