I arrived in Hanoi yesterday afternoon and was thrashed after 16 hours of flying. I fell asleep immediately after arriving to the hotel, but was awakened by a phone call from Dr. Ninh Khac Ban with an invitation for dinner. I struggled out of bed, splashed some water on my face, and stumbled down to the lobby. Dr. Ban was there waiting for me with a motorcycle helmet. I was fully awake in about 30 seconds. [NOTE: Dinner was delicious; Dr Ban, from the Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology, is the local coordinator of the rattan project that I am conducting here].