Photos are up!

I'm back safe in Hanoi and have spent a couple hours posting new photos to Picasa. Check them out - 3 albums - Hue, Hoi An, and Hanoi/Halong Bay. http://picasaweb.google.com/stephaniepwilson Sapa is soon to come, but I didn't have enough time to do the captions justice so decided to wait.

Yesterday's hike with Li was incredible. She brought her 5 yr old son, Tan, along with us. He is SO cute and just scampered along with us for 5 hrs. We hiked through 2 ethnic villages and then proceeded through the mountains along a path that none of the tour companies take people on. We only saw villagers (and just a handful of them) for the majority of the time we were out. I got to learn more about Li, her family, and the people of the area. We stopped at her aunt's house, in Cat Cat village, which I got some great photos of. She gave me one of her silver bracelets so I'd never forget her. So kind! Our trip culminated at Silver Waterfall, where her boyfriend picked us up and took the 4 of us back to Sapa on his motorbike. We must have been quite a sight! Tan squished up front by the handlebars, the boyfriend (didn't catch his name) driving, then me, and Li rounding us out on the back. I wish I'd gotten a photo!

I was worrying all day (me worry? I know...crazy) about how much to pay Li. She hadn't given me a price for the day and I was hoping she wasn't going to ruin the rapport we'd built by asking for some exorbitant amount at the end of the day. Luckily when it came time to say goodbye (or simply, "see you" as they say here) she was very coy and seemed uncomfortable asking me for anything. I gave her 300,000 dong (about 19 USD) and she was elated. I think she probably got less than that for taking the 3 of us on a 2 day trip. It was really great to be able to make her so happy with just a bit of money, especially since she really earned it. I couldn't have asked for a better guide and really do feel as though I made a friend. I can't wait to get the photos up for you all :)

On my night train I was in a cabin with 3 chinese men. One was just learning English so we kind of talked/played charades for a little while. They were geologists heading to Hanoi to meet their boss after a vacation to Sapa.

Today I was fortunate enough to see the enbalmed Ho Chi Minh. It was fascinating to see how reverent the Vietnamese are toward him. I found it a bit creepy to be checking out his body. I also went to the very modern HCM museum, and then headed a bit out of town to go to the Vietnam Ethnology Museum. They have a lot of cool artifacts and more concrete information about the Vietnamese minorities.

I'd planned to meet my Sapa trekking buddy, Casey, for dinner, and then this afternoon ran into our other companion, Ildi on the street while she was looking for a place to stay! She's now rooming with me and we'll all head to dinner tonight. Fun! Tomorrow is the end of my time in Vietnam as I fly to Laos!