Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Ho Chi Minh City

While Ho Chi Minh City has noise and some trash and way too many motorbikes, it is worlds better than Phnom Penh and we were thrilled to arrive in Vietnam. Immediately after checking into our hotel we took care of our first and most important item of business: finding some pho. The food in Vietnam has been excellent, and our first bowl of pho did not disappoint. Savory broth, unlimited lime, fresh basil...mmm. Thank you to Mallory for first introducing us to pho back in San Jose. Pho Bang definitely stands up to Ho Chi Minh City standards!

We only spent two full days in Ho Chi Minh City, as we were eager to get to Phu Quoc Island for some beach time. The greatest thing we did in the city was attend a county-fair-meets-art-and-garden-show that we stumbled upon in the park. As with most fairs, people had submitted homegrown items for judging. This being Asia, the categories for submission included bonsais, koi, and sculptures made from fruit and plants. We had a great time checking out all the cool fish and meticulously manicured bonsais. As a souvenir, we got cutouts of our silhouettes from an artist with a real talent for recreating profiles with scissors and cardstock - only 10,000 dong (US $0.57) each!

Phobulous!

Crazy motorbike traffic and awesome Power Ranger balloons.

Aquarium in a fish tent at the fair - a sort of nesting doll effect.

A prize-winning bonsai.

This dragon reminds me of a tropical version of the Halloween pumpkins my dad used to make when I was a kid, with vegetables for the facial features and straw for the hair.

Try this dragon topiary fountain in your front yard for that understated look.

Sitting for my silhouette. If I look tired and hot it's because I was and it was!

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