January 14, 2006

Today we left Saigon for Siem Reap, Cambodia, but our flight wasn't until the afternoon so we spent the morning touring Saigon. This is the first Vietnam trip to include the stop in Cambodia, so I feel particularly lucky to be going. We also have a Cambodian student traveling with us and this will be his first visit to Cambodia. He's so excited and I look forward to watching him experience his home country.

Our first stop was at the Reunification Palace, which was the seat of the South Vietnamese government until 1975 when the North Vietnamese broke through the gates, ending the Vietnam War. The Palace was overrun with schoolchildren while we were there, but Quang managed to give us a good deal of history, despite the noise. We were a distraction to the children, as the waved wildly at us yelling, "Hello" while their teachers were trying to herd them through the building.