Silk Factory : Dalat, Vietnam
Below are images of the silk factory, part of the tour we took in Dalat, Vietnam.
In the Hills of Dalat, Vietnam
After Saigon, we visited Dalat, a little agricultural town in the hills known as “The City of Eternal Spring.” Everyone appreciated escaping the tropical heat for a little while and wandering around the winding streets of town.
We took a tour of the area one day, visiting some flower plantations, a waterfall, a small silk factory and a coffee plantation. The man below was our tour guide:
We also stopped at a little place that made the coveted weasel poop coffee. Yes, you read that right. And yes, we tried it. Verdict = very good. We even bought some.
Saigon Dreaming: Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
It seems like so long ago, we can barely remember being there. We are in the thick of life-back-to-normal around here. But I had a little down time, and wanted to add more pictures from our SE Asia trip, so the blog can serve as a memory keeper for us. Here are some pictures from our time in Saigon, Vietnam — a bustling and colorful city that we considered staying in for a while — but then decided last minute to continue our adventures on to Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia (photos forthcoming — someday).
Some SuperBowl improvising, as there were no American football jerseys to be found. They did find a Sports Bar to catch the game — at 4am!
We were in Saigon during Tet, the Vietnamese New Year holiday during which the city fills with flowers for a couple weeks prior and then shuts down completely as people retreat to their homes to celebrate.
The War Remnants Museum in Saigon was interesting, to say the least. In Vietnam, the ‘Vietnam War’ is called the ‘American Aggressive War.’ There is no denying that atrocious things happened during the Vietnam War, many by the hands of people from the United States. But that certainly isn’t the only side to that story, as this museum presents. I’m pretty sure that the signage seen in the image below, Historical Truths is a bit of a contradiction in terms. I don’t think any historical story can be told without the bias of the group telling the story and that was certainly the case here. Sad and devastating, any way it is presented.
Remembering Cambodia
It’s been a while since my last post– more than a couple months. Six shoe sizes, five haircuts, five inches of vertical growth, and few border crossings to be vaguely exact. The rambling that follows is a revised draft, originally written during our bus ride into Vietnam from Kampot, Cambodia…8 weeks ago I think? We just finished up a relaxing stay at a friend/boatmate’s place on Koh Samui, Thailand. See Brian’s villa here. (We exercised our second of a three entry visas for Thailand.) Either Kelly or I will speak more about that in a future post. Maybe soon, but more likely not until after next Christmas. For the curious few, we’re still alive and well. With 3 more weeks abroad, we’re starting the last hoorah phase of our trip, currently in Malaysia, heading south into Singapore and Indonesia before our return. Fun fun!