what a beautiful day

Yesterday was a very good day. I found an English speaking guide, (he can speak French too) and we were off. First he took me to the bank, and I am now feeling very good about Cambodia &Laos. I then gave my passport to the visa people for the Laos visa--I'm told it is just as easy to get the visa for Cambodia at the border and it is cheaper too). We then started the day with Notre Dame cathedral, where my guide introduced me to his patron saint Joseph- he was named after him. My guide couldn't tell me about the seriously ugly chicken like birds I've seen around, but he was able to tell me about a lot of other interesting things. I didn't want to see pagodas or the tourist stuff, so we went to an art museum and to the zoo and botanical gardens (Saigon doesn't have an aquarium or we would have gone there) . Then we went to a wonderful lunch, at a place I would have never been aware of -strictly local. The huge shrimp were divine, and I even ate frog. It is nice when someone is with you, it allows for a certain amount of adventurousness. After lunch we went across the river by ferry (I love ferries) and it was so different, just like the country side. We sat at a small coffee hut buy the side of the river and watched the small boats, motor boats, dingies, barges, trawlers, and freighters go by. I love boats so it was very cool for me. We talked about philosophy and family and life. At first I felt a bit sorry for him, here he was tri-lingual, smart and ambitious and all he was was a moto guide. But he told me how much he loved his job. He meets people from all over the world, gets to practice his language skills, and spend time with his family. I then envied him a bit. We also talked a bit about the war. He was in his late teens. They call it the American war here, not the Vietnam war. He said he was lucky because he had majored in electronics so he was in the background for most of the fighting. His graduating class had 54 people, and only 4 are alive today. I thought that very very sad. He said the American soldiers brought both good and bad in equal measure. We talked about the nature of luck, and he said that I shouldn't get an office job when I got home. I should get a job that makes me happy and has new things everyday. I agree. After we left he showed me a real market, and then told me that they were going to have to move as a new commerce area was going to be constructed. I said" it already is a commerce area" but not profitable enough and realized that my guide and I were both very very lucky. When we got back to Saigon, we had some ice-cream and said good-bye. I have his e-mail. I then went to a nice dinner and slept very very well.
Today I plan to read my new book, take a nap, and just kinda hang a bit.
Till I post again, be good, be happy, and have fun