Robert Durrette

Leaving Laos was an adventure. The airport in Vientiane is surprisingly nice--it even has Wifi--but their safety standards for taking off leave something to be desired. More or less a monsoon of a rainstorm, we sat on the tarmac for about 30 minutes waiting for the weather to pass. Eventually, they must have given up because we "went for it." Turbulence? Just a little. I don't have any problem flying, given that it's more safe than driving, etc., etc., but after the initial turbulence I was unable to relax. It was just plain bad.

Anywho, after arriving in Hanoi rather late, we went straight to the hotel where we then went straight out in search of food/drink. Beer on the street in Hanoi is about US 18 cents per glass. (3000 dong) Needless to say, we only spent a dollar or two. :). Hanoi, the city, is pretty hectic. I imagine that China was like this a decade or two ago. Plenty of propoganda everywhere, just as one would expect, and "Uncle Ho" makes his face known quite frequently.

Speaking of which, we visited his mausoleum. I'm convinced that it's a fake, but...who knows. It is a very odd and convoluted process to simply get there: no hands in pockets, no standing outside of line, no humming, no laughing. Ironically, Communism is also banned. Just as soon as you get outside, there are vendors selling ice cream, chocolate, and dried squid. I wonder how Uncle Ho feels about that.

Motorcycle taxis are a great way to get around in Hanoi. You simply tell the guy where you want to go, and in a flash (sometimes with a helmet) you're off, weaving in and out of the hellacious Hanoi traffic that somehow appears to be equally busy at all hours of the day. I won't lie: I took a few rides to places I didn't even need to see. I just wanted to dart in and out of chaos for a few hours. Call me crazy.

I spent a little bit of time in a few museums, but the last evening was devoted to a farewell dinner for a few people who depart the tour (the monthlong indo-china trip is actually a combination of three smaller trips). The guy I was sharing a room with, Graham, begins a separate tour. This means I'm now sharing a room with a Cambodian tour-leader-in-training named Bo Sowath. He's very goofy, but it's a pretty interesting cultural experience.

We took a 2-day trip north of Hanoi to visit the UN World Heritage site known as Halong Bay. See the attached picture; that's all I need to say. We spent the night on a Vietnamese junk boat anchored in a small back-bay. Private boat, very nice, and excellent food. MAJOR NEWS FLASH: I can't believe I'm admitting it, and doing so will erase years of hard-fought pride, but I ate seafood. At this point, I know that my girlfriend and parents just fell out of their chairs, so I'll give them a minute to recover.
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Ok, back to the story--so I ate seafood. Fresh shrimp, crab, fish, squid, the works. It was all included, and it was the only thing available for lunch and part of dinner, so I had to go with it. I enjoyed the shrimp, hated the crab, thought the squid was weird, and the fish was smelly. That's all. Arg.

I went kayaking for a few hours around several caves and into several "secret lagoons." Very, very cool. But, for me, the best part of the 2-day boat trip was a marathon 3-hour talk with one of the Vietnamese tour guides, a 24-year old from Halong City. He was very candid with me; I had asked how business was, he replied busy, to which I said "good!" He then states "No, terrible." He went on to explain that he earns about $100 a month, an OK salary in Vietnam, but that he has nowhere to spend it, no girlfriend, few friends, etc. He actually referenced the movie "Groundhog Day," saying he gets up everyday and does the same thing. It was nice to hear some reality. We talked about the "American" war, the French war, communism, capitalism, Uncle Ho, and girls. All and all, it's what I tend to do throughout the entire trip. These experiences are there for everyone, but you have to make it happen.

Back in Hanoi now, and we take an overnight train tonight to a city named Hue, where many of the old Vietnamese kings used to live. We're only there for 1 night, and then we move on to Hoi An, a supposedly awesome city where we will spend 3 nights. I'm enjoying Vietnam very much thus far, and I think that it'll only get better as the next week progresses. Vietnam is China with a bit more of a soul. And a lot more character.