Wilting

I've been trying to suck it up and not be a baby about it, but man is it ever hot in Saigon these days. So hot, in fact, that I've developed a case of swamp lip. Not familiar with it? Profuse sweating of the upper lip? Yeah, but I have it super bad because my lower lip does it now, too. Gross, right? It's so hot that just walking down the street makes sweat roll down your back. Two showers a day are an absolute necessity. Air conditioning is mostly a luxury, so there's really no relief.

I usually handle the heat fairly well - I've had a few months to get used to it now - but I've really been feeling the effects of it the last few days. I've had zero energy and, as a result, haven't done a whole lot of, well, anything really since I arrived in Saigon. Sure, I had a massage by a blind masseuse the other day ($2.50/hour!), but that didn't involve a whole lot of effort on my part. Other than that, I've mostly just been hanging out, reading, doing a little shopping, drinking fruit shakes like it's going out of style, that kind of thing.

I did manage to go to the War Remnants Museum today (formerly called the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes), however. Outside the museum are US military planes, tanks, helicopters, and bulldozers which are pretty interesting to see so close up. Inside the museum are two floors of weaponry, ammunitions, propaganda posters (from countries and groups imploring the US to stop their illegal war on Vietnam), and maps. The most heartbreaking exhibits, though, are the photographs, specifically the ones showcasing the effects of Agent Orange. Hearing about the atrocities of war are one thing, but seeing photographic evidence of it is another thing entirely. After awhile it gets to be too much, too intense, and I knew it was time for me to leave.

I'll post pictures in the next couple of days, after I buy batteries for my camera. I bought four batteries on Thursday. Today is Saturday and they're all used up. You'd think that must mean I took a ton of pictures, but you'd be wrong. I must've bought crap batteries because the first pair lasted until today; the second pair lasted for less than 10 pictures. Argh.