Pops and the sisters came to Hong Kong (part 2)

So we made it to Vietnam, and our visas granted us entry into the country. Twenty four hours earlier, without that documentation, we would have been quarantined and directed back to Hong Kong.
We traveled by bus to the New World Hotel- a beatuiful hotel located in the middle of backpack country. The hotel could not have looked more lost. My father and I ventured out into the streets of Ho Chi Minh at around midnight on a quest for food. On the street, we were soon engulfed by the local motorbike traffic. The streets of Ho Chi Minh rival the seven wonders of the world with their appeal. Apparantly, there are zero traffic laws. Everyone weaves in and out of others as they please. In order to cross the street, one must close their eyes, say their prayers, and simply walk. The local bikers swerve around you like a school of fish navigating around a pillar in the sea.
My father and I could not stop laughing; questions were being generated uncontrollably. Where sis all of these people come from? Why were they on the streets at midnight? How did they all get motorbikes? Was there any method behind this madness? For the duration of the trip, these questions remained unanswered.
The next morning we traveled by bus to the Mekong Delta. While my father and I were wandering the streets the night before, we found a travel agent arranging the trip for seven USD. This was compared to the fifty that the New World Hotel was charging. While I thought we might be sacrificing certain services, but I simply was unaware of how far the USD goes in Vietnam. Our seven dollar expenditure entitled us to:

1. Round-trip bus service to the Mekong Delta- a two hour trip each way.
2. An english-speaking Vietnamese tour guide who both informed and entertained throughout the journey (10 hours).
3. A series of boat cruises on the Mekong: we travelled on five or six different vessels, each of which was a different size and piloted by different local villagers.
4. A local meal prepared on one of the islands.
5. A tasting session of coconut candy and banana wine.
6. A private traditional Vietnamese music performance by a local band and singers.

I'm sure there are a number of other things that I am leaving out, but seven dollars is a lot of money, and remebering all that it can buy can sometimes be a struggle. In America, you might be able to get a McDonald's Value Meal (I wouldn't know, since I have boycotted that garbage for years).

The trip to the Mekong was incredible. Weaving in and out of the web-like waterways got me thinking about the war. I looked around at the scenery and had a very difficult time imagining it as the backdrop for a war... or a conflict. I had always the Mekong Delta as a murky place, characterized by lots of rain and brisk winds. My preconceptions could not have been more wrong. As I bathed shirtless in what seemed to be a tropical paradise, I tried to imagine local gunsman ransacking boats from the trees that surrounded me. It was a crazy, crazy experience.

The next day we spent around Ho Chi Minh, seeing the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace. Both of these sites were cool to see, but there isn't much to tell about either. However, there was a significant Anti-American theme going on at the War Remnants Museum. In fact, there was Anti-American Propaganda in multiple languages on display. Having heard stories from my friends that went to the Cu Chi Tunnels, the Anti-American sentiment was widespread.

That evening, we had an amazing dinner at one of the best restaurants in Vietnam, Mandarine. My dad treated my friends and I to one of the best meals of our life, before heading to Apacalypse Now, a happening night club. Aaron and I ordered a bottle of wine that we thought everyone was interested in. Apparantly, they were more interested in soft drinks, so we had the monumental task of finishing it all in front of us. We stepped up.

The next morning marked our departure for Hong Kong, and my families continuing journey to the States. Our stay in Vietnam was a lot of fun- but more than that, it was a shared experience. I made reference in my last post about how much it meant to spent some time with the family. We haven't had the opportunity to travel together, and I have not been good about reaching out to them. Being on the other side of the world, in an unfamiliar environment, forced us to interact and enjoy each other's comapany. While the trip was short-lived, the memories will last a lifetime, and the relationships that were forged will bring us closer as a family. Thanks for coming out to visit guys.