Ho chi minh City!

Hello Friends and Family!

I am currently in Ho Chi Minh City with Nina Fan!
We flew in today and boy are our arms tired...har har har...
nah it was more or less an uneventful flight. we watched the Tooth Fairy with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Ashley Judd featuring Julie Andrews as the head fairy. It was like the Santa Clause meets Arnold Schwartzenagger with Fairies. Hmmm...and some super-dirty clean jokes! Oh that Billy Crystal!

anyway. we arrived and made our way into the city and I'm feeling buzzed!
there are MASSIVE crowds of motorbikes, and they weave around like clowns in a cage, through traffic, on the streets as well as sidewalks. I was so nervous crossing the street today, that I grabbed Nina's hand like a schoolgirl. a nice man sitting at the corner sort of chuckled, held up my umbrella like a crossing guard, and walked us across the busy street. People here are so sweet!
And did I mention it's TYPHOON season? it's hot, it rains and cools, heavy sheets of rain, as thisk as fog and heavy as an evening shower. nd then before you know it, it's sunny and steam is rising from the pavement!
A new culture, language, and all the rain, wow! I am on Susan-vaca-brain!
It's funny, when I travel, it's like I snap right back into the person I was the last time I traveled, and all these memories flood back. Of my cravings for Halal roti with curry for breakfast, and 4am massages, and meeting people. of the drunken Australians with great accents and warm spirits. of staying with Cari in Taiwan over New Years. It's ALL like it happened like, yesterday or so recently. and I'm sitting in a cafe with Nina thinking about all those great memories and they're feeling so much more real than what I'm doing RIGHT NOW, and I think of all the possibilities--and I toast to new adventures, memories, and a continuing story. Welcome back, vaca-sus! I've missed you.

tomorrow we will tour the Cu-chi (yes I said that) tunnels and the war museum, watch a documentary, and visit a night market. Don't worry about me, I'm making good use of my time and attentions. Nina is proving so far to be a good travel buddy. We had some snafoos getting here-thanks to my travel-brain not paying full attention, but it's getting better now :)

goodnight, and See you in the AM!