We arrive at 4 am in Hanoi after a grueling 17 hour bus ride.  The local merchants are already alive with activity, setting up their stalls and preparing for the day's bartering.  They swarm the bus and seem excited at the prospect of their day's first sale.  Carrie and I just put our head's down as we leave the sanctity of the bus.  A fast walking pace in the general direction of our hotel is enough to lose half of the salesmen.       We find a nice room in the middle of the French quarter of town.  The French quarter is mainly narrow streets lined with shops, restaurants, galleries, hotels, and internet cafes.   We stay a few days, trying to book a trip to Halong Bay, one of the natural wonders of the world.  Unfortunately, the day before our schedule excussion, a typhoon hits the south China Sea.  The rain and ensuing floods kill hundreds of people in Vietnam and southern China.  We decide not to wait the week it will take for the storm to subside.  The following day we leave for the beaches of southern Thailand.      The white sand, colorful coral, and lush palm trees make Thailand's beaches some of the most exotic and beautiful in the world.  Our time is filled relaxing in hammocks, snorkeling, windsurfing, and kayaking. A week laying on the beach passes all too quick.  We must make our way back to the hustle and bustle of Bangkok.       We spend a day shopping, looking at exotic gems, and relishing in our last Thai massages.  45 hours of boats, cyclos, taxis, buses, airplanes, and lay-overs take us back to the U.S...but it's all worth it.
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