For those with nervous temperaments, rest assured I am still alive

HANOI, VIETNAM

Soon our Viet Nam adventure will end and we'll cross the border into Laos, a land of legendary beauty and river tubing. Of Vietnam, I am quite fond. Though perhaps it is true that the people here are less friendly with foreigners than perhaps Thailand or Cambodia. They are more prone to stop and stare as you pass, though you are doing nothing, more likely to charge you twice or three times the price for a cup of coffee if you did not ask the price beforehand. However, modest kindness is aplenty and enough if you do not fancy yourself a prince. The natural beauty of this small strip of coast is enough to fill a continent, which is why we have spent almost twice as long here as we had anticipated. Even now, after three weeks, I am preoccupied with thoughts of my return.