Last entry for me on the blog. Had a great trip. I am amazed at how easily things went. For three weeks of traveling without a solid plan, everything went extremely well. The only things pre-planned were my flights to and from Vietnam and the first two nights hotel that Terry booked. Terry flew stand-by, so even his flights back and forth were unplanned. We knew we were going to start in the South and finish in the North, but didn’t have a clue how we were going to do it. We took every form of transportation in the country, except a water buffalo. The old Russian hydrofoil down the Saigon River was an excellent way to begin the travels and finishing it on the back of a scooter at rush hour in Hanoi was a fitting end. The various cars, trains and buses helped fill in the blanks. Stayed at some really nice hotels and a couple of dumps, but everyone working in this industry was wonderful. They went out of their way to wash our clothes, order us take-out food and arrange much of our transportation. We met some awesome people throughout the country, from former enemies and allies to the final group of paraglider pilots in Hanoi. At no time did we feel any animosity or danger. The food was as diverse as anyplace I’ve ever been. Not understanding a single written or spoken Vietnamese word usually made ordering food an interesting experience. Did manage to get a dose of Ho Chi Minh’s revenge after one culinary delight, though not sure what gave it to us. From beaches to mountains, large cities to rural hamlets, got to see lots more of the country this trip than my last. Having Terry’s totally different perspective on our year’s experiences as young men, was very enlightening. Sure made me wish I’d joined the Air Force instead of the Army…he learned to surf, while I learned to backpack. Couldn’t have asked for a better traveling companion, 24 hours a day for three weeks and we were still having fun when we split up in Hanoi. I’m looking forward to the next adventure with TR.

Rick