Miss Saigon

Leaving Sihanoukville a bit later than we intended and a slow process at the Vietnam border (soo many papers to fill out!) meant that we arrived in the riverside town of Chau Doc a bit later than we wanted. (Good evening Vietnam?) We managed to sneak in a dusky boat tour around the local area of the Mekong, but it didn't leave time for much else. Such as the much advertised motorcycle tour up Sam Mountain to watch the sunset. But then, it was cloudy and raining so it would have likely been a let down anyways.

However, one of the girls suggested that we get up super early and view the sunRISE instead. I wasn't so sure I was into it, but hell... I didn't have anything else I was planning on doing at 4:30am. :P So there we are, pre-dawn, unfed and unshowered, and then tossed suddenly on the backs of motorcyles. Well... I can tell you this: There isn't a coffee in the world that will wake you up faster than blasting down streets on the back of a motorcycle, in pitch black darkness, then buzzing our way through a forest path up the mountainside. I might even have been scared if I wasn't having so much fun.

The view from the top was increadible. My poor camera did a meagre job of capturing that vista. Imagine an endless series of muted green rice fields, filled with odd geometric shapes of flooded water cutting and dividing the Mekong delta. Then where the ground meets the sky, hazy blue mist blurring the earth into the heavens and giving way to soft purple clouds. As more light comes, an impossibly huge red orb rises through the clouds casting vibrant light on the waters below.

Then of course we had to head back down the mountain. While not nearly as thrilling as the ride up, my driver did take time to teach me a few words in Vietnamese. Mostly animals as we passed by them. Goose. Water Buffalo. Cow. Dog. Unfortunately the only ones that stuck are "Hello" and "Chicken"!

After the sunrise tour we hopped back on our happy bus (But not after incurring the wrath of a local market woman for offering her too much money!) and headed for Ho Chi Minh City. Better known as Saigon. Saigon, now there's a name laden with history. Wasn't sure what to expect. And I must say for a communist country there sure are a heck of a lot of advertisements. There's one section, filled with skyscrapers that looks a little like Times Square or Tokyo. Filled with massive animating signs for electronics. Weird. Tomorrow I'll get to know Saigon a bit better before heading out on our sleeper train.

On the whole Vietnam seems like a neat country. Haven't gotten to know it much, but the food is great. And the best part, it's filled with extremely happy people. Seriously. You smile and wave at someone and they smile back. Mothers hoist up their babies to wave at you too. And everyone is super friendly, but not in a way that seems like they want something from you. But I'm in danger I think. I'm in danger of falling seriously in love with this country!