Sinh Chao! from Vietnam. We are writing you from Dalat, in the central highlands where we have stayed for the cool breeze, steaming soy milk and the beautiful countryside. We have seen the south of Vietnam pretty well, starting off in the Mekong Delta and staying in Can Tho and Vinh Long. We then made our way to bustling Saigon, an extremely modern and friendly city where we met some nice locals and soaked up the culture. On to beach bumming, we spent two busy days in Mui Ne, touring the long stretch of beach on two wheels and searching for the famous sand dunes. The cloudy and windy beach reminded us of home with waves crashing into the sand, churning up the shells. Which brings us to where we are now. Tomorrow we will loop back to the coast to the city of Nha Trang. For now, we leave you with photos of Vietnam so far, heavy on the food for our biggest fan (you know who you are).
Our favorite after-dinner treat found near the market of Dalat. This woman sells three types of soy milks: cocoa, green bean and regular. You can get a steaming cup of soy milk with any of these delicious pastries for about $.50. We have made friends with the young boy on the left and tell him that we will "see him tomorrow" everynight. Our loyalty has kept us in Dalat for about 4 days now, tonight we will have to say goodbye for good (so sad!).
A well deserved bowl of stew after our 5 hour hike which ended in cool rain showers and clouds. We're not sure what its called, but it came with fresh shredded lettuce, mung beans and basil to add and was pretty tasty.
Colin on the peak. At 6,600ft it was a little chilly, a fact compounded by the ominous rain clouds that lurk in the background. The views from up here were still amazing and well worth the sometimes grueling climb through the jungle to get here.
A view of the trail through the pines on Lang Bian Mountain. We took a couple of detours from the "trail" (it was a paved road with jeeps zooming past for most of the way) to wander through the woods.
A view from the base of Lang Bian Mountain outside of Dalat. We rented a motorbike and rode out here, where we hiked to the peak (the tallest peak that is).
Colin stops for a treat in Dalat. This one is flattened rice with sesame seeds covered with a quail egg and spring onions and grilled to perfection.
Amanda poses for a photo, Asian style in the "Crazy House" in Dalat. It is a hotel that was built by an artistic local woman who studied in Russia. Each room has a different theme and small and curcuitious passageways connect them.
The city of Dalat in the cool central highlands of Vietnam. It was a treat to sleep with a blanket and wear long sleeves in the cool evenings! Finally we can eat pho without sweating into our bowl. We have found a little piece of the northwest here with a mountain to climb, wine to drink, and tandem bicycles to rent. This photo is of the bustling city center, where in the foreground a construction worker pounds some cement.
On our last day in Mui Ne we found the Sahara, or at least something looking like it. There were many kids at the base of the dunes offering to rent little sleds to bomb down them. We, being lame-os, opted out and just appreciated the views of the sand and sea beyond.
Amanda enjoying the cool breeze atop one of the many famous sand dunes around Mui Ne. We rode some rented bikes in search of the Sahara-like dunes we had heard about, but found only these. Impressive none the less.
A line of fishing boats on the beach in Mui Ne. Many boats here in Vietnam have eyes painted on the fronts of them. We don't really know why, but possibly to guide them safely home. Mui Ne beach stretches for 20km and has many sea walls instead of sand to protect the land from the powerful waves of the South China Sea.
On our last day in Saigon we visited a Fine Arts Museum housed in an old French colonial building. This statue was called "Villagers, learn to hate your enemy". There were many propaganistic paintings of valiant Viet Minh soldiers fighting the aggressors, much like in the War Remanants Museum that we saw the day before. It has been interesting to learn more about the Vietnam War (called the American War here) through the eyes of the Vietnamese people.
The city streets of Saigon were clogged with hundreds of motorbikes. Zebra stripes aren't a safe haven, ever.
One of the many large governmental buildings in Saigon. Saigon is a suprisingly clean and modern city, comprable to Kuala Lumpur. We spent three days here, museum hopping, urban hiking and visiting the zoo. We also drank our fare share of bia hoi and met some friendly locals in the process.
After the market we took the boat around a small island to see the production of tapioca based noodles. Then we crept through some mangroves. The boat captian took a break to make us some flowers out of palm fronds and teach Amanda how to do it too. Colin stepped up and rowed the boat for a while.
A market seller at a floating market surveying the area. The pajamas that she is wearing are ubiquitious in Vietnam, they look amazingly comfortable in the heat. The market had many large boats full of fresh fruits and veggies, as well as smaller ones hawking soup and coffee. It was quite a sight just to see a bustling market floating by as our guide stood in the back of the boat rowing us along.
Sunrise over the Mekong as we wake bright and early for a tour of one of the largest floating markets in the delta. From the description in our guide book we expected the delta to be covered with rice paddies and small towns. What we saw was one nearly continuous city from the border with Cambodia to Saigon. This tour on the Mekong was the one exception.
Bia hoi, quite possibly the cheapest beer in the world. Bia hoi, literally meaning fresh beer, is brewed for immediate consumption and can pack a punch at 5% alcohol for a minimal $.40 a liter. Not too shabby and pretty ngon (Vietnamese for delicious).
Colin oddly nearly gets bit by a penguin while discarding some trash in the Mekong Delta, Can Tho. A lot of the trash cans in Vietnam are shaped like animals, a touch of cute city planning we haven't seen for a while (trash cans alone being the city planning, penguin shaped ones being cute).
