I saw and experienced some amazing things in Vietnam that I want to share.
1. The people are amazingly friendly. People would constantly stop us on the street and say hello and smile. One day we stopped in an adidas store. The staff immediately came to us. Carli gave the one salesgirl a kiss on the cheek. After that they shared a snack they were having (yes on the sales floor) of an apple-type fruit dipped in a chili and salt combination. It was an interesting mix of flavors. As we left, they gave us the rest of the fruit to take with us. In the restaurants, they would take Pearl immediately and amuse her while we ate.
2. The street food was very interesting and usually smelled good, although I was never brave enough to try anything. The one thing that I will never forget is seeing cooked whole dog at a food stand. Basically it was a whole dog with no hair and charred brown. Even the tail was still there!
3. It is a scooter nation. There are scooters and motorcycles everywhere. It is amazing what they are able to carry on their scooters, too.
4. The noise is overwhelming. Our streets are so quiet in comparison. The drivers honk constantly. The rules of the road are that there are no rules! Chaos reigns.
5. It is dirty and dusty. HaNoi is a crowded, busy city and cleanliness is not a top priority (or their tolerance of dirt is more than mine). But you adjust and make do.
6. Life is lived on the streets. Everyone is on display and lives on the sidewalks. Street cafes consist of a small plastic table and tiny plastic stools for seats and waala...a business is born. People are hunched everywhere. Storefronts are part of people's homes and you can see them eating dinner and watching TV while "minding" the store. Women would walk miles everyday with the goods the had to sell hanging from baskets balanced on their shoulders.
7. Highlands Coffee was the best. Not only was it the best but the staff was friendly and attentive. After our first visit, they remembered us and once when I visited without Eric and the kids, the staff immediately wanted to know where they were. The strong Vietnamese coffee was good too!
8. People work hard. Not only do they work six days a week, but without our modern conveniences, the work is just plain more difficult.
9. 10 minutes outside of the city and you are in rice paddies. It is green, mountainous and beautiful. It appears to be a pretty simple life outside the city.
HaNoi is an amazing place. It is all I expected and more. I cannot wait to return and see more of the country to the south. But it is good to be home for now.
Pearl is very curious and loves to investigate. Except for nap and bedtime, she really is a very happy kid. Naptime has not improved even though we have tried music, white noise and the Ferber method. I even have moved to one nap a day. To no avail, she spends the entire time screaming. The one good thing is that she is sooo tired by the end of the day, going to bed only includes about 5 minutes of screaming!
Pearl is definitely an eater! She will eat anything you put in front of her. Sleep continues to elude us, though. Last night we tried having classical music on in her room. It didn't seem to bother her so maybe that is the "white noise" she needs. We are going to keep trying different things until we find the magic potion!
