Last two days in Hanoi

Sooo this blog is a week old but yet I will send it and try and catch up with our amazing 7 nights in Myanmar later. We just got through security at the Yangon, Myanmar airpot and heading to spend our last three nights in Bangkok with Noreen Selinger's brother Ron. This is the first wifi connection we have had in a week. Sorry for the long break in blogs. The overnight train back to Hanoi was another interesting experience. This time we had our own cabin but our Chinese neighbors obviously wanted to continue to celebrate the year of the dragon. Not the best place to catch up on your sleep. We managed to gather our suitcases and backpacks at 4:30am and walk with the masses through the train station to our awaiting driver. It really is a luxury to have your own driver. I am considering getting one back in CT! Our driver dropped us off at our hotel at 5am. Everything was dark and locked up with one of those metal roll down doors - I thought we'd be on the street for a few hours but Tiger rang the bell and up comes the door and the two guys asleep on the floor greet us like long lost friends - and the real bonus, they had a room for us to crash in. The best part about returning to Hanoi was getting back together again with Kim & Eric. We had a great reunion sharing their stories and photos of Laos and ours of Halong Bay, Bac Ha and Sapa. So many on the motor bikes and some just walking use the face masks. Being winter here they wear them for warmth but some year round because of the pollution. Since unleaded gas has pretty much taken over the pollution is way down. The streets are crazy busy - we found the best way to cross a street is to walk along side a local - preferably an old man. Of course there was plenty of beautiful stores and time for Annie to shop. It was five minutes before we happened upon this snake by the side of the road that I had said to Eric " I would love to see a snake". It was a bit closer than I would have liked but I felt like I was in the zone. Wide loads on lots of people on most motor bikes. This town of Cuu is about a 40 minute drive to the south of Hanoi. I would imagine that this quaint quiet town is what many Vietnamese would love to call home. Unfortunately there are few jobs other than farming so all the young people go to Hanoi to find work leaving only the old and there babies for their parents to look after. This is the house that Tiger took us to see a typical family in this village. Here these folks are retired, he from farming and she from the military. They are taking care of their grandchild and daughter in law as there son drives a bus in Hanoi and comes home on his day off. Their kitchen that was in a separate part of the house. We had to say goodby to Tiger but not after a motor scooter ride around the neighborhood for Annie. Michael had suggested that we hook up with a friend of his while in Hanoi. Cat Barton. What a great night at one of Cat's favorite restaurants and hearing Cat stories as she is a reporter/news editor for the French equivalent of the Associated Press for Hanoi. She worked for the Phenom Penh Post with Michael in the early '90s. We are now in Myanmar and struggling to get wifi. Bye for awhile.... I never got this blog off before we left Hanoi. Lots of Myanmar photos to come in the next couple of days.