Today is literally the first chance I have had to post something while we are here in the country of Vietnam. We have been quite busy over the past week and a half.
Every day, we have gone to meetings with friends, both old and new in North Vietnam as well as South Vietnam. Our first week was spent with our long-time friends from Hawaii who have now moved to Hanoi. They are involved there with business and doing any kind of business in Southeast Asia is a different ball game.
We quite enjoyed our time in Hanoi. It is a beautiful city to begin with and they are now preparing the whole city for their 1000th year anniversary. All over are red flags and posters of Ho Chi Minh. Its quite a sight to behold.
Now, we are in former Saigon. There is quite a bit of difference between these two cities. The north has more trees and rice fields. Down here all we have seen are smalls shops and big markets. On top of that there are literally millions of motor scooters traveling the roads. They own the road!
Crossing the street here takes a bit of practice, especially since none of the bikes actually stop, you just kind of weave your way slowly through the masses. Just look them in the eye and they will flow right around you. The first time was scary but now it feels natural.
We really have gotten a kick out of seeing some of the larger items being carried on the backs of these bikes, to include furniture, live animals, stuffed animals, TV's, small children, several children, big pigs, and anything else you can and cannot imagine that would fit.
We are still having several meetings every day and we are finding out a great deal about Vietnamese culture. It has to been one of the coolest, unexpected, untamed and friendly countries we have visited so far. The food is over the top fantastic, with the exception of a few items that we tried like chicken intestines and stewed dog meat. Other than those two, it has been a culinary treat.
Tyler and I have been having the time of our lives. We're exhausted and happy and we believe that we have made friends with a great many people here. What else could you ask for?
