FootLoose in Asia This journal is primarily for family and friends to follow our progress on our SouthEast Asia adventure through Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and possibly Malaysia and Myanmar (Burma). Hopefully there will also be some useful information to others planning a trip to thease areas.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – 1 to 3 February, 2007 We caught the puddle jumper back in HCMC and made our way to the hotel we had stayed in during our first visit. After arriving at the hotel only to find our internet reservations never made it, the hotel was accommodating and fund us a room. It was in the same location as our first room there, but was two floors higher so we had a better view of the rooftops at the back of the hotel. Scenic it’s not, but it is quiet, which is a plus in Saigon where the horns are blaring continuously. It was still early in the day, and this time around D was feeling a lot better so J was able to show her around as he had already scouted the city during our first stop. J got to see the Ban Thanh Market a little more than he really wanted to, but D was in fine form and shopping was just the medicine. The market can get a little too much with such crowded stalls and narrow alleys between. Sir, Madam tee shirt we have your size comes from everywhere. J did haggle a lady down for a couple of tee shirts and D got some cheap Capri’s too. We then had a walk to the river and the area where the “posh” hotels are for a quick look around. Dinner was another adventure along the streets surrounding Ben Thanh were stalls are set up every night. The canopies, chairs and table were brought in on the backs of motorbikes, so too were the fish tanks, cooking equipment, and floral decorations. J was keen to sample the BBQ fish while D thought she was sticking to something safe, a corn pancake with bean sprouts. Little did she realize it came with a side plate with a bunch of weeds and sauces. She looked at them for awhile until the cook got one of the waitresses to come over and demonstrate how to prepare the meal. It seems you break off a few greens, add some of the pancake and dip and roll it up in a lettuce leaf, something like a vegetarian burrito. D enjoyed it but said some of the greens were a bit strange tasting and J & D think they saw some in a swampy area near the river earlier in the day. The next day we visited the Reunification Palace which J had missed on his first tour. This was previously the home of the President and the South Vietnamese government before it was bombed and overrun in 1975 during the communist takeover. It is now used only for a few official functions. The building itself is pretty boring from an architecture standpoint, and J found the most interesting part of the visit to be all the old US provided radio equipment still on display in the bomb shelter below the Palace. As we weren’t that impressed with Saigon, we decided to head out the next day for Dalat. We booked our bus tickets through the hotel and were told we would be picked up early the next morning for a short shuttle ride to the bus station. Next stop Dalat.