May2016
Smile
99
CebuPacific flies toHanoi from
Manila.
cebupacificair.com
thechangescanstandout starkly.On the
20-minuteride toThanhToanBridge, for
example, thepleasant stretchofdirt road
in themiddleof ricepaddies isnowgone,
replacedbyasix-lanehighwaystilldusty
fromconstruction.Travel on thedeserted
highwayonamotorbike is, literally, arush
(“Go!”our tourguidemotionedatone
point, grinningaswepushedourmopeds
to the limit), but tobeperfectlyhonest, I
missed the lonely, bumpyroads that the
highwayhadreplaced.
Changecomeseverywhere, though,
andsometimes in themostunexpected
ways.At theoldJapanese-stylebridge,
we tookoffourhelmetswhilewehada
breatherandsatdown forcoffee, gazing
at the240-year-oldconstruction.The
schoolgirlswhohadalsocome to the
tile-roofedbridge fora littleshadecame
tositwithus, asking if theycouldperhaps
practice theirEnglish.
“Whereareyou from?”oneof them
asked. “ThePhilippines!” I replied. “Do
youknow it?”
“Philippines!” thegirlsrecognized
thename, andclapped. “Wewatchyour
televisionshows!We loveDingdongand
Marian!”
12
Abeautiful viewof PerfumeRiver
13
One for thebucket list: snakewine
14
Making
non la
conical hats
15
Farmerswith their buffalo
16
Thecolorful AnBangcemetery just outsideHue
17
TheCitadel,where theemperor onceheldcourt
17
