Bonjour, friends! I write to you in a delirious, sleepless haze from a café in Hanoi, where I arrived around 6 am this morning on a sleeper train from Dong Hoi. I wasn't sure what to expect with the sleeper train, but it was a comforable journey -- albeit a loud one, as the train roared, clanked, hissed, rumbled, screamed, wailed, rattled, hummed and sputtered all night long. 

Having already been assigned a sleeper berth for my short train ride the other day between Dong Ha and Dong Hoi, I had an idea of what to expect. Four beds, each fitted with sheets and a comforter and pillow, and surprisingly comfortable and clean. I had no idea how to climb up to my bed on the ride between Dong Ha and Dong Hoi, but a Vietnamese woman in my compartment showed me how (there's no ladder, just small foot rests), and reminded me I needed to take my shoes off before climbing up.  (Whoops!)