Gooood Morninggggg Vietnam!!

I LOVE Vietnam!! The people, the streets, the food, the sounds, the buildings ... OK so I've only been here for eight hours but so far it is fantastic! Maybe it's just the euphoria of embarking upon another journey through Southeast Asia but I love where I am right now.

I started the day with Luca and Ami. We went to an amusement park called Dam Sen where we saw statues made of porcelain dinnerware, a ton of crocodiles, a field full of hungry deer and goats, an ice sculpture building decorated with Christmas spirit, and a haunted castle, to name a few. It was, er, amusing, to say the least. It was actually quite fun and a good way to spend our evening since all the museums and temples were closed by the time we got settled.

But now Luca and Ami have met up with the others in Mui Ne and I have decided to stay in Ho Chi Minh City. Saigon, as the locals still call it. I got lost trying to find the so-called "backpacker ghetto" but after about a 30 minute sweaty walk through the humid streets filled to the max with mopeds, and sporting my 35lb backpack, I finally found it. And I really like where I am staying. I have my own bathroom on the 5th floor, mine is the only room on the top level, and there is a nice patio overlooking the street below. The desk staff are very friendly and helpful.

For dinner I ate at a place called Hao Mai, partly because it's right across the street from me and partly because some British kid was touting the place in somewhat of an exchange for some free beer. It was all in good fun. I got a bowl of pho, (pronounced "fhurh," or something to that extent,) what seems to be one of, if not THE, staple dishes of Vietnam. It's noodles with lettuce (or cabbage as the British kid said, "for simplicity"), soup, and some chicken, beef, pork, or meat of some kind. I had shrimp. And a Saigon Beer Red. It was pretty tasty! But I realized I think all beer is tasty around here, and I don't know if it has anything to do with the fact that every time I get one I'm so dehydrated or that I have just grown to really like beer. A lot. Whatever it is, I'm going with it, cause it's delicious.