Hi from Hanoi

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I'm hearing that my Hong Kong blog didn't register, so hoping this one from Hanoi does. We arrived yesterday on Vietnam Airlines, were picked up by our guide, an adorable 26 year old woman with fabulous English and a fondness for Americans. We started at Ho Chi Minh's mausaleum and home and heard lots of about him. Huong (our guide) adores him and I suspect that the rest of North Vietnamese do, too. See him as the father of the country, smart, selfless, and the man who reunited Vietnam. The "American" war for him and the country was only one of many wars this country fought for its independence, as there was France, China, Cambodia and Japan, all this century. English is now the 2nd language here; the older generations speak French, but the young people are learning English. Everyone is so friendly, approach us to practice their English and so cordial.

Our highlight yesterday was a rickshaw ride driven by a man half my weight on a bicycle, through the madness of the chaotic streets. No stop signs at intersections, and few traffic lights. Streets loaded with thousands of motor bikes, a few cars (you have to be "very rich" here to buy a car), some bikes. It was Mr. Toad's wild ride and then some. At intersections it was everyone for themself, seemingly rules understood by everyone but us, like a dance and exhilirating but outrageous as well. Exquisite timing on everyone's part to get from one place to another. As a pedestrian you have to just keep walking while crossing streets, not stopping, because all those with wheels are judging your speed and position as they maneuver through the mass of traffic.The 3 of us were in awe and grateful to our skillful driver.

Our tour also included a charming water puppet show with live music, singers and instruments, attended largely by tourists. The bathroom at the theatre was a hole in the floor, which I haven't seen since Mexico 30 years ago. We had a lovely lunch and a fabulous dinner at the Emperor restaurant, in a French colonial building, on a balcony, creating the colonial atmosphere we were looking for. The Vietnamese food we have had is the best cuisine so far. We are at the Metropole, a high end restored French colonial hotel and our rooms are charming. Tonight we board an overnight train up to the mountains, Sa Pa, where we will visit hill tribe locations for 2 days. Hope to be able to write soon again. Love to you all.

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