I LOVE TRAIN MOTION; I LOVE TRAIN JOURNEYS IN FAR FLUNG PLACES. HUE TO HANOI - SLEEPER. IT'S DARK OUTSIDE; WE PULL INTO AN ANONYMOUS STATION. ONE OF ONLY TWO STOPS ON THE WAY TO HANOI. THE PLATFORM IS DARK AND MOODY, HUMID AND HOT. RAILWAY MEN HUNCH DOWN IN LITTLE GROUPS, SMOKING, LAUGHING. FREIGHT CARRIAGES LITTER THE SPARE TRACKS. SOME ORANGE LIGHT BUT MOSTLY FLUORESCENT BATHES THE STATION. MAKES ME THINK OF ADAM IN JOHN STEINBECK'S 'EAST OF EDEN': AFTE...

ARRIVED IN HO CHI MINH CITY. TOOK THE EASY OPTION, OR SO I THOUGHT, OF FLYING FROM LAOS TO VIETNAM. A VERY SCARY STOPOVER LANDING IN PHNOM PENH; I THINK THIS IS HOW IT IS WITHOUT THE AID OF ON-BOARD COMPUTERS . BUT THE DESCENT AND LANDING IN SAIGON IS THE WORST OF MY LIFE; I WAS CONVINCED THAT WE WOULD CRASH AS THE PLANE TOOK A SHARP RIGHT TEN FOOT FROM THE RUNWAY AND LANDED ON ONE WHEEL THEN THE OTHER BEFORE SKIDDING MORE THAN 100 YARDS ON EITHER WHEEL. SAIGON H...