Ha Noi, Day Two from Bob

Male Model looking out of Artist Hut in Highlands outside Ha Noi Look out Arizona, Viet Nam is coming after your golf tourist dollars! No, it is NOT a dry heat here! Coolie Hats, Carts and Boeing 777's all in one picture!

Jim being Pedalled around Downtown Our guide Hung Cha, enthusiastically making his next point. Did we mention the TRAFFIC is unbeleivable, yet civilized! A helping hand going uphill in the hills outside Ha Noi. The rolling limestone outcroppings form a lovely landscape.

HANOI , DAY TWO I am writing this as we cruise on the way to Shanghai at FL450, Jim and Chris once again at the controls. While my cold is better, I still have a strong cough and my ears may or may not function well on the descent, so I’m in the back again. Chris is happy about that anyway as it keeps my germs a little farther away. Jim and I have agreed that we think Chris’s good health is most important to the mission, so Jim is getting his 7th leg of the trip vs. 3 each for Chris and I, but hey- whose airplane is it anyway!

We threw a bit of a curve ball to our guide on day two- he was all set to take us on more cultural tours of the city when we asked if we could go to the mountains and see some of the countryside. It took him a minute or two to get on board with the idea, but then our guide ,“Hung Cha”, enthusiastically took us off on about a 140KM bus ride through some truly interesting landscape. I think one thing is clear as we leave Viet Nam today-it is near the top of our list for places we’ve seen. Wonderful people, busy, busy, friendly, busy and industrious people! And PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. Traffic thickness as tight or more so than any we’ve seen, yet they treat each other with courtesy. Mercer and I coined the term Courteously Compact Traffic. No one seems to be angry, yet everyone is “pushing the envelope.” No one takes offense. We saw MILLIONS of scooters, pedestrians , trucks and cars, yet we didn’t witness a single impact or see anyone “get off on the pavement” through the whole time. Amazing! This for Haven Sweet and you other photography nuts: Ha Noi and surroundings (yes, it is two words in their language, meaning City (Ha) on the River (Noi) has a stunning picture everywhere you look! Rice paddies with workers up to their armpits, with only their shoulders and the coolie hats showing above the surface. Water Buffalo pulling plows, traffic scenes, power and telephone lines that make artistic patterns… a picture everywhere you look! We traveled for several hours through the countryside and then stopped at a seemingly deserted “hotel resort” for lunch. They powered up the ceiling fans and within minutes we had Cokes or Beers and then a 6 course lunch appeared as if by magic. Sticky rice with hot sauce and crushed peanuts, pork on a skewer, a pumpkin soup that was to die for, spring rolls with delicious vegetables inside, spinach as good as I’ve ever tasted, a very white meat fish selection that was sumptuous…. All as if by magic. Wonderful food, very nice people, most of whom can speak a little bit of English- always with a smile. Although on a totally different scale and purpose from Dubai, Viet Nam is under construction! Huge highway projects, golf courses, office buildings and industrial parks are sprouting up everywhere you look. This is one place I’m certain I would like to visit again. Kim will go nuts over the food variety and will love the warmth of the people. I can’t stop with the traffic scenes, one keeps demanding another frame be shot on the Nikon. Although the visibility was very poor on our day trip, I include a couple of shots of the beautiful limestone hills and small mountains we saw in the country. The Cutter family better watch out, there is a new place for “golf in Phoenix” that will surely prove a cost savings for dollar conscious tourists. I’m bringing my grandson a couple of 100,000 nom currency notes. They have Uncle Ho’s picture on them and lots of zeroes behind the 1- but it is worth about six dollars American. We had a drink bill one night that ran into the millions- and nobody was even a little tipsy at the end of the evening! Every single person, from the customs agents to the cab drivers, came across as kind, patient and pleasant people. It would be hard to imagine being at war with them.

I push the upload button here at the Marriott in rainy Shanghai. It is a bit dreary here, but the city's growth is something. Will get to work on bringing it to you later. Bob