Dalat - up in the Highlands of Vietnam is Dalat. A random little place advertised as the 'Paris of Vietnam'. Whoever made this up clearly lied. The market was a highlight with live chickens, eels, snakes and lots of any freshly removed intestines in bowls. Not the place to go if you don't have a strong stomach.
We hired ourselves a couple of 'Easy Riders'(http://www.easy-riders.net/) for the day and set out on the back of motorbikes up into the mountains. My dude was called Dragon. So I can honestly say I have flown around Vietnam on the back of a Dragon.
We were told we were going to a 'Chicken Minority Village' - we had high hopes of it being a village of chickens that had been outcasts in their society. Alas there were no punk chickens - but a lovely little community... Oh and a 20ft statue of a chicken. The women sat and weaved beautiful scarves and sheets - I still wish I'd bought more as they were stunning.
To the top is the villages petrol station. Below are some kids that were loving being photographed (as long as they got see see every picture afterwards on the camera screen!)
Who could resist this pouty little face?! He was the cutest little boy - he knew how to say 'hello!' and 'I love you'! in English so kept running past while we were eating. So cute. This picture was taken just after he'd been told off by his Mum for running around.
Saigon/HCMC
Top picture: Typical junction in Ho Chi Minh City. Crazy busy with bikes, people, cars and more bikes with stupendous amounts of things piled up on them.
Middle picture: Street shopkeeper having a little doze in the intense heat.
Left: A doggie that lived at an internet Cafe. I fell in love with her. Check out those little eyes and the pearl necklace!!
Next stop: A trip across the Mekong Delta to Cambodia...
Mekong Delta
Oh yes. We traveled in style. Garden chairs on the back of a van. It was a lot of fun - if a little uncomfortable! Even out here, in the middle of not-a-lot, there were random little mobile phone shops (well, sheds) on the side of the road. Amazing.
The man in front of me here was perhaps one of the most beautiful men I had ever seen. Gorgeous, french, funny, intelligent and........saved me falling into this river in a very undignified manner. Sigh.
Randomly on the river boat trip, they took us to a brick making factory. Luckily I like random. It may sound dull but it was pretty cool - and sweltering hot. Fortunately for me, the sun was so intense that it looked amazing as it came through the holes in the roof, it made it look like there were stars on the floor.
