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Show PAPERMAKIN IN INDO-CHIN 2 car thrilled with anticipation of the journey to Hanoi; was well packed in the forward seat amid cumbersom luggage and chattering pets. As we left the port city o Haiphong and approached the open country the narro roadway was choked with peasants carrying upon thei heads wide bamboo baskets filled with a great variety o colourful handmade articles, tropical fruits and vegetables. For the most part the foot travellers were wome trudging along in their sleek black pantaloons and lon coats; there were few men in the continuous procession Man of the women were burdened so heavily they coul scarcely stand erect and as the omnibus rushed by at undiminished speed the frightened women would clear th way for the car by sliding down the steep embankment at either side of the roadway, upsetting their baskets i haphazard confusion. After the thunderous vehicle ha rolled by in a haze of dust, the women patiently gathere themselves and their wares together and diligently plodded on without even a whisper of protest. Although ther was no possibility of conversation in the noisy bus I trie to warn the reckless Eurasian driver of his carelessness but his only concern was to reach Hanoi within the insufficient two hours and twenty minutes allotted by th schedule for the journey. The mistreated peasants wer in perpetual fear that they would be helpless vidtims o the onrushing automobile On both sides of the road, about forty feet apart, ther were beautiful silk flags hung from bamboo poles hel Digital Image © 2005 Marrioft Library University of Utah, All rights reserved |