In Vietnam

Hello World. After a LONG 13 hour bus ride strenuous journey through Cambodia by bus, I made it to Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam. So far it has confirmed my theory that traffic gets worst with each country one visits in Asia. I found my cousin and basically will be staying with her for a few days to recharge after losing some weight climbing all the ruins in Cambodia.

Just a note to you all, Cambodia is horribly bad and some places look like a war zone. The poverty here is so dire that you can't but feel sorry for them... but also feel bad because you can't give money to everyone. Seeing Cambodia really gives you a lesson in humanity and charity. Perhaps that was the lesson in losing the camera.

Things are just a bit different here. For one thing, the buses charge down the roads thinking they own it and honk continuous (literally). The music in the bus is blasted at the highest volume possible as well, so you're near deaf and stunned by the time the bus stops. It's really an experience - half the time I'm thinking the bus is purposely trying to find a target to hit!

Anyway, I'm back in the land of my birth (though not my heritage); but being exposed to a culture I hardly know here. Today I paid a visit to my grandmother's old friend and it was a bit emotional. Vietnam has change a lot from what I remember. The recent years of open economic policies have fostered a lot of improvements, but much more can be done. But from what i've seen, even after wars and occupations, the people of Asian are resiliant and surely will resume their position in the world one day.

I will post some pictures from the new camera when I get a chance. Stay tuned.