FROM HUE, VIETNAM

My Blackberry is still not finding a network to roam on and it has me somewhat crazy. Evidently many individuals from past tour groups seem to find humor in this, based on what I'm reading on Facebook!! Surely Verizon has a roaming partner in Cambodia or Laos, right? Right? Right?

So we spent a few nights in Hanoi and, for all it's insanity, I really liked it. Let's start with the food in Vietnam. I'm fairly certain this is the first country in eight months that I'm going to depart heavier than I entered. Spring rolls, noodles, beef-stuffed pancakes, cheap beer, stuffed grape leaves, shrimp soups......can't get enough. And cheap, oh so cheap.

Prior to taking the overnight train to Hue, we did an overnight boat cruise on Ha Long Bay. Without question, one of the highlights of my overall trip so far. Spectacular scenery. I highly recommend a visit. It also helped that right up 'til the moment we left to go there, it looked like the trip might be cancelled due to flooding. We received terrific weather instead though.

Getting to Hue has been nice. It's considerably smaller than Hanoi, though it too, feels pretty manic with all the motorbikes careening around the corners day and night.

Today we took a motor bike tour (with drivers) all day long. 13 of us riding all through the countryside and upon large roads, tiny footpaths and small alleys. Again, the scenery was just plain beautiful. Green, green, green and colonial mansions at every turn reminiscent of the Apocalypse Now deleted French plantation scene. (arcane enough reference??) We stopped for a vegetarian lunch at a local monastery, which was followed by a 20-minute nap on their floor. Yup.

Ohhh...I should give you a breakout of the new tour group:

-2 60-something year old guys from Australia travelling independently of each other
-Irish couple from Limerick ("Stab City" evidently)
-American kid who lives in Pennsylvania and is a (in high school basketball recruiting parlance) "rising senior" at George Washington University. He's been travelling Asia for the past few months before returning after Vietnam.
-A couple from Australia
-Two girls from Indonesia who live in Australia now
-A young Danish couple (one in college still and one just out) who I find very cool and who no doubt find me very old

Our tour leader is Hue who is 26 and, thus far, very, very much to my liking. She's quite funny, sarcastic, able and doesn't seem to suffer fools...which doesn't bode well for me.

Last night we all went to a great dinner where the deaf and dumb owner (that's right) has a very special contraption to open beer bottles. Have to check out my photos later to see. Surely it's on YouTube as well, but I haven't found it yet. I am now in possession of one of the openers. The meal itself was wonderful too. I had twelve spring rolls, a shrimp and beef pancake and two H-U-G-E beers....for about $2.90.

Speaking of costs, today's 7 hour motor bike trip cost $9. Two days ago I had a twenty cent beer. This internet cafe I currently sit in charges 3,000 dong per hour. That's $.18!! And in my continuing battle to find shorts that fit me and don't fall apart, I took a pair whose button I'd snapped off to a roadside seamstress. She sewed a new one on right then and there and refused my payment!


When I'm unable to find a job next spring, this may be the spot for me!

(One last thing...it's REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hot)

(And REALLY now one last thing. I had my laundry done yesterday at the hotel. To designate which room I'm in (25) they simply wrote in ballpoint pen on the front of my shirt (s). If you look closely, at my photos and at the Paul Frank "Monkey" shirt, you can see the number right there in the middle. When I told our tour leader, Hue, she grabbed her own pen and wrote some more.)