Setting Off

Here is what is going on with me, as I travel through SE Asia.

I hopped a train from Shanghai to Nan Ning, which is just north of Vietnam. Before I left from Shanghai, I saw a woman with a Longhorn hat on and got my picture with her. She did not speak any English, but was able to get the picture. The train ride was very long, totaling over 24 hours. I booked a hard sleeper and it was very comfortable. On the train, I met a guy who was dressed in American camouflage. We began to talk and I learned that he owns 8 businesses. He also loves guns and was very excited to learn that I am from Texas. So he showed me pictures of himself with assault rifles and the like. Very bizarre experience, but he was a very nice guy.

He is only 24 and his parents are both teachers. This was very strange to me because in China most people follow the traditional roots of their parents. Although this is definitely changing in the "New China." He was heading down to visit his wife's parents and help them start a flower shop.

The train was quite an experience and I am glad that I chose this mode of transportation. After arriving in Nan Ning, I went with my new friend over to his wife's parents house and had dinner. On the way up the stairs, I say and heard rats scurrying away. Needless to say it is a different world down here. The food was good and the family was very nice. We seemed to be at a stand still with the language barrier, so smiling and agreeing were a good thing to throw in.



After arriving in Nan Ning early in the morning, I booked a ticket into Hanoi. This train had 7 passengers on it and a total of about 20 crew. I am not sure how they can economically afford this, but the train was very nice. We crossed the Chinese and Vietnamese border early in the morning and made our way towards Hanoi.

We arrived around 5 AM on Sunday into Hanoi. I was not sure what to do with the early time, but there were many taxis and moto bikes who would have been happy to show me. So I hopped on the back of one of the moto bikes and made my way to the old quarter near Hoan Kiem Lake. I arrived to a waking Hanoi, which is unlike any city I have ever been to. There were women dancing in a jazzercise manner to some lady talking over a loud speaker. Amazingly, all of the women around the lake were in unison. It was comical to say the least, but seemed eerily normal to them. There were also men running around the lake and other playing hacky-sack with a badminton looking birdie. The younger men were were lifting weights on the side of the street.

Then all of a sudden around 7 AM it all stopped. The women disappeared as did the men men. The weight bench was gone and all of the other evidence of the morning routine vanished. A normal routine that the Vietnamese have down perfectly.

And thus begins my trip through SE Asia.....stayed tuned for more.