Our first bowl of steaming hot pho bo. We have searched near and far, eating pho every day to find the perfect bowl. This first one still takes the cake as the best (in Can Tho, Mekong Delta area).
Crossing over (by foot) from Cambodia to Vietnam we see paved roads and our first taste of triumphant Communist architecture. The border post leaving Cambodia was a wooden shack, the one for Vietnam a large, modern looking building. Lurking in that building was our first Vietnamese con-man, taking us to "catch a bus" where he tried to charge us $30 for a two hour ride which we knew only cost $2. We blew him off and found our way back into town, obviously.
Our favorite after-dinner treat found near the market of Dalat. This woman sells three types of soy milks: cocoa, green bean and regular. You can get a steaming cup of soy milk with any of these delicious pastries for about $.50. We have made friends with the young boy on the left and tell him that we will "see him tomorrow" everynight. Our loyalty has kept us in Dalat for about 4 days now, tonight we will have to say goodbye for good (so sad!).
A well deserved bowl of stew after our 5 hour hike which ended in cool rain showers and clouds. We're not sure what its called, but it came with fresh shredded lettuce, mung beans and basil to add and was pretty tasty.
Colin on the peak. At 6,600ft it was a little chilly, a fact compounded by the ominous rain clouds that lurk in the background. The views from up here were still amazing and well worth the sometimes grueling climb through the jungle to get here.
A view of the trail through the pines on Lang Bian Mountain. We took a couple of detours from the "trail" (it was a paved road with jeeps zooming past for most of the way) to wander through the woods.
A view from the base of Lang Bian Mountain outside of Dalat. We rented a motorbike and rode out here, where we hiked to the peak (the tallest peak that is). 
Colin stops for a treat in Dalat. This one is flattened rice with sesame seeds covered with a quail egg and spring onions and grilled to perfection. 
Amanda poses for a photo, Asian style in the "Crazy House" in Dalat. It is a hotel that was built by an artistic local woman who studied in Russia. Each room has a different theme and small and curcuitious passageways connect them.
The city of Dalat in the cool central highlands of Vietnam. It was a treat to sleep with a blanket and wear long sleeves in the cool evenings! Finally we can eat pho without sweating into our bowl. We have found a little piece of the northwest here with a mountain to climb, wine to drink, and tandem bicycles to rent. This photo is of the bustling city center, where in the foreground a construction worker pounds some cement.
A line of fishing boats on the beach in Mui Ne. Many boats here in Vietnam have eyes painted on the fronts of them. We don't really know why, but possibly to guide them safely home. Mui Ne beach stretches for 20km and has many sea walls instead of sand to protect the land from the powerful waves of the South China Sea.
On our last day in Saigon we visited a Fine Arts Museum housed in an old French colonial building. This statue was called "Villagers, learn to hate your enemy". There were many propaganistic paintings of valiant Viet Minh soldiers fighting the aggressors, much like in the War Remanants Museum that we saw the day before. It has been interesting to learn more about the Vietnam War (called the American War here) through the eyes of the Vietnamese people.
The city streets of Saigon were clogged with hundreds of motorbikes. Zebra stripes aren't a safe haven, ever.
One of the many large governmental buildings in Saigon. Saigon is a suprisingly clean and modern city, comprable to Kuala Lumpur. We spent three days here, museum hopping, urban hiking and visiting the zoo. We also drank our fare share of bia hoi and met some friendly locals in the process.
After the market we took the boat around a small island to see the production of tapioca based noodles. Then we crept through some mangroves. The boat captian took a break to make us some flowers out of palm fronds and teach Amanda how to do it too. Colin stepped up and rowed the boat for a while.
A market seller at a floating market surveying the area. The pajamas that she is wearing are ubiquitious in Vietnam, they look amazingly comfortable in the heat. The market had many large boats full of fresh fruits and veggies, as well as smaller ones hawking soup and coffee. It was quite a sight just to see a bustling market floating by as our guide stood in the back of the boat rowing us along.
Sunrise over the Mekong as we wake bright and early for a tour of one of the largest floating markets in the delta. From the description in our guide book we expected the delta to be covered with rice paddies and small towns. What we saw was one nearly continuous city from the border with Cambodia to Saigon. This tour on the Mekong was the one exception.
Bia hoi, quite possibly the cheapest beer in the world. Bia hoi, literally meaning fresh beer, is brewed for immediate consumption and can pack a punch at 5% alcohol for a minimal $.40 a liter. Not too shabby and pretty ngon (Vietnamese for delicious). 
Colin oddly nearly gets bit by a penguin while discarding some trash in the Mekong Delta, Can Tho. A lot of the trash cans in Vietnam are shaped like animals, a touch of cute city planning we haven't seen for a while (trash cans alone being the city planning, penguin shaped ones being cute).
Our first bowl of steaming hot pho bo. We have searched near and far, eating pho every day to find the perfect bowl. This first one still takes the cake as the best (in Can Tho, Mekong Delta area).
Crossing over (by foot) from Cambodia to Vietnam we see paved roads and our first taste of triumphant Communist architecture. The border post leaving Cambodia was a wooden shack, the one for Vietnam a large, modern looking building. Lurking in that building was our first Vietnamese con-man, taking us to "catch a bus" where he tried to charge us $30 for a two hour ride which we knew only cost $2. We blew him off and found our way back into town, obviously. 
French colonial shop houses line the streets of Kampot, Cambodia. Kampot is a pretty small river-side town with beautiful views of Bokor Hill in the background. We met Nathan and Jen here for a night out to fajita's at an expat joint.
