Back to Ho Chi Minh City for a few days before heading home. The hustle and bustle of the city are quite a change from the countryside. Heavy smog is in the air and noisy motorcycles fill every street. Many of the women wear masks over their faces. There is alot of building and repairs going on. Vietnam is trying to improve it's economy through trade and tourism. You can see how much growth there has been by looking up at the electrical wires along the streets. It would make any electrician in the USA cringe.

The majority of the people seem to be under 30 years old. There must have been a baby boom after the war ended. I wanted to go shopping, so I stood on the corner for a minute and waited for one of the many motorcyclists to pull up and offer me a ride. After showing him where I wanted to go on my map and negotiating a price, I put on his extra helmet and climbed on the back. We weaved in and out of traffic, but I arrived safely. We saw only two motor accidents the whole time we were there, which is surprising considering the way everyone drives. I repeated the process to get back to my hotel. It was an exhillarating experience.