Last day in Saigon

This morning we had a meeting at Intel, which was great. We were able to tour their brand new billion dollar facility and hear about the way a company like Intel operates I'm developing countries. I, of course, asked the CSR questions and they actually had the right answers as far as environmental and human capital issues.

We are about to leave for the airport to head to Hanoi, but we had a couple of free hours in the city, so went out on my own to explore. It's Ash Wednesday and I looked into mass times - unfortunately they conflicted with Intel and travel times, but I thought I'd go spend some time in the Cathedral at least. I took a cab up to the church, but it was locked up tightly so that plan was ruined! Instead I peeked into the post office, which was built by the French I'm the 1800s.




Then I set out to walk back towards the hotel and find some lunch. I wound my way through people, bikes and construction (HCMC is growing fast and full of construction) admiring some of the fancy dresses in the windows of the silk shops. Maybe I should have had something made!

I then found my way to a restaurant that I had read about - 13 Ngo Duc Ke - for an authentic Vietnamese lunch. There was just one other foreigner there and despite the availability of an English menu, it was still the real deal. I thought I read to try the shrimp and coconut milk and so i ordered that - what came was six BIG prawns, still in shell, head intact, perched around a coconut full of seasoned coconut milk. I didn't know what else to do but shell the shrimp, but everyone in the place was giving me crazy looks. Once I finished those off I was still hungry, so I tried the crab and asparagus soup. It also wasnt what I was expecting - it was white asparagus! - and laced with sort of a stringy eggwhite something. It was tasty though!! A little heavy on pepper, but good.

See you in Hanoi!

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Good Morning Vietnam!!

I am officially on the school portion of my trip. This trip consists of a mix of business meetings, cultural excursions, networking events and free time.

We are also officially in the BIG city! After our time in rural Cambodia, Ho Chi Minh City (aka HCMC, aka Saigon) is an explosion of people, sounds, smells and MOTORCYCLES. Wow - 10 million people in HCMC and 5 million bikes. There are special highways for them! There is also quite a market for there face masks that look similar to surgical masks, but are made of fabric and decorated!


Lots of people have asked me what the Vietnamese think of Americans due to the war. I know I posted yesterday about the Cu Chi Tunnels, but here is a more general fact to give you an idea of today's climate. 55-65% of the Vietnamese population is under the age of 35. That means that most people have no memory of the war. They so have little to no memory of the extremely closed period of Communism in the late 70s and early 80s. Most people today only remember each year, each day being better than the last, since economic policy changed in 1986 and "free" commerce began to be allowed. So to answer the question - Vietnamese people have no problem with Americans. We have felt very welcome here.

Just a bit about what we've been up to:
- yummy Pho dinner at Lemongrass Restaurant
- business meeting at US Commercial Service
- watch shopping for Annie P
- Cu Chi Tunnels
- French dinner at La Camangue (onion soup and rack of lamb!)
- late night one hour foot massage :)
- boat tour of the Mekong Delta complete with local fruit and coconut candy tasting

Today is Women's Day in Vietnam. It is sort of like Mother's Day, but for all women! There are only 8 women on the trip so we've been enjoying the flowers and attention wherever we go!

Off now to a group dinner and a night out on the town- our last in HCMC! Tomorrow, on to Hanoi!


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Location:HCMC

Tiny Tunnels, Big Guns

Today we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels outside of Saigon. The Tunnels were the hiding place of the VC during the Vietnam War. There were three levels reaching up to 10m below the surface where people lived and worked during the war.

Our visit consisted of walking through the jungle and looking for the hidden entrances, crawling through 120m of tunnel, looking at recreated tableaux of workshops, hospitals and kitchens, a demonstration of the booby traps that the VC used to protect the tunnels, seeing the giant holes in the earth left by the thousands of bombs dropped by the US and a chance to shoot M16s and AK47s.

As we wandered through the jungle I couldn't help but think of my dad and his brave friends. Though my dad was never deployed to Vietnam, I kept picturing the brave men I grew up looking up to. Richie Lee and Lance Ellis - this post is for you. Being there made me so proud of them and made me very emotional thinking how lucky we are that they came home to our families. The gun range is very nearby the jungle paths, so as we explored the trenches and the tunnels and the booby traps, the sound of rifle fire filled the air. It must have been terrifying - not only were they dodging bullets, but also praying they wouldn't step on a landmind or a pit full of spears.

