Well this might be it... the last post from the other side of the world. I head home tomorrow. TOMORROW!

I've done a pretty good job of keeping myself busy in the face of all the stress and anxiety and excitement of homecoming that is filling up my brain. I spent three days in Northern Vietnam in a little town called Sapa. My days were spent hiking through jungly mountains and terraced rice paddies, my nights were spent shivering under a mountain of blankets in an unheated guesthouse (it gets cold up north!). So the days were lovely, and I had to buy myself a disposable camera so I could capture the best of the scenery.

Here's a picture stolen from a tourist website.... yup, it really was that good.

I got back from Sapa early this morning. Today I wandered around Hanoi. I picked up a couple more souvenirs for friends, and for myself. There was a point in this trip, only a couple days ago, when I thought I'd actually head home with fewer pairs of shoes than I'd left with seven months ago. That dream will not become a reality. Sigh. But I think I'm okay with that.

In between fits of spending every last dong that I have, I went to the Hanoi Fine Art Museum. The collection was really interesting. I saw a lot of scenes of brave soldiers fighting against the "American aggressors" in traditional laquer-painting style. There was also a really interesting collection of massive oil paintings that glorify Uncle Ho.

When I just wander around the streets, and look at pretty things, it is easy to forget about our history with Vietnam, in a way, the art museum today reminded me of it. I saw some pieces that were very beautiful, and very sad.

My plan for tomorrow is pretty simple. I don't have any grand adventures in the works, because I'm not sure my brain could handle it. Instead, I've got a book, and a lovely lake to sit next to and drink coffee. If I make it to another museum or monument, that'll be fine, but I don't want to pressure myself into seeing one more thing.

I am so excited to be going home. I feel like I've been out here the right amount of time because I do feel ready to go home. But I'm also feeling nervous, and anxious. It is going to be a big change to step back into a world where everybody speaks English, and there aren't a thousand motorbikes trying to kill, and you can drink water out of the tap.

US of A, here I come!

Halong Bay.

(not my picture, but simply stolen from the internet to prove how pretty this place is)

I've been in northern Vietnam for about a week now.

It has been wonderful. The weather up north is cool and dry, so I don't end up breaking into a sweat every time I step outside. The coffee is wonderful here, and thanks to colonial French influences I get to eat a crunchy baguette with that coffee every morning, and after months of rice, that is a very great small joy.

I've spent most of the week living on Cat Ba island. It is the biggest island in Halong Bay, which is surely one of the more beautiful places on earth - giant limestone karsts rising straight out of the ocean. We've gone on a bunch of adventures around the area: kayaking around the bay, going on a hike through the interior of the national park, sailing around at suset, but the highlight may have been the chance to go climbing up these giant rock formations and simply falling into the warm water if you happen to lose your grip.

Today I'm going back to basics, I have plans to read my book on the beach and eat mangoes for lunch, but that is probably all the excitement I'm looking for. Tomorrow I'm hoping to do a little bit of biking around the island, and the next day we'll probably catch a ferry and head off toward somewhere new!