Ladies (!) and Gentlemen, I Give You Vietnam

Tonight we find ourselves in Ho Chi Minh City--although I much prefer to call it Saigon, as many locals do. So much more romantic. We flew in today after saying goodbye to our beloved Cambodia. Tomorrow morning we rise at 6:30 to embark on a day trip to the Mekong Delta. (We could have done it by bus for $10 each, but we both hate tourist groups, so we chose to spring $60 each for a private driver and guide.) We learned in Cambodia that, aside from getting the lowdown on history and signficance, having a guide, at least for a day or so, in a new country gives you a leg up by picking a local's brain about customs, do's and don'ts, and pronunciation of common words and phrases. It's a luxury, but it's invaluable.

I'll certainly fill you in about the Mekong tomorrow night. (We have wireless access in our room here--yay!--and my laptop is miraculously working again, albeit not every time I start it up.) But I wanted to share one detail from tonight that was a quintessential Southeast Asian big city moment.

In the days we've been here, I had yet to venture out without Sarah a single time. We've been doing everything together, save the one time she went out for a late afternoon spa treatment while I napped. Then, tonight, shortly after returning from dinner, I stepped out to get something sweet to munch on in the room. I hadn't been alone 38 seconds when a, ahem, lady of the evening approached me, even trying to link her arm through mine. And about 45 seconds after that, a guy on a scooter with a particularly cheap looking young woman on the back of the seat pulled up and asked me if I was looking for a good time. It was almost like I was a GI in the Saigon of 1972. I can't say any more--Jackson may be reading this after all!--so I'll let you complete the mental picture for yourself.

I was about to upload a few photos from Cambodia, but I must get to sleep lest I regret my night-owl tendencies when the alarm goes off in just over 6 hours. So check back sometime tomorrow, and you should be greeted by a handful of memorable images.

Jao, all.