Howdy all!
I finally was able to upload a side show of my Vietnam trip. It took me a little time to whittle down 260 or so photos into some key ones and I have yet to get to the captions but simply, I started North and worked my way South with stops at Hue (old first capital of Nam), Hoi An, and drove thru Danang. Stops at Nha Trang, Mui Ne Beach and then into Hanoi. The sleeper bus was the way to go as the train did not allow for getting on and off as you choose. Great trip and for the most part it gave me terrific insight into a war beaten up communist state that is very proud of it's defeat of both the French (Indochina) and subsequently the U.S. (Vietnam). It is a state fully embracing capitalism and growing rapidly as a result. But like most of Asia underground systems (water and sewage treatment) have to evolve to establish the level of confidence needed to boost the valuation in the currency....simply, many investors believe strongly in the growth potential of Asia though infrastructure and political uncertainty still leave "prudent" mid to small (ie not politically connected or large enough to dictate terms) investors on the sidelines.
Seeing Ho Chi Minh embalmed was interesting!! in Hanoi. Seeing the Reunification Palace in Saigon was very interesting especially how quickly it was renamed Ho Chi Minh with the defeat of the US. Though, to many Southern Vietnamese it continues to be referred to as Saigon. The tunnels system and the booby traps the North Vietnamese used to virtually come and go in Southern Vietnam were quite something to see - I was left feeling that the US never had a chance and must have learned something from the experience....Iraq would suggest not. Seeing things from the Vietnamese perspective and listening to the Vietnamese view point really opened my eyes.
Regardless, the people, food and tourist attractions are great. Hanoi is the center of government and more serious...Saigon the center of commerce and more modern.....in between some beautiful beaches and towns all along the Southern China Sea. As far as experiences I have come to learn that too many things to mention and most more worth experiencing or best described pouring over pictures...such as my moped bike I rented for three hours and coming across 50 men in a circle preparing for a rural daily "cock fight!"...or watching the women doing needlepoint all day!!! ...or watching the work ethic of a people that lives in the moment making exactly what they need to survive...and the humour of never knowing what is going to happen or what exactly you have ordered or if you are on the right bus or what to pay.....or trying to cross the street in Saigon....one moment appreciating more sophistication in electronics and energy conversation and the next feeling like you stepped into the 19th century...or getting on the back of a moped taxi driver in Bangkok and having to slow for an elephant...or a bar just opens on a corner of two streets....just simply going along without expectations and making the best of whatever happens...and admiring how much fun people (locals) are having in a world painted in the west as in need of our way of doing things...I think not!!!
I am now back in Bangkok with Robert. I am taking Kimberley's advice and after hanging out with Rob at his pool, eating and taking in the sights of a city the explodes with "client driven service" at night haha...I am going to relax, go to the spa, and have some down time before I fly back on Thursday and go back to work! :(....alas though....this is Thailand and I am sure there will be something to share within the next hour or two!! :):) Stay tuned!
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