Day 1 -- Hanoi

Sunday, Nov. 2 -- We made it! Karen's flight from SFO to LAX was cancelled (thank you, United), but she made her flight to Seoul anyway. My flight was uneventful, although boarding was akin to being on the roof of the American embassy in Saigon when the U.S. withdrew. The concept of single file or patient waiting was apparently a foreign one to my fellow travelers.

The ride in from the airport was fascinating. There are probably 100 motorbikes to each car, and they dart in and out of traffic with abandon. Horns blare constantly, and at least two passengers, sometimes three or four, ride those little things. The stuff strapped on the back ranges from big appliances (like a stove) to baskets of food. Also on the road were two brahma cows, drawn by women in traditional dress, and a water buffalo. There are plenty of bombed out buildings between the airport and Hanoi, as well as in the city itself. Not sure if they've never been repaired since the war or how they got that way. On the other hand, there's some new construction and signs of modernity.

In the last three days, Hanoi has received the most rainfall in the last 24 years, causing extensive flooding (Jane and Eileen, does this sound familiar?) We are talking torrential downpours most of the day. So between the weather and fatigue, we didn't have a terribly productive day. We visited the famous Hanoi Hilton, aka Hoi Lo Prison, a truly grim place. It's now a museum, with lots of exhibits detailing the lives of "our patriotic brothers" as well as how happy American POWs were when they got to live there. They got to play volleyball and celebrate Christmas! John McCain's flight suit is on display, as well as some photos of him and the other pilots who were shot down. The prison is quite old, built by the French to oppress the Vietnamese, according to local legend. Prisoners were forced to sit on cold cement, legs stretched in front of them with their ankles in iron shackles. This, of course, severely restricted any movements and left some longtime prisoners paralyzed or deformed.

We also walked along Hoan Kim Lake, a big body of water in the middle of the city. It's very beautiful, surrounded by trees. A red bridge crosses to a temple or pagoda (apparently there's a difference). It stopped raining long enough for us to walk across the bridge.

Our hotel, which is much nicer than I expected, is near the shopping district. I've never seen so many goods -- everything anyone could possibly want is available, and cheap. The streets are teeming with humanity, and the vendors are quite aggressive. Probably the most picturesque are women wearing a non la, the traditional conical hat, and au dai, the national dress. They are high-necked tunics of satin or silk, slit up the side and worn over wide pants. These women, most of them tiny, carry long poles with heavy baskets hanging from each end, loaded with pineapple, bananas and other goods. The food market features everything from exotic spices to live fish swimming in big buckets, to species of produce I've never seen before.

We're having a little trouble with the money -- 100,000 dong equals $6. Not the easiest calculation on earth.

Hoping for a dry day tomorrow.