Map of Vietnam, originally uploaded by nicholasjohnfield.

My personal path in Vietnam hasn’t yet been decided, but we have head from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang, a nice beach town. The overnight bus ride was hell, and I choose to use the internet rather than indulge in the beach at the moment.

Snakes in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, originally uploaded by nicholasjohnfield.

Most travel agencies offer tours to see the Mekong Delta, the fertile land near Ho Chin Minh City. It is worth a look.

There are several tours. We visited a coconut farm, a honey bee farm, went rowing down some streams and had a few drinks on the way. I recommend this to anyone.

Zoo off the Bangkok Canal, originally uploaded by nicholasjohnfield.

While I was in Bangkok, I found a tourist attraction that is off the beaten path. A nice man told me about it while I was in a park. If you go the river in central Bangkok, you can catch a long boat to the canals. There are several sights including a small floating market, nice homes, big Buddhas, and (what really interested me) a snake farm.

At this snake farm they have an impressive snake show. Cobras, constrictors, vipers and some other lethal snakes chasing the snake charmers.

What you’re not told is that the snake farm doubles as a zoo. It is the cruelty to animals that you see from P.E.T.A. and other animal activists.

Bears are locked in cages, the equivalent size of a jail cell and treated like garbage. The bears have little teeth from trying to chew through the iron bars.

Monkeys and other mammals (such as deer and tigers) are left in extremely small cages.

Had I known what my money was supporting, I never would have entered. I urge you not to either.

There are no tuk-tuk drivers in Vietnam (or HCM City anyway), however, taking a motorcycle is far more common. Taxis are more common than in Thailand or Cambodia, but tend to be a little more expensive and slower in traffic. It costs about $2 USD or more to go most places in Ho Chi Minh City via motorcycle.

Somehow, you feel safer than you would on the back of bike in Canada or U.S.A.

Address: 19, Street 178. This is a nicer place that I went to in Phnom Penh. I had more fun than I usually do whilst both shopping an enjoying a drink. If you have ever thought shopping to be even somewhat of a chore, this place is for you. You can enjoy an inexpensive drink in the nice atmosphere and browse through some local fashion. The clothes here are more expensive than at a market, but the quality is higher and it supports local business. Spending $15 USD on an original pair of pants, or $12 on a local designer’s T-shirt is worth is. The place is fun and the staff is friendly.

Whilst in Phnom Penh I went to two places that were especially fun. One place was a restaurant called Friends. It’s been recommended by both The Lonely Planet guide book and some other travelers. It is a tapas style restaurant serving a variety of Asians food. The food is delicious with decent value.

What Friends does is hires street youth and trains them in both school and hospitality, giving them the opportunity to get high paying jobs and an education. Friends the restaurant is run by an NGO (non-government organization) and has a variety of youth oriented support programs. The service is cute. By that I mean these teenagers and kids and young adults may make a mistake here and there, but you can see their sincerity in trying to do a good job. Can you imagine having to learn how to serve if you’ve never eaten out.

I recommend the prawn wonton and the eggplant bread dip.

Visit the Friends Website: www.streetfriends.org