I'm off again: this time to Vietnam and India

I just arrived in Ho Chi Minh City for the start of a 28-day, two-country adventure. My friend Linda Dozier makes frequent trips to Vietnam to visit her daughter Coli and family who live in Hanoi. So I'll be in the good company of Linda and also Coli's aunt Susie; they'll be arriving later today. And after Vietnam I'm continuing on my own to India, where I'll be traveling once again with Sonu. Some of you will remember that he was my driver for my 2010 India visit who became my friend. We're both looking forward to another trip together, and this time we'll be touring the Himalayas, including Rishikesh, Amritsar, Dharamshala and Shimla.

Ho Chi Minh, the former Saigon, is Vietnam's largest city. The guidebook says it has a population of 8 million people, and 3 million motorbikes! It's definitely true that bikes, helmeted-riders and beeping horns are everywhere. This morning I strolled through beautiful city parks, including one where people take their caged-birds to share. And I saw all kinds of enterprising street vendors. They use their english, and are quick to smile, even when they don't make a sale. The opening line is always the same: 'where you from?' . . .