Vietnam 1999 - part 2

Blah blah blah

Vietnam is fantastic!  Ridiculously so.  I have been having a great time

here.  I am now back in Saigon.  I was in the mountain town of Dalat for 3

days, then over to the coast to Phan Rang for a day, then down the coast to

an out of the way beach spot at Ca Na.  This morning I took the 7 hour bus

ride back here, and tomorrow I am going down to the Mekong Delta.

Everything is going great.  Really, really great.  I almost don't want to

write it becasue I might jinx myself.  I had no jet lag at all.  The food

hasn't bothered me either.  It's hard to think of anything that has gone

wrong.

How to describe Vietnam?  I guess the best way is to say that it is almost

everything I liked about Africa, minus everything I didn't like about

Africa.  It's that good.

John N., thank yo so much for hooking me up with your family.  It was very

special to be able to hang out with "real" vietnamese.  I ate breakfast and

dinner at your mom's house every day.  Everyone was very nice to me (except

for the sassy neighbor woman who does the cooking).  Dalat had everything I

could have asked for:  Perfect weather, rolling hills, waterfalls, and

walks to get ice cream with the 17-year neighbor girl (with her friend as

chaperone, of course).  :)

At Ca Na there is only a small town and a hotel.  I stayed on the beach in

a bungalow.  There was only one other guest.  Guess where she was from?

Israel.  She was a funky 62-year old woman from Tel Aviv (she doesn't know

you, Orit).  She speaks 5 languages fluently and has been everywhere in the

world.  She is very opinionated and is currently on a year sabbatical from

her country because she is upset with everything.  Everything.  EVERYTHING!

What is so good about Vietnam?  The people.  They are extremely friendly.

Even (especially) the women, which is something very new for me.  I am used

to shy Muslem women.  Not these (in a flirty, but chaste way, mind you).

They also find white skin very attractive, very.  "Yes you can touch my

skin, but please stop pinching it to see it turn red."  On the beach, on

the bus, at the restaurant; it is ridiculous.

Moment of enlightenment:  Every so often I read the old Doonsbury cartoons.

 In the ones about the war, there is a lot of talk about pyjamas.  I never

understood that.  One day I was talking with some Vietnamese, and I

realized, "Hey, these people are wearing pyjamas."  It may not sound like

much, but it made my day.

I bought a paper tonight at dinner.  Ha ha, I see that Monica L. and Iraq

are still in the news.  I hadn't even thought about either of those two

subjects in the last week.  And do you know what, I'm not going to think of

them again for the next week either.  Ha ha.

I actually have a lot more to write, but it's getting late, and I need to

go do a few things so that I can leave very early tomorrow.

Your pal,

Mike

P.S.  Fred, please forward to John N. and Chris P.

P.P.S.  I finally bought postcards tonight.  The chances of me actually

sending them:  slim.

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