As fascinating as it was to see the small spaces that the VC people survived in and and as exhilarating as it was to shoot an AK47, I couldn't help but leave feeling sad for everyone involved.

Here is a picture that I felt was so incredibly poignant.


This is a Cu Chi family with their newborn living inside the remains of a bombed out US tank.

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Location:Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam

Cambodia Weekend

So, it's HOT here - and humid, like walk out the door, glasses fog up, Houston in summer hot. Luckily,our adorable hotel has a fabulous, cool pool. That is how I'm spending my morning before our flight back to HCM. I'm the pool with a cocktail!




Yesterday was a whirlwind of amazing ancient temples. I got up at 4:30 to see sunrise. There was a darling Tuk Tuk waiting to take me to the temples. It was amazing to see the people waking up and starting their days in the early hours - stoking the family fire, opening up their shops, and feeding their children. Angkor Wat was beautiful, but unfortunately it was cloudy, so the photos aren't as spectacular as id hoped. I then headed over to Ta Prahm - the jungle temple where they filmed tombraider. WOW. It was breathtaking. The amount of detail on every surface is incredible! The best part was having the place to myself - I had over an hour to explore and only saw 3 other people. It really felt like I was an explored discovering this place. This temple has been left largely untouched and there are massive trees growing OUT of the temple. Very cool.




When the hordes arrived I headed back to my chariot and returned to the hotel for breakfast. Unfortunately the rest of my crew couldn't get on the morning flight, so I was a bit flummoxed as to what to do with my morning. I opted for a nap - 4:30am was a bit early after all that travel. I woke up feeling refreshed and headed to the pool for lunch and to wait for Kelly, Vanessa and Bret. It worked out perfectly - they arrived just as the pack of German tourists in the pool started getting rowdy!

It was great to finally see my travel companions and we quickly mobilized to get in more temple visiting! Now we were armed with a guide, so we went back to Angkor Wat and went inside. That place is massive!! I can't remember the stat, but I think it's the biggest temple on the continent! we also heard a crazy story about the legend of Rama and his wife. It was a soap opera!! I'd I get ambitious I'll try and type it out later.

Next we headed to the bayon - temple of smiling faces! I wish I'd snapped a pic with my phone so I could share it now, but suffice to say it was the happiest temple ever. :)

Finally we enjoyed sunset with chicken skewers and a bottle of wine at the Terrace of Elephants. It is not known for it's view, but the place was virtually empty and perfect for a quite rest.

A quick trip back to the hotel to rinse off - holy buckets of sweat! - and then we headed in to town via Tuk Tuk for dinner at Sweet Palm for some authentic Cambodian food. I had Fish Amok, which was rich and delicious!

Then it was early to bed for all - we were all tired, and the other three were getting up at 4:30am to do the same sunrise tour I did.

Its almost time to leave for the airport, so next stop Vietnam!!

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Sunrise at Angkor Wat

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Life is Good

Wow. I've fallen in love with Cambodia.

As the plane broke through the clouds and I got my first glimpse of the countryside I already knew I would fall in love. Gorgeous green fields, bisected by rich red dirt roads. Charming houses on stilts.

Then we landed and I was struck by the beautiful architecture and manicured gardens of the airport itself!


Soon I was swept up by my cheerful driver, Sari, and off we went to the hotel. With every turn I loved this place more. I can't put my finger on it, but there is such beauty and charm in this rural tourist paradise.

The hotel is fabulous - www.sojournboutiquevillas.com. It's situated a bit off from town and surrounded by an adorable village that I can't wait to explore! I received a warm greeting and was whisked off to my villa where my masseuse was waiting. An hour and a half later I am feeling quite fabulous. My body feels great and I'm for a good nights sleep before hitting the temples for sunrise. Can't wait to share stories!!

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New Favorite Fruit

No, that's not sushi! The red is watermelon and that white fruit with the speckles is DRAGONFRUIT. Wow. It's sort of like kiwi, watermelon and ice cream had a baby. It's delicious. I wonder if they carry it at Central Market...


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