Vietnam
There are [0] photos and [10] stories about Vietnam
Tuesday, 8 Jan 2008 | Views [449]
What a trip! We went from the farthest northern point of Sapa, to the Mekong Delta and many places in between--doing exactly what I had hoped--introducing the boys to their homeland. An adventure it was and it will no doubt remain with us for many ... Read more >
Tags: Adventures
Sunday, 6 Jan 2008 | Views [288]
I spent today in Saigon, poking around Cholon (Chinatown) and searching for a peaceful pagoda where I could spend a couple hours--unforunately "peaceful" and "Saigon" are polar opposites. While I nursed my sore body, the boys hopped ... Read more >
Tags: Adventures
Saturday, 5 Jan 2008 | Views [411]
Today we made our way to Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City to all but those who live here. This is a huge place--with a decidedly international feel. If they weren't selling Pho on every corner, I'd swear I was in New York...Frankly, I'd pick Hanoi ... Read more >
Tags: Adventures
Wednesday, 2 Jan 2008 | Views [398]
We hopped a train from Hue, headed to Hoi An. I was still deep in thought about being in Central Viet Nam. It was a very emotional day, as I watched the countryside go by and we passed places whose names are burned into my conciousness--Khe Sanh, Da ... Read more >
Tags: Adventures
Tuesday, 1 Jan 2008 | Views [406]
We left Hanoi today (sadly) and headed to Hue, the ancient capital of Viet Nam. We visited the ancient citadel and saw remnants of the Nguyen dynasty and then traveled out to a small pagoda on a hill overlooking the river--a place of immense calm and ... Read more >
Tags: Adventures
Monday, 24 Dec 2007 | Views [369]
After our day in Ha Noi with Connor's family, he and Patrick traveled back to Thai Nguyen to visit the villages of their births (what Connor's family called "returning to the homeland"). Connor to Phu Lac, where the whole village turned ... Read more >
Tags: Family
Sunday, 23 Dec 2007 | Views [364]
Today we had the privilege to meet Connor's mother, brother, uncle and cousin. Their story is his to tell, not mine. It is a gift--one that so many adoptees will never have--to see one's roots, to gather information, to connect. From my perspective, ... Read more >
Tags: Family
Saturday, 22 Dec 2007 | Views [724]
One of the main reasons we came to Viet Nam was to see the birth families of my sons. Tomorrow, we shall meet the family of my youngest son for the first time. I have no qualms about doing so. I've always tried to create a place where none of my ... Read more >
Tags: Family
Saturday, 22 Dec 2007 | Views [347]
One of the few memories Connor has about Viet Nam (he was about 5 years when he left) was "the red bridge." Today, we immersed ourselves in the Viet Nam we remember, and in Viet Nam the new. Some things never change--the wonderful maze of ... Read more >
Tags: Adventures
Friday, 21 Dec 2007 | Views [390] | Video
Ah, Ha Noi--where traffic lanes and signals are mere suggestions... It is just as I remember it--only it's not. In 1996, the Old Quarter was filled with incessant streams of bicycles. The rich rode motorbikes and cars, an oddity, created a scene. ... Read more >
Tags: Adventures