Since it was raining when we arrived, we decided to visit the Hoa Loa Prision, better known as the "Hanoi Hilton", where many U.S. POWs were imprisoned during the Vietnam war. John McCain was imprisoned there for 6 years. It was sobering to see his flight suit and parachute on display (local North Vietnamese dragged him out of a lake and turned him over to the authorities when he was shot down). It was surreal to stand where he had been imprisoned, just as he was about to find out if he would become the next president or not.
It turned out that we arrived in Hanoi just in time for its worst floods in 35 years. In 4 days, more than 30 inches of rain fell, causing 49 deaths. After two days of the most torrential downpour we'd ever seen, we decided to head south to one of the beach towns. We reserved a sleeper bus, but since everyone else was fleeing Hanoi, we ended up in regular bus seats for a 12-hour trip to Hoi An.Hoi An is a former fishing village that is now a tourist destination.
Like most Vietnamese towns, motor scooters and bicyles rule the streets, so you have to be careful before stepping off the curb.
We decided to join in the fun and rented scooters for a day to ride along "China Beach", the stretch of sand between Danang and Hoi An where U.S. servicemen spent their leaves during the Vietnam war. It was gorgeous... and we didn't have to go back to a platoon after 3 days.
We were in Hoi An on November 4th so we were determined to find a way to watch the election results. Since we were 12 hours ahead of Eastern Time, we convinced a local restaurant to let us watch their TV from 8 am to 1 pm on Wednesday, November 5th. We even found another American from Massachusetts to join us. It was exciting to watch the results live in Vietnam. As Obama was delivering his victory speech, a large group of Europeans came in for lunch. When they saw the results, they cheered and took pictures of the TV.
On our last few days in Hoi An, we volunteered for a few hours a day at an orphanage. Of the 70 children, about 30 of them were disabled. We spent time with a some of the disabled kids, which is always a humbling experience. The girl in the second photo with me is 16 years old, though she looks about 8 and can't speak; she can only grunt. But she loved to walk, so we walked together for about an hour.
The boy in the second and third photos with Joe was born without eyes. The birth defect is believed to be due to Agent Orange, as the genetic effects continue to be passed through generations.
Working with severely disabled children is always an eye-opening experience. What a great reminder to keep our blessings in perspective and to learn from them how to find joy and contentment no matter what the circumstances are.
