Fw: Jess having a good day

Here is my favorite traveler in her signature temple viewing outfit - after a severe toe stubbing yesterday, the white sneakers are a nice addition to the sarong-as-skirt-to-be-modest-for-the-monks look. Yes, we have entered the age of live blogging.
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Evidence that we have neither face tattoos nor are pregnant!

Through great pain and effort I bring you some photos! Shocking as it may sound, internet speed is not top notch in Laos. In no way are these a full and complete view of our 2 months (!) in Southeast Asia, but it will have to do for now.


Women in their mobile markets in the Mekong Delta in Viet Nam

Bob Fox getting fitted for some shirts and providing entertainment to the coy shop girls in Hoi An

Water Buffalo and I have a special connection -- I am convinced -- look at that eye contact!

Our trusty steed and escorts for the border crossing from Viet Nam into Cambodia

Share taxi in Cambodia was two dollars less than the van...want to take a guess as to how many people are pictured above? Or even better, how many people are in the car at this moment? Whatever you think, double it. 7 and 9 respectively, cozy!

One of the temples at Angkor, no big deal.

The bridge and entry gate at the front of the capital city of the Khmer Kingdom. This is a line of gods holding a Naga (dragon) -- it is part of a larger myth called the Stirring of the Milk which included a naga, gods, demons, Shiva, and eternal youth -- the elements of any good story.

The temple of Ta Prohm -- it has been taken over by some rather big roots that have caused the stones to collapse or nearly collapse. Familiar? Tomb Raider was filmed here, and yes our guide thought that Jess was Angelina Jolie.

Nuns and Angkor Wat -- just another day in the life.

At the Buddha Park outside of Vientiane in the pouring rain. A crazy (in a good way) monk built a park filled with statues of Buddha and Hindu gods -- kind of felt like a Lao version of Coney Island.

Oldest temple in Laos -- beautiful Japanese mosaics in Luang Prabang.

Me on the neck of an elephant. Not so comfortable, not so secure.

Chanting monks

bathing the elephants aka being sprayed with the water from their trunks -- incredible although not the cleanest bath I've ever taken.


Today we are leaving Luang Prabang and Laos for Chiang Mai, Thailand. Laos has been great -- the people are wonderful, the country is beautiful, and the sense of community and religion is strong. It will be missed, but as always we are excited for our next destination!

part two: homeward bound and pictures

hihi, 

the dang picture uploader is not working, surprise surprise! so here are some links to some albums i made on the facebook that should work for everyone, even if we are not friends on, or you do now have, facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023975&id=33500228&l=97753fee0c

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024109&id=33500228&l=65553428d4

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024110&id=33500228&l=50c9f327ee

i think there should be descriptions of the albums and also of the pictures. there should be three albums there, and a total of about 150 pics. someone please email me if they don't work and i'll see what i can do. in other news, i leave for spain tomorrow. in other OTHER news, i  have a ticket back to the us.  i fly from london to nyc on june 4th, 2009. WOW. it feels weird and crazy and odd and good and bad. so the end is in sight, but the adventure is not over. and won't be over, even when i hit terra firma in north america. a different adventure, one that hopefully involves the deep south and far west texas. as for now, i have three weeks to spend in europe. i hope to spend time in barcelona, madrid, paris, berlin, and london. anyone have any leads in those places? i am excited to run around europe for the next few weeks and am also excited to be heading back to the states. tomorrow marks the 7th month of our travels and they have been good good good to me. i hope  you all like the pictures, and grandmas, please excuse any inappropriate comments in the albums should there be any. i'm off to pack the backpack! 

ciao, israel!!

