Good-Bye Vietnam

We will miss you !! Although we are so happy to finally be going home to see Cliff and Shae-Lee , we will miss this beautiful country and beautiful people.  We have made many friends on our journey over here and they have made our stay here so much easier.  The kindness shown to Jayda and myself went above and beyond and we are so thankful to have met such wonderful people.

Thursday & Friday 14 & 15 - Saying Good-Bye

The last couple of days we have been busy getting ready to leave, but Catherine and Sebastien were able to schedule their flight to leave early to go back to Montreal. They have been here for 6 weeks. They have travelled to various places in Vietnam but once our passports were ready they decided to change there flight to leave on Saturday instead.  They arrived back from Hoi An on Thursday, along with Mary and Wade.  We met up for dinner with them and than decided to go to the Water Puppet Theater,  we had talked about going, and now that it was near the end of our trip, we decided time was running short so we decided to go that night (sorry, I didnt get pictures)
The next day, Mary, Wade and myself decided to go to the Zoo.  I thought perhaps it was a different Zoo than what Shae-Lee and I had gone to since when we drove past it one time, it looked beautiful and green and they had these amazing Swan Paddle Boats.  Well, as it turned out, same Zoo, different entrance.  I'm not going to bother writing about it because it was just as bad the 2nd time around. One thing I will write about though were the rides they had at the Zoo, think 1950's run down.  We decided to put the girls on a ride that had different animals that you sit in and than it goes around in a circle to music, the seats hang from bars that swing a little and the seats are really only meant for a small child, but the operator of the ride, insisted that we sit in the ride with our girls.  Mary and I looked at each other, and thought, how could that be possible, how could we possibly fit. Well, we squeezed in as the ride started moving, I dont think I stopped laughing the whole time, we must have looked absolutely ridiculous, the ride kept getting faster and faster, and than we finally had to tell her to stop the ride, I was getting extremly motion sickness and for the safety of our children. It really was quite ridiculous and funny.  I really wish I had a picture!!
That night, we met up for one last dinner with Catherine and Sebastien, it was Friday night and they were leaving the next day.  I'm glad we had the opportunity to see them one last time.  We made many memories together.  Our children are from the same Orphanage so we will always have that connection.

Our Hotel

I just wanted to write a little bit about our Hotel in Hanoi since we have lived here for the past 3 weeks.  The staff that work here are absolutely amazing, me writing about it or telling you about it, really doesnt do its justice, you have to experience what it is like to stay here.  Here are a few things that I absolutely loved about staying here:

• Everynight I come back to my room, my bed is turned down, and my bedside table holds a little plate of Chocolates and a beautiful flower
• At breakfast, I am looked after from the time I enter the dining area (which really is maybe twice the size of our Living Room area, whoever has been to our place knows that its not very big)  We are greeted at the Elevator and looked after like Royalty.  
• They love, love, love Jayda and I feel like this hotel should include babysitting as a perk for those staying here because I feel that is what they do.  They feed Jayda ,  they wipe her nose (yes, you heard me, they wipe her nose), they entertain her while I am eating, they play with her and they do it with huge, big smiles on there faces. They really are wonderful.  Once I was in the room over lunch and on their own initiative they prepared scrambled egg for me to feed her and brought it to my room
• This Hotel is immaculate, I see them dusting the tiniest corners, they take pride in doing a good job and keeping this hotel in top shape
• The staff here are very young (probably early to mid twenties), but they give amazing attention to detail, always going the extra step, they are always a step ahead of me and I feel like my every need is always met.
• Whenever I come and go, the help with all my bags and stroller is automatic.  I never have to ask,  its just second nature for them to be helpful. 
• When I had to wake the manager at 2:30 am in the morning to print my E-Ticket for her Passport - he never grumbled, he never complained (I know I should have waited, but I couldnt have slept without that ticket in my hand) I hadnt seen him since that night, but I did seem him today, and he was so pleasant with a big smile on his face.  I told him that I would be leaving tomorrow night, but not till midnight, so I paid for tomorrow night as well.  He told me that he would put in a request that I should only pay half price. I never assumed that I should, but he suggested it on his own.

