raysooch's Photobucket media

MIYAKEJIMA VOLCANO, South of Tokyo

raysooch — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:32:32 MDT

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MIYAKEJIMA VOLCANO, South of Tokyo - VietnamDay1041.jpg

Caught this by accident as we were flying south to Tokyo, from the plane

Where?

raysooch — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:30:35 MDT

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Where? - VietnamDay1038.jpg

At NRT, my first introduction to reading Vietnamese!

The Plane to Tokyo

raysooch — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:28:10 MDT

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The Plane to Tokyo - VietnamDay1035.jpg

Outside the Hanoi Opera House

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:17:18 MDT

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Outside the Hanoi Opera House - VietnamDay3066.jpg

Attended a concert at Hanio Opera house. This is an outside view. The house was rebuilt in 1911. I am not sure when the original structure was built. Very ornate and beautiful place.

Inside the Hanoi Opera House

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:15:49 MDT

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Inside the Hanoi Opera House - VietnamDay3068.jpg

Just as you enter the Hanoi Opera House. These are the stairs leading to the upper balconies.

Looking up

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:14:30 MDT

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Looking up - VietnamDay3069.jpg

Looking up from the ground level of the hall, toward a balcony. Extremely beautiful, but the pic is not doing it justice.

Really looking up -- cieling

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:13:00 MDT

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Really looking up -- cieling - VietnamDay3070.jpg

View of the cieling from the ground floor.

The conductor

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:11:29 MDT

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The conductor - VietnamDay3086.jpg

Vietnamese Symphony Orchestra, and guest French conductor.

The Pianist and Conductor

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:10:02 MDT

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The Pianist and Conductor - VietnamDay3089.jpg

Visiting French pianist. His first song was done entirely only with his left hand, written for a pianist in the early 20th century who lost his right arm in WW 1. Extremely talented pianist.

Supermarket Fresh Fish

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:33:16 MDT

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Supermarket Fresh Fish - VietnamDay1071.jpg

Open Air markets have lots of this

John McCain Flight Suite at Hanoi Hilton

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:31:55 MDT

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John McCain Flight Suite at Hanoi Hilton - VietnamDay1106.jpg

John McCain's flight suit and other objects on display in "Hanoi Hilton". They even mention his 2008 presidential bid. Other verbiage in the prison suggests a different attitude about the war. Very interesting place.

Hoa Lo Prison -- Hanoi Hilton

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:30:34 MDT

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Hoa Lo Prison -- Hanoi Hilton - VietnamDay1116.jpg

The Hoa Lo Prison, where US pilots were contained during the war. John McCain was a POW here. Two thirds of the original prison have been torn down to make way for an apartment complex next door.

Typical house; Saturday wash day

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:29:23 MDT

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Typical house; Saturday wash day - VietnamDay1122.jpg

I see a lot of dwellings very similar to this. Often times, it appears as though many folks live immediately above their shops.

I Love Beer

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:27:55 MDT

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I Love Beer - VietnamDay2001.jpg

Found this sign at a local beer pub. I found this to be a very amusing poster on the wall. For you beer drinkers, don't you agree with the implications?

Dog or Chicken?

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:26:29 MDT

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Dog or Chicken? - VietnamDay2003.jpg

This is probably some form of fowl; but my first reaction is that it was a small "dog". Some locals still do eat them.

Locals Resturant

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:24:57 MDT

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Locals Resturant - VietnamDay2014.jpg

More local outdoor resturants.

1000 Year Vietnam Aniversary 826 days away

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:23:15 MDT

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1000 Year Vietnam Aniversary 826 days away - VietnamDay2015.jpg

In 826 days, Vietnam will celebrate its 1000 year anniversary. Something tells me that this will be a very big occasion. Oh, and notice 10-10-10. I wonder if that has any significance.

Just had to add this one; I miss them!

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:21:46 MDT

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Just had to add this one; I miss them! - VietnamDay2016.jpg

Sorry, just had to throw in a pic of my two youngest, beautiful children! FYI, my other three are beautiful, too!!

View from 14th Floor Hotel

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:20:27 MDT

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View from 14th Floor Hotel - VietnamDay2119.jpg

The Sheraton is nice. Tennis court, swimming pool, etc. Food it okay, but getting old after 2 weeks!

More food stands

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:19:07 MDT

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More food stands - VietnamDay2135.jpg

More farmer's market stuff.

Wow! SLK-Class Roadster

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:17:50 MDT

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Wow! SLK-Class Roadster - VietnamDay3001.jpg

Mercedes SLK-Class Roadster. What's interesting is that it has Texas registration stickers in the windshield. Someone very wealthy must have come here with their sports car. Anyone we know?