katy jane

3 blogs in ONE by: lofo, jca, and datty caimi

This is an ambitious attempt on our parts, three blogs in one. We are in Vientiane, the very laid back capital of Laos, and have had a fulfilling week! First, we would like to wish the respective parties a Happy Mother's Day. We unabashedly love our mothers and sing the praises of the women (and sometimes men) who act as motherly figures and thus enrich our lives. Not only do these people make our lives a more enjoyable journey, but also show us the compassion, thoughtfulness, and generosity of which humankind is capable. So, from Edith in Florianopolis to Sue our momma in Cairns and everyone looking out for us in between, thank you for making the world a better place!
This sappy introduction makes for an okay segue into a topic that has been coming up more and more in conversation since coming to Southeast Asia. We will call the subject "The Role of Women in Society." Jess and I have always known that we are very fortunate to have been born in the United States where women enjoy a relatively high level of respect and equality while also taking advantage of the opportunities presented to us. My gratitude for this situation has increased dramatically now that I have been exposed to the ways in which other societies treat women often as possessions less valuable than cattle. In all of Southeast Asia, a young, attractive, giggling woman with her fat, bumbling, western "boyfriend" is a common sight -- it is a sad truth that many women's greatest chance of a stable life for themselves and their future children is to marry a guy from Europe or the US with a little money and less worldly experience. This behavior was rather disturbing at first, but after several of our Laura-Jess mandatory theorizing and speculating sessions, I think I get it and do not criticize it. In social settings, many women our age rely on the generosity of the men around them to fund their lifestyles as they do not have the means to provide for themselves as education and opportunities are not as abundant as they are for their male counterparts.
Many of the working women we have met are some real hustlers. In my opinion they work harder than the men (many of whom pass their days by sleeping in some of the most creative, contortionist-like positions on top of their motorbikes -- not hard work, but entertaining nonetheless) and while doing so are expending a ton of energy simutaneously charming, insulting, and bargaining with us and our fellow shoppers. Yet women are still often treated as second class citizens who are meant to be quiet and submissive despite the fact that they seemingly keep their families together by acting as both nurturer and provider. In other words, I would also try to take the nerdy software engineer from Denmark for everything he was worth too. More importantly though, I am extremely grateful that that is not my reality and will hopefully never take for granted the opportunities that have been given to us and that we continually create for ourselves.

Ok, so BEFORE we came to laos, faithful readers may recall that we were in cambodia, trying NOT to fall off motorbikes. cambodia turned out to be one of the most fabulous countries I have ever had the privilege to experience. our time in cambodia was way too short, but largely dominated by the visiting of a very special area of the country -- the temples at Angkor. more than a year ago, when this trip was still just a dream, katy jane was visiting me in the dregs of january finals in boston. we were both studying hard, and spent our free time envisioning this trip. eventually, we decided we needed a map, and after trucking through the snow to the cvs to purchase said map, we hung it up on the wall of my dorm room and immediately started marking places we wanted to see. sitting in my dorm room, staring at the sme posters I had been staring at since leaving california for boarding school, watching the snow pummel the window, i tried to think of the most exotic thing i could possibly imagine ... and the temples of angkor popped into my mind, and hence that was the very first place I marked on the map. So, you must try to imagine how I felt 16 months later when I found myself actually staring at a gargantuan, ornately carved, ancient building in the middle of the jungle. Did I mention that monkeys were crawling all over it, and elepahnts were also involved? Awe, is really what I was feeling. Awe at the ancient people who actually built it. Awe at the cambodian man who led us around from temple to temple, not noticing the sweat running down his face because DUH its always hot here. Awe at us girls, who actually got out ourselves around the world when we said we would.
Of course, I cannot talk about Cambodia without mentioning the horror I sometimes felt regarding the tragic history. Let me refresh your memory. This is the country where Pol Pot and his political party the Khmer Rouge took power, and decided to turn back the hands of time to year one. Intellectuals were the first to be murdered. Then the cities were emptied, everyone was forced into an agrarian lifestyle, and liberties were taken away. Then things really got nasty. As mistrust started to circulate among higher ranking members of the regime, more and more Cambodian were slaughtered for no reason. And really, it is hard to see a reason. Everyone we ask has a different theory, but no one gives us a straight answer. One thing everyone knows, 1/4 of the entire population of Cambodia was completly wiped out. Gone. Imagine what it would be like if 1/4 the population of the USA just disappeared. I bet you can't imagine it. Neither my father, Laura, nor myself can. We spent an afternoon at the Killing Fields, which is the name of a movie on this subject that everyone should see, and also the name given to all the mass grave sites where bodies were left to decay. I had a particularly devastating moment when, while following a tour guide around, I watched him stoop down and pick up a human tooth from the ground, and lament that hevy rain always brings up fresh remains. I then realized that all the debris around me was not trash, but clothing and human bones sticking out of the ground. I lost it.
Here is the really frusturating bit. Hitler and the Nazis were killing on a similar scale, and everyone can rattle off the dates of WWII, and name major concentration camps. Yet, before coming to Cambodia, if someone had asked me what the Khmer Rouge was, I would have said they were some bad people somewhere in Asia doing some bad stuff in the 80s. How has this incident been forgotten? Moreover, why has no one been brought to justice? Many leaders of the Khmer Rouge are still around, and the Cambodians are trying to get a trial started, but the details of the trial are as sketchy as details regarding the Pol Pot's reasons for wiping out a quarter of the Cambodian population. Everything is murky and confused. You can assume that everyone you see on the street in Cambodia over the age of 50 has some strong memories of the Khmer Rouge regime, and I dont know how they would be able to continue on with their normal lives without a sense of closure. As I see it, there are two possibilities to explain why no one seems to want to acknowledge the absolute devastation that hit the country a mere 20ish years ago. These people are being left out of history because 1. it is too painful to write about or 2. no one cares. Both are terrifying options.
I am trying to figure out a way to end my part of this post in a less depressing way, but I just realized that I would be doing the same thing many of the people in Cambodia seem to do, simply ignore the horrific facts, or maybe make excuses for them. So, out of respect to all the men, women and children who were murdered, I am going to end just like this.


