What an amazing and often surprising week we have had. But now it is time to start the long trip home.

This morning before Vinh picked us up for the last time, I wanted to mail postcards. I've had several ready to mail for a few days, but have not seen a post office to get stamps. I thought we would see one while we were out, but we haven't, or we didn't recognize it as a post office. I went to the hotel front desk to ask where I could buy stamps. The clerk responded, "In my boss's office."

She asked how many I needed and said she would get the stamps while I went to the room to get the postcards and some money. When I got back to the desk, the clerk told me how much they cost, and I gave her the exact change. I also gave her the postcards, because she said that she would put the stamps on for me. I handed them to her with the picture face-up. As soon as she took them, she flipped them over and started reading. I was so shocked. Even though that would not have been okay in the States, here where everyone seems to know everyone else's business, it was natural. I had a hard time not laughing while simultaneously trying to remember what I had written. I hope there was nothing she would see as insulting. I am pretty sure I didn't write anything bad. I choose to believe that she was simply practicing her English.

We went to one last school for a short visit. Vinh had a small library to show me there. Some of the teachers came to school on this Saturday to see us. We didn't talk much since they knew no English and our Vietnamese was limited to a few food words, hello and good-bye, please and thank-you, Happy New Year, and how to ask for the restroom. It was sweet though. They simply smiled and watched.

We had lunch again one more time in Hoi An and Vinh picked us up for the drive to Da Nang. The arrangements with GlobeAware include transportation back to the airport at the end of the week. We couldn't get a flight out that left late enough today, so we are staying a night in Da Nang first. With Deb and Hung, Vinh drove us to Da Nang where we had dinner on the street in a busy urban area watching the nightlife come alive. The restaurant chairs, the ubiquitous, short, molded plastic kind, were on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. When we sat down, there were remnants of the earlier diner's food on the table. Eventually, it was cleared away, but not before Vinh offered some to us. The shrimp looked okay even though the heads were still on them, but I think, at least I hope, he was kidding about eating it. We had platter after platter of food delivered to us after telling Vinh some of what we'd like to eat. It was served family-style. During the meal a man with more than one lost marble, bothered the far end of the table from me. Vinh gave him some money, and he went away to bother someone else.

Vinh dropped us off at the Bamboo Green Hotel which our travel agent booked for us. We had to leave our passports at the front desk when we checked in. We have an early flight tomorrow and are going to bed early.