Thats all I can think of for now, there are many many more things about this Hotel that make it amazing, but those are some of the bigger things that come to mind.  Although the perks have been wonderful, nothing is better than home, but I am happy to say, this defintely has been the best home away from home that I have ever experienced!!

Leaving Tomorrow

Can you see me grinning from ear to ear.  I am SO excited to finally be able to say, we are leaving tomorrow!!! Today was a hot one, it has been the hottest day that we have had since I have arrived in Hanoi, think of a hot Summer day in Vancouver, that's what it was like here.  A perfect day to end our trip.  I spent the morning doing some last minute shopping with Mary.  Mary's husband Wade offered to look after the girls for a couple of hours.  That really was a wonderful gift from him!! Unfortunatley poor little Loc wasnt feeling very good so we didnt want to spend too much time away so we did what we had to do and went back to the Hotel.  I picked up Jayda, which was now around 1:00 pm and I thought instead of heading back to the Hotel that we would walk down to the lake and enjoy the beautiful warm weather, as we walked Jayda fell asleep so I decided to make a quick stop at the Supermarket that I had wanted to check out before our flight home to see if I could find a few things to take for our trip home.  Because Jayda, loves Soup, rice noodles and Congee I wanted to see if I could find something in that category to feed her in case she didnt like what they offered on the plane (and really, who does like Airplane food??)  I wandered the aisles just to see what sort of things they had to offer and I was thrilled to find Instant Pho' and Instant Congee so I stocked up (I will have to go back and pick up more tomorrow before our flight  because it turned out that when I tried it with her she loved it and that  1 package of Instant Congee was like a snack for her and I had only purchased 4 packages) By this time Jayda had woken up so we wandered down to the lake which was directly across from the Supermarket.  I had purchased a little coconut Ice-Cream bar to see if she would like it so we found a bench to enjoy the sun,  The verdict was a big fat no, she refused to try it in the beginning, but she eventually gave in when she saw me eating it, but nope, it wasnt a big hit.  I have to say it absolutley fascinates me to see the things that she likes and dislikes.  At 2 years old, she has already developed her tastes so its interesting to see the foods and drinks she chooses.
As we were sitting on the bench, people watching,  I was approached by 3 young men, 2 of them were in University and they said as a project they wanted to interview me, since I was a visitor to Vietnam, the other young man was just a straggler that saw these 2 young men talking to me and thought he would join in.  I humored them, they asked a few questions, at the end, it was harmless fun and I enjoyed speaking to them.  I ended up talking longer to the 3rd young man , he wanted to practise his English so we had a nice conversation and than we parted ways.

Of course, pictures were part of their project, so I decided to take one of all us too!

By this time it was getting later in the afternoon so I thought I would start heading back as we were meeting Mary and Wade for dinner.  On the way, I decided to stop at the little Vietnamese Cafe that I had been at before for a nice cold glass of Vietnamese Coffee.  Once again, because I'm still trying to see what sort of things Jayda likes, and I am pushing the boundaries a little, I gave her a little taste of my very very strong Vietnamese Coffee (think of a glass of Espresso mixed with a little Condensed Milk).  To my very big surprise, my little Vietnamese Girl, loves Vietnamese Coffee,!!!  who would have thought???    It clearly wont be something she will be enjoying on a regular basis, but I find it so interesting some of the things she likes and dislikes  (anything sweet is still not popular AT ALL, now, that I find interesting, considering both Shae-Lee and I have a big sweet tooth).

Enjoying a yummy glass of Vietnamese Coffee

We finished up our coffee and headed back to the Hotel.  Loc still was not feeling well so Mary and Wade decided to stay in and Jayda and I went to the Gecko for dinner and than we wandered around for a bit afterwards.  We talked to alot of people tonight, alot of them that recognized us from our daily walks,  and than I met the most most facinating couple.  They own a organization called Little Kidz Foundation.  They travel internationally and teach the caregivers that work in Orphanages as well as caregivers of children with special needs, whether hospitals, clinics etc on the benefits of infant massage.  This couple are based out of  Los Angeles and travel worldwide for there organization to offer this program in countries that are lacking resources.  In further conversation, I find out that the husband actually was born and raised in Richmond, seriously what are the odds, he was a couple of years younger than me so we compared High Schools and tried to figure out if we had known each other through school etc.  After talking for awhile, we parted ways and I made one last stop before our Hotel. I had heard that Bao Yen was a famous singer, so I thought I couldnt possibly leave Vietnam without a copy of her CD, so we made our purchase and headed back.  Now, I am looking at the time, which is now after Midnight, and realizing that I really need to pack and  put a plan in place to ensure that I can get everything to fit into our 2 little suitcases.  I'm definitley leaving with alot more than what we brought. So Ciao for now,  I will try to write one last time before we leave tomorrow night

Breaking News!!!!

