May2016
Smile
95
selecteda fruitandhappilyretreated to
theircorners.
Thecity faded into thesuburbs, and the
suburbsgaveway tofieldsasweall started
todriftoff tosleep.The trainwouldmake
halfadozenstopsalong theway, eachone
blearilyacknowledged.OurVietnamese
friendshadeachdepartedonseparatestops
during thenight, sentoffwithsleepywaves
andwellwishes.
The trainsrunmoreor lesson time, so
it’salways thesame: thedawnbreaks, and
someonealwaysstirsawake tocheckwhere
weare.There isalwaysagaspof surprise.
Weare in themountainswhen thesun
rises, and theview—ofdramaticmontane
passes,misty jungleandsweepingvalleys—
isasunexpectedas it isstunning.Everyone
wakes to take itall in, and foraswifthour
orso, until thesungoesupand the train
makes itwaydown to theotherside, there
isonlyawe.
Pinoy to theworld
ceiling.The trick to thisparticular train
journey—and Iwill tell you thereason later
— is to leaveon the last trainoutofHanoi,
which leavesat 10pm.
Itwasn’t too longbefore thediscomfort
of the jam-packedberthmadesomeone
gigglesoftly.Laughterwasa languagewe
all spoke, sobefore long, everyonehad their
headsstickingout from theirbunks, and
wewere tradingsmall giftsof foodamong
ourselves, andsmilingas thechildreneach
Women inwhite
ao
dai
dresses traveling
on theubiquitous
two-wheeled ride
