January 12, 2006 - page 2



The latter part of our day was spent travelling to Khe Sanh, which was the site of fierce fighting. Along the way, we stopped at the Rock Pile, an important observation point for the US during the war. We also stopped at a section of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Children of the Bru people swarmed us as we got off the bus, trying to sell us items and beg us for money.

They were incredibly adorable and also very keen business people, even at their very young ages. I was amused by one little girl's shirt, which said "Whatever." My question of how far

foreign influence had spread in Vietnam was answered.

The scenery along the say to Khe Sanh was gorgeous. We were in the Central Highlands, where the hills were covered in green with rivers running through them. It was disappointing to hear that most of the growth we saw had taken place since the war, as most of the landscape was damaged. However, the area brought a sense of recovery and peace to a day filled with stories of violence and war.

At Khe Sanh, we saw US military tanks and helicopters. The grounds also had a small museum, which housed war artillery and displayed many photographs from the war.

The bus ride back to Hue was lively as we all partook in a variety of beverages and cranked subject-appropriate '60s and '70s music. Our evening in Hue was free. Dying for non-ethnic food, my roommate and I went out for pizza and pasta. My night ended with a $15 full-body, one-hour massage. You can't get that back in the States.