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| Kick me in the Chinese Junk |
The
bus from Hanoi was a tad bit odd. One of the guides was hell bent on
providing the folks on the bus with all sorts of interesting factoids
about Hanoi and Vietnam. Normally, I would have been genuinely
interested but his voice was so incredibly irritating that I was on
the verge of offering a cash payment if he would be willing to cease
and desist. I was not surprised to discover that others shared my
sentiments.
Before
making a pit stop we were given a rather depressing story about the
plight of children disabled as a result of all the nasty shit the
American military dumped on the country during the war, specifically
Agent Orange. The market where we stopped was established with these
kids in mind and much of the proceeds are supposed to bridge the gap
left by the insufficient funds provided by the Vietnamese government.
It was a little awkward after we arrived and our guide asked me where
I was from. “Uhhhh..ummm….A-mer-i-ca.”
Halong
Bay is a beautiful place and well deserving of UNESCO World
Heritage status. Almost 2,000 limestone monolithic islands rising
from the ocean and topped with jungle vegetation . The natural forces
that conspired to create this wonder are varied and numerous. The
local legend credits the activity of dragons for the origin of the
formations. I did not see any.
