Journey to Peace Village

I'm into the final leg of my journey and today I flew into Sai Gon. At the airport I was picked up by an elderly taxi driver with a 1950s vintage white Chrsyler. He navigated the clogged streets with relative ease. My digs are at the "Liberty 3" Hotel. It is a pretty nice place, again with a balcony and air conditioning. This afternoon I went to the Reunification Palace, which was the Presidential Residence when Sai Gon was the capital of South Viet Nam. An interesting experience, the place has been pretty much preserved as it was when the communists took over in 1975. There is alot of 70s kitsch to some of the rooms, with garish orange paint jobs and decorations such as lights with hubcaps as the lampshades.
Afterwards, I visited Notre Dame Cathedral, in the heart of the city. It's a beautiful church with an interesting history: built in 1873, all of the materials were imported from France. There are some touches you would only find in Viet Nam. For example, inside the church the statues of the Virgin and Jesus are surrounded by blue neon lights. This also was the case of our little church in Phung Khoang, it had a red neon cross illuminated at night during special times. It sounds chintzy, but somehow it's not.
Today I prepare to return to America. I'm in a hotel with mostly Europeans, yet somehow it seems strange to be around people who look like me. I've been around Vietnamese people for most of the trip. Viet Nam has a lot of beautiful scenery, yet its greatest resource is its people. Their hardiness, adaptability and generosity are amazing. Toi Yeu Viet Nam!