Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh

It's day three in Vietnam. We've been in Ho Chi Minh since landing and head to Hanoi in an hour. Every morning, the second we step out of our room at the Hoang Phong Hotel (their card reads "best in everything"), the smell of incense engulfs us. It's a pervasive scent in this religious culture; every home and shop has a small altar. We've even stumbled upon little sacrifices set out on street curbs, the most notable containing a small cache of paper money and a handful of animal crackers.

After the incense, its an intense mixture of overly ripe fruit (dorian especially), cigarette smoke, and human sweat. The humidity is incredible. We're quick learners by necessity, as our first day of soldiering through the noon heat ended in mild heat rash for us both. But when the Zoo is next to the History Museum, which is so close to the War Remnants Museum, which is 2 blocks from the Reunification Palace, its hard to slow down.
Must go, more to come later!