Shae-Lee has just lost her 1st tooth, literally a few minutes ago.  So sad that I wasnt there to see it happen, but so excited for Shae-Lee as I know she has been waiting for this to happen for a long time!!!   Congratulations Shae-Lee!!!!

Big brother Ryan helping

Yay,  Tooth is out!!

Ceramic Lady

Look at this amazing beautiful  lady and all the Ceramic she carries on her bike to sell. She was so nice!!  I saw her on the street and bought a teapot set for Jadya. I did the same for Shae-Lee when we were in China.  We are overrun by Teapot sets at our house, we have many, but the one I had bought for Shae-Lee is special and is packed away, she will get it when she is older and be able to appreciate it more.  Same with the one I bought for Jayda on this trip, it will also be packed away for now as its a special keepsake from the Country she was born in.

Drum Roll Please.........

Guess who is a Canadian Citizen???

We were finally able to pick up Jayda's temporary Canadian Passport and Jayda is now officially a Canadian Citizen. It means we can finally leave Vietnam and make our way home.  We are so excited.  Well, I am at least,  I dont think Jayda has a clue what she is in for once she gets to Canada.  It will be a completely different way of life for her.  But we will give her the best life possible!!!

Todays Wrap Up, Short & Sweet

Long day today.  Jayda's Vietnamese Passport was ready so I thought instead of taking a Taxi I would walk  since I didnt have plans.  The last time we went, when we applied for her passport,  we took a taxi.  After walking an hour and a half, probably longer (I would liken it to walking from one end of Richmond to the other end) we finally arrived at 11:45 am only to be told they just left for lunch and to come back at 2:00 pm (yes, I was grumbling). So with 2 hours to waste, I walked around and than we eventually went for lunch.  Guess what was on the menu again....you guessed it....Pho!!!  2:00 pm came around so we walked over to the Passport office and picked up her Vietnamese Passport.  One done, one left to go!!!  By now it was just after 2:30pm so I decided to take a Taxi back.  I got off   a couple of streets ahead of my Hotel as I wanted to pick up a few things, including my laundry.  I also decided that once we were back on the Hotel I didnt want to have to go out again for dinner so I picked up a Pizza from our favorite place, I also ordered Fried Rice for Jayda, but when I got home I guess they misunderstood and gave me French Fries.
Now we are back and just hanging around, Jayda is running around having lots of fun.  Enjoy this Video, she's too funny!.  When she watches herself on the video, she just cracks up laughing

Eating Lunch

Our Bowl of Pho.  Seriously, how sad and bored am I when I take pictures of food!!!

Guess who has her Vietnamese Passport

I took this picture from inside the Taxi.  Not sure if you can see it very well, But this is typical family transportation.  Dad, Mom and little girl standing in front.  Not unusual to see 2 or 3 children and a mom and dad on a scooter!!

And this picture was taken, just because.  As I was walking to the Passport office I saw a store with my name :  )

Army Museum, Ancient House and Pedicure

Yesterday we woke up late again, I have to remember to keep my curtains open before I go to bed.  I'm on the 6th floor, and the window I have really isnt a window (hard to explain) but it does let the light in.  This is what I see when I look out my window, little boxes of fake flowers, white wall behind, and the daylight coming from up top.

