I'm back at home and back to work--that is, grading and lesson planning. Here are a few photos from Ha Noi. Nothing was damaged in transit and my iPod failure seems to be related to a software incompatibility issue and I think it's fixed. Initial follow-up tasks after travel should include *Changing passwords for anything you opened on line, and arguably for your ATM card. *Checking your bank account and credit card report periodically to be sure they weren't compromised. *Putting your passport and other important cards and documents back where you normally keep them. *Not wearing your shoes into the house or garden until you've cleaned them thoroughly. *Replying to e-mails and phone messages. *Changing "vacation" messages on your e-mail and phone. *Completing any courses of medication (anti-malarial, antibiotic, vaccination series begun before travel) *Transferring ... read more

(Hey, TravelBlog, Hong Kong isn't a country.) I'm in Hong Kong, at the airport, enjoying a little quiet time before the next flight. Min picked me up at a little after 7 AM and now it's 13 hours later. My route takes me up the East Asian coast, across the top of the Pacific, and down, with today's (tomorrow's, I guess) terminus being Vancouver, BC, Canada. Not much to say other than that I took my World Bank friends to dinner last night, feeding the three of us handsomely for $40, and that I've already finished 3 books on this trip and soon may have to scout out another as I'm halfway through the fourth. I confess that I love airports. I like flying, but I find even the crummiest airport delightful. TravelBlog is gluing up ... read more

I'm watching Johnny Bravo on Cartoon Network. Can Courage, the Cowardly Dog be far behind? Some of you have asked about the Mekhong Whiskey. It helps to think of it as rum, because it's just bad rum, whereas it's terrible whiskey. It has heavy banana esters, but not in a good way. It's got no complexity or depth, and is sour. Mixing it with Diet Dr. Pepper was okay, but it really couldn't be drunk straight, so after a few attempts I left it at the hotel in Siem Reap. I hope it made someone very happy--it is a sort of national drink in Thailand. It has been a bit drizzly today, the kind of precipitation that Oregonians call "mist" and ignore. My poor Vietnamese student guide was cold and dispirited. I should mention that Cardinal ... read more

Last night I wrapped some gifts in red paper schlepped from Oregon. I also cleaned and polished my Tevas, which is not easy when you don't want to touch the soles. I intend my last act in the hotel to be scrubbing them with a toothbrush. The morning began with some typical Vietnamese events: 1. Construction two buildings down began at 6:10 AM. This makes the hotel shake, since all of the structures are attached. 2. Awakened by construction, I thought I might as well go downstairs, use the computer, and maybe go for a walk. Instead, I walked down to the lobby to find an employee asleep in a folding bed next to his motorbike, the front doors locked shut with a chain. This reminded me of another reason it's nice to be here in ... read more

My travel to Ha Noi yesterday was uneventful. The planes were smaller and dirtier than on the routes from Bangkok and Hong Kong, but both routes were short. Ho Chi Minh City is an international port and you can't fly on directly to other points in Viet Nam, but must collect your luggage, clear passport control and customs, and walk to the domestic terminal. Nonetheless, the clerk at the domestic terminal was deeply confused about where I had come from, the fact that I have only one small suitcase and one backpack, and that I was flying from Phnom Penh, not the U.S. She kept asking how long I'd been in HCMC and my answer that it was a transfer point and I had only been there long enough to walk between the terminals mystified her. ... read more