Gone EAST -- Update from brother David - arrival in Vietnam

For my friends who do not know this...David was born in the US.  This is his first time in Vietnam.  Did I mention how proud of him I am?

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Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2011 12:31:00

Hey everybody, I am in my little Hotel/Motel in Hanoi at the moment, laying on the bed very ready to crash (it's called Camellia 5 if anyone is inclined to look it up). Chu Phu and his son Trinh picked me up unexpectedly, as mom said they were not going to. I was suspicious and thought I was ready to get scammed the second I got off baggage claim. He asked if I was Bac Mai and Bac Vy's son, so I figured if he knew such facts, then he deserved to accomplish whatever scam he had in mind, so I went along with him. I got into Hanoi around midnight so everything was dark. And I must admit, it all really looked like Mexico in the nighttime. As if Asian people conquered a Mexican town and changed all of the signs into Vietnamese. It was very quiet for a Friday night, though I saw a few clubs with people filing out and hopping on their scooters. Chu Phu and his son are going to take me around tomorrow to get a few things, so I'll be in good hands in case anybody is worried.  On the cab ride here, it honestly didn't feel too much like Vietnam, or that I was even outside of Texas, either. Chu called Mom to let her know I was okay, wherein Mom then proceeded to call back twice to remind me about church, with a third call coming from Dad to tell me to get a cell phone. I knew I would actually be communicating more with Mom and Dad while over here, so of course it is expected, and no big deal.  Chu is insisting to take me around all weekend, yet I hope they do not feel they have to show me around all of the time, because I wanted to do a lot of things on my own. I'm sure it'll be okay. They seem really nice and pretty laid back.

I need some sleep so I'll talk to everyone soon.

Love, David