Marci and Steve Go Back to Europe

Perhaps the strict rules dissuaded more participants, but there were NO correct answers to this contest. This is the item, separated from the stack of new ones that were previously shown for sale in a local Cambodian shop.... These are indeed chicken cages, but not for ordinary chickens..... Kate B. was very close, but in Cambodia you tie up your chicken that are for sale to a rock, like this... Chickens, for sale in local market..note that all are tied up with  twine to rocks so they don’t wander off. No, these cages, at least in Vietnam & Cambodia, are for use as cages for your Fighting Cocks..... Cock fighting remains illegal in Cambodia, but is still pretty widespread, especially in the villages in the countryside....where it is a source of sport and something to wager upon.  Bread and circuses, you know.... So, a good cock is appreciated, and well cared for..... A family with many cocks...... Here is Tri,...

AHHHHHH......Finally, the beach This trip has been go, go, go. Even on our leisurely Mekong boat, breakfast at 7:00, excursion at 8:30, out again after lunch for another interesting trip onshore. But finally we land in Phu Quoc, a small island off the southwest coast of Vietnam, only an hour flight from Saigon.  This is Vietnam’s comer, hoping to be an answer to Thailand’s Phuket in another ten years.  We have finally left behind guides and drivers and have simply a hotel shuttle to a beautiful resort on Long Beach with five star service. We are welcomed straight into the bar for a passion fruit martini.....none of that cheap champagne or ginger tea ( not that we haven’t enjoyed those also). And we have also finally arrived at our vision of Vietnam’s French Colonial past with green shuttered pale yellow buildings and wicker and palm trees.  Steve has already asked if we could possibly never leave the resort for our stay but I will give h...

I must confess that when we planned this trip, in spite of the copious research done in advance ( mostly by Marci), and all the guide books read, and online searching, I arrived in Asia mostly unprepared for things. Our crew onboard the cruise boat - I would have adopted any one of them - all great! I know it would be hot. And humid.  But - wow- this is a whole 'nother kind of heat....I wrote earlier that Bangkok was unrelenting in the oppressive weather, but I stopped sharing that, because, really, who wants to hear me complain....especially when you have 4" of snow to deal with..... But Chaing Mai was also hell-like.....Laos was better at night, but heated up daytime. Cambodia was not much better either. But perhaps we just got used to 2 showers a day, and surrendered to the sweat. Marci, fading in the heat It wasn't until we got to Saigon that we had really pleasant evening temps, and only 'normal' daytime temps of 85 to 90... ...

Contest #2 of the World Famous WTF game OK - last time was too easy, so let's try this.... Picture below is an item available in Cambodia & Vietnam. Seems pretty commonly available.... To win you need to tell me what it is, and how it is used...and you need to be very specific - there is a finite use. As usual, first fully correct answer wins a prize - dinner at our house in Santa Fe, Marci cooks and I clean up...... Here you are:

Saigon Crazy This city is BIG. Big and crazy.  13 million people and what seems like 5 million scooters. As we said goodbye to our guide, Tri, today he had only a couple of words of advice. Only get in or call a taxi whose phone number is either 38 27 27 27 or 38 38 38 38. Everyone else will not be honest with a meter -  AND Even though there will be hundreds of scooters driving down the street, just put up your arm, all the way like you are raising your hand in school and start crossing. The scooters will go around you.  Number 1 is easy as 90% of the cabs have these phone numbers. Number 2 is hard and pretty scary the first time, still scary the second time....the third and the fourth too. By the fifth time, you start to just not look at the oncoming bikes or you cross with a local.  So, if you can’t find a cab with the right number AND it’s too hard to walk in the brutal traffic, what can you do? Call an Uber of course. What a surprise...

Today, no words......just snapshots of our trip.....