VIET NAM
	A quick flight from Vientiane put us in Hanoi by 9am.  There we booked a ticket north on a night train to Sapa where we would trek through terraced rice fields to Hmong villages.  We stashed our luggage in order to travel light, braved the crazy streets of Hanoi for the day sampling fresh spring rolls, pho- the classic Vietnamese noodle soup, and Bia Hoi- streetside beer served from mini-kegs for 5 cents a glass.  We awoke at 5am when the train reached Sapa, boarded the mini-bus, scoped out some hot noodles at the market, and were off on our trek by 9am.  The route was a lazy dirt road leading down into the farmed valley. Along the way we were met with aggressive, but irresistible, kids selling typical indigo-dyed textiles. Many of the women had deep blue fingertips from the dye.
		We slept well that night protected by mosquito nets in the upstairs loft of a home in a small hillside village.  After being  awakened by roosters, like tight-rope walkers we carefully crossed the narrow rises between the rice paddies further into the valley.  We passed lazing water buffalo as well as water-driven, bamboo-built rice pounding levers. Several handicrafts richer, we hiked back up to the road and were driven back to the quaint mountain town of Sapa in an old Russian Army jeep. The sun set over Mt.Fansipan and by nightfall we were on another train back to Hanoi, 3 days into our visit to Vietnam, not yet having spent one night in a hotel.
		Luckily, Bill's parents were treating us to several nights at the ever comfortable Galaxy Hotel and would arrive that evening so we took it easy (read "power showered" and watched TV)  and made only a brief outing into the city.  Suzy and Joel arranged some excellent touring including visits to the West Lake Pagoda, the Hanoi Hilton, the Temple  of Literature, and Ho Chi Min's Mausoleum. On the mausoleum grounds Bill's goatee turned more than one head as his likeness was unmistakable for Uncle Ho himself.  We randomly encountered a group of Vassar Alumnae, accompanied by an historian as well as the President of Vassar and were invited to join them as we toured Ho's teakwood home and the famous table at which many of the decisions regarding the war were made.
		Ha Long Bay was our next destination. It is famous for its classic limestone karst scenery.  We boarded a classic painted wooden boat, were served tea on the top deck, toured an enormous cave, enjoyed a deluxe white-table-cloth seafood meal in the main cabin,  and climbed more than 200 steps to a pagoda viewpoint on top of one of the karsts.  It was a quintessential day. As Suzy and Joel headed back to Hanoi, we hopped a boat to one of the Islands in the bay and spent 2 days sea kayaking amongst the islands, spending the night in a grass hut..
			From there it was back to Hanoi where we would meet up with our friend Rosemary, send Bill's parents off, and head south...
					click here to read Rosemary's account of what happened next...