maybe some karma

i feel like an asshole. that last entry might have been a little too crass and not very good with giving Vietnam fair treatment.  but i got a bit of karma to balance that out, i lost my sunglasses this morning trying, just trying mind you to stand of a paddle board.  sucks.  it wouldn't have been so bad except the glasses where a gift from a friend and had some sentimental value.  spiritual connections through material items.  their gone now... so it goes.

anyway, so things i might have skipped over yesterday.  RATS!  there were some huge fucking rats in Ho Chi Minh, like these guys were big enough to eat a big cat.  the pollution there was pretty crazy, but not so much more than that i've seen elsewhere.  charlie was commenting that he had been trying to keep his use of plastic down in the states but comes here and wonders if it matters.  it all matters but it is crazy to see.  also, i mentioned that the Vietnamese ride motorbikes.  i'm pretty sure that it's required that every person has at least one.  and to load up a family of four on one, and ride around with like 15 cases of pepsi or a fucking pile of rebar held over your head.  it's mad to see.  charlie noted that they are masters of packaging and weight distribution.  guaranteed!  the round abouts are insane as well.  i keep looking for crashes, like every other minute, but have yet to see one.  we did rent one and have decided it's pretty much the best.  looking to rent one in Hanoi and ride them to Halong Bay and Sapa when we're up north.  backpacks and all, should be legendary.

some more pics

a VC trap with bamboo spikes at the bottom.

 charlie teaching everyone that it's cool for a real man to drink out of a silly straw.

 jade emperor palace

 inside

 me and our favorite street vendor lady in ho chi minh

 opening hole to climb down into the Chu Chi tunnel system.  americans too fat from smoking marijuana and eating burgers too fit we were told.

the food has been terrific and cheap.  although, every time you spend money you think it is so much as you're dealing in at least the thousand and partly with hundreds of thousands.  i changed money at the airport and was given 2 million dong, which was a 100 bucks.  beers are like 50 cents, the pho is for real and mangoes and other tropical fruits hella good.  Mui Ne is a seafood town so we've been trying that as well.

more to come at some point.