This from datty:
Cant communicate with these peaceful Lao people . . . it's put us in a couple tough spots:
All I wanted was a simple whole fish for dinner - grilled. 6 days later, we had suffered every sort of filthy, raw, fish-mess, and I had given up. But the girls made it their mission to sit me down with a whole fish, and suddenly tonight - there it was. Live, fresh, cooked to order with nice spices. The girls are like that - effective, tenacious, loving. Time flashes by with them. Great baguettes here, by the way. Since early 70's wanted to know where the Mekong Delta really is, all those body bags. Now I know. Miss my wife. Augi

bought me a ticket back on plane to spain by katy jane

hi hi hi! it has been some time, and i am still in israel, but as of 130 this afternoon, i am officially headed to barcelona. in two days! i am so so so excited to go back to spain (i was there 10 or so years ago) now that my spanish and travel skills are much better. i really haven't seen that much of europe, so i hope to run around and see as much as a can, even if it is just to get a wee taste of some places and whet my appetite for return. i leave israel on the 14th, which marks the 7th month of travel for the girls and i. also the last time i put up a blog post, but no matter! so much has happened in the last month. i have been in the north and the south of israel, i floated again in the dead sea, my cousin joined the navy and got a giant gun, i swam in the sea of galilee, the red sea, and the mediteranean. i spent some time in egypt, traveled with two really cool kids i met through couch surfing, read a new james bond book and ww2 thriller, got a tattoo (just kidding, mom!), spent some more time in jerusalem, went to the west bank, saw an awesome movie, went to my aunties clothing design studio, sat in on my uncles photo shoot for a movie poster, climbed two mountains, talked to tons and tons of israelis about the conflict and gained new perspective and formed new opinions, bought a damn ticket to spain, and have decided that it is time to think about heading back to the states. WOW!

