Hanoi

An American/Japanese/Indonesian sage recently quoted a NY Times article, saying it "provides more incentive for all of us to keep on the blogging: 'While friends can run errands and pick up medicine for a sick person, the benefits go well beyond physical assistance; indeed, proximity does not seem to be a factor.'"

That's lucky for me because living in Asia does not provide a lot of proximity to friends. At least until April 5, it didn't. Look who got off the plane in the Hanoi airport!



Hi, friends! Our 2-week adventure began in Hanoi, where we wandered through the city exploring the streets, some of which were themed. Here's shoe street.



Walking through the city required avoiding walls of motorbikes that didn't follow any traffic rules.




But fortunately, we had delicious coffee

and barbecued meat and noodles to sustain us.


We felt only slightly sketched out by the street food when we saw a man literally sharpening his knife on a curb.

Well-nourished, Willie and Meg felt up to the challenge of some physically-demanding sports.




What are all those Vietnamese people doing in the Forbes basement?

And why is everyone so under dressed for the Quad Speechwriters Semiformal?



I apologize for the quality of the photo, but you don't understand how SERIOUSLY ping pong was taken in that place. I was too afraid to use the flash. Sadly, there was no singing.