Matt: On the road

To our agreement Nick and I think that the best part of our trip has just begun. We are venturing out of the big city and into the rural campo where we rightfully feel at home. Because of the similar climates that El Salvador and Vietnam share, there is very similar vegetation. We keep seeing the banana trees, flor de fuego, izote, eucalyptus, maranon, licha, mamon, and a ton of other beautiful plants that were part of our daily lives in Central America. It is easy to see that we are experiencing a bit of nostalgia for our recently former home. It has been special seeing these plants and learning their Vietnamese names. In a way it is giving us a greater picture of the world, bringing some universality to our view of humanity, which I think is something we all try to look for at some level or another. And if you could see how absolutely different this place is, this culture is, to anything we are used to in the west, a little bit of nostalgia is greatly appreciated to help us feel like we aren't in a complete other world.

Nostalgia aside, we got out of Ho Chi Minh City as fast as we could before spending too much money. Nick convinced me to get a massage with him, and boy was it nice. If I could marry someone who could massage my feet the way those women did it yesterday evening, I would not be a needy man. That is all I need for happiness. We jumped on a sleeper bus, which is called so because it has no seats, but BEDS to lie in during your journey. It is a beautiful way to travel, though something that I was surprised to see. I mean, I have taken 23 hour bus rides through Mexico and the Mexicans love luxury options to travel, but not even THEIR nicest buses had beds to lie in. Luxury might have a more amplified interpretation here in the east. Even all of the city buses have air conditioning, which isn't something I would expect to see coming to a developing country. It is sure making travel a lot nicer, however. It still is 95 degrees with high humidity at night, so a little comfort doesn't go unappreciated.

Right now we are stopped in a coastal city, Mui Ne, staying in a very nice beach hotel owned by an Ozzy and his Vietnamese/American wife. It's beautiful, and cheap ($5), and a nice little leisure stop. Tomorrow we head to a larger beach town and will hopefully rent some scooters and ride out to see waterfalls and a little countryside.

I'm in good health at the moment. Nick had a short stomach issue but seems to be recovered. Off to bed!