Tuesday-Ha Long Bay

We had a fabulous day taking a 3+ hour drive out to Ha Long Bay, "descending dragon", a site bordering China which many think should be added to the "wonders of the world" list. We saw some beautiful countryside, took a boat tour around the bay which has 1969 islands, saw and bought fruit from some of the "floating villagers" who live on the bay, and explored a couple of the caves. We also stopped en route to a place where disabled citizens make art to sell and bought an incredible hand-embroidered piece of art.  We got to take a photo of the artist, who worked nearly three months on the piece. The bonus was that our guide was a 25-year old Hanoian who gave us so, so much information in the van on the way to and from about Vietnam, Hanoi, and its culture. We have learned an incredible amount from him about Beatrice's people, heard many of the country's ancient legends, talked about Buddhism and local beliefs and customs, and we just cannot say enough how proud we are now to be a part of this Hanoian/Vietnamese family. 

One important note, we have learned with certainty that we have been pronouncing Beatrice's current name incorrectly.  Minh Hanh is not "minn hahn" (rhyming with "on").  There is an important accent mark in her name her official paperwork that lets us know her name should be pronounced MING (w/very little emphasis on the final "g" sound), HI.  It's funny because I'll often ask how to say something and I repeat it with what I think is decent accuracy and they just look at me like "didn't you even hear what I said?"  The pronunciations are so incredibly difficult to learn as an adult.  Minh means "white, pure, clean, brilliant" and Hanh means what we thought, "good conduct."  So, altogether, if the Vietnamese belief that names are prophetic bears true, Beatrice Minh Hanh should result in a young woman who is blessed, pure, and conducts herself well as she voyages through life.  Not a bad prophecy!  Speaking of that, our guide is also a fortune teller/sorcerer by heredity and he read Anthony's face for him.  He called him "smiling Buddha" and said his ears and round face show longevity and a life that gets better and better as he ages.  That earned him a good tip by the way.......