Slum Dong Millionaires

 A gossip of old crones We followed the Ho Chi Minh trail north to Hanoi.  The grand old dame of the orient.  According to the Lonely Planet travel guide "Hanoi is the most graceful, atmospheric, and captivating capital in the region."  So our expectations were high and the old dame did not disappoint.  What the guide books fail to mention was just how alive she is and how much fun.  Here the exotic old girl blends seamlessly with the dynamic, exciting and perhaps frenetic pace of the modern and emerging force that is the new Vietnam. the night market Hanoi has everything you could want in an oriental city.  Ancient history, French colonial architecture and a very contemporary attitude.  We loved it. A bar we frequented with our friends called Obamas where I ended up being the disc jockey We wandered, ate and partied in the tiny narrow streets of the old quarter, crawled through the amazing market, especially...

It was with a heavy heart that we left beautiful Hoi An, we said goodbye to all our new friends, strode the river walk to the ancient city and took one last dip in the pool at the River Palms Villas.  [Had to green up my beard for the trip.]  With excitement in the air we headed north. There is a bus service that leaves Hoi An for Hue, picks you up at your hotel, stops along the high mountain passes, stops at Marble Mountain, stops at a virtually deserted beach and finally drops you off at your hotel in Hue.  All for $37.50. Di and I were the only passengers. Our tour guide Tim High above the ocean and beach near Da Nang Marble Mountain is a huge natural rock formation that has been quarried for hundreds of years and contains a plethora of natural caverns to explore.  Big studios line the streets where immense statues carved from the quarried marble stand sentinel, These can be purchased and shipped anywhere in the world for a princely sum.  We to...