Take the Long Way Home.

To reduce our exposure to jet lag, we flew first to Seoul, where we arrived at about 5:30 AM. We spent a day and a half there, and the culture shock was intense.

It was like being suddenly back in L.A. The streets were clean,
the traffic was orderly, and the prices were high. We took
the subway everywhere, and it was great. They even had
videos instructing people not to push their way into the car
before others can exit, and people actually stood aside in orderly
lines waiting for the cars to empty before filing aboard.
Astonishing!

There are no clubs like the Sexy O Bar II in Hanoi.

In America, we're worried about the banks, but this takes it to a new level.

Krispy Kreme! McDonalds! DKNY! Givenchy!
Every famous brand name, from high to low, is there.

Thronged by troops of school girls with allowances to burn.

Even Pleasant Goat has got a hoof in the door.

From Seoul, we flew 10 hours to Vancouver, Canada. We had a better view of Russia than Sarah Palin's. The sun never completely set. It sank to the horizon, where it lurked for several hours, before rising again. At that point, we were over Alaska and enjoyed a staggering view of the fjords and glaciers before landing in beautiful British Columbia.

O. had taken a sleeping pill, but she mistimed the dose and was so groggy on arrival she couldn't walk straight. She kept walking into things and repeatedly asked me very odd questions. Somehow we found our way to the metro, took a train into downtown Vancouver, cabbed to our hotel, and stumbled into our room (after an hour's wait in the lobby for the room to be made up), where we slept for most of the day. O. remembers little of this.

In the evening, we walked around the harbor, had a lovely meal at an outdoor cafe with a stunning view of the bay and the surrounding mountains. In the morning, we flew the last couple hours to L.A.

After the long, complicated, exhausting journey, it was wonderful
to experience the simple joys of family again.

P.