Vietnamese Rumba

Yes, Vietnamese rumba. But before I get to that, let me finish telling you about Phnom Penh. Yesterday (Wed, 11/11) I wandered around the city, first by the river where there's a lot of action. Then I went to "Wat Phnom" which is a pagoda/respite on the highest point in PP. It was kind of interesting to see people praying and there were monkeys climbing around. Plus it's in this park/plaza type area which was good for people watching and stopping to gulp water every few minutes b/c it's so frickin hot. Then I made my way over to the main city market, which was similar to the others I've seen in Cambodia and other developing countries. I bought a traditional Cambodian silk scarf and some silk pillow cases. I couldn't resist - and they're not heavy to carry.

Next it was on to the National Museum (pottery and bronze artifacts) which was semi interesting, though I don't get too excited about that type of thing. Probably would've been better if I had hired a guide, but I'm always reluctant to do that b/c it costs money and half the time you can't understand their English. (I always overhear the guides talking to others.) Later on in the day I was planning on going to the president's royal palace, but they closed it early because his motorcade was coming into town. So I didn't see the palace, but I did end up seeing the president - twice. Millions of Cambodian school children - and a few tourists like me - lined the streets waving flags to welcome him. :) I then wandered around all the nearby plazas, checking out monuments and people watching. It was quite lively. During dinner I met this German woman who's also traveling alone and we went to see this film she had heard about, which was about the Khmer Rouge. It was interesting b/c the filmmaker had footage from when the KR evacuated PP and interviews with people soon after. So it was a busy day, but no crazy stories to report.

Today I took a bus to Vietnam. I woke up kind of late b/c my alarm didn't go off and was slightly panicked b/c I needed to locate an ATM to be able to pay my hotel bill. I was told that I would be picked up at 6:45 and I got back around 6:35. Well the owner was slightly panicked b/c the minivan (which would take me to the bus) was already there and he was waiting for me. It seems as though everything in Cambodia is either on time or early! Definitely opposite of my experiences in Latin America and West Africa! So I got the bus - a nice air conditioned "better than grayhound" kind of bus - and made it to Saigon in 6 hours. I have to say that I'm shocked that I haven't ended up on anything resembling a chicken bus, tro-tro, or any other type of transportation where I'm packed like a sardine in with 50 others. I'm kind of sad b/c those experiences are always so fun! There were lots of Cambodians on the bus too, but surely there must be a not first class option. Every day I think about how much more developed this part of the world is than I expected. I think I can safely say it's more developed than Guatemala or Ghana. At least their tourist industry is for SURE. They really get it and have a knack for catering to western tourists.

Tonight I had my first real Pho (noodle soup)! What I've had in the U.S. is good, but I feel like now I can say I've had the real thing. I took a picture of it. :) Afterwards, I headed over to see this "water puppet show" which is a traditional art form in Vietnam. I read about it on the back of a map that I picked up at a travel agency. It was really good and I got a lot of pictures/videos. Then I wandered. Saigon is much more developed than Phnom Penh and it's such a happening place - it's honestly a lot like NYC! The motorbikes are even more insane than Cambodia. Frankly, I'm surprised I haven't gotten hit by one yet. It's so crazy I can't even explain it. At most intersections there aren't lights or walk signs for pedestrians, but you need to cross with *hundreds* of motorbikes speeding around you every which way. You just move forward slowly, one "lane" at a time and everyone (hopefully) moves around you. Occasionally I piggyback off the boldness of a Vietnamese person and just scoot across right along with them. I tried to get some video of it b/c it's truly insane. At least more people wear helmets here than in Cambodia. While I was wandering, I stumbled upon this large group of youth - maybe 200 kids or so - who were doing some sort of team building activities I think. They were in circles, with a leader inside each, who was yelling funny commands for the kids to do. It looked like summer camp in the U.S. and all the kids were giggling. There was also an outdoor aerobics class going on nearby. I think I'm going to try to join it tomorrow! Later on in my wandering, I came across this outside "gym" of sorts where people were playing tennis, badminton, various martial arts, basketball, lifting weights, running, and various dance classes! So this is where I saw the rumba class. It was pretty entertaining to watch! The Vietnamese seem to be seriously into exercising. Also, it's obviously a very metropolitan area - lots of cultural activities and action in just my short walk.

That's it for now - it's only 9 pm and I'm exhausted. I cannot wait to sleep in AC! BTW, I got a SIM card for my phone. If anyone needs to get a hold of me, my digits in Vietnam are 01265066280. Peace!