I had the chance to jet off to Hanoi recently – an all girls trip! Catherine Rogers, a teacher at the International School nearby, and Melanie, fellow team member, were my companions.
I have so been wanting to go to Hanoi ever since I came here, and we are on our last few weeks here so time was of the essence! Vietnam was a sight to see – very similiar to China in some ways but SOOOOO different from Thailand – the people, the scenery, the food, the attitudes. 
What can I say? It’s a communist country. The propaganda in the museums was *interesting* if not deflating at the same time. We visited the Hanoi Hilton, a prison built by the French colonialists in the 40s and then reclaimed by the Vietnamese to use as a prison for “insurgents” and shot-down American POW pilots. It was extremely depressing. We also visited Ho Chi Minh- literally. 
They have preserved his body in a temperature-(a freezing cold one I might add)-controlled chamber inside of this mausoleum behind me. Of course photos are forbidden for such a sacred figure. It was strange to wait in a line with thousands of people to stroll past him for just a few seconds.
BUT! We did get to eat brie and baguettes in a beautiful park
, eat at many cafes, and have many hilarious cultural incidents and mishaps that were entertaining way after they should have been. We went on a 2 day boat trip to Cat Ba island, which takes a route through Halong Bay – incredible scenery and amazing company on our boat! 
There was a Thai family travelling with us on our boat and it was awesome the way God orchestrated that happening! 
It turned out that 2 of them actually live in our area. Not only our area but in Catherine’s apartment building! Pretty unreal for a city of 12 million people and given the fact we were in another time and place entirely.
The weather was amazing and in the 70s/80s, which for us was much-needed relief from this blistering oven of a hot season in Bangkok.
Other adventures of the three amigas….going to the Temple of Literature and rubbing turtles heads for good luck…?
and standing on big trees 
…going to a water puppet show. 
Amazing!
Kim said,
April 11, 2008 at 1:51 am
Becky nice pictures. It looks like y’all had a blast. I know you are in your last weeks there for awhile. I just wanted to send a little encouragement as you go through the goodbyes. I hope these next weeks will be peaceful in the midst of packing and trying to squeeze in so many other things with people. I wish y’all the best in seminary and pray that God will get you through and on to the next steps. We miss being there with all.