Hello Hanoi!

We made it! After 24 hours in transit we are finally in Hanoi. China Airlines turns out to be a fine airline, although their seats are a bit small. Poor Patrick had to fold in half to fit.
On the last leg of our trip, we were on the plane with a big group of Vietnam Vets from the Marines. They were on a sort of pilgrimage to visit the sites where they had been stationed 40 years ago. Amazing that it was that long ago. I sat next to a man who had been retired when he stepped on a land mine and lost a leg. He was still quite the supporter of our nation's military and it was very interesting speaking with him about the war. Quite a different perspective from that of the Vietnamese we talked with the last time we were in Vietnam! He spoke of how proud he was of the soldiers he fought with and how the US really should have won, but we gave up instead. I have a feeling that our political beliefs are a bit different, but luckily we didn't get into politics at all.
Landing in Hanoi was quite a relief and it felt good to smell the smells and see the sights on the way to the hotel. It seems that very little has changed, although perhaps there are a few more cars on the road. Of course, we shared the road with many motorcycles piled high with people, luggage, shoes, boxes, and other things I couldn't determine. The highway wound through rice paddies where people were up to their knees working along side of enormous billboards advertising all of the current Western amenities you could buy if you could afford them. New tall buildings, clean and sparkeling, with beautiful gardens, sat next to shanty towns and their markets. Ahhhh Vietnam.
Our hotel, The Lucky 2, is much better than I expected! At first, we were put off at spending 4x as much for a guesthouse as we had the last time we were here. However, this hotel is centrally located, has big rooms with nice bathrooms, WINDOWS in the room, safes, and a great staff! And besides, there are other adoptive families here, which is nice for the support. So far I am pretty pleased.