I celebrated my birthday earlier than ever, since we're 13 hours ahead of mountain time. And it only seemed proper to keep celebrating until midnight mountain time...
I actually wasn't quite sure if I'd live to see 35. The traffic in Hanoi is INSANE. There are scooters every where, and traffic signals are optional. The scooters just swerve around each other, constantly beeping their horns. Crossing the street takes an act of faith. You just start to cross the street slowly, and even though there's a horde of scooters heading straight towards you, they all manage to avoid you at the last minute.
For my birthday, we started the day with a visit to Ho Chi Minh (or Uncle Ho as the locals call him). Despite his wishes to be cremated, they preserved his body in a big mausoleum. Hundreds of tourists and locals line up to see him. Army dudes with big bayonetted guns kept everyone quiet and prodded us along like cattle. Kinda creepy, but Uncle Ho's a big deal in this country.
Then we went out for lunch at the Happy House, and Molly and I paddled along the lake in a little swan boat. Very romantic. And sweaty. Mol fulfilled my wish for a cheap Asian massage. And then we went out with our travel crew, all sporting big local (think rice paddy) hats at the Cyclo Bar. Cyclos are big seats mounted in front of a bicycle, and this restaurant uses them for chairs. Then we walked through the rain (the big hat also functions as an umbrella) to the Polite Bar for some beers and shots. Fun fun!
Continuing my b-day on the 10th (but really the 9th mountain time), we did some silk shopping and had some tasty Pho (beef and rice noodle soup with fresh mint). A great way to spend my birthday!
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