Disclaimer #2

Basically an FYI, from Jodi:
So before arriving here in Ho Chi, I spoke to mom on the phone. It appears in our post from Bangkok, we became lost in our sarcasm and failed to mention some small, but very important, details on what we were doing with our passports. I re-read the blog, and to to your credit mom and dad, and other concerned family members; it does sound as though we just gave our passports to some random guy on the street named Pop. We do sometimes leave out details in order to simplify things; and try to add some good ol' fashioned Canadian sarcasm... for all our fans out there (as well as us too)! Pop was actually a certified travel agent with a shop attached to our hotel. We understand that we should never leave our passport with anyone. However, we knew we would have to do this in order to get our Vietnam visas. Beforehand we had spoken to many people (at home and other travellers we've met along the way) about this and were assured this was a logical option. Indentity theft? I guess you can never know for sure? Risky? absolutely. But really, as with anything you do here, there is an element of risk involved. So, what do we do? We shop around, check out all our options, talk to people etc. Then, together we made the BEST decision, we feel. The Vietnamese embassy.. also an option, but really? If we got there without being kidnapped or struck by a wild tuk-tuk, that place could've ended up being just as illegitimate. Same-same. We really do appreciate your concerns and comments, and I am glad that they were very nice. Please, next time you are confused or baffled by what we are doing or not doing, please ask first before you assume we have made the worst possible decision. We are not perfect, but we are doing the best we can and are never careless. We love you all very much and know it is your job to be concerned about us. We actually found the whole thing really sweet and kinda funny, but I felt compelled to explain anyways. In the future we will try to be more specific when it comes to important situations such as this. And, just so you're aware, this was the first and the last time we felt it necessary to put our passports in someone else's hands. Love you! G'night! XOXOXO