Floating on Silk--Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

A couple of friends and I drove about 2 hours outside of Hanoi, Vietnam to get to Ha Long Bay. Then we got on one of these canoes to get to the bay. The ride was smooth as silk as was the water. Ha Long means descending dragon, which is what the mountains that run along the banks of the bay look like.

Hanoi Bridge

Hanoi, Vietnam is a charming place. There are many lakes. The streets have few cars as most people ride motorbikes. Vietnam is part of Indochina, which, at one time, was French. Croissants and pastries are everywhere as is French colonial architecture.

And, yes, there is Asian culture here too as in the picture above.

North Vietnam Symbol

Last time I went to Hanoi, I saw this hanging over a street. What is it and what is it a symbol of?

Nixon Library: We Did It Again

Went to the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, CA.
Blatantly American, the museum featured no surprises politically. No Watergate here.
What my buddy said, "We've done it again," hit hard. He was referring to the picture above, which shows Nixon explaining an expansion of the Vietnam conflict.

Expansion, surge, two loaded words, that fit perfectly into the American lexicon of one-word pot shots at anything that kills or maims.

This picture backlit slide in one of the displays) has got to be the best in the museum.