This morning we went to the floating market and I was impressed and embarassed all at the same time. Embarassed that we (tourists) have taken this way of life and turned it into a circus. I watched tourists climb onto small boats that were selling pineapple taking lots of silly pictures and felt embarassed for the shy but proud people serving them. Later I would become more embarassed as I tirned into one of the acts watchi a very nice lady who must have her photo taken a hundred plus times a day carve me a pineapple. I guess it is a part oftheir living now. Surrounding the boats selling fruitsorvegetables are boats serving the sellers. A woman cruises by with breakfast to sell and coffee. Another boat cruises along with cold drinks.

After the floating market we head down river to see how they make rice noodles. It is very similar to rice paper but the 'papers' are thicker and once dried they are put through a cutter and the. Stacked and packaged. Tourists obviously visit-by a donation from your guide but today there is no gift shop. I wonder what market these noodles are headed too and apologize if anyone fi ds ashort light brown hair mixed in with their noodles as it likey fell off my head in an attempt to get an interesting shot.

Back to the tourist dock and an end to my sea adventures for now. We head to the local museum which for some reason closes at 11am. We got kicked outat 10:55. Next stop a Budhisttemple complete with shaven heads and orange togas. The temple is one of many where Chinese, Japanese and peoplefrom Cambodia have mixed their traditions, cultures, religions and blood lines. If you look at a map it makesa lot of geographical sense. It also explains for me some of my confusion over the different budhas. We end the morning at this beautiful old house that is surrou ded by lovely gardens.

And now my lunch is ending and it is back to the hotel for a siesta/blog update before we head to the stork gardens. The restaurant has filled up, apparently 12noon is too early for lunch. I am constantly surprised at the lack of chopstick eating going on. At lunch the only other person I saw weilding a pair was a fellow leftie also travelling solo. I am proud to say that I have mastered the prawn by chopstick. Hold the prawn with them just before the shell. It is just that easy.

The stork garden was interesting and the sheer number ofbirds outstanding. Of course the stench of bird excrement was also pretty extreme. They have a viewing platform to give you a birds eye view. Sad, but myfavorite part was the bike ride to and from. Only a few km but the ride through the village was exhilerating. It wasnt fast or crazy it just felt like being free should feel.

Back to Saigon tomorrow and a plane ride to Hanoi to then board an overnight train to Sapa!

For supper I finally had pho. Pho for those of you in the know is what I would think of as a traditional dish. Though I have no idea if it really is. I selected pho bo sate and Im not sure what that means lol. I know bo is beef but the sate will need to be investigated. This was nota dish for the faint of heart or palate. The first bite/slurp made me cough and sneeze which means it is spicy! Even now my lips feel plump. I tamed it with lime juice and some soya sauce. Regardless of spice level it was delish. (I have sine learned that sate refers to the peppers which is why it was so HOT.

In keeping with todays princess theme I had a Cinderella to drink. Fresh lemon, oranger and pineapple juice with a touch of grenadine. Excellent.

To end the meal coconut i e cream. The rest of my notes for the evening were just jibberish so I will end the day there and puck up my adventure 'tomorrow'.