Ho Chi Minh??

       Vietnam. We have successfully returned to the flow of backpacker living. After a few rocky days missing the comfort of traveling with my parents i.e the comfy beds, buffet dinners, great company, and the occasional massage, we have regained our stride.
      We spent two nights in the Mekong Delta at a cool little "homestay" on an island in the river. Our place had a working orchard full of tons of delicious fruit and a 91 year old owner who eerily resembles Ho Chi Minh himself. Every so often, only when you were lucky, you would see him emerge from his quarters, staff in hand to walk the grounds for a minute or two before silently disappearing again for hours. When we made contact it was clear he may not have really known what was going on as he waved his hands around somewhat randomly until we continued on our way. The only downfall was our room was a bit dirty..we awoke to several hundred dead bugs coating the floor the second morning. That aside, we enjoyed a great river boat cruise through the delta canals with a local guy, and visited one of the many floating markets where we clambered onto the sellers boats to pick out the best watermelons and pineapples from the pile of several hundred laying in the hull. In the afternoon we used Ho's rickety bikes to explore the island a bit, and Stef got a nice purple 50 cent pedicure along the way. Other than that we spent a lot of time reading, relaxing, and watching some great evening lightning storms.
         After the delta we headed North to Mui Ne, a beautiful little beach town full of great cafes, lots of guesthouses, and perfect weather. We were in full out relaxation mode at this point, reading on the beach, and swimming in the amazingly warm waters. In the afternoon we rented a motorbike and headed off to find the sand-dunes we had heard about. After about forty minutes driving, we tailed a tour jeep most of the way so as not to get lost, we arrived at spectacular white sand dune mountains next to a water-lilly filled lake. It certainly did not feel like Vietnam at any point. We hiked up them for a beautiful view of the surrounding desert area. It felt just like New Mexico strangely enough.
        Today we arrived in Dalat, a town north of Mui Ne and inland at an altitude of about 5000 ft. The weather is sooooo nice, 70 degrees in the middle of the day, almost cold at night! What a great relief from the 90's and humidity. The city is bustling but very interesting. We had our best Vietnamese food yet and found some tasty street stalls as well. Tomorrow we are heading 15 km out of town to hike Lang Bian Mountain which is a little under 8000 ft so we shouldn't have to much trouble..we hope. Hope you are all doing well. Miss you, Mas