oh, that list is big and full! most recently, in the last two days, i have seen my cousin sworn into the navy at a lively ceremony (with lots of singing) and returned from a few days in egypt. the induction ceremony, of course, made me cry, but i have come to realize that the military experience here is so different than that in the states. it is a different beast altogether and in some way, more humane than what i'm used to at home. before the swearing in, i spent several days in egypt with an awesome swiss girl aline who has come to israel to discover her jerish heritage. egypt is super unusual, very different from israel, and indeed very different from any placei have ever been EVER. i can't compare it to any place that i have been so far on the trip (hear that, fox? a comparison is JUST impossible). we traveled around the sinai penninsula, staying the first night in a hoosha (palm leaf hut) right right right on the beach. we drank tea, and played backgammon, and read books, and snorkeled. it was a slice of heaven. after that, we went south to dahab, and from there inland to st. catherines monestary and mt. sinai. public transportation is limited in the sinai, and busses sometimes just dont run. there is also little in the way of a bus stop, and more of waiting on the side of the road/at a check point until a bus comes along. sometimes this doesn't happen, and sometimes you have to take an expensive cab, and sometimes you find really nice hungarian tourists with rental cars that are going the same place as you. then, you are like me and aline, the luckiest girls in the world. we hiked up mount sinai at 2 am, in order to see the sunrise over the desert. this, not a slice of heaven. cold and hard and FULL of other tourists and camels and camel drivers. and dark. because the sun isn't up. but good at the end when you haven't sprained you ankle, died from exposure, or caught camel flu, then the sun comes up and you hike down for a hot shower and a free breakfast.

i took another trip, this time staying in israel proper (well mostly... we had a little diversion to the west bank) with an american guy called thayer. immediatley upon leaving the house here, we saved a baby kitten (so small its eyes weren't open and it couldnt really walk) that was somehow lost in the middle of a busy street; this act of good samaritanism granted us luck for the remainder of the trip. we rented a car, drove north to the sea of galilee, camped and swam, went to some hot springs and then on to the dead sea. we camped here too and tried to get up before sunrise to hike up to masada, but didnt quite make it. we did get the top though. it was good to drive around the country, as you really get a differnet perspctive than on a bus. also, there is more control over the music and let me just say, thayer whipped up some awesome cds. we made a side trip into jericho, a city in the west bank, which was really interesting.i stil cant figure out what exaclty is going on here, but the west bank is not actually part of israel, but palestine. we had to cross a border and immediately the difference was evident. the road was in bad shape, the street lights didnt work, and jericho, which is a fairly famous town, looked like a country village. nothing was in english and it looked like no part of israel i have been too. the juxtapozition of arab life and israeli life is striking, and makes me want to know exactly what is going on.

before this little trip, it was life as usual. lots of family time, good cooking, gardening, bbq's, and getting to know tel aviv. it is an awesome city, with really beautiful neighborhoods, fabulous beaches, and safe safe safe. it is an easy city to walk around and scenic. my time here has been so so so busy. and good. i think i have been here exaclty the perfect amount of time and am excited to move on, but am glad to have spent every second that i have here. israeli culture is unique in the world. sometimes, i can't get my head around it. the thing the affects daily life first and formost is the conflict, the war, the army, the constant threat of terrorism. tension here is palpable ALL THE TIME. but even so, folks dont walk around scared all the time. aprehensive, yes, on their guard, perhaps. day to day life is very pleasant here - the climate is great, the food is fresh and delicious, there are holidays all the time, and the people are really friendly and outgoing. also, public transportation is good. that said, there is a constant drought, everything closes down from friday at sundown to saturday at sundown, and people are not afraid to give you a peice of their mid, even if it is not pleasant or solicited. paradoxical place, this holy land. i don't think i could ever live here, but now i undsertand why people do. the whole mentality here is different, and i know i could never really relate, but, oh, it is refreshing sometimes. i suppose that when security more or less always hangs in the balance that one is forced to take full advantage of the good times. life is lived full tilt here, no doubt.

i dont know what else to say about life here. i have been trying to get a full grasp for 6 weeks, thinking and talking and going to museums and reading history. it hasn't always been easy, but i think that my unsease is indicative of the state of affairs. so it goes. i guess to conclude this thought - extremsism in ANY form is terrible. from hasidic jews to fundamentalist christains to suicide bombers to neo conservatives to violent anarchists to staunch racists... no matter left or right, if a person is to an exteme and unwilling to compromise, there will be a problem. i guess it is our responsibility, all of ours, as thoughtful folks with good values and relavant opinions, to be vocal against those we think are damaging civil and human rights, society as a whole, or the environment.

so in three days, i leave israel and go to spain. i have learned the most here of any place i have been on the trip yet. i am excited to run around europe for a little bit and in truth, am even thinking about heading home. the end is near! but that is for another post and another day. for now, i say shalom to israel and hola to espana.

i hope everyone is well and i love love love you all and miss you!
hugs and kisses, katy jane

ps pictures to follow!

