Introduction

On February 18, 2013, my brother Ken and I headed out for Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), Vietnam.  We had lived in Saigon from 1962 until 1965 with our mother and our other brother Darrell (really!). 
 

My brothers and I attended high school at the American Community School in Saigon.  Ken graduated in 1964.  Darrell and I were juniors when the school was closed in February 1965, and we were sent to live with our aunt and uncle in Redlands, California.  My mother and brother Ken, who were both working at the US Embassy, remained in Saigon until June 1965.

In the summer of 1968, my brother Ken and I went to Udorn, Thailand, where my mother was employed at the time.  While in Udorn, we had the opportunity to visit several places in Laos. 

A couple of years ago, my brothers and I started a conversation about returning to Saigon for a visit.  As time went on, and Ken and I both looked toward retirement, the planning took a more serious turn. 

We decided we would go during the dry season in the countries we would be visiting.  Not coincidentally, that timeframe is winter in the US.  Unfortunately, our brother Darrell was not able to make the trip. 

After much discussion about the places we would visit, and some preliminary research, we decided to avail ourselves of a tour company to flesh out the details.  We contacted the Indochina Odyssey Tours company and worked with them to plan the itinerary.

Among the places we chose to visit were: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Siem Reap, Cambodia; and the Laotian cities of Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Pakse.  I had been to Siem Reap with my mother when we lived in Vietnam.  Ken and I had been to all the places in Laos during the summer of 1968. 

During the summer of 1968, we had flown over the Bolaven Plateau near Pakse, Laos.  We had seen some fabulous waterfalls from the plane.  At the time, I was thinking how great it would be to see these waterfalls close up.  And in 2013, 45 years later, we did get to see them.  After the trip, I found a picture from 1968 and compared it to one taken on the trip.  It was the same waterfall.

The posts below follow our itinerary.  Beginning with the post for February 20, 2013, there are pictures from our trip. Interspersed with the narrative and pictures of what we saw and did, are some reflections and other commentary.