I had been very eager to leave Laos. I could tell that others thought I should just mellow out, but I just really wanted to move on.

I liked Laos. The people were warm and friendly and the kids would run after you yelling, "Sabadee, Sabadee" (hello, hello) and waving. However, I don't think I had as much appreciation for it as I would've expected.

It concerned me that I was in such a rush. Why couldn't I just sit back and enjoy? Was I not in the right mind set to be enjoying my trip? Was something else going on internally that was preventing me from taking full advantage of my visit?

When I arrived in Vietnam and specifically Hanoi, I knew that I had made the right choice to leave Laos.

For the first time on my trip, I had the butterflies and excitement that I associate with traveling. It is so nice to have a physical and emotional response to where I am. I feel challenged yet know that I will have a great time.

Hanoi is a very vibrant city. It is going to be hard to get out of here without spending my entire trip budget. There are beautiful things to buy. It is the first place I have seen really nice wall art. The architecture is nice. I even like the people.

Everyone said that the Vietnamese are aggressive, curt and incessantly persistent, but I've encountered nothing but nice people in the 3 hours or so that I ventured around.

I am thrilled to be here and expect that I will stay for a while. I will use it as a base to explore Sapa in the Northwest and Halong Bay to the east.

I feel so giddy and energized. I am so happy to be here! I suppose I should head out and explore.

Until the next posting!