Minority report...

We are in Kon Tum (Contoom), a city of mainly "minority" peoples...the outskirts of Vietnamese society...these people aren't thought of highly in regular Vietnamese culture...according to our guide.  Our guide tries to be non-judgemental, but even Mr. Corona hears his distaste.  Course, I am rather sensitive!  Our experience in Kon Tum has been wonderful...the people are warm and friendly...the kids love trying on the limited English they get in school...HELLO! they say, then run away blushing and laughing!  We stroll the streets saying "hello" to virtually anyone...they smile and say hello back, then giggle.  We got into Kon Tum at lunch...our guide took us to a small street restaurant...sitting next to us was a "minority" couple with an infant...

...I didn't get focus, but the suspicious look at outsiders warmed almost immediately...at the end of the lunch she was proudly showing me her baby!

 

Everywhere you go, you see billboards like this one...

We went into the town, and the people were welcoming...an elderly french speaking couple invited us into their home, and played some traditional music for us...even getting Cassandra to try it for some impromptu jammin'!

This is the granddaughter and her kids with the grandmother...

The grandmother by herself...

 ...her great-grandson...

...in this little community, our guide took us past the kindergarten...the kids are really wonderful!

...and on the same street, this little guy...too young for school!

 

...in the schoolyard was this young woman doing her laundry...

...and down the road, this man in his 70's...old for here (for the men)

 

Our guide takes us to an old catholic church (almost 100)...the church wasn't  too inspiring, but I got a cool shot of Cassandra in it...

the bride posing on the railing was a young beauty!

...just up the road was a cool bridge...

...this was a main thoroughfare, and pretty heavily trafficked...we checked into our hotel and immediately headed for the market...Cassandra has an (national) enquiring mind you know!  We had an early dinner at a street vendor....ooooooooooooooohhhh...delicious...

...especially good with BEER!!!  And this little minority cutie was just down the block!

 Tomorrow we go up into the mountains...a bit toward the Laos border, but way up in the mountains...the day after tomorrow we head to the coast!