The accompanying (rather unrelated) photos for this article are street scenes from Hanoi, Vietnam (particularly motorcycle sights, which never cease to amaze me) and views of Hanoi’s Temple of Literature. Shaun’s head was hung low over his coconut juice when I met up with him at the restaurant. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Did your lady… [Read More]
Vietnam
Vietnam’s Spunk!
Yes, that IS a giant octopus piled on top of a moving motorcycle in the photo to the left. “Remember,” said Ahmar, speaking from his ten months living in Hanoi, “Vietnam has spent most of its history fighting invaders– from the Chinese, to the French, to us Americans. It’s not surprising that the people have…… [Read More]
Loving Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem Lake
Here’s a deeply foolish idea: Check yourself into a hip, uber-popular Backpacker’s hostel when you are exhausted beyond belief and really just need to sleep. Screw being social with nubile young Australians, and screw paying just $7 a night, because you will not sleep a wink in a dorm room with twelve Germans who don’t… [Read More]
Salvaging My Motorcycle-Maimed Computer!
The famous author from whom I bought my dear little Asus eee PC threw me a sharp Facebook message in response to one of my status updates. “What happened to the computer?” he typed. “I leave for Kabul in 30 hours. Give me the lowdown.” So I did. “At exactly the same moment I was… [Read More]
Halong Bay’s Monkeys Attack Beach!
Do you like wildlife? Do you like the sea? Do you like primates hurtling at you as you try to swim in the tranquil ocean? Then head to “Monkey Beach” in Halong Bay, otherwise known as “Monkey Attack Beach”! The last stop in our day-long boat tour of magical Halong Bay, Vietnam, was this famous… [Read More]
Kayaking and Dancing in Caves of Halong Bay
Halong Bay’s two thousand tower islands are twisted with deep and drippy caves! Some of these caves have watery bottoms that you must paddle through. Others burrow deep into the centers of the ocean-hugged limestone towers, meaning you can twirl right through on foot. In the morning, our tourboat puttered up to a walk-through cave,… [Read More]
