Category: The Astonished Tamale!
-
Vietnam: Hanoi Beginnings
April 29, 2012 (Sunday) – As I have explained, the stated reason Zabine Van Ness and I are in Vietnam is that the Hanoi Baha’i community, on the 20th anniversary of its founding, wanted to honor Zabine for her role in that seminal event. That “stated” reason is of course their reason – and a…
-
Historic, Healing Heartsongs
April 29, 2012 (Sunday) – Simple acts of kindness are miraculously effective at bridging deep divides. Among the many miracle workers we have met in Hanoi are Michael Orona; his wife, Selena; and their three children. These beautiful Baha’i souls made history at the 20th Anniversary celebration of the founding of the Hanoi Baha’i community.…
-
Vietnam Rice Dance
April 29, 2012 (Sunday) — Today is the big day of our trip, the reason we came: the 20th anniversary celebration of the founding of Hanoi’s Baha’i community. I have a lot of notes and photos to document this milestone and will upload them Any Day Now. But while I’m organizing, please enjoy this video…
-
A Colorful Hanoi Drive
April 28, 2012 (Saturday) – One of my striking impressions of Vietnam is how colorful everything is. This is no coincidence, nor is it just a fact about tropical nature. It extends to human artifacts of all kinds. This seems to reflect a deep national and cultural attraction to beauty. There are many other counties where…
-
Vietnam Day Three
April 28, 2012 (Saturday) – This morning, Zabine had a wonderful and completely unexpected encounter with Rosalie Huibonhua, a Baha’i Continental Counselor. Her areas of responsibility include China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and other Asian countries. She is here, of course, to attend the celebration of the Hanoi Baha’i community’s 20th anniversary. We met her at…
-
Vietnam Tech Notes
If you contemplate travel to Vietnam, you may want to brush up on how to stay connected with home. It is a lot easier than I expected. You can make free phone calls to home. You can keep your smart-phone, computer, camera, and everything else fully charged. You can plug in. First step, plugging in: Most modern…
-
Second Day Vietnam Photos
Some representative photos from our second day in Vietnam.
-
Eat, Pray, Love, Shop (Vietnam Style)
April 27, 2012 (Friday) – Having enjoyed our motorcycle ride, we were set for a busy day. First, we sat in on a committee meeting at the home of a Baha’i friend, met many members of the Baha’i community, along with a visiting Counselor, George Saroya, from Indonesia. Lunch at an outdoor noodle cafe. Delicious…
-
Hanoi From the Handlebars
April 27, 2012 (Friday) – Our busy day started with an unexpected treat – motorcycle rides for Zabine and me. We knew that Baha’i friends were coming by to pick us up, and I suppose we expected a van or car or something. But the most normal mode of transport in Hanoi seems to be…
-
Hanoi Street Market
-
Vietnam Arrival
April 25, 2012 (Wednesday) – We are now in Hanoi. Considering my many (mis)adventures with travel, domestic and foreign, the trip here was amazingly smooth and stress-free. Well, as stress-free as 18 or so hours on an airplane can be. We landed in Seoul, Korea (Incheon Airport) right on schedule (okay, a couple of minutes…
-
Vietnam Journey Unfolding
April 24, 2012 — Zabine and I are in flight –Asiana Airlines– somewhere between Seattle and Seoul. We’ve travewled 1550 of our 5210-mile total;our altitude is 36,000 feet, ground speed 532 miles per hour, and current outside air temperature — a balmy minus-70 degrees F. (Guess if I get too hot, I can always go…