A Ride on the Wild Side!

Enroute from Nha Trang to Dalat, Vietnam - Today we took a bus from Dalat to Saigon.  We were "lucky" enough to get what I affectionately refer to as the "Oh Sh^t Seats!".  Those would be the front row opposite the driver so you can see out the front window.  I refer to those seats as the OSS because you get to see up close and personal how many times you almost hit somebody and how many times you were almost hit by someone else.

I have no idea what the number for either was on our 8 hour trip but we did make it to Saigon safe and sound and didn't manage to kill anybody or any thing.

Our intial impression of Saigon is very positive especially compared to Hanoi.  Hanoi seemed dour and depressing while Saigon has a vibrancy and excitement about it.  Both places are chaotic and crazy but Saigon just seems like a lot more fun!

We have a week left on our visa here before we head to Cambodia.  We are scheduled to be in Saigon for 3 days and want to try and do a Mekong  Delta tour.  If we can't organize that we might spend a couple more days here before heading to Phnom Penh.

Good Morning Vietnam!

Hanoi, Vietnam - We have been in Hanoi for a couple of days now and slowly getting over the culture shock. I thought that Tokyo was a "loud" city but Hanoi is crazy. The constant honking of horns and incessant traffic, this place is crazy!

Crossing the street is a challenge in itself as there are virtually no stoplights and even the ones that are there are mostly ignored.The way to cross the street is to just step out and move at a constant pace and let the motorbikes, scooters and cars avoid you. Believe it or not after a day or so you do get the hang of it but the first couple of times are not for the faint of heart.

I am glad we came to Hanoi but I can't say its a particularly pretty city or has a lot of sights. I think after two weeks of traveling and constant cities (Tokyo, Singapore, Hanoi) we are ready for a more rural or quieter setting. Tomorrow we head to Halong Bay which is about 3 hrs from Hanoi on the coast where we embark on a 3 day cruise around the bay. Halong Bay which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site is famous for its limestone karsts that jut out of the ocean. It should be very peaceful and beautiful for a few days.

One of the other interesting things about Hanoi is every morning between 7:30-8am and in the evening between 4:30-5pm loudspeakers around the city blast out the latest government edicts, news and play the national anthem. It is quite funny though it gets a little annoying.

Just an FYI that we will be posting more pictures soon. We didn't take a lot of pictures in Singapore or Tokyo as there are only so many city pictures you can take but we are taking more in Vietnam and they should be up soon.