Greetings to everyone back home. Hope all's well.

Danger has been coercing me to write this update for some time now, so as I sit here at 23.45 in front of the TV, I'm determined to finish it. We're in Nha Trang for our last night. We arrived yesterday from Mui Ne, which is about 2.5 hours away from Saigon. In Mui Ne (Phan Thiet), we stayed at the Blue Ocean Resort, a series of bungalows overlooking the South China Sea. The seascape was beautiful: palm trees and thatch umbrellas offered shade from the strong sun; white sand enveloped our feet as we made our way to the shimmering blue water; in the distance, the shore's extension created a boomerang peninsula to the left; to the right only the meeting of gray-blue sky and deep-blue sea. For two days, Danger much let the crashing of the waves entertain us. They were, I can say with much satisfaction, two of the most unproductive days I've ever lived. Our breakfast buffet overlooked the sea, starting each day off right. Mr. Dang made one of his appearances then, and again when it was time for dinner. The time between was filled with sunbathing, napping, swimming, eating, or billiards. Our third day there, we were ready to do something a bit more active, so we rented bicycles and hightailed it to the sand-dunes, which were, according to Danger, 9 km away from the resort, one way. This far into the trip, the four of us Prepsters had agreed on a fairly accurate law, something we like to call "the Rule of Dang." Basically what the rule says is that if Dang gives a distance or a length of time, say for a bus ride, take that number and double or triple it. Then you will have a closer approximation of the actual dimension. So, when Danger said that the dunes were 9 km away, we weren't much surprised when we had pedaled about 14 km to reach them. Mind you, the seats were not terribly comfortable. My posterior was aching till the next day. The dunes were interesting. They seemed out of place in a way, surrounded by such an unlikely environment. Their red sands reflected the burning sun, creating the effect that it was hotter than it actually was. At the foot of the dunes, we lounged in hammocks and drank coconut juice, refreshing ourselves for the long journey back. The next morning, we piled into the bus and began our "5 hour" trip to Nha Trang, the third largest city in Vietnam.

Ok, the Rule of Dang did not apply to this particular segment of road. Our driver, however, was particularly fond of honking, a habit that got annoying and provocative. Our hotel is visible for miles; it's tall and it's pink. After check-in, we gathered our not-so-fresh clothing and took it to a matte to have it washed. The place and its staff did not look shady, so we entrusted them with our garments. Danger had used the place once before, and it had received the Dang stamp of approval. Shadiness is rampant in Vietnam; it may be present in massage parlors, restaurants, stores and shops, such as where we bought still unreleased DVD's, and other organizations. Another word we frequently use to describe "things" here in VN is "ridiculous." The traffic, the traffic patterns, the drivers' tendencies (horn-honking), the ratio of two-wheeled to four-wheeled vehicles, the prices, the poverty, the population size, the beauty, the political system, the friendliness of the people and their resilience, the food.

Anyway, we then headed to the Hindu temple ruins of Nha Trang. As it was getting dark, we rushed over to the Buddhist temple as well. Dinner and hotel. We were surprised to find that, unlike Saigon, Nha Trang becomes the proverbial ghost town at night. Though we four wandered the streets looking for something besides MTV and HBO to entertain us, nothing but a single "masseur" could we find. We were pretty sure she wanted to give us more than a backrub.

Today was eventful. Along with other tourists, we boarded a boat that would become our vehicle and restaurant for the day. We were to visit four islands. We did not dock at the first, just weighed anchor. One by one we jumped off the upper level of the boat into the sea. Snorkeling gear was distributed, and I excitedly began to explore my first coral reef. The brilliant formations, colors, and fish are impossible to describe with any satisfying accuracy. It has been one of the highlights of my trip thus far. After an hour's time, we boarded and went to the second island, where we also did not dock. We ate lunch on the boat, and then gathered on the lower deck to sing songs of different nations. At the third island we were allowed to leave the boat and explore the small island resort. We rented two jet skis for 15 minutes of the hour that we spent there. The ride was invigorating but a bit spoiled by the native chaperon who sat behind me but hung on to Adam, who drove. The fourth island contained a small fishing village, which was optional to explore. Most people, however, went for a final swim in the warm waters.

When we returned to the mainland, we picked up our laundry, still intact, and ate traditional Vietnamese. After a long day, we are all pretty exhausted. That's it for now.

Take care.
Daniel Potucek
March 27, 2002

Good morning Viet Nam,

Well, I guess this is it for me. Two weeks in Viet Nam with my last American students, I am ready to come home to my wife and baby Miranda. It has been a very good two weeks traveling around the country. We started out in Saigon, visited the Cu Chi Tunnels, The Mekong Delta, Mui Ne, Nha Trang, and ended up back in Saigon.

Things have changed a lot in the past 4 years. More and more foreigners discover Viet Nam. I have found most foreigners are coming from European countries. Tourism is slowly making a comeback. The big hotels and resorts are now getting enough people to fill up their rooms where just a few years ago some hotels in Saigon had empty rooms left over.

Viet Nam no doubt still is one of the poorest countries. The average income is about $30 a month which is quite depressing to comprehend. With the income being that low, you would think that the unemployment rate is low. In fact, you will find the at least 15 to 20 percent of 75 millions Vietnamese are doing odd jobs to stay alive.

Kids in Viet Nam are, for the most part, malnourished. This morning, I walked to the fishing village and saw a mother and a little child digging in the sand for little clams. I stopped to chat with the little girl who reminded of my daughter. I gave her some chocolate and toothbrushes. I asked her mother how old she was and I was stunned to find out that she was only three years old. Can you imagine a three year-old child in the States working beside her mother at 5 in the morning???

Corruption is another big problem. Just go to the airport and see how the officials operate. Each Vietnamese who gets in and out of the airport had to pay $5-$20 depending how much stuff they bring in and out of VN. I can go on and on for another 1,000 pages and still have things to say about VN.

Before I go back, There are many special people that I like to thank. First, I'd like to thank Gary for his help with the website (Gary, I now know how hard you worked last year); Second, I would like to thank Dr. Power who gave me permission to take kids halfway around the world; third, many thanks to the parents who put a lot of trust in me; and last but not least, I would like to thank my wife Mimi and my daughter Miranda who are so understanding and supportive. Miranda, Dada is coming homeeeeeeeee!

March 27, 2002

Vinh Dang