Ho Chi Minh City

Scooters darted every which way around the car, through seemingly uncontrolled intersections. Busses plowed through the swarm of traffic, blurting honks with every move. Our driver swiped a scooter and the scooter's load of newspaper bundles tumbled to the street. The second the man stopped to collect his cargo, a river of vehicles engulfed him. I’d be afraid to ride a bicycle here.

We were welcomed by an enthusiastic clerk at Hotel Bich Duyen, in a backpackers' alley just west of downtown of Ho Chi Minh City. After dropping our bags, we headed out into the teeming streets for some dinner and that infamous kick-you-in-the-face Vietnamese coffee.25 March 2010: the epic day of our Ho Chi Minh City Walking Tour. Map in hand, we first navigated a huge roundabout to see the place where Bill Clinton (!) ate pho (rice noodles and vegetables in broth, the Vietnamese national dish), then browsed the Ben Thanh Market, full of fabrics, shoes, lanterns, chopsticks, tea, coffee, food stands, etc.

We walked past the old French Colonial buildings in the downtown area: the People's Committee Building (shown), Fine Arts Museum, and Opera House...stopping in a park to check out some funky PSA posters regarding energy consumption.We visited the War Remnants Museum (originally named The House for Displaying War Crimes of American Imperialism and the Puppet Government), which had an amazing collection of Vietnam War photographs taken by photojournalists from around the world, including a woman from Shorewood, WI. Next we toured the Reunification Palace, which has basically stood frozen in time since April 30, 1975, when the North Vietnamese Army stormed the gates and raised their flag over Saigon. Quite eerie was the dimly-lit basement of yellowed wall maps, rotary phones, and stacks of worn radio equipment.A couple kilometers north we found the Jade Emperor Pagoda, unassuming with its crackling paint and small turtle pond out front (buy a turtle and write a message on its back with white paint, then toss it in the pond in hopes for a long life for oneself). The late afternoon was still sunny and in the mid-90's, but we made a final push over to the ritzy Sheraton Saigon, to watch the sun set over the city center from the rooftop bar.

The best Vietnamese breakfast: iced coffee and plain yogurt; a bitter, chicory-flavored jolt complimented by smooth sweetness. I'd been advised to try Vietnamese yogurt, and no foolin, that stuff was phenomenal!

The next day quickly became just as sweltering as the day before, but we determinedly took off to the west, toward the Cholon district of Chinese pagodas…

…but after a couple hours of walking we happened to pass a shopping complex/cinema, and retreated into the a/c to eat pho and watch Alice in Wonderland in 3D. When we exited the theatre, the darkened pavement indicated we missed a downpour. We walked past a couple of Cholon's pagodas, which were closed for the day, and a strip of bulk spice vendors—huge bags of dried herbs lined the sidewalks, and inside the shops were walls of tiny drawers and shelves covered with small jars.

In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have eaten those uncooked spring rolls. Anyway. After dinner we made our final wanderings in the rain, which had dampened a bit of the buzz 'round the alleys of the area near our hotel. Next: north to Danang and Hue.

Cambodia, Part 2

We caved for a tuk-tuk the second day, to efficiently visit a few outlying temples of Angkor. Our first stop was Ta Phrom, covered in massive roots either grasping the crumbling blocks and holding them together, or slowly prying stones apart at the cracks. The surrounding jungle was reclaiming its territory, lending a certain spookiness to the place.

We next wandered through Preah Khan, an expansive structure with room after adjoining room, forming a long tunnel with various arms and outlying buildings, their carved stone walls tinted green and red from the jungle moisture. Unlike Angkor Wat, Preah Khan was very quiet, save for a constant, low buzz from the thick trees. Looking into the dense forest from its edge made completely plausible the presence of sizeable structures out there in the thick of it, yet undiscovered.

After a late lunch and brief rest in the shade, we rode out to Phrom Bakheng to climb up the hill (without elephant assistance) in time to see the sunset. This was the place to be, given the crowd; we got to see Angkor Wat in the distance, but only a bit of reddish sun before the sky clouded over. We hiked back down the hill in the hazy dusk, toward dinner and a dip in the pool. And that was Cambodia. We left the next morning in a purple propeller plane bound for Ho Chi Minh City.