 

We started off going for breakfast to, you guessed it, "The Gecko"  There are several around Hanoi. My plan wasnt to necessarily go there for breakfast, but as I was walking around  in the Dowtown area, I debated between going there or going to my little Vietnamese place I have been going to,.  As I walked in, the waitress from the other Gecko that I had been going to was working here also.  She was so excited to see us as she had talked to the ladies that work here about us and now here we are.  Just want to mention, everywhere we go, everyone loves babies, not just Jayda, but they just love babies, its almost like we have a built in babysitter wherever we are, they just take over, pick her up, feed her, they let her run around, its quite nice, and very different than home. Back to our waitress, she is such a sweet girl, she is 21 years old, her name is Pham and she studied Tourisim for 4 years and is working at this restaurant so she can improve her English.  She works at this one downtown from 8:00 - 4:30 and than goes to the other Gecko from 4:30 - 11:00, 7 days a week.  She is really busy, I asked her if she ever saw her friends,she said sometimes, but not very often as everyone is busy.  I talked to her alot, as we ordered our breakfast.  We enjoyed another bowl of Pho, or should I say Jayda enjoyed a bowl of Pho, wow, can this girl ever eat.  I think we might have to change the way we eat breakfast at home, scrambled eggs for Shae-lee and Pho for Jayda, she loves, loves, loves her rice noodles. I tried giving her Mr Noodles that I had in our room, but she 'DID NOT" like them, has to be rice noodles, so stock up Cliff!!!

I love my Pho'

Before

After

 

 

 

 

I had the Crepes with lemon and Sugar, and of course a Vietnamese Coffee   You have to try this at home. Sprinkle Lemon Juice on your crepe and than sprinkle a little sugar.  Delicious!!!!  The lemons here seem different than ours though, not quite as sour, they are green and orangy on the outside, more like a lime (which maybe it is, maybe they call there lemons, limes?)

I spoke to Pham and asked her for some ideas of what to do.  She suggested the Army Museum.  It wasnt a big interest to me, but she said you can climb the Black Tower (which is actually called Cot Co Watch Tower and is one of the few remains of Emperor Gia Longs mighty edifice, which means nothing to me, but those of you interested in History, there you go.)  I thought the climbing of the tower sounded interesting, as well, i was looking to get away from the area I was in and thought I didnt have alot to lose by going.  Pham told me not to pay more than 30,000 for the Taxi.  Of course I had tourist written all over me and ended up in the one that took advantage of non-vietnamese and ended up paying just over 90,000 (triple the price) still not alot, but I know I was being overcharged.  I should have known to check his meter before I went in, some start at 9,000 and others start at 15,000.  To figure out the $$ value, 1 USD = 21,000,

We made it to the Army Museum, admission was next to nothing, I think around 30,000.  Lots to see, lots of history.  Once again, I'm not a History Buff, but it was somewhat interesting.  Lots of Planes, memorabilia from the Vietnam war, it was a large museum that was inside and outside.   .

Would you believe me if I told you we climbed to the top of the tower???  I didnt, but I had the intention, you could only climb to up a part of it.

Memorbilia

Looking down from the tower

Looking up

These are the stairs we climbed up and down

Pilot Jayda

In the plane

We probably stayed at the museum for at least a couple of hours.  Jayda was getting tired, so I thought I would just walk back, probably at least an hour walk and than she could have a snooze in the stroller and we would grab some dinner on the way back to our Hotel. We just went to our favorite little place again.  Just so you have an idea, these are the stairs we climb up to get to our restaurant.

1st flight of stairs

2nd flight of stairs (I'm sure you find this really interesting, but though you might like to see)

After dinner, we walked back to our Hotel, Jayda had a bath, and read some books in bed

The next day we woke up early (I remembered to keep my curtains open) and made it down to breakfast for 9:00 am.  No big plans for today, but I wanted to check out the Ancient House that Pham had told me about.  They call it Heritage House on the outside sign, but everything you read calls it Ancient House.  Its a traditional house of the way people use to live and is an original structure.  It was quite interesting, we walked around and bought a few things.

These little birds in cages hang from everyones store or house

Vietnamese Bed, notice no Mattress

 After we left,  I decided to get a Pedicure at a place I had noticed a few days ago for $9.00 USF.  It was great, it probably lasted around 1.5 hours

Jayda waiting patiently for her Mama to finish

The Price included a meal for Jayda. She sat down with the staff and had lunch

And it also included babysitting.  What a deal!!!

 Now we are back at the Hotel, Jayda has just woken from her nap and we will head out to have dinner soon. 6 days and counting till we are back home!!!