Good Mornin'......

Well, Robin does it best: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKNZgDbLwGY&feature=related

Yes, I have arrived in Vietnam! But we'll get to that in a bit, as there is a few things to go through first. When I last wrote, I was in Sihanoukville, along the southern coast of Cambodia. I stick with my original feelings that there really isn't anything special there, except one restaurant called Happy Herbs Pizza. I know a few people that might be in the right mindset to see where this could go. I had read in a guidebook that they have good food, but there was a reference to a 'garnish.' A few of us decided to go check it out and when it came time to order, we got Happy Shakes and Happy Pizza. Now it is very safe to say that my drug of choice is alcohol, but really, what could possibly happen from ordering this, right? After all, the shake was listed right on the menu (it was $1.50, compared to $1.00 for a non-Happy version). Well, I was certainly proven wrong. About 30 minutes after finishing dinner, it was as though someone flicked a switch. There was definitely something in the shake. Normally I would not have been too concerned, but knowing the state of medical care in the area (virtually non-existent) and the fact that some random guy dropped some unknown substance into my drink while I was in Cambodia did make me a little uneasy. Two things in summary: First, it was a very slow walk home that night and second, I recommend the mango!

I, along with a few others that I was with, straighted out by lunch the next day as we took a trip to a national park in the area and went for a cruise on the river. Parks in this part of the world have not been overly impressive, so I'll move on to my next stop in the capitol of Phnom Penh. This city wasn't too bad. It was definitely busy, like every Asian city I've been to, with traffic jams of cars, bikes, scooters, food carts, pedestrians, animals, etc. My first day there we went for a walk and I found monkeys (and later an elephant) hanging out on the streets. This still takes some adjusting to.

One thing that you have to do while in Asia is visit the local markets, which I've done in nearly every stop because you really can't avoid it. You are bound to see some great sights, and by this I mean all sorts of unusual foods, such as fried spiders, crickets, roaches, worms, and then of course there is the slightly more tame, but still weird full birds, all parts of pigs, innards, etc. Below is the market in Phnom Penh, along with the well sanitised butcher's counter! It's no wonder our life expectancy is slightly higher.

Now, the next day was certainly not a humorous stop, but one that was important to see while in this country. As you may know, Cambodia has had a very troubled past, filled most recently with civil war, ending only a decade ago. The Killing Fields a known throughout the world and represent the genocide that took place there. Having said this, our first stop was at S-21, which was one of the largest detainment areas in the country and is located on the outskirts of the city. Here, tens of thousands of Cambodian civilians were held for any number of reasons. They were tortured, starved and killed by their own government, in an effort to create the perfect farming society (among other things). Coincidentally, the man in charge of this center was on trial while I was there. The picture below is one of the rooms that was used to torture prisoners and features the actual bed, and torture devices that were used by the Khmer Rouge. The second is of one of the buildings (originally a secondary school) that was used to house prisoners.

Our next stop was to one of the actual killing fields, one of hundreds that have been found so far. It reminded me very much of what I saw at the concentration camps in Europe and it was extremely eerie to be at the location of such atrocities, and in wandering around the area you can see the mass graves signs marking spots of extreme brutality. And, while you try to avoid them, there are still old clothes and bones of those who were killed. They did build a nice memorial to the victims, though it is quite morbid at the same time, as it contains shelves full of skulls, and some of the clothes that were found. Below are photos of the landscape which is covered in holes, a tree used for beating (see sign) and an image from the memorial. Not pretty, but its a part of history and, I feel, a must for anyone visiting the country. I have plenty of other photos, but those will have to wait until I'm home to show.

After spending 8 or 9 days in Cambodia, I will say that it really is a great country. It has some amazing sights, beautiful landscapes, extremely friendly people, though unfortunately, a horrific past. That said, I strongly recommend you all visit it.

Now, on to Vietnam!....At least for a little. We took a bus to the border and I could immediately notice a difference. On the Thai-Cambodia border there were people begging, trash all around, very noisy, dirt roads, beat up customs/immigration buildings and visible corruption on both sides. Not so much the case on this side. Apparently, Vietnam exudes a great deal of authority and residents of both sides are cautious of upsetting anyone. It was clean and quiet, roads paved, large buildings with strict agents. It was a pleasant change and I breezed through customs! The picture is tough to read, but the sign says "Welcome to Vietnam."

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (formally Saigon) and have been here for the past 6 days, and I really like it. Noticeably cleaner than anywhere in Thailand or Cambodia, and there seems to be some sort of order on the roads (though still chaotic), as well as no one hassling you for rides. Briefly, here is what I've done: First stop was the War Remnants Museum, which does a great job of illustrating the war through pictures, detailing the experiences of journalists, showing the effects on the Vietnamese, and giving a time-lined history of the country's fight. Now, being an American, this can get a little weird, as it is clearly anti-American. I am not going to say that it isn't justified, but there is definitely another side that is not being told. That said, I highly recommend a visit if you get here. Yesterday Alana and I took a trip to the Mekong Delta, where we got to see a bit of the country side, some of the locals' craftsmanship, and took a cruise through some of the small canals that connect the villages. Even got to try some snake wine! Below are shots of me in one of the rice paddies, some of the local beverage, and

In addition to these trips, we went to see the Cu Chi tunnels, located about 30 km from the city. Here, the villagers and the Viet Cong used a system of tunnels to live, as well as escape and fight the Americans during the war. If you are at all familiar with the war, you know what I'm talking about, and it was really interesting to visit. We were able to go into the holes and see just how small they were in parts. Frankly, I could not have been a member of the VC, nor could I have been a tunnel rat. My knees were killing me after 50 feet. While there we had the opportunity to fire a number of machine guns, and for fun, I chose the M-16. I liked it! I didn't hit my target, but I liked it. I don't know how our soldiers fire these weapons without earplugs because they are really loud. Having gotten a taste for firing automatic weapons, I think I'll give the M-60 a shot when I'm back there in a couple of weeks!

So, that is my first tour in Vietnam, so to speak. I have about 10 days until I join a group heading through the rest of the country, so rather than stick around here, I have opted to catch a flight to Singapore in the morning, where I'll spend a couple of days before flying to Borneo (Malaysian) for a week, before returning to Saigon. Why not, right?!?!

The video below illustrates some of the traffic downtown. If you look closely, you can actually see a minor scooter collision directly in front of me.

Cheers!