Chau warned me against adopting a cute Cambodian child...and I laughed telling her not to worry...but after visiting an orphanage full of the most adorable, loving, sweet kids in Phnom Penh, I seriously considered adopting a cute kid some day from here. I can't wait to share pictures of these kids with you - one of the boys just latched on to me and wouldn't let me go! We danced to Cambodian music and they gave us a traditional dance show which was captivating.
We also went out to a club in Phnom Penh which was an absolute riot. First of all, before midnight, there are shows to Western songs that incorporate hideous costumes and crazy dancing with some awful singing. Secondly, the men dance like they are on crack and shake your hand to ask you to dance. A good time was had by all :)
On a sad note, we visited the Killing Fields - where Pol POt and his army killed massive amounts of people for fun and raped many women and went to the torture chambers which were a school at one point. It was awful and very upsetting that so many people were hurt for no reason.
Vietnam is a crazy place. Two men were seriously fighting over me to ride in a little cyclo thing with them and that was scary. There are over 4000 motorbikes in Saigon and you just have to cross the street with 100's coming at you and hope they weave around you. There are 40 fatalities each day on motor bikes alone! The city is really pretty and the French influence is intersting - there is actually a Catholic church here and it has some nice Virgin Marys that are surroded my neon lights (they really like those here....). The coffee is fantastic and the rice paper rolls are phenomenal - finally the food is healthy and not fried! I have yet to see any obsese people that are not white in Vietnam and to date have only seen one fat Asian and I think she may have been a tourist :)
Today we visited the War Remnants museum which made me very unhappy about the US involvement in this country and felt physically ill because of all of the photos and information about the hideous tortures. In addition, we went to Chu Chi - the tunneled city that the Vietnamese lived in for 10 years and was crucial to them winning the war. It was amazing and extremely scary in the tunnels - they were TINY and smelly but included a school, hospital, kitchen, etc.
Sorry for the long post - internet has been spotty here. Tomorrow we leave for Danang and I am getting excited to resume a non-travelling life and see Johanna and other people I miss :) Mabel and Em - good luck with the marathon - Woo hoo!
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