With love from Hanoi

This is my first attempt at blogging, so I ask that you bear with me. I (that's Elyse) am writing from Hanoi on a sweaty Sunday afternoon. Josh and I arrived in Viet Nam last Wednesday. To our surprise, even confusion, our trip from airport to hotel room went exactly as planned, despite the late hour and unhelpful minibus driver.

On Thursday we explored Hanoi (more on this from Josh, below). I had read and heard countless times about the challenges that crossing the street can present in Viet Nam's major cities (and, as it turns out, even in smaller ones). I was still surprised at how long it took me to figure out how to make my way from one corner to the other -- the first day, each crossing was cause for a small celebration. For the first couple hours, we found it useful to partner with pregnant women and people pushing babies in strollers. The public buses were another useful discovery as they minimize the need to cross streets and to haggle with any taxi/motorbike drivers (don't worry mom, I am staying off the motorbikes).

More from me soon.