The past two days ...

Well, I know that miss Fox blogged only two days ago, but the past two days have been epic enough for us to feel like people might be interested in a play-by-play. This form of blogging isn't our usual style: we usually prefer to keep it general. But, these past two days ... Well let me start yesterday morning.

The morning of Monday April 27th found us in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh), Vietnam. Laura and I woke up in our hostel early and with purpose. Our passports, as you may imagine after 6 months of travel, have become filled with stamps of all shapes, sizes and colors. We needed more pages inserted, and that meant a trip to the US consulate. Any traveler will tell you that the consulate is a place of overly air-conditioned boredom. There are long lines, innefficient bureaucrats, and the cramped rooms always smell funny. So, expecting to spend all day trapped in the consulate vacuum we hustled out into the loud morning and made it to the consulate just before 9am only to find, to our dismay, a line out the door. Groaning, we ask the security guard for directions, but are pleasantly surprised when, after we describe our purpose, he shuttles us past the poor suckers waiting in line and before we know it we are in the overly air-conditioned room previously described. We walk right up to an empty window, and after filling out a form, the woman tells us to wait 30 minutes. Suuuure I think. This is where the real waiting starts ... Imagine our greater surprise at being outside the consulate, with newly thickened passports in hand some 20 minutes later!

Realizing that we now had a whole day ahead of us we decided to get to a bus station as quickly as possible because we had finished with Saigon and wanted to move to southern Cambodia. Our plan was to move south to a small Vietnam city named Rach Gia for the night. Then catch a bus the next morning to the Vietnam border town of Ha Tien. Then find someone to take us over the border to Kampot, Cambodia. The very nice, giggly girl booking our bus ticket was at first skeptical of our plan, insisting that we go north in Cambodia to Phnom Penh, as the border crossing there is supposed to be very easy for tourists. Well, this rustled our feathers a but and we assured the girl that we were game for a mode authentic experience. Needless to say, we decided to stick to our original plan, and called ourselves true adventurers ...

10 minutes later as I am clinging to some man for dear life as we swerve in and out of the legendary traffic in Saigon, I am regretting this bold move, and contemplating my lackluster medical insurance. The last time I found myself on the back of a motorbike, I was wearing a billowing skirt and sharing gelato with my very tall, dependable Italian man-friend as we cruised through the streets of Rome. This was decidedly NOT that situation. Now I was sweaty, smelly, and clinging to a man half my size praying that my backpack would stay in place in front of the driver where it was wedged between himself and the handles.
We make it to the bus station and are pushed into the very last two seats of the mini-van sized car we are taking on the 6 hour trip south to Rach Gia. I figured, after surviving the motorbike ride, which actually turned out to be fun, this part would be cake. There is a pattern developing here that I hope you are catching on to, being that very little turns out as I expect.

2 hours later, Laura and I have steams of nonstop sweat trickling down our faces because the air-conditioning is either off or broken, I have decided that the driver might seriously be trying to kill us all, and the small Vietnamese woman next to me (ie, sitting in my lap because I have to scrunch what must seem like my insanely long American legs into her space because I can't fit sitting forward) has already vomited for the first time. 4 hours later she has vomited again, inadvertantly thrown dried squid guts all over my leg (who carries unwrapped dry squid guts in their bag?), and has taken to fits of sleep which end up with her either falling into my lap, or the more painful crash of her skull against my poor shoulder. I tried to stay compassionate, but Laura can attest to the fact of me almost losing it. But, despite the general uncomfort, there were also moments of pure enjoyment. The act of just traveling like that is special. It was clearly the authentic way to go, as Laura was the only other tourist I saw all day, and going through the southern countryside was gorgeous. We survived the 6 hours, made it to Rach Gia and sat on the backs of more motorbikes to get to a hotel. Laura sweated he way through a bowl of spicy pho soup (really, have we mentioned that we sweat a lot? Even at night? I watched a trickle of sweat pass from her brow, down her face, off her chin, thankfully missing her soup) and then collapsed into bed after the day's adventures.

