Robert Durrette

Really, it still is. Everyone here still uses "Saigon." After all, it's a heck of a lot easier to say than "Ho Chi Minh City." They should have known...

We took an overnight train south to Hue, which was quite important in the distant as well as recent past. After spending one night there, we traveled to Hoi An, a VERY charming city--so much so that we spent 3 nights there. Newsflash: I had two suits tailor-made. For less than $300. Including dress-shirts and handmade silk ties. Do that math.

I rented a motorbike for two days and rode all over the damn place. We actually stayed on an island known as Cam Nam, but we were only 6km or so from an absolutely stunning beach. I accidently rode my motorbike onto a Vietnamese army base, which they weren't too pleased with. No big deal, though. I also had lunch at the End of the World Restaurant which was located, almost literally, at the end of the world. I can't rant and rave enough about Hoi An: the people are just fantastic, the city is very asthetic, and the food is to die for. More or less, I had a 3-day stay in bliss-ville.

Can't write too much--we're going to dinner in a few minutes. I'll try and squeeze in a few pictures. We have tonight (night 2 of 2) in Saigon, followed by a drive to the border with Cambodia tomorrow. We'll be spending the night in Chou Doc, then taking a speedboat up the Mekong to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. FYI--they just held an "election" there, so if you happen to catch any reports of violence, e-mail me. It's difficult to follow from here.

Take care,

-RWD