In Hanoi

J went back to the embassy while I was reviewing the paper, then came back to get me because she hadn’t taken the receipt. By 2:15 pm we had the passports back with new visas. The street looked pretty jammed, so we bagged the idea of going to see the farmers who are demonstrating at Government House and grabbed a cab back to the airport. While we were in the cab, after the driver and I chatted a while, I asked if he could explain the red shirts and yellow shirts to me. Basically he said:

The yellow shirts go to demonstrations with guns and sticks and they stay, like they did when the shut down the airport. They hurt the economy. They don’t believe in democracy [they do support the government that came in through a coups]. When they break the law, nothing happens to them. But when the red shirts break the law they get punished right away. The yellow shirts are communists. [Has he been looking at the pictures on my blog?]

Well, that’s certainly the opposite of the story I get at work. But then, in Bangkok, the majority support the government and it is a yellow shirt stronghold. In Chiang Mai it’s the other way around.

Here are the early birds already at the gate.

Our plane waiting as the sun sets in Bangkok.

We made it to the airport fine and I’m now typing on the flight to Vietnam.
Flying out of Bangkok

Later - it's now almost 11pm March 5, 2009 in Hanoi.

All went well. But at the customs the guy took my passport and walked away. Then came back. Then he wrote down 5/3 and pointed to the visa that said 6/3. I turned the page and showed him the new visa. He really didn't know what to do with that. He took the passport over to someone else who came back to me and spoke some English. I explained about the two visas. He said, one day, no problem. Yeah, thanks, tell that to Air Asia. Anyway, we got through. Then trying to change money. The ATM didn't work. The airport rate was 17,000 dong to the US dollar. Well it wasn't that rounded off. They had told us to get a mini-bus but warned us of touts getting us into a taxi. After getting pointed in the wrong direction and told the minibus wouldn't leave for two hours, we found out that we were in the wrong place. The minibus driver wanted double the price they told us in the airport. Then people moved us to the public bus and we ended up on that going to town. It was full. Joan had a seat, then people pointed to a seat in back. The man next to me spoke great English. He works for a Japanese electronic company and was visiting his girlfriend who checks passports at the airport. That's him in the back of the dark bus as it bounces along.

He got us to the end of the line - in the old quarter where our hotel is
- and into a cab for the next 2 km.

Here's Thu, the lady I'd been communicating with by email about the room, getting the info she needs from our passports. The lady in the back was making us a fruit plate and tea for J and lemonade for me.

And here's the view from our little balcony.

And here's our room from the balcony.

So now we have to figure out what to do for the next few days. There's pressure to get out on a tour. I don't think we're going to Halong Bay - everyone's recommendation - because of J's tendency to get seasick. The info comes back that the water is flat and calm, but J's pretty sensitive. We'll see. Anyway, your up to date in real time almost.