Sunday, Feb 13th, Hue

Greetings!

Before I tell you where we've been today, I have to include a link entitled "Nguyen Sisters".  It may take a while to load, but it's worth waiting for.  When their picture appears, click on the arrow to start the video.  It may load slowly, depending on the bandwidth.  Be patient.



These girls performed for us while their mother made us coffee, while at a rest stop in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam.  They have an email if you'd like to wish them well, as we do, in their lives and careers.  They can be reached at: nhatminhnguyen22@yahoo.com.

Earlier in the day, in the drizzling rain, we visited the vast underground tunnels at Vinh Moc.  One of 114 tunnel complexes near the DMZ at the 17th parallel, it's a wonder to behold (and not nearly as hard to walk through as those at Cu Chi).  Then to the bridge over the river where a huge Vietnam flag marks the north end of the bridge, and a statue of a woman and her daughter waiting for her husband to come home stands at the south end.

Finally, we head to Khe Sanh, in the mountains on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.  It's hard for me to see the site of so much bloodshed on both sides, and come across the wreckage of a wing of a plane I had responsibility for keeping in the air.  It's the first evidence of my tour of duty here, and I'm beginning to feel the past more now.

We're staying tonight at a large hotel in Hue, and will be here for the next two nights.  We went to a popular ex-pat restaurant tonight.  I had duck in orange sauce and crab soup, and Pat had noodles with stir fried vegetables.  We both had a glass of French red wine.  The tab was less than $15.

To see the photos from today, click on: Sunday, Feb13th, Hue

Gregory

Ps.  I lost my wallet last night at the bar, and we've had to cancel all my credit cards.   Not unlike a friend of ours who left his home when he took off for Peru this week.  It happens to us all.