Truth...

...lies in the eye of the beholder.

Today and yesterday we visited some sobering sites - the Army Museum, the Museum of Vietnamese Revolution and the Hoa Lo Prison (aka "the Hanoi Hilton" to US servicemen). Clearly this country and its people have been through a difficult period...it was shocking to see exactly how difficult - and for how long a period. Having said that, what we viewed on exhibit was clearly a perspective rather than objective fact. It gave us pause for reflection.

On our trip, we have been asked frequently if we are Americans and we fear a negative response, but have always been greeted warmly. Everyone knows someone in America. The phrase we hear over and over is "History is history. That was in the past. This is now." Pretty amazing capacity to move past differences...

Okay, okay - enough with the serious stuff...that's two posts in a row - we've been collecting two day's worth of funny stories and will share them soon. We'll also attempt to upload some photos to the site - Michelle took one of that "etiquette bell" in the Seoul airport, and there have been some other signs with poor translations into English. Priceless.

Itinerary update: tomorrow is our last day in Hanoi before heading on Sunday to Halong Bay in the northeast for an overnight. After Halong Bay, we take an overnight train to Hoi An, which is a beach area south of DaNang (aka "China Beach"). So, I'm signing off now because Saturday will be a busy day - last chance to visit family and finish shopping. Go Irish!