HELLO FROM HANOI!

I made it!
In my life,I have been on some really long flights, but this one, without a doubt was the longest. From home in Florida to the airport to Atlanta to Seoul to Hanoi with layovers was abouot 29 hours!
Am I glad I am here!
The airport is about a 30 minute ride into the center of town...and that of course depends on which center of town you are talking about. There is the historic center, the french area, the new area and the rest of Hanoi that is bustling even at the hour we arrived!

Somehow it seemed like Lima, Peru, on arrival as there are hundreds of locals waiting for family members as we cleared customs. However unlike the locals, no one was waiting with huge bouquets of flowers for me. Only the smiling agent representitive of Asia Transpacific, the company hosting this trip in Vietnam.
Flowers are cheap here and way out by the airport are the many fields of flowers full of asian lillies, roses, you name it...the flowers are spectacular. Driving into town there are truckloads and bicycle loads of flowers going to the flower market which is setting up at midnight to do business the remainder of the day. It is hot and humid and unless they get the flowers to market early, they will droop and die in the midday heat.

Bicycles and motorbikes are a way of life here and there are probably more of those on the road than there are cars or trucks. The trucks and cars pay attention to the traffic rules but the motorbike riders do not necessarily play by the same code so at red lights while we stopped, the motorbikes spead through. A warning if walking in Hanoi...Watch Out for Motorbikes and bicycles....as they don't watch out for you.

So at last I am here and checking into the hotel...just give me some air conditioning.I thought it was hot at home but by comparison, Hanoi is really hot and very humid. Hope my hair makes it through the rest of this trip. As of right now I have that wild untamed look.

Oh well...lets see what tomorrow and daylight bring. Exicted and glad to be in Hanoi!
I am going to bed in my airconditioned hotel room!
Good night Vietnam!