Today is my last in this wonderful country which I have come to love so much as did Robin Williams character in the film "Good Morning, Vietnam". I arrived here six weeks ago and in that time I have experienced frenetic cities with chaotic and cacaphonous traffic, tranquil countryside with beautiful natural scenery and stimulating beaches, some deserted as far as one can see and others complete with vendors selling sunglasses, beer and tee shirts. I have become a devotee of Vietnamese cuisine: who knew soup (pho) would become one of my favorite breakfasts? The Vietnamese people are some of the kindest, friendliest and most welcoming I have ever met.
I am now in my hotel in Hanoi where I am happy to have reliable internet once again. I returned by sleeper bus from the far north of Viet Nam to Hanoi a couple of days ago. Thinking that I had learned enough about sleeper buses I carefully planned my return booking early and confirming the seat I thought would be best only to arrive at the bus terminal and learn that the scheduled bus was delayed and I would be on a different bus. In the airline business we called this a COE - Change of Equuipment. This was none too comfy either so my track record for sleeper buses is not so good.
In my last hours here in Ha Noi I will revisit the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh which was closed for restoration a few weeks ago. There is an office of American Airlines here and I will go there to buy some onward tickets. I plan to lunch at what has become my fav restaurant in Ha Noi where a delicious prix fixe lunch is about $2.50.
At 5 PM today I will depart for a long journey to Vientiane, Laos. Once again I am traveling by sleeper bus. The schedule is to arrive at the Viet Nam-Lao border at 5 AM. There I will obtain my VOA (visa on arrival) and then continue onward to Vientiane arriving mid afternoon. A friend from my previous trip to Vientiane has reserved a room for me at oone of my favorite hotels from my previous visit to Lao. So now I am out of the hotel for a final few hours in Ha Noi. My next report most likely will be from the PDRL-Pdeople's Democratic Republic of Lao.
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