xin chao (hello), the last time we spoke, i believe i was hoi an. well, let me tell you, things got a little interesting there. i had this feeling that my guide was hitting on me, but i wasn’t sure, but by the time we made it to hue i was quite sure. in hue, we had dinner one night (even though she is forbidden to eat with the tourists. after a tour about town (very beautiful, but what a shame b/c so much was ruined by the war), she told the driver to go home and that we were going to take a stroll. we ended up going to dinner and having traditional hue food (delicious) and then a couple beers. after the beer, she started telling me her darkest secrets. why people feel the need to tell me their life history, i’ll never know. it’s not as if i lock it away in the vault…obviously. she told me how her parents were divorced and how she is so ashamed and that her mother is shunned by society. she got married two years ago, but only after her mother forced her because she was getting so old (28 is late in vietnam to marry). she can’t stand married life and hates living with her husband. she also explained to me how the children of the south vietnamese people who fought with the americans were punished until just recently. apparently, if your parents fought against the vietcong, you would not be accepted into university to study and you could not leave the country b/c you had not had the proper conditioning. the children paid for the sins of their parents…very interesting. it wasn’t until 10 years ago that this treatment stopped. after that, she started sitting very close to me (prectically on top of me). she kept rubbing my hand as she talked and touching my leg. it was all very strange. i made an excuse and told her i wasn’t feeling well. i wanted to get away from her b/c the whole experience made me feel cheap (hee hee). blah blah blah…took a ride on the perfume river and visited a lot of tombs. the citadel is fantastic. it’s just a shame that we bombed the shit out of it. walking around, i could just imagine how full of life it must have been. what made it even better was the music that filled the air. the national conservatory is nearby and the students practicing could be heard while walking the grounds. i went by to watch the rehearsal and it was a full show sans the costumes. it was great. again, i was invited to try the danbau, but i was even worse the second time. my next stop was hanoi. my guide took me to the old quarter for a looksee, to uncle ho’s house and mausoleum. unfortunately, i did not get to see his body. they had flown it to moscow for the yearly upkeep & repair. i also saw a lot of pagodas, the opera house, the temple of literature, fine arts museum/galleries, and then to see the water puppets (great show). oh yeah, i happened into an art opening and met this wonderful artist from japan. her paintings were on being exhibited and she kept refusing to sell (the little tease). now i’m in halong bay for a couple days and then back to hanoi. the seafood is great and very pretty views. i am getting a little sick of nature and no stoli. it’s time to pack it in and bend some elbows. i’m looking forward to returning to sydney and being able to brush my teeth with tap water. anne, yesterday, i ran out of bottled water in my hotel room and used your solution to brush my teeth: scotch from the mini bar. well, i am off for a stroll about town. tomorrow i take a six-hour boat ride and visit some caves (hopefully no birdshit). tam biet (good-bye), vicki