Remembering Saigon

I looked forward to Vietnam with curiosity and admittedly, some apprehension. I came of age during the Vietnam War and clearly remember watching TV on July 1, 1970 as numbers were drawn for those born in 1951, to see if my brother would be called to the draft. After my visit to the country, I…

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Sawatdi Bangkok

There is a lot of geography I’m learning about, like something called the Bight of Bangkok, also known as the Bay of Bangkok. Never heard of it before. It is the northernmost part of the Gulf of Thailand into which the three major rivers of central Thailand empty their waters; the Bang Pa Kong, the…

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The Sihanoukville Swarm

Compared to the rest of ancient and historic Cambodia, Sihanoukville is a brand new town. Named after Norodam Sihanouk, under whose leadership Cambodia became an independent kingdom in 1953, this is a modest-sized city on the west coast of the country, halfway between Thailand and Vietnam. Our brief visit took us to the local market…

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Koh Samui Mellow

The tsunami tragedy is still fresh in the minds and hearts of the people of Thailand, where the popular resort island of Phuket was practically obliterated because of it. Nestled in the protection of the Gulf of Thailand, the sleepy island of Koh Samui survived unscathed. It is the second largest island of Thailand after…

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