Lovely Saigon

After being awake inexplicably from 3am until 6, I groggily woke up at 6:40 to get on a bus with Christa and Brooke for the day tour of the Mekong Delta.  Since it was our second full day in Vietnam, we were happy to be led around on someone else's adgenda as we slowly sweat our way in and out of consciousness throughout the stifling day.  I am variably energized and completely fatigued by this intense weather, but I have realized already that it will cause me to wake up very early and probably require a mid-day nap.  We'll just follow the example of the locals... if only our room came with hammocks.

The delta was just two hours away, and quite a tourist hot spot, but we enjoyed our time.  We took a variety of boat sizes for transportation from island to island; we learned about the honey bees and the conconut candy industries, sampling choice products of each.  We got to take small canal boats that glided effortlessly through the murky water under the palm trees, the rowers crouching on either end, staying perfectly balanced at top speeds with their conical reed hats shading their eyes from the hot midday sun. We had a basic Vietnamese lunch of rice, sauteed greens and chicken, and then were led to an area for tea and fresh fruit with local live musicians.

The evening boat ride up the river was perhaps my favorite part as I was able to enjoy a bit of sunshine with the strong breeze from atop the speed boat to cut the humidity.   The thick murky jungle flooded with house boats, swimmers and canal boats slowly gave way to a wide river lined with stilt houses teetering over the water, barges and tug boats with whole families living aboard, and eventually the cityscape of Saigon which has recently begun to include small sky scrapers.  The sun set dramatically behind the ships as we came into the harbor, and the air rapidly cooled--though the humid never quite dissapates.

Vietnam has a mystical quality to me.  Aside from the stories I have heard and read about the war, I know virtually nothing about the country.  I see visions of soldiers plowing through dense jungle, I hear bombs in my mind and startle at shadows or unexpected bugs... but I don't feel afraid, and I have absolutely no reason to feel any but compassion for these people. It feels as if the war I've heard about happened on a different planet... and to be truthful I think in a way it did. The Vietnamese people have impeccable manners, even in tourist shopping areas, their smiles are genuine, their children are well cared for, and their intentions are good.  I feel welcome here, in a way that feels more genuine than in most areas of China where I felt more like a spectacle and an outsider, even though I was always treated very respectfully.  Here in Vietnam it is warmer... in temperature, in hospitality and in demeanor.  Luckily we have time to take it easy and just enjoy the beautiful life that is Saigon.