Richard’s five minutes of fame in front of a Vietnamese news crew.

The last 17 days or so constituted the longest period of time I’ve been away from this blog in more than three years. I simply forgot about the Internet when I was traveling through Vietnam and Cambodia with my family, only rarely checking email or throwing in a comment to one of the superb posts provided by my guest bloggers. No, I made a conscious decision to forget about The Peking Duck and my job and focus instead on the people I love and rarely see, and to pursue my favorite pastime, which I’ve neglected for way too long, i.e., reading. In two weeks, I consumed nearly three entire books (all of which I’ll review shortly). What a pleasure, letting go of all the daily routines that make up my life. Not that I don’t love blogging, but we all need a break sometimes.

This will be a short post, and I plan to continue blogging less and less as I focus on my Chinese classes. I started working part time this week, and my Chinese teacher remarked that she never saw me looking so relaxed and happy. We went on to enjoy the most productive lesson I’ve ever had. (Fear not – guest bloggers will continue to populate these pages with fresh posts, and no matter how much I insist I’m slowing down, I know I’ll keep at it.)

Vietnam was gorgeous, a sumptuous feast for the eyes and the taste buds. I went with my mother, my sister, my mother’s sister and my best friend, and I’ve never before felt so close to any of them. It was magnificent. We went to Hanoi, Hue, Saigon and Angkor Wat, and enjoyed a two-day cruise along Halong (sp?) Bay.

The photo above records one of the most interesting moments, when we were visiting caves along Halong Bay. A television news crew spotted me sporting a T-shirt of the Vietnamese flag, and they asked if they could interview me about tourism in Vietnam. In the photo, I am describing the thrill of seeing the huge limestone mountains that rise sheer from the water along the bay, making the traveler feel small and humble. They told me the clip would appear on the evening news throughout the country, thus ensuring my immortality.

The photo below is a beautiful shot of Angkor Wat captured by my friend. There’s too much to say about this day for one short post, so let’s just say it’s clear to me now why this is one of the seven wonders of the world. You stand there amidst the ruins, and you know what God and man is.

More descriptions of Vietnam, and more photos, to follow in the days ahead. Yes, it was a sublime experience, but it’s also good to be back.