headed for the crossing...

Looks to be our last entry before the marathon flight tomorrow. We’re considerably more at ease about the prospects of this return leg than we were on the way here. Certainly a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. We marvel about how transformative these past couple of weeks have been for us, in terms of our developing acquaintance with both Kino and Vietnam.

We entertained a number of touring ideas for our last day here: Halong Bay, a village renowned for silk weaving, another for ceramics. In the end we opted to keep in fairly close to our hood in the old quarter, venturing on a morning jaunt to an adjunct of the Museum of Ethnology featuring downed weaponry from its struggle toward independence, including the carcass of a B-52 and a couple fighter jets—staged in a bonsai garden. (The unlikely mix seemed too interesting to pass up.) There are a couple other attractions in that area we aimed to explore but opted instead to return to the Temple of Literature for the relaxed setting that Kino clearly enjoyed. There we spent a good part of the rest of the day, taking in a performance of traditional Vietnamese music and otherwise enjoying the garden settings. Let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Can’t believe we’re at the end of our stay. How great it has been to be sharing our intrigue in the process with all of you!

Keeping my fingers crossed for safe passage out of here. Leslie has symptoms of the plague; word of an outbreak of avian flu in Korea.

S