Vietnam & Cambodia: Sparklettes

     Just a few random thoughts and photos before the postcards start again from Australia:

Saigon Park

  The Vietnamese loves their parks and plan them for maximum use. Badminton (BIG here) lines are painted everywhere, topiary, chess, shade, etc.,etc.  This is one of my favorite pictures of the whole trip. A mom was teaching her little boy how to jump rope. The rope wasn't moving at all, he was practicing the jumping part. And doing a spectacular job of it.  I regret not getting her address to send her a copy. She loved the shot when I presented it in playback.

Small small businessman

    Not every business needs premises. This scooter repairman set up on a street corner, as did a bike repair guy, a shoe repairman, the lady with a portable gasoline pump, a barber with a mobile clientele, a cold drinks vendor and a slew of fast food merchants. Low overhead costs- we pass the savings unto you!

tailor made in Vietnam

  Going to Thailand or Vietnam?  Get a worsted wool suit made for $60. A dress shirt for $17. Dress slacks for $25.  Having bespoke (that is, custom or tailored) clothing made is high on the list for many tourists. Smart customers bring pictures and give sufficient time to the task. Quality dips on an overnight order. But at these prices...?

AK 47 ammo

           Cu Chi and its underground tunnels and meeting spaces vexed the American army 35 years ago.  Tours now are interesting. Downright tempting  was the offer to shoot clips of ammo for Russian weapons, AK 47s and M60s, etc. We cheaped out of this ("only a whole clip, not individual bullets?") otherwise we would have joined the others on the range. I skipped the claustrophobic tunnel walk.

   Young girls selling bananas to temple tourists in Vietnam over their back fence. Our guide tells us this is good charity.  The money made helps pay for schoolbooks.  We're good with this.

Tortoise soup at Phu

      And finally, what is an exotic vacation without an exotic meal or two?  In Ho Chi Minh (formerly Saigon), there was an unpretentious restaurant named Phu that had a wide variety of meats and dishes. Wild boar, goat, eel, snake,  snail, guinea pig, chicken feet and Kev's new favorite, tortoise. O.K. turtle. Not as cheap as the chicken but Kev does have an adventurous palate.  Phu was popular with businessmen, probably because the relatively high prices (Turtle was a walloping  $11) kept out the riff raff. Couldn't be because of the child size chairs and tables Phu used...

Phu for us

     Time to put the fork down.  Get on the plane -  or click your heels three times - and get back to OZ.  Hope you enjoyed the postcards. There will be an Australian cancellation on the next postcard.

P.S. Let me know what you think. Write Back! Just Post a Comment at the bottom of any postcard.