'Good morning Vietnam, hey this is not a test, this is rock and roll, time to rock it from the delta to the DMZ....' [copyright Robin Williams (not to be confused with the maori-tattooed, chain-smoking, ex-drug addict, boyband chubster of similar nomcleture)]

Well we are in (Ohhhhh-eeeee-ohhhhh) Ho Chi Minh City - we've landed in Saigon - it is kinda between the Mekong Delta and the DMZ so hence the quote...the first of many no doubt as as a child myself, James, and Maaaaaaaaartin (private joke) Bamforth leant the soundtrack to 'Good Morning Vietnam' off by heart.

The first thing that hits you about HCMC place is the traffic. This is like Phnom Penh X 10. They have six (!) lanes on each roundabout (on the roundabout not on approach) for traffic... It is absolutely manic. Having said that the people are wonderful, very similar to Cambodians - trying to better themselves and sell you stuff, but very accepting if you decline. So far we have had a game of badminton with a couple of schoolgirls, and played keepy-uppy with the locals, great fun...even better after a couple of beers in fact. Last night we went to the best Italian restaurant in town called...wait for it...not 'La Dolce Vita', 'Pizzeria Firenze' or 'Papa Leone's' but...'Good Morning Vietnam'...oh the irony - at least it wasn't run by a Yank - that would have been too much irony to bear...

Our guesthouse is run by something of a local celebrity - Madam Cuc - and her family. A couple of the girls who run the place have nick-names me 'Happy Buddha' and love poking and prodding my stomach. I presumed this was just light hearted piss-taking but last night when questioned they said they liked by gut as 'the men don't have them over here'...FANTASTIC!!! It is by far the best guesthouse we have stayed in - they make everyone feel so welcome, and we've got air-con/fridge/TV for the same price as budget gueshouses.

Today we went to the Remnents War Museum - which used to be called the American and Chinese War Crimes Museum. The Vietnamese decided that might be a little off-putting to visitors of said countries so re-named it. It truely was harrowing - hundreds of pictures taken from the front line of the enormity of the Vietnam War. It was very one-sided - nothing said of the atrocities in the North of the country - but the images still shone through with real clarity and meant although the view gained was inbalanced you got a vivid understanding of the conflict. It was utterly horrific, and to think it looks as though we may be 10 days away from it happening all over again...what was that about mans inhumanity to man....??

We have been ferried around HCMC by a couple of guys on bikes with a kind of cradle like seat in the front (cyclos) who basically sided with the American's (as did most of the South) during the war, and thus, under the 're-education' programmes of the mid-70s lost their jobs and citezenship when the war finished - forcing them to live on the streets with no identity or benefits. They are not allowed in public buildings and effectively do not exist. There are rumours the government is trying to get rid of them altogether. Anyhoo, our guys were great, showing us the sights of parts we probably wouldn't have got to (backstreets etc...) en route to the railway station...

Now I don't know how much you know about queuing in Vietnam but it is more reminiscent of a 'bundle' at school, except this one is standing up at a kiosk. About 10 people basically form a scrum and whoever shouts the loudest, barges the most, and thrusts money towards the clerk gets served first...not one to miss an opportunity I decided to give it a go, held my own (you've got to remember not only am I wide out here but tall as well - they are all about 3 inches shorter than me) and got served at the exact point at which I entered the queue. I was pretty chuffed to be honest especially as all the signs were in Vietnamese and no English was spoken anywhere. What is even more of a miracle is that the tickets are the correct train, to the correct destination, on the correct day. I even got 2 top bunks!!! We're leaving here on Sunday to go north to the beach resort of Nha Trang where we hope to go diving if the visibility is OK - if not, we're in need of a bit of R & R after Laos so will be soaking up some rays for a couple of days.

Tomorrow we're off to the tunnels at Cu Chi - where the legendary resistence to the US Army was met, and (you've got Jen to thank for this little trip) we're off to to a multi-coloured church where they practice a religion that is a mixture of Buddhism, Christianity, and Confuscionism. What an eclectic mix.

Four other things of note...namely...

We received an email from someone who said reading this was like following a cult - I didn't have the heart to inform him of his mis-spelling. (boom boom!).

Secondly, we are now listed on google!!! If you go to google and type 'Dan Jen round the world' you will see our diary listed...no excuses from anyone now that you forgot the URL.

Thirdly, Jen is cutting my hair tonight, and we have agreed that if it is a mess I am going to shave my head. She is adament she'll do a good job...watch this space. [For some reason she believes trimming my sideburns once means she is now Nicky bloody Clarke]

Fourthly (and finally) - We spent 7 hours yesterday trying to sort our ticketing fiasco out. When we re-routed in the UK originally they should have re-issued a new set of tickets and only taken one out of our pack - instead they took 2 and didn't re-issue. Thus we had no flight coupon to exchange and it took BA 7 hours to sort it out yesterday. That said I don't want to bore you with the details but suffice to say we're now booked on the flight from HK to Manila on 14/4. We also booked and paid for our HK tickets and will arrive there on 27/3. When in HK we are staying with Nic, the French chap we met whilst trekking, and as a thank-you we have offered to cook old-fashioned English food for three nights (not broth and stuff, but shepherd's pie etc...) We are even having a ROAST DINNER...we're counting down the days. Hope you can buy chickens - if not it'll have to be roast cat.

Only joking Mum.