Like Schools of Fish

I had trouble finding a good excuse to leave Hanoi, but we departed last night for Hue. Chang Mai's where it's at for us, so we gotta press on. Hanoi was an interesting contrast to China and a good place to relax. We were worried about changing money and our ability to communicate, but most establishments take U.S. dollars and speak English. What a world away from Beijing!
As much as we thrive on the confusion in China, we have enjoyed the ease of traveling Vietnam so far.

The roads are narrow and busy in Hanoi. Beautiful women in conical hats selling bananas squat on the same block as French perfume stores and cafes. I saw the French influence all over the place. Jim and I took motorbikes to get around and it was great fun--the Arkansas four-wheeler ridin' kind of fun. Motorbikes rule the road in Hanoi and traffic at big intersections looks like schools of fish moving through water. For entertainment one night, we sat on a balcony of a restaurant watching an intersection with six directions of traffic merging and no traffic signs or lights. Bicycles, pedestrians, motorbikes, cars and buses moving in a constant stream.

We also visited the corpse of Ho Chi Minh and a museum about his life. Are we becoming tourists of communism? We had to ask ourselves this after realizing we've seen the bodies of Mao and now Ho Chi Minh. The only one left is Lenin. Maybe we'll go to Russia and Cuba next.

We also stopped by the Army museum in Hanoi, which was of great interest to both of us. We saw U.S. helicopters and airplanes, as well as wreckage from several downed planes. Surprisingly, most of the information matched what I've been taught about the Vietnam War in the states, but it was still interesting to see it from this side. (For instance, of course, they call it the American War.) We also visited the famed "Hanoi Hilton"-- a prison built and used by French until the Vietnamese used it for downed American pilots. Senator John McCain spent six years there. They have his flight suit on display. (We also, incidentally, had a coffee in the actual, trademarked Hanoi Hilton.)

Now we're in Hue, a more countrified city in Central Vietnam. We're trying to get to the Loas border and on to Thailand. Tourist agencies dot the blocks here, offering tourist buses. We want to do it like locals, however, saving a few dollars and learning more. We'll see what happens tomorrow.