Ms. Saigon Departs and the things I missed over the last two weeks

One of these things is not like the other.  One of these things doesn't belong!

Mom flew home this morning and I leave tonight for Hong Kong.  Putting and end to the latest chapter in this tale.

We had a great couple weeks in Viet Nam and Cambodia, and there were a few highlights that I missed in our travels that I thought were worth sharing.  Some were silly, others were sad; but I've found that's the way things go on this trip.

It was a helluva adventure, Mother.  Thanks for going so far out of your comfort zone.  Now, you'll have to buy your own fresh juices though.  (She was bleedin' me dry, folks!)

The things I missed along the way....

Well, there was synchronized back-flipping in Ha Long Bay:

Ty and Me trying to start a new career!  We met some great people on the boat in Ha Long Bay and mom even started getting called Mom Judy by the folks we spent out time with.  

There was the Geology Rocks! segment of our trip, when we paid a visit to Marble Mountain in Da Nang to see the Giant Buddhas carved into the rocks inside the caves there.

This one wasn't carved into the mountain, we don't think, but wanted to give an idea of scale!

And still more Caves in Ha Long Bay.   I never knew that my Mother had never been inside a cave before, well we certainly crossed that off her bucket list!

While in Cambodia, we paid a visit to two very somber sites.  The Killing Fields Memorial and the Landmine Museum.  What a cruel history this country has suffered in the last 50 years.  It is a reminder that the world will always have it's devils, but that we can always use those unfortunate circumstances to move forward with purpose and hope.  

The Museum, run by Aki Ra, was a scary reminder that war can be just as cruel to innocent people as much as it can be to the soldiers fighting.  Especially after the fighting is done.  And a reminder that the US should really sign the Landmine Treaty already.

The memorial at Choeung Ek, one of over 300 known "Killing Fields", and the site where over 10K people lost their lives under Pol Pot's regime.

Apologies for the graphic nature of this photo.  There have been few, if any, things more powerful that I have seen on this trip.  

We also visited the "Hanoi Hilton" and were subjected to a fair amount of propaganda pieces about the "fair and honest" treatment of the American Soldiers held here.  

John McCain's Flight Suit

I'm willing to grant a lot of latitude in the stories of American Bombings and the uses of Napalm and Agent Orange, but this piece was a bit over done considering the conflicting memories of the American Soliders who were held here - John McCain's in particular.

The something "Quirk-y" department: 

We met up with my friend Kathleen, who has been in Asia for the last 6 weeks - but never in the same places at the same times, in Ha Noi for a huge meal of Bun Cha and to catch up.  It was delicious and we had a good time! 

Oddly, the hotel called our room in the morning looking for Kathleen.  Odd because, she was not staying at the hotel (she has just booked a tour through them), nor was there seemingly any other connection other than we were all Americans.  I mean, we know each other, but the hotel didn't know THAT!

And we wrapped up Mom's time with a trip the Mekong Delta.  It was cool to see a real floating market (vs. one they set up for tourists) and the differences between what the Mekong looks like way up north in Laos to the flat delta version here in Viet Nam. 

We went to the "wholesale" produce market.  Huge boats stacked with melons, squash, pineapples, lychees and more were all over the water ways.

Anyway, that's the run down.  I'm sure there's some things I've left out (The insanity of traffic in Ha Noi and Phnom Penh for instance - but that can really only be experienced.  So you'll just have to come see for yourselves!).   But lastly, a big thanks to my friend George and his wife, Aki, for the warm welcome that they showed my mother and me.  Really got the trip started off on the right foot!

The next month should be a good one.  From Hong Kong, I head to Bali for a week or so and then out of Asia to Australia.  By the end of the month of May I'll be in Chile and onto my 6th Continent of this adventure and likely the home stretch (BOO!).

And, I'm starting it off with a fresh hair cut.  The first one in almost 7 months.  It is about exactly what I would expect a $1 hair cut from a guy who didn't speak English to be.  But, it'll doo. (Pun intended)

Catch you later!