January 14, 2003

“Shopping Vietnamese Style”

This morning was our last time in Hanoi. Most of our time was spent at the History Museum, located in an old French Colonial building. The hours spent there really helped to bring home the breadth and length of Vietnamese history. Regretfully, it seems most Americans think “war” when they hear “Vietnam,” rather than “country.” At least now the members of our group have vacated that majority.

Tim and I made a dash this afternoon to pick up our tailored silk items and some last minute souvenirs from Hanoi. Ah, the joys of bargaining! One could almost wish to shop in Vietnam all the time, just for the excitement of it, almost being the important word.

The flight into Danang brought us into the central part of the country for the first time today. Unfortunately, my father started to get sick on the bus ride from the airport to our hotel in Hoi An. In the interest of his health, I left him in our room tonight while Tim, Alex and I set out to find some food. The Mermaid Restaurant did not really live up to its claim of western style food, but my stir-fried lemongrass chicken was satisfying nonetheless. With a full tummy, I am ready to hit the hay.