Durian and the US Consulate

As if the fruit isn't bad enough...

-last week we discovered that the grossest tropical fruit in the known universe, durian (or sâu riêng), is not only stinking up street corners and market stalls in southern Vietnam, but is also a flavor of condoms available for sale here.

-what registering with the consulate is good for: we just got an email alerting US citizens in Vietnam of the approaching Typhoon Durian (I'm still laughing). It's supposed to hit tonight. In order to be well prepared, Ken and I went out on a nighttime trek to find pirated DVDs and M&Ms, enough to keep us from chewing on our own limbs if we do get "typhooned in."

In other news...

-getting very excited about this upcoming tour of asia! the plan is as follows: go to Cambodia. travel north into Thailand. travel northwest into Laos. re-enter Vietnam up in the mountains. do north Vietnam, then travel down the coast, making it back to Saigon by the beginning of march. spend a few days here wrapping up stuff, saying goodbye to friends, and buying last minute souvenirs. fly home on march 4th. I can't put down Lonely Planet's Southeast Asia on a Shoestring. My current drooling-over location is Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand.

-I just put a ton of new photos up on the flickr site. Includes: our ragtag thanksgiving, the terry fox 5k, and our trip to Saigon's amazing Chinatown. Click away!