We're in Vietnam and it's "damn hot, real hot. SO hot we saw these little guys in orange robes burst into flames!" Okay, maybe not, but it's close to 30 degrees and it's almost midnight. Ah yes, it's a wonderful life!!

We arrived in Vietname a couple of days ago, after a great time in Hong Kong. The Bests (Michaela's former french teacher, his wife and their two children) were amazing hosts. It was great to see them and get some home cooking into our tummies. We got sick for the last bit in China, so it was nice to see the source of our food and know it was hygenic!

Hong Kong was really neat--totally first world, with a taste of Asia. And, wow, do the Chinese love their Christmas lights! We're talking 40-storey skyscrapers COVERED in blinking Christmas garb. It was beautiful.

Now we're in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), also known as Saigon. We pretty much fell in love with the city instantly. It's hot, the beer is cheap (about 25 cents American for a litre!), the people are great, and did we mention that it's hot?!

We've been to the War Remnants Museum (very disturbing photos of the war and its victims), the Reunification Palace (famous footage from 1975 shot here), and visited many curbside cafes. The iced coffee is a must, but since it's made with sweetened condensed milk, we have to be careful how many we drink in a day! HCMC is a place to sit back and take it all in , and we're totally up for that...

Oh, and as a quick aside, the typhoon that hit Vietnam is nowhere near where we are, so don't be worried about our safety!

Tomorrow we're off to Dalat, the place where Vietnamese go for their honeymoon. I'm pretty excited because there are rumours of swan-shaped paddle boats and Vietnamese guys dressed as cowboys, posing with ponies. YIPPEE! I'm pretty excited, but I think that Joel's just going because he feels he has to. Oh well :)

Vietnam has already taught us how little we know about the war that ravaged this country and its people. We are seeing beggars all over the streets, the majority of whom have some physical ailment. We can only assume that it's the effects of Agent Orange, given the photos we've seen in the past few days. It's really appalling and heart-wrenching to see people in such a state.

We have also been talking about the similarities between the Vietnam War (called the "American War" here) and the current war in Iraq. So many atrocities carried out against the civilians and the combatants, so much dissent in the US, and so much ignorance on the part of the government. Then there's the refusal of the government to pull out because they want to save face...But, we (Joel and I) have a lot more to learn about the Vietnam war. Let's just hope that the war in Iraq has a more meaningful and positive outcome than the war here had.

--m.