Vietnam just keeps getting better and better. It's a thousand degrees and I've never sweated more profusely, but throw me into Halong Bay with jellyfish and then it's no problem. Took a cruise through the bay on a lovely junk boat to enjoy the magnificent cliffs jutting out of the water - there are three thousand of these rock formations scattered throughout. Thank goodness they're protected by UNESCO. Back in Hanoi - a big city with more condensed space and a richer culture than in Saigon. I've eaten some different things, including crickets, pork tripe, frog's legs, and yes, dog. Sorry, guys, but I was led to believe it was a special breed of dog only for cooking. Tonight I will see a water puppet show and then head to Laos tomorrow on a long, windy ... read more

Saigon has an energy unlike anyplace I've seen yet on this trip. It has a pulse like New York. I welcome the hustle and bustle, the chaotic sea of motorbikes squeezed into the streets, the shouts of market vendors and stinky smells of fish and garbage. I love it. Being an American also makes reactions to this place unique ... and I felt it full force while visiting the war museum and Cu Chi Tunnels, where a strategic underground community defended the North. Thriftyness was of the essence - old tires became sandals, old bombs could hold new, homemade ones ... bamboos spears were carved, and tapioca trees could be eaten at the root. The tunnels were not a place of sentiment. It was not repeated that 4 million people were killed, only the resilency ... read more

That's it, the gloves are off. After days of travelers' diarrhea, I'm ready to regain control of my trip and my meals. I'm going to eat what I want, and maybe even beat my head cold with five alarm chilies. I figure I can smoke it out of my system. Our guide, Cat, has been taking us to some of the local faves for meals. The rest of the group is up in arms at the lack of Western options- I couldn't be more delighted. And I am feeling better. When I saw pig's brain soup on the menu, I knew I had to have it. It was brought to me in a tiny bowl, viscous and almost congealed with the bits of ground up brain floating at the surface. Oh. I half-expected a whole lobe ... read more

Less than thirty years ago, a man named Pol Pot had a dream. It became a nightmare. In a word, genocide. 1.75 million were killed and tortured at his command, and the prison Tuol Sleng remains standing as proof. No one in our group was prepared for the shocking stories upon visiting the compound. By training uneducated teenaged boys from the countryside, the Khmer Rouge created one of the most ruthless armies the world has ever known. The high school transformed prison still holds the photographs of prisoners upon entry, and many upon brutal, bloody, merciless execution. We continued to the Killing Fields, where prisoners were brought to be executed and buried in mass graves. Many of the remains have been excavated, with skulls relocated to a memorial monument for display and reflection. Even so, the ... read more

Rain and mysticism surrounded us as we ascended the Great Wall at Mutianyu. Meg and the boys were taking the gondola up - I took the stairs. I started quickly, leaping up the steps two at a time. After only a couple flights, I'm winded. I have to pace myself here, among all the other things I embark upon. A faint scent like jasmine sits in the air as I huff and puff my way up the steep steps. The rain is a blessing, making the climb easier for us and the children as we rose above the tree line at the top. The stones are massive and many of them are in their original cement here. It's amazing what a wall can sustain while so much of the world crumbles around us day by ... read more