Laying the Groundwork

Inch by lovely inch we're making our way inch up the "S" of Vietnam.

I so appreciate having a couple of days to get the flavor of the place before diving into our work in Quang Tri Province. Quang Tri will be a rich experience for many reasons, but not because of its natural beauty or its architecture, as it was essentially deforested and levelled during the war. For that reason I'm especially glad that we're starting our trip with visits to areas of natural, architectural and historical significance. I think it will provide a helpful frame of reference for better understanding Quang Tri.

Today we took the 6:00 a.m. flight from Saigon to Da Nang, where we were joined by in-country PeaceTrees staff members Miss Ha and Miss Hang. We made only a brief stop in Da Nang -- to purchase electric keyboards ("organs") for two schools, including the Warner Kindergarten. Teachers in Vietnam are required to learn basic keyboard skills in order to lead the children in music lessons, so the organs will be put to very good use.

We're overnighting in the beautiful town of Hoi An. For those who have been to Belgium, Hoi An is a kind of Vietnamese Bruges -- a former major port and trade-route town that had its waterway fill with silt, essentially freezing it in time. It is rich with 200-year-old Japanese and Chinese-influenced architecture and has a lively and thriving marketplace; I spent the day feeling as though I were walking through one big post card.

Tourism is flourishing in Hoi An; there are many more foreigners here than I remember seeing two years ago. Shops are abundant and vendors are often insistent, but the town is vibrant and beautiful nonetheless. People have been welcoming and eager to talk. Our 20-year-old lunch waitress joined us at the table and giggled uncontrollably when my fried spring roll exploded into rice noodle confetti. Old women with betel nut-blackened teeth grinned broadly when I smiled at them, and teenagers sharing a streetside snack of miniature sea snails invited me to sample a bite. Laughter is easy to share (and easy to cause, but that's OK, too).

I'll drift off to sleep tonight (hopefully not in my rice bowl) with Hoi An playing like a beautiful slide show in my head, grateful for today's adventure and eager to head to Quang Tri where we'll step out of tourism and into real life.