written highlights of Vietnam

Sorry folks. My USB SD card reader will not fit into the one USB slot on this PC. You will have to wait for the photos.

Highlights from Vietnam:

1) Overnight sleeper train with Kim, Mary, Anthony & Lindsay. When unwrapping our sheets to make up our bed we found many hairs on the 'clean' sheets. Lindsay also killed two cockroaches. I had already ditched on the 2nd overnight train in favor of flying and apparently on that overnight train the air conditioning turned the car into the Arctic circle. Sad I missed out on that fun.

2) We arrived in Nha Trang and hired a driver for the day (all day for only $30!). We saw 3 tourist attractions one of which was temple with real monks chanting. It was very cool. They had some massive Buddha statutes that I really wish I could post photos of.

3) After the sights we went for a mud bath...seriously. It cost is each 8,000 VND ($5) and we had our own mud bath jacuzzi, then a mineral water hot tub after being pulverized by jets of water. No photos were taken. The image is burned into my memory and I am still picking up mud out of my ears.

4) Went out on a boat for the day and visited this great island where we rented beach chairs and drank beers in the ocean. Then feasted on freshly caught jumbo prawns and napped. Does it get any better than this?

5) Hoi An was amazing! Beach and shopping; my two favorites. Had my first real suit made and I think I am addicted to having tailor made clothes. The difference is amazing. We were staying about 6km outside of town (but just 1/2 a block from the beach) so for less than $2 a day we rented old school bikes with kick stands and baskets on the front to ride into town. They were one speed and we had to dodge motos and taxis but it was amazing to be riding by rice fields even if I was practically chewing on my kneecaps due to the low seat height. Felt like we were a gang of 5 kids out riding our bikes in the back lane.

6) Mary believed. She really wanted to do the overnight trip in Halong Bay and while the rest of us were losing hope (due to our cancelled flight and the bad weather) Mary was on the phone the minute we arrived in Hanoi. And somehow less than 2 hours later we were in a van headed to Halong City to get in our 'junk' and tour the islands. There was a bit of drama on the junk as they had oversold it but Kim and Lindsay graciously invited me to share their room. With a deck chair and foamy for padding I was all set. We ate fresh seafood (Kim and I declined the fish), swam in the ocean and toured a grotto with crazy rock formations. Sitting up on deck with a beer in hand and 2 Gravol in my stomach I was truly content.

So much more but it is late and I am tired and we have to leave the hotel at 7am tomorrow for the airport. We arrive in Beijing at 2:45pm and have our minds set on making it out to the race course for the 8+s which start at 5:20pm. It is going to be tight. We are formulating a plan where one person sprints to the taxi line up and the rest of us store the luggage. It calls for me to try and not check my bag...this should be a challenge.

Hopefully more photos once we are settled in our apartment in Beijing and I find an internet cafe.