If you are still following me, you will realize I am only halfway through my story. This morning we woke up in Rach Gia, Vietnam and got back to the bus station where I was literally pushed and shoved and hustled by a small, plump Asian woman onto her bus to the border. She was a serious business woman, and also insisted on speaking rapid Vietnamese to me, but somehow we came to a price agreement. After two hours of bumping along on that vehicle (in which the woman sitting next to Fo vomited her breakfast ... Is it us, or them?), we realize we must be getting close to our destination because people are getting off every so often, but no one has said anything to us yet, so we stay put. Suddenly the bus driver signals to a man outside, who leaps on the bus and asks us if we are trying to cross the border into Cambodia. Our new friend's name is Nam, and when we give him the affirmative we are practically thrown off the bus to find ourselves ... Well, really to find ourselves in the middle of nowhere. But Nam (like Vietnam) and his friend Luk (like Luke) are standing by their trusty motorbikes and tell us that to get to Kampot, our Cambodian destination, our only option is to take their bikes. After haggling the price for a while, we agree.

We cross the border with Nam and Luk and begin our 2 hour drive through the farmland. Metaphorically or not, the paved road ended on the Cambodian side, and we found ourselves on an orange dirt road surrounded by jungle covered mountains and sprawling rice paddies and dodging huge water buffaloes. No matter what I say, no matter what pictures you may see, there is honestly nothing I can do to give this experience justice. It was magical. Well, actually, 20 minutes later it started raining, so then it was wet, but I think I can speak for Laura here when I say that I have not very often had such a strong sense of LIVING. I was soaked, we were going fast enough for the raindrops to sting my face, and I found myself again clinging to a small (I think most people from the united states over the age of 10 weigh more than this person) man for dear life. The ride was eventful as we splashed our way to Kampot. Highlights include squealing everytime we caught air going over a ditch, and sharing girl scout cookies during Nam and Luk's cigarette break. Luk was very amused by me and would point out things of interest as we sped along. Laura and I were both asked out on dates upon saying goodbye, but I warned of my 2 large, Sicilian brothers at home and our drivers left.

Now we find ourselves safe and sound in Kampot. We had dinner while watching the sunset on the river that cuts through the town. We found a very cute guesthouse and are planning on spending a few days in this quiet utopia.

We figure we have earned some days of staying put, exploring a new town, making new friends.

Love to all. Jca
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Sweating -- it's what we do

Vietnam -- if you are researching the best time to go to Vietnam, you will most likely be told that April is the ideal month, lucky for us, right? It's true, the rainy season is not yet in full swing, but that doesn't mean we are dry. It is so hot here. So hot and humid that while Jessica "sweating makes me feel healthy" Caimi sits under a fan, indoors, after a downpour, in the late afternoon, her brow is still covered in pellets of sweat. It also happens that viruses thrive in weather like this so I was nice enough to pass on a little staff infection to both Jessica and my father (who sweats so much that his clothing is stained with white rings as the salt from his sweat deposits on his Tommy Bahama button-down). Now that you can imagine our oily faces and smelly clothing, I can stop complaining and describe how incredible Vietnam is. It has been a whirlwind -- just over a week ago, we flew into Hanoi, the capital city, met my father, have made our way to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City/HCMC and already said goodbye to old Bob Fox. I freely admit that I cannot do justice to the traffic here -- it's insane. There are literally millions of motorbikes driving on both sides of the street, cutting through busy intersections, and almost taking our lives on the daily. Remember what I said about the motorbike being a family car in Malaysia? The Vietnamese take it to another level and do it ingeniously at that -- we have seen motorbikes double as restaurants, florists, and beer distributors. Due to all of the motorbikes, pollution and exhaust are in your face constantly so a lot of people where face masks. Jess astutely remarked that Michael Jackson should clearly move to Vietnam to live a life void of ridicule as he could wear his face mask, gloves, umbrella etc just as the locals do, granted it is not because they are crazy, just avoiding the sun and dust.

