Greetings from Vietnam

Let's get right down to it.

Sitting here in the French Quarter of Hanoi on an incredibly beautiful Monday afternoon. Just ate some street food called Bon Ba (noodles with beef and stuff) and was laughed out of the joint for trying to pay for my meal with 1/10th the actual cost. The currency here is a bit pesky. Too many zeros. It's called Dong. I try to be generous with my Dong.

So, I've turned my hotel upside down and there is absolutely no sign of any POWs. I'll soldier on when I arrive in Saigon, but it's not looking good, I'm afraid.

I spent yesterday checking out the countryside southwest of Hanoi ... the little villages and miles and miles of farmland. Took an hour row boat ride down the Perfume River to a trailhead in the Pagoda Mountains. Hiked about 5 miles out and back to the Perfume Pagoda. Insanely steep climb that I almost begged off at least twice. Well worth the climb once I got to the top, of course. Several villagers along the hike offering cold drinks, trinkets, etc. On the way down, I stopped for some fresh Sugar Cane juice that 3 little sisters (like 10-12 yrs old) were making fresh. Sadly, they only eat 2 meals a day, so our tip made their day, it seemed.

Hanoi is awesome. Small city of 4 mm people. Small tree lined streets. Little store fronts that go on and on and on. People are taxed according to the width of their entrances, so the houses are called tunnel houses ... super skinny and very tall. The Old Quarter is by far my favorite part of town. It's incredibly tough to put into to words. Imagine being on a carnival ride (like 'the mixer') ... you enter and your heart starts beating quickly, you start sweating, mopeds, bikes and cyclos going every which way possible, people hawking their food, drink, goods, services left and right. After you get lost amid the labyrinth for what can be hours, you get spit out and you have no idea what hit you. Insane. Really. The pictures I'll share later will give you some sense, but nearly enough.

My first dinner in town was at this joint called Cha Ca, at the suggestion of my friend Jean in NYC. They serve only one dish - Cha Ca. It's fried fish served piping in this clay pot over a fire with noodles, greens, peanuts and other stuff I can't name. They just bring it out for each person and game on. After 5 minutes of trying to figure out how and where to get seated, the Don sat me next to, by far, the hottest girl in the joint. Some blonde brit from London. Chatted for the entire meal, but it was high humor. The food was so hot it kept spurting hot as hell oil onto my skin, at which point I would react by either spilling my beer, spitting out my food or jumping out of my chair. Walked out dirty as hell, but laughing so hard. I'm 31 and I still can't handle myself in the presence of a gorgeous woman. I love it.

Just came back from checking out HoChiMinh's mausoleum. Heading out to see the French Quarter as well as the ol "Hanoi Hilton", where McCain, among others spent years of pure hell as POWs. 75% of the population here in Nam is b/w 18-30. Random.

Oh and I almost forgot, the traffic here is sick. Thousands of mopeds, bikes and cyclos ... throw in some cars here and there. Traffic never stops ... continous flow. Crossing the street is putting your life in total danger. You take a deep breath, step out and walk slowly. The minute you hesitate or stop, it's game over. Crazy adrenaline rush.

Off to Hoi An tomorrow. Stay tuned.