11/11/06
HeyMom, It's Saturday the 11th,and very hot here. Hanoi is an incredible city. You have to see it to believe it. Mass chaos! The food is so good and cheap that I won't starve. You can eat all day for about two dollars. Tomorrow I leave for Hai Phong for a couple of days, and then on to Hue on the 15th. I got a first class sleeper(the only thing they sell westerners), but it was only 35 dollars. It's a night train so I arrive in Hue the morning of the 16th. I have been staying at the Hotel Camellia which is in the old quarter and tucked on a little side street so it's relatively quiet. I have outfitted myself with local clothing for my travels. Two outfits-eight bucks-and very stylish. If you look rich here everything costs more. I have enjoyed Hanoi, but I am looking forward to being out of a city. I have met a bunch of Vietnamese students who want to practice english. Being by myself makes me easier to approach, and when I try to sit and read by the lake someone always wants to talk. All's well here and I am having a great time,