06 November 04 Hi from Ho Chi Minh, formerly Saigon. We are sweltering in the heat, down to 2 meals a day, getting bitten by mosquitoes and our bones are weary but otherwise we are in good health and loving Vietnam. We had a nice 2 days in Hoi An, once an important trading destination and now a Unesco World Heritage Site. It was glorious walking around the old town, over the Japanese covered bridge, through old family homes and generally taking in the nice relaxed vibe here tucked beside the river. We have even hired bicycles a couple of times, quite exhilerating riding in amongst all the motorbikes. Our stay here in Ho Chi Minh is quite short but today we took a 1/2 day tour out to the Cu Chi Tunnels - an underground network laid out by the Guerillas who were spies for the North Vietnamese during the war. We were shown through a part of the tunnel and had demonstrated to us some of the traps that lay in wait for the american soldiers - quite antiquated but simple and very deadly. Being out here today really hits home how devastating war is for many generations. Our tour guide worked for the Americans during the war and explained, how children today, 3 generations on, are being born with disabilities due to the affect of Agent Orange. It was also pretty sombre to be shown a blown up tank where 4 soldiers died still in the same place today. But on a happier note: we are off tomorrow to set off through the Mekong Delta to Chau Doc where we stay the night. We are told we pass by floating markets, villages where they dry rice paper (we saw some today and it crackles as it dries) and a visit to a Moslem village. All this floating quietly along in a boat. The next day we get ferried across to Cambodia and a short bus trip into Phnom Penh. Thats all for now. PS I've given Rob another haircut as he really was starting to look a bit wild.