A date!

I think I went on a date last night.

I was eating at a spot that Wendy recommended (thanks Wendy!) where there was a healthy mix of locals and tourists and quite a bit of a wait. I was asked if I minded sharing a table, which I didn't - better than eating alone! I was seated with a mid-50's gentleman who appeared to be Korean, and a mid-30's woman who I thought was Vietnamese.

They spoke to each other in very broken English and had difficulty communicating. They ended up writing notes to each other in English rather than speaking. Most of the dinner was in silence, though. Probably only about 2 notes were exchanged. I happened to catch a glimpse of one.

Woman: After we eat I will be going home by bus. How will you be going home?
Man: You will be going home by taxi.
I will be going home by taxi.
It will take you 30 minutes by taxi.

This was all I got. Strange. Clearly this woman lives very far outside the city.

My food came first, but after theirs came they offered me some. It was a fish served with some veggies and broth over a burner so the stew cooked a bit. The woman made me a rice paper wrapped fish. Yum. They talked with me a bit and I found out that he was in town on business from Korea and will be here 3 months and that she is indeed Vietnamese. I asked if they worked together (assuming they didn't, but hoping they would tell me how they knew each other). They don't work together - really all I know.

Any thoughts?

Today I did a trip of the Cu Chi tunnels. These are the tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the war. It was a fascinating trip as our guide was an American officer during the war (but of Vietnamese descent). He told great stories and we got a great picture of what it was like there. I also got a picture of myself in a VC sniper hole. Those were not large people :) I stopped by the War Remnants museum today, which was quite illustrative and very depressing. Lots of pictures and descriptions of torture tactics and people deformed by agent orange. Kind of a downer, but it's given me an interesting perspective on the war, that's very different than what I'd get in the U.S.

I plan to leave tonight on an overnight bus to Nha Trang - a beach town that will be a nice respite from the buzz of Saigon. I wish that I could capture the motorbikes here on camera. It's quite the scene. Traffic laws, right of way, sides of the street - none of these things really matter. I have taken a couple rides (sorry mom!!!) to get from place to place, though, as they're super cheap and very efficient!