I am traveling with a group that is aptly named Intrepid. My first official tour is with a small group of 9 mostly Australian travelers. Lots of free time built into our itinerary made this company sound like a good alternative to a solo voyage.

I’m still getting a bit of flack from friends and family. Who goes to Vietnam (and Arizona) in August, which is also monsoon season? Um, that would be me…As luck would have it there’s a typhoon heading our way. But hey, if I were going to be deterred by a little rain, I wouldn’t live in Oregon either!

I am disappointed that we are going to miss an overnight boat trip in Ha Long Bay, which is breathtakingly beautiful but there will be other adventures.

Yesterday as I got lost wandering through Hanoi, there seemed to be a festival going on. Everyone was dressed in red, waving flags around. Turns out, it was some sort of independence day, liberation from French colonization. In the evening we joined the throngs in the streets after a delicious dinner. The Vietnamese know how to have a good time!