The miracle of Google Maps

I was at the bank the other day picking up some Vietnamese currency I had ordered (the wonderful staff there refuses to say the name of the currency, Vietnamese dong), and they were asking me all about the trip and where we were living and what Vietnam was like.  After awhile they asked me how many times I had been to Vietnam.  "Never," I replied.  They were surprised and asked how I knew so much.

The short answer?  Google Maps.

When you are moving halfway around the world to a place you've never been, there will obviously be some anxiety.  But it has been very reassuring to occasionally fire up the web browser and click into the streets of Hanoi using Google Maps.  By using the street view, you can get a glimpse of the streets of Hanoi on a normal day and not just the staged tourist photos.

Below are just a couple of the screen shots we took in Google Maps street view.  Of course, we'll be able to see the real things in just a few days.

Libby's university in the Cau Giay district of Hanoi, the national teacher's college in Vietnam:

A picture of the street where Libby's school is located.  Notice the motorbikes and bicycles, but no cars:

A small side street near the Old Quarter in Hanoi:

This is our street and apartment complex, about a mile from Libby's university:

Google's street view really is amazing.  If you haven't already, you can see if your street has been included.  And if you're lucky, when you see the Google car pass by, you can wave and be famous like our neighbors across the street: