E's travelogue

"E's" observations:
1) For those of you who have followed my travelogues over the years (that is, letters to grandma in the BB--before blogs--era), you know that most my content revolves around hiking. Therefore I have nothing to report...
2) I hadn't even finished point 1 before Tracy kicked me off her post because my comments were making the post "too long." Ahem.
3) Who is "E"? It sounds like a James Bond villain. I prefer "the professor formally known as E."
4) In my travelogues, when I wasn't discussing hiking, I would make sarcastic sociological observations about the natives or my traveling companions. Since my parents aren't with me and my wife is peering over my shoulder, I'll have to confine my observations to the natives.
5) I would not drive in Saigon. My Dad, despite his love of driving, would not drive in Saigon. He once lost a battle with a hedge in Ireland. He would have a nervous breakdown trying to drive here. (See, I found a way to rag on my parents in a travelogue even when they're not here. Shows my lack of creativity!) If you've ever watched a school of tropical fish (Ok, or watched Finding Nemo for those of you who don't get out much), you get the idea of driving around here. Thousands of fish/scooters (and bikes and cars and busses) all driving within inches of one another and somehow they move together without running into one another. I'd expect more people to be missing limbs...
6) Our hotel is half a block from the Vietnamese gov building where US helicopters plucked people from the roofs as Saigon fell. We didn't find this out until last evening. The Vietnamese clearly need to work on their marketing. If the Irish can get people to pay $, wait in line for hours, climb 4 flights of stairs built for leprachuans to hang upside down and kiss stone on a battlement wall of a collapsing castle, the Vietnamese ought to let people know where the major media event of the end of the US/Vietnam war occurred.
7) Who knew there were 47 kinds of baby formula? Ok, many of you are now snickering at me because if there are 47 kinds in Vietnam, there must 689.3 in the US.
8) Off to Ben Tre and Vinh Long. Next post will be from Colin Nhan. Obviously, he'll need a separate space so that he doesn't take too much space on Mom's post.