Vietnam 2007: Recap & Recovery

How can you capture the trip of a lifetime in a post? You can't. The people, the culture, the sights, the food, the time with the Hubby was all amazing. From seeing a family of five traveling on a motorbike to watching the sunset over the MeKong Delta, I am full of mental snapshots that will last a long time. The 500+ pictures and videos will also help preserve the memories.

(here we are in HaLong Bay)

And there is nothing like a three-week vacation and emersion in a totally different culture to give one some important perspective on life:
- I want for nothing. I am never hungry, never worry about where I will sleep or if I get sick what will happen. I have a million 'safety nets' and get to lead a life of leisure. While 60-year old women toil in a rice field or a teenagers make $1 a day in a factory, I bask in wealth.
- We are an overly-sanitized culture. I am all about basic sanitary and safety procedures, but the Vietnamese make us look like we are living on the extreme. Safety belts? Who needs 'em! Raw garbage? Throw it on the sidewalk! Electric wiring codes? Pah! Its an entirely different approach that is oddly refreshing.
- War is evil. Really. Fucking. Evil. Visiting the War Remnants Museum in HCMC was definitely one of the most memorable - and disturbing - moments of the trips. Why would any one choose war? How can humans poison and torture each other? When do we tell that fat cats enough is enough? How can we ever repay our troops? The graphic exhibits and pictures at the museum left me breathless...and thinking a museum such as this will soon stand in Iraq.
- Slow down. I move through most of my days with a maniacal pace. Its time to slow down. Its time to pause and really really talk to some one. This is a lesson from living in Venezuela that I have long-forgotten.
- One can only eat so much Vietnamese food. Both the Hubby and struggle with the pervasive fish smell of Vietnamese food. Thankfully, the French left a legacy of delicious food including bread and pastries. There are also enough foreigners that we managed to dine on some tasty pizza in HCMC.
- Change must come. Nearly all of the foreign travelers we spoke with asked us "So, who is going to be the next President?" and then wanted to know if Americans really believe in the war and what Bush is doing. Oof. It is time for change. The world thinks we are stupid and completely mad. While the Hubby and I tried to be the best 'Americans' we could be, it is all quite pathetic. I think its time for me to officially get on a the Presidential campaign bandwagon.

More later...