I have finally uploaded an album of photos from my trip to Laos & Vietnam.

...by the numbers:

motorcycle rides offered: 583
motorcycle rides taken: 0
cyclo rides offered: 58
cyclo rides taken: 1
fender-benders observed: 6
fender-benders observed leading to a fist fight: 1
taxis taken only simply to avoid the hazard of crossing the street: 15
hawkers selling books: 23
books bought: 0
maximum % discount haggled for on souvenirs: 40%
rolls of film taken: 3
children begging for food whilst munching on pickles: 1
begging children munching on pickles given money: 0
handicap/mine victims begging: 4
handicap/mine victims given money: 4
meals eaten in restaurants that can only be referred to "cockroach cafes": 2
meals eaten in restaurants where the bill amounted to more than the average Vietnamese earns in a month: 3
bowls of pho eaten: 12
cheapest bowl of pho eaten: 12,000 dong (~$.75)
most expensive bowl of pho eaten: 18,000 dong (~$1.15)

I am currently in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam writing this with the biggest Pho-induced food coma. Pho is the Vietnamese signature disk, beef broth and rice noodles garnished with fresh herbs. It�s delicious. I am on a quest to find the best Pho in HCMC. I kind of planned this trip last minute and am staying with a old friend from Tokyo who lives here now. This is my second trip here and in the last two years the city has changed tremendously, cleaned up, new construction, etc.

My first few days have been surreal. The smells, the noise, the traffic� just crossing the street involves a great deal of blind faith. The traffic is mostly scooters with a few cabs, bicycles, and cyclos. Waiting for a slight break in traffic and then darting is sure suicide. And, the traffic lights, when they do exist, are even more dangerous as they give you a false sense of security (they are rarely heeded). The trick is to just go walking slowly, deliberately, and at a constant pace; the traffic will swerve to accommodate you.

Next I am off to Laos for a few days.

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