Good Bye Vietnam!!!

Hey gang. I'm writing from Bangkok, where Em and I have arrived following a flight from Hanoi. So far we've eaten a delicious Thai dinner and researched overland routes from here to Cambodia to see Angor Wat. It's been a long day, and I'm tired and this will be short...

It wasn't as difficult to leave Vietnam as it was to leave Dalat. Hanoi didn't really do it for us, though our trip to Halong Bay was certainly one of the peak experiences of our time in Vietnam. Photos from Hanoi, Halong Bay, and a neat day trip to the Perfume Pagoda will be posted soon (don't hold me to what that means, though, as if we leave for Cambodia tomorrow, soon will probably be at least a week from now). Our highlights for Vietnam were Dalat (specifically the canyoning trip), bike to Mui Ne, and Halong Bay. We also felt pretty good about Hue. Low-lights were basically the cattle-like herding of tourists along the Vietnamese coast and the constant haggling over prices to avoid being ripped-off (especially for necessities like drinking water).

Our plan from here (Bangkok) is to travel to Cambodia to see Angor Wat, which will probably take 5 days round-trip. After returning to Thailand, we will travel south and hit up some of the world-class beaches that Thailand is famous for. Also, I plan to STUFF myself with Thai food, before we cross the southern border into Malaysia. Again, we'll continue south toward Singapore, and catch a flight to Sri Lanka in time to meet Tom and Heidi (Em's parents) on December 13th. That leaves a lot of distance to cover, and not too much time. We hope to snorkel more than a little, and kick back a bit.

Book recommendations:
1) They Marched Into Sunlight by David Maraniss--the best book about the Vietnam war era, bar none. Discusses October 1967 only, comparing events for one American platoon in Vietnam with those surrounding anti-war protests on the University of Wisconsin Campus. Outstanding and gripping work of scholarship.

2) When Heaven and Earth Changed Places by Le Ly Hayslip--amazing account of a peasant girl's experience of the war and her subsequent experience returning to Vietnam in 1986 (she left in '75 after marrying an American). This was an extremely compelling read. Will absolutely change the way you think about the war, in terms of being able to see the problematic position of any villager in its way. I also think valid parallels could be drawn to what we are seeing in Iraq.

3) The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon--I realize I am way behind in lauding this book, but it is fantastic. I learned a lot about comic books and New York in the '40s.

Alright, we're off to bed. Many postcards have been sent, and more are forthcoming. Keep me up-to-date on occurances at home.

Mike