Sai Gon, June 7, 2001
Only about a month away from being home, Home!

Buon Me Thuot was a good trip for me to take. I spent a weekend with 50 vietnamese and have much to say about it, but left the part I wrote about it at the house (and I’m in the office).

Go to Souris’ site, Saigon Soldier, for pictures of my trip. I rode an elephant named Ban, who is 40 years old. She’s been in captivity since she was 2, once bore a baby that did not survive long, and she hauls logs when she’s not carrying people around. There’s also a picture of Linh and I feeding Ban with sugar cane sticks. The natives are M’nong and H’mong; some of the few minority groups here in Vietnam. They live in these great long houses where they invited us in and performed some traditional songs & danced for us. Typical of the area, these long houses have walls made of woven palm, and stand on logs and bamboo stilts. They’re generally one large room with cool hardwood floors, straw mats, and hold entire families. Pigs, chickens, dogs, and other animals live under and around the homes.

On Souris’ site, you’ll see my pictures riding in a doc moc, a boat made from a single log. It’s similar in width and length of rowing shell for 8 (plus cox). I sat in stroke.

Have again lost my train of thought as I’ve just been interrupted by a phone call and fear that Thanh might be by any minute to pick me up (then I won’t be able to send you these pictures).
So, till tomorrow.
H.