Futile Search?

Summer is still several months away, but some of us in the office are already daydreaming of crossing the pacific for a tropical vacation.

Jane and her husband are planning to go to the Philippines. None of us have been there yet, but we’ve heard that the beaches there are excellent. Thailand is also on our list for the same reason. If you have no idea how breathtaking that country’s waters are, try watching Leonardo De Caprio’s “The Beach.” The movie was shot entirely in Phuket, Thailand.

We’re also thinking of hopping to Vietnam. Although there’s nothing much to see in that country, some of our acquaintances who have already been there said that many popular designer clothes and bags are made there and are sold at just a tenth of their $U.S. price.

There are Americans who go to Vietnam for a different reason, though. Many Vietnam War veterans still return to that country in search for fallen comrades who are reportedly still alive and living among the locals in the mountains. I don’t want to be skeptical, but I think the prospects of their people search in Vietnam are very slim.