Ho Chi Minh's Residence

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:16:41 MDT

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Ho Chi Minh's Residence - VietnamDay3005.jpg

This was Ho Chi Minh's home. It is on the grounds of a large museum area, including his mausoleum.

Ho Chi Minh's Conference Room

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:15:16 MDT

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Ho Chi Minh's Conference Room - VietnamDay3014.jpg

One of Ho Chi Minh's conference rooms.

Ho Chi Minh Pagoda

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:13:57 MDT

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Ho Chi Minh Pagoda - VietnamDay3019.jpg

A Ho Chi Minh Pagoda, single pole.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:12:52 MDT

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Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - VietnamDay3043.jpg

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. No cameras allowed inside. They service 15,000 visitors a day, within 3 hours. His body is very well perserved. He is sent to Moscow every couple years for a tuneup and cleaning.

Russian Mig

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:11:48 MDT

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Russian Mig - VietnamDay3045.jpg

From a War Musuem -- Russian Mig.

Military Tank

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:10:16 MDT

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Military Tank - VietnamDay3046.jpg

From the War Musuem -- Russian Tank

Lenin Statue

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:08:55 MDT

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Lenin Statue - VietnamDay3050.jpg

Status of Lenin (not John!) In a large park area near the Old Quarter of downtown.

Boats on the lake

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:07:35 MDT

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Boats on the lake - VietnamDay3058.jpg

Part smog, mostly humidty. Temps in mid to upper 30s C, and dew points similar. But a nice lake nonetheless. The Sheraton is just off the right out of view.

Row Homes 1

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:06:26 MDT

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Row Homes 1 - VietnamDay3060.jpg

More typical dwellings. Notice their height and narrow architecture. Very common.

Row Homes 2

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:05:10 MDT

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Row Homes 2 - VietnamDay3063.jpg

More dwellings.

Dinner's almost ready

raysooch — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:03:52 MDT

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Dinner's almost ready - VietnamDay3064.jpg

Not sure what this is. It looks terrible skinny. I suspect it will be invited for dinner, but not as a guest.

"Look, Mom, no hands!"

raysooch — Wed, 9 Jul 2008 07:23:53 MDT

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"Look, Mom, no hands!" - VietnamDay1135.jpg

There are more electrical wires than I have ever seen. I can't understand how they were doing this and not getting shocked!

Dinner time

raysooch — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 23:13:12 MDT

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Dinner time - VietnamDay2014.jpg

This is a very common scene. They appear to be local outdoor resturants. The cooking facilities are right there, as well as utensils and plates. It is hard to walk around this; you have to walk in the street, and take your changes with the motor scooters.

Lots of scooters

raysooch — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 23:12:10 MDT

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Lots of scooters - VietnamDay2028.jpg

Again, a very common scene. Motor scooters out number cars at least 10 to 1. Cars are either small taxis or expensive sedans (BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, etc). No Ford F-350 pickups yet.

Typical intersection

raysooch — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 23:11:09 MDT

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Typical intersection - VietnamDay2032.jpg

Typical intersection and typical dwellings. Buildings are very tall and very, very narrow. Land must be expensive.

Mess of wires

raysooch — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 23:10:10 MDT

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Mess of wires - VietnamDay2033.jpg

More downtown scenes.

Shops

raysooch — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 23:09:13 MDT

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Shops - VietnamDay2049.jpg

Shops like this line the streets. Each shop is very narrow. You can buy just about any household appliance, electronics, or anything in these shops. So far, I have not seen a Walmart!

Pic of "Hanoi Hilton"

raysooch — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 23:08:05 MDT

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Pic of "Hanoi Hilton" - VietnamDay2094.jpg

Picture on the wall of the "Hanoi Hilton". Used during the war by the Vietnamese to contain pilots who were shot down.

What's in the trunk?

raysooch — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 23:06:17 MDT

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What's in the trunk? - VietnamDay2114.jpg

You would not believe what they can carry on the back of a scooter. And this one is small compared to some I have seen but have not yet managed to capture on film. And I have seen 4-5 people at a time, carrying groceries, too.

Marketplace

raysooch — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 23:04:59 MDT

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Marketplace - VietnamDay2134.jpg

Typical farmer's market. You can buy everything from veggies, to fruit, to fish, and live animals. Looks a little different than our market at the office! And the odor is something to "acquire".

Hanoi at rush hour

raysooch — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 23:02:46 MDT

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Hanoi at rush hour - VietnamDay1048.jpg

More rush hour traffic; actually rush hour is every hour of every day!