The bus trip back from Halong Bay was uneventful, with the exception of a lot of sleeping and one impromptu stop near the pineapple plantations for a fun pineapple snack. The locals chop off the skin, carve a design into the pineapple, and whittle the green pineapple top into a handle. Voila…instant pineapple popsicle. Damn tasty and a whole lot healthier than ice cream. We arrived at the hotel, and in the lobby, we ran into the Gubanyis (Peter, Renee, Jacki...

Short Version We flew to Hanoi on a small plane from Laos. The flight was uneventful, and we were thankful to not to have to take the mountain road out of Laos the same way we had arrived. Hanoi is a city with a lot of character and charm—the mix of French architecture and culture with modern and traditional Vietnamese life makes it an easy and interesting place to visit. It is "easy" unless, of course, you want to cross a street. The 2 million motorbikes in t...