Monday January 2, 2012 Woke up suprisingly early today and had great BIG breakfast. Then went wandering out on the streets. HCM seems as if its a blend of old and new world. There are familiar western inlfuence such as building styles, KFC signs and western styl clothing. And then there are the hundred of street merchants dressed in traditional clothes, street food (not safe for us) and lots of older buildings aside new skyscrapers. What is most present are the zooming motor bikes that are everywhere. THey make Rome seem tranquil. At night it is like being trapped inside a glass jar filled with lightning bugs. Despite any clear sense of order it wasnt hard to cross the street and be safely passed by bikes, sometimes with up to 4 riders! When we had supper at our hotel we sat near a window and in the dark they truly looked like the picksies from NeverLand. FOr dinner we had the Vietnamese set menu which started with appetizers of crab leg mousse (that also had pork in it); shrimp rolls, some type of rice cake and a beef ball on a skewer. THis was followed by a chinese soup served in a pumbkin filled also with deer sinew. Finally a Vietnamese sea bass. All in all pretty good. But this alas was not cheap, especially washed down with a Chablie. Lots of packing tonight because tomorrow we are off on a boat tour ending for one night in a different town before returning to HCM. May not post until we return