One, Two, Three- Smile!

I apologize for the absence of emails, but i suspect that you all enjoyed the free time away from reading long entries. we have been up the entire coast of vietnam since my last log, but i will make this one quick.

right now. we are in hanoi, the capital. young women in their all white dresses bike by, old goateed men amble past, and we try and find our way around hanoi's maze-like streets. it is an enchanting city with lakes, parks, and french colonial architectural facades, but the vibe is different. people are friendly, but not as friendly as saigon. furthermore, they try and rip you off more frequently. not just by trying to extort money with high prices but by adding fictional additional costs. its frustrating and annoying. crossing the street is no longer a fun experience. its down right difficult. they don't follow the same rules as in the rest of the country where you can walk in a deliberate, straight line. here, you would get run over. nate and i think its because the moto drivers are amateur. the best ones must get drafted to saigon.

smiling. believe it or not, i have had it. i cant smile artificially anymore. i mean, im sure many of you thought that the day would never come when i couldn't smile. but it has. oy. my face hurts. its like waiting for someone to take your picture and they cant find the button. today i saw a t-shirt that summed up my feelings. "no thanks, i don't want a moto ride, i don't want any postcards, i don't want a piece of gum, i don't want a taxi ride, and i don't want a bike ride, so please leave me alone!" seriously. do i look like someone who can afford a taxi ride or a postcard? i certainly do not, nor do i smell approachable in any way. but they insist.

all of this is not to say that we are having less fun, learning less, or enjoying the country less, these are strictly observations. now, on to traveling.

this is the speed report. mui ne. small town. okay beaches, really interesting sand dunes, fun night life. next, nha trang. busy, busy, beach town. very nice beaches, better nightlife. crazy saigon independence celebration. next, hoi an. small town, very interesting art, museums, and beach. scenes of recently burning rice paddies on long stretches of road reminds one of vietnam war movies. eerie. next, hue, very brief...and now, hanoi. phew. im spent. so, till next time. remember, help control the pet population, have your pets spade or neutered. miss you all.