Vietnam

Jesus, Mother and Mary that one was close.  Another motorbike whizzes past at blistering speeds. 
Ahhhhh please get me out of here
"Mr. Alex!!!  Is like a riber!!" my guide shouts at me.
Right, right.  Like a river.  I get a hold of my nerves and rev the tiny engine on the motorbike.  I am currently on a motorbike tour of Ho Chi Minh City.  A nighttime tour.  Why I chose the night tour I may never know but there I was.  Attempting to ride a motorbike through what seems to be just a mass of chaos and death.  Oh and let us not forget that I have never driven a motorcyle or scooter or anyrthing close before this.  So needless to say the learning curve was very very steep. 
The rules of the road consist of one rule.
Just do what ever the hell you want.
There are no traffic lanes and if there are, do not listen to them.  Crosswalks and stop signs mean absolutely nothing at all.  Pedestrians become moving traffic cones and always be on the lookout for wandering dogs. 
We are going to do a trip around the city and eat at a local restaurant.  We begin the tour at the local opera house and I am immediately thrust into the fray.  So many bikes weaving in and out of each other, darting this way and that all in an effort to get where they need as fast as humanly possible.  But what's more is the fact that cars are almost not used at all in Vietnam.  So people use their motorbikes as a sedan.  Much to my surprise.  We arrive at our first crossroads.  As our guide edges into the flow of traffic and I follow and happen to glance to my left.

I'm sorry sir, but you seem to have forgotten that you are riding a motorbike...BECAUSE THERE IS A FREAKING DEAD COW LAYED OVER THE BACK OF YOUR BIKE 
The entire cows is held on by only one rope attached at the back while its head bounces and scrapes along the asphalt.
And you sir.  I realize there is some shed that may very well need that 12ft by 5ft piece of plywood.  But putting your buddy on the back and telling him to hold it upright isn't working.  You have just created a giant sail and I fear your friend can't hold on much longer.
All these things and more I bear witness to as we slowly make our way down the tight and jam packed streets of Saigon.  The neon signs advertising "massage" parlours are on every corner while people selling dog meat and various other fodds are all around.  An amazing sense of euporia washes over me and I can hep but laugh as we weae in and out of the bikes.  The smells and the signs all add together to create a beautiful bustling city scene that one can....

JESUS CHRIST DUDE YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!!!  YOU ARE LITTERALLY JUST DRIVING FULL SPEED DOWN THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD!! 
What on earth could give a man the confidence to do that I will never know. 
The tour was all in all an amazing expierence that I will remember for the rest of my life.  As we arrived at the resturant to eat we were presented with so many dishes to eat.  Local fish and fruit of all colors of the rainbow.  I also ate a scorpion and a tarantula because I was hell bent on at least trying everything on the table.  I will say the tarantula was indeed the nastiest thing I have ever eaten and how I forced it down I may never know.  It crunches in your mouth and explodes down the back of your throat all while you swear you can feel the hair on its legs in you throat.  We also had mystery dishes that one can only assume were indeed Fido, Skippy, Spark and all their merry friends. 

From there I also saw the Meekong Delta and learned traditional Folk songs.  Plus in the north I got to see Halong bay and its floating fishing village where some people spend their entire lives never setting foot on dry land. 

All in all Vietnam was everything I hoped it would be.  The war is evident everywhere but you can tell they are trying their best to move on from that time in their history and become a desired tourist destination.  I loved Vietnam and would not hessitate to go back.

My next stop is China where some georgous landscapes awiat my capturing

Thanks to all the readers and visitors I get.  Your feedback on Facebook makes me feel so loved.  Also shot out to my family hanging on every word of this blog.  I know you all are worried sick about me and I would like to thank you all for the love and support you are showing.  Also big ups to my Skype friends.  Whenever I Skype one of you it really does make my entire day so thank you.

Alright enough with the sappy love story, on with the goodies!