Tuk-tuk? Motobike? Massaaaaaaaage?

Apparently the travel gods were not so happy about my arrival in Vietnam since it started raining nonstop for about ten days after I crossed the border. It wasn't even the wet season. I was back in a land of chopsticks and pagodas as I saw the familiar Chinese influence everywhere.

I soon found out that crossing the street in Vietnam is much different than anything else I have encountered in the world. Instead of a long line of cars the street is filled with thundering motorbikes. If you're not easily intimidated it's possible to step off the curb and have the traffic flow around you like water. It is very important to walk at a regular and predictable pace because any hesitation could cause confusion for the motorbike drivers and possibly an accident. The rain doesn't seem to be a problem either. The locals just throw on a colorful plastic poncho and try to avoid any puddles. And when the weather's nice everyone wears the ever-so-fashionable surgical masks.

It's amazing what they can carry on those motorbikes. They can load them up with huge bags of rice or carry dinner home without spilling. I've seen caskets and full-length mirrors on the back that don't even get a second glance from the locals. But hands-down the strangest thing I witnessed was when I saw someone get the shopkeeper to load up a decent sized refrigerator onto the back of his motorbike, grab onto it with his arm and take off without even tying the thing down. The shopkeeper saw my astonished expression when he turned around and just kind of let out a little chuckle and a shrug.

I have to admit I was expecting hostility from the locals due to the "American War" of my parent's generation. But even outside the tourist areas I was surprised to find friendly, curious locals and strangers that waved hello as I walked the street. There are reminders and memorials of the war scattered around the country. I visited a few like the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh and the site of the My Lai Massacre. I feel that as an American it was good to get the other side's perspective of what took place. I've seen Vietnamese landscapes in the movies but instead of bombs and helicopters it was reassuring to know I could visit this beautiful country and enjoy all the things it has to offer.

Actually one of the the very plentiful things that Vietnam offers to the world is bootlegged stuff. The Vietnamese have no issue with copyright infringement. It's fun and interesting to spot new and different ways to rip off brands. The "Gucci" store definitely does not sell anything by Gucci. The bottled water I bought looked remarkably similar to Pepsi's brand minus a letter or two. Of course everyone has heard of the copied DVDs, music and clothes brands but Vietnam was the first place I saw people walking around selling stacks of photocopied bestsellers. Every page has been copied and bound with a cover to resemble an authentic book. Clever.

The first city I visited was Hue. Tension was in the air because Vietnam was playing Thailand in the final match of a big tournament. I got my face painted with the Vietnam flag and got many cheers and even an offer for a free tuk-tuk ride because of my show of support. Vietnam ended up winning in the final second of the game that night. The enthusiasm was overwhelming. There was a lot of celebration and flag-waving in the streets. It's good to be on the winning side.

I stopped in Hoi'an next which is famous for tailor shops. It was very exciting to think about getting clothes and shoes tailor made but I ended up being disappointed in the quality. Oh well at least I got to celebrate New Years there and ended up having a great time.

I visited a few more villages and then made it to hectic Ho Chi Minh city before deciding it was time to move on to my next destination: Cambodia.

Upon arrival in Cambodia I couldn't figure out why all the cash machines only dispense US dollars. I went around looking for something that would give me the local currency out of the ATM. Eventually I asked someone and was able to figure out that Cambodia uses US dollars for their currency and the local "Reil" is used for any change under a dollar. Hmm... well it was nice to use the familiar greenbacks for a while after all the strange currencies I had been using in the past year.

I was in Phnom Penh. Besides witnessing for the first time people riding on top of the bus I got to see things like the King's Palace, a gigantic stupa in the middle of the city and walk along the river. But sadly one of the reasons so many tourists visit the capital is to learn about the country's tragic past.

One of the first books I read when I set off on my journey was George Orwell's novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. It was written in 1949 but little did he know that the fictional world he imagined would manifest itself just 30 years later when the Khmer Rouge came to power in Cambodia.

In an effort to create a perfect society where everyone was "equal," the Khmer Rouge rounded up everyone in Phnom Penh and marched the ones who could make it to the countryside to work in the fields. Many wealthy or educated people were immediately killed. It was dangerous to even wear eyeglasses as it was seen as a sign of intelligence. Money was abolished, temples, libraries and anything western was destroyed, families were split up, talking to one another in conversation was prohibited, black was the only color permitted to be worn. Marriages were arranged by the Khmer Rouge for the sole purpose of procreation. Any violation of the rules meant you risked being sent away. Most likely to a prison where you were tortured until you confessed to doing something that was punishable by death.

It's not known how many people died during the regime but estimates range from one to three million. Most died of executions, overwork, starvation and disease. Much of the rice being produced on the farms ended up being sent to China in order to buy more weapons.

It's astonishing that something on this scale could have taken place so recently. It really doesn't get the attention it deserves in western society. Very few of the leaders were ever punished.

I visited one of the prisons where people were sent to be tortured. In what was once a school before it became a prison, the S-21 prison is a haunting and somber place to visit. The most moving part is the mug shots on display of all the prisoners that passed through. Each expression is different. Some look defiant while others look shocked and scared out of their mind.

The other place that you can visit is the "Killing Fields" where the people who were tortured and killed are buried in shallow mass graves. It is not for the feint of heart.

Feeling lucky to be alive I headed for my next destination. Sihanoukville is a typical Cambodian city but with a lot of great beaches. I didn't realize how low-key everything was until later when I had the beaches of Thailand to compare it to. It was great to chill out with some fellow travelers, eat fruit and drink coconuts. It was my first taste of the famed tropical paradises in Southeast Asia.

I made my way to Siem Reap where I fought off the fiercely competitive tuk-tuk drivers and see one of the highlights of Southeast Asia: Ankor Wat. But the night before I stayed up late to witness a significant moment back home in the States: the inauguration of President Obama. The guy running the bar I was in gave out free shots and we toasted to the new president. I even received a few congratulations myself. Things were looking up for the way Americans were starting to be perceived.

Ankor Wat is is a really big temple out in the middle of the jungle and it's surrounded by lots of other similar temples of various ages and states of repair. I spent a day seeing a lot of them and climbing to the top of most of them. The temples really were incredible. My favorites were where some of trees had grown in or around the buildings as if they were reclaiming the space where the were built.

As a result of all the climbing and exploring my muscles got very sore. It was time to get back to relaxing on the beach! I was off to join the sunburned Scandinavians in Thailand.