While in the north, we took the requsite trip to Halong Bay -- yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site to check off the list (if anyone cares to research what this actually signifies and how many sites there are, let us know) -- and spent a night sleeping on a beautiful old junk and sailing around to see the various limestone karsts (stone that juts out of the south china sea due to tectonic plate movement). After a brief interlude in Hanoi, we flew to Hoi An -- a really beautiful old mercantile town that miraculously remained untouched during all of the 20th century conflicts in the region (Hoi An is within a few miles of Danang, the military base in which US troops were first deployed here in 1965, and the Demilitarized Zone which separated the Communist North from the South). Along with the Chinese and Japanese influenced architecture, beautiful beaches, and great food, Hoi An is known for its silk and general made to order clothing racket. My father had some shirts made for him which provided us with some entertainment as groups of women measured his wing span and giggled about his Buddha belly (a compliment!). Getting a pair of knock off shoes also comes highly recommended -- I now have a pair of sea foam nike high tops waiting for me at home.

As my father fancies himself a culinary world connoisseur a la Anthony Bourdain, we spent extra time in the markets where women would be selling the seafood that they just caught on their boats tied up on the nearby riverbank -- fish heads and squid galore! We also saw sea cucumber (fresh and dried), shark fins (bad,bad!) and birds nests for the soup of the same namesake (almost as bad -- some special type of bird makes its nest from its saliva and is snatched up supposedly for its medicinal benefits). Speaking of medicinal remedies...seahorses along with deer penis AND testicles are a natural substitute for viagra. After a few days of longingly looking at the food stalls at said markets, my father joined the ranks of us "adventure travelers" who eat as the locals do while disregarding the less egregious food-sanitation issues. He ate more than Jess and I dared to -- spicy dried squid, nameless meat on a stick, and shredded pig skin to name a few.

From Saigon we took a day trip to the Mekong Delta -- we chugged along on a long boat and observed the pace of life on the river which is based around fishing and the ever-present rice paddies. Just for clarification, people really do wear the conical straw hats here, or Non La as I just learned its called, including us (on occasion). They really are perfect for keeping the sun out of your face and are lightweight and roomy enough for the hatphobic amongst us.

Before coming to Vietnam, we were a little wary of the reception of US citizens here and frankly our own reactions to being in a country with whom the US has such a notorious history. Relations between the two nations were "normalized" only 10 years ago and we, like many others, conjured up images of Apocalypse Now, war protests, and napalm-ed straw huts when we thought of Vietnam. Just like in the States, there are a myriad of opinions on the purpose, outcome, and execution of the war (here, however, there is just the added aspect of the whole Communism thing that makes the retelling of events a bit "unique/unbalanced/Big Brother-ish", but overall we have been treated so kindly and have found the Vietnamese to be lovely people). Speaking of Communism -- it just doesn't work. Ideally, isn't the major benefit to be able to lift the poorest people up to a decent level of opportunity and quality of life? Little kids are putting the English they learn in school to use by selling packs of gum and cigarettes on the street at night when they should be doing schoolwork, thus receiving sub-standard marks which will not put them in contention to attend a decent school after the elementary level, finally putting them in a position to achieve very little in the professional world unless they have a lot of extra cash which is available only due to capitalist ventures. Are you seeing the cracks? I am. In large part thanks to my father the capitalist being here to influence our opinions, but it IS quite clear that the huge and rapid success that Vietnam has experienced in the last 10 years is thanks to capitalist investment. In other words, get yourself over to this incredible country and help ignite the revolution!