Leaving 'Nam

So today I leave Vietnam. I'm leaving a day earlier than planned. I'll be in Cambodia by tonight.

I've really enjoyed my trip to Vietnam. I still put it as my favourite country of the 3 in SE Asia. After the shopping mecca of Hoi An - we headed down to Nha Trang - a nice beachside town. Some call it the next Phuket of Vietnam - but I don't think it'll make it. It doesn't seem particularly safe. I heard the most stories about muggings, and sexual assaults in Nha Trang - more than any other city in SE Asia. And while we were there - sure enough, one of my friends was assaulted on the beach briefly during the day in broad daylight.

Don't get me wrong - Nha Trang was fun. It was one girl's birthday - and we all went together on an island hopping boat cruise. We just went from one mini island to the next, having fun. It was pretty awesome. A beautiful day. I had a nasty sunburn by the end of it - but a few days later - I am a slightly darker shade now - or at least, my farmer tan isn't as nasty. ;) There wasn't much else to do in Vietnam except hit up the "Nha Trang Sailing Club" - which isn't a sailing club by any stretch of the imagination - but a rowdy night bar/club where all the backpackers go at night. The bucket drinks there - ORV - orange juice, red bull, and vodka are very potent. I was pretty much done after 2 buckets.

We arrived in Saigon yesterday morning, blurry eyed and about 5:30am on the overnight train. We got in so early and there were four of us - so we hired a private taxi to go visit the Cu Chi tunnels.

The Cu Chi tunnels were built by the Vietcong (North Vietnamese) during the war. It's quite the network of tunnels. And they have rooms down there - kitchens, weapon making rooms, hospitals, etc. I can't imagine living down there. We had the opportunity to crawl through a couple of tunnels to get a feel for it. It was hot, dark and stuffy - and quite the overall experience. I can't imagine living in the tunnels. We also got to see the booby traps that the VC would lay to keep the South Vietnamese & Americans out. The tunnels actually got quite close to Saigon. We saw old American military hardware and big bomb craters.

In the afternoon - we visited the War Remnants museum in Saigon which was a sobering reminder of just how awful war is. It turned my stomach and I had difficulty holding back tears at various points as we went through a lot of pictures of the war. Pictures of the My Son (or was it My Lai) massacre, victims of napalm burns, and Agent Orange. We also saw a tiger cell where political prisoners were kept and depictions of torture scenes. Fair enough - some of the content of the museum is Communist Vietnamese propaganda - but you can't deny the brutality of war. And the fact that in every way - innocent civilians get caught in the cross-fire.

I walked around Saigon on my own for a bit afterwards - taking in the sights. Saigon is just another busy city so I decided to leave a day earlier than planned. There wasn't much else that I wanted to see.

I also just said goodbye to Phil. He's flying to Southern Thailand today. I have mixed feelings I guess. I'm ready for a 2 week break. We've been traveling together intensely for 5 weeks and we've discovered that we are VERY different travelers. I tend to be organized (read: uptight and anal retentive) and he's more laid back (read: borderline irresponsible and careless). ;) Phil hasn't read my blog yet so I can say these things. ;) So it'll be good to travel on my own for a bit. I initially had some apprehensions about traveling on my own - but I'm looking forward to it.

I feel like I've experienced and grown so much over the last 10 weeks - more so in SE Asia than in China b/c I was on a tour in China. It's been challenging. I've learned about myself and how I interact w/ people. A lot of it has to do w/ self-esteem issues, I think, and my "over" concern about what other people think of me. And my own internal thoughts and feelings that I feel like I need to conform to the other people around me in order for them to like me. Many times on this trip - I've felt peer pressure to do certain things and think certain ways. I'm trying really hard to become more and more comfortable just being me and learning that it's okay if I"m not buddy buddy friends w/ every person that I meet. So yeah, life goes on.

Two more weeks in SE Asia before I take off Down Under for SUMMER in Australia. Woohoooooo..... apparently there's some freaky weather in Vancouver as of late. Bummer... ;)

Love you guys lots. Take care, John