April 20:

Left Meo Vac for Hanoi. It was a 11hr. ride up and down many mountains over many narrow and sharp curves..I chew some gums to stave off nausea!

For lunch, we all had plain rice, boiled tofu and vegetables to keep the food in our stomach! The sign on the road said: Good Luck! See you again!!... We certainly needed that! 

In mid afternoon, we took a break in another town. The pace of life was faster, the air hotter and dustier and there were a lot more traffic. In the midst of all that, I spotted a Nung (I hope I got this right) girl herding her two ponies among the rocks on the street. One pony seemed to preferred the rocks and not the easy road. The other could not make up his mind. Her gentleness and patience with the ponies immediately made me miss the dignity and peaceful way of life in Meo Vac!