I forgot how crazy Hanoi is...we enjoyed a nice quiet afternoon soaking up the cool air in the hotel room. Mom and I ventured out for a little window shopping and some dinner tonight. The roads are crazy! I'm not sure if it's especially busy this evening because it's Saturday night, or that we just forgot how chaotic Hanoi is since we've been staying at Peace House. Either way, crossing the street was a stressful event this evening with all the motorbikes zipping by.
We scoped out some stores that we plan to buy some souveniors at tomorrow. Then, we stumbled upon an Italian Restaurant along the lake. By the way - the lake is beautiful at night! The turtle tower in the middle was illuminated and there were all kinds of lights hanging from trees. We'll try to take some evening pics by the lake next Friday when we return to the city. Anyways, the restaurant was SO good! The service was amazing and the food was delicious as well. We got cool, scented washclothes upon arrival...It was nice to have a change of pace - we've been eating rice 2x/day everyday. Mom and I split bruschetta (the tomatoes were amazing!), spinach pizza, and spaghetti with "American peppery sausage" (aka pepperoni). It's interesting how much American influence is in Vietnam. U.S. dollars are the only other currency they accept besides their Vietnamese dong. I guess I find it especially interesting considering the history between the countries...
Anyways, we took a nice stroll around the lake after dinner. We passed at least 3 exercise groups along the way! There was an aerobics group, salsa group, and zumba-ish group. They had speakers with music and there were 30+ people (mostly middle-aged women) in each "class!" I was excited to see this considering we opted for sleep the other morning instead of waking up to check out morning exercises.
Ok..time for a good night's sleep. OH - staying at this hotel has been wonderful so far because a) we have a/c and b) we have a tub shower! However, there is no shower curtain..?! The bathrooms at Hanoi Guesthouse and at Peace Village just have a room with a toilet and a shower hanging on the wall. Everything gets wet when you shower...It's funny how we take some things (tub showers, clean water) for granted... Anyways, more later! Our trip has been a success so far. We have plenty more adventures ahead of us :)
We scoped out some stores that we plan to buy some souveniors at tomorrow. Then, we stumbled upon an Italian Restaurant along the lake. By the way - the lake is beautiful at night! The turtle tower in the middle was illuminated and there were all kinds of lights hanging from trees. We'll try to take some evening pics by the lake next Friday when we return to the city. Anyways, the restaurant was SO good! The service was amazing and the food was delicious as well. We got cool, scented washclothes upon arrival...It was nice to have a change of pace - we've been eating rice 2x/day everyday. Mom and I split bruschetta (the tomatoes were amazing!), spinach pizza, and spaghetti with "American peppery sausage" (aka pepperoni). It's interesting how much American influence is in Vietnam. U.S. dollars are the only other currency they accept besides their Vietnamese dong. I guess I find it especially interesting considering the history between the countries...
Anyways, we took a nice stroll around the lake after dinner. We passed at least 3 exercise groups along the way! There was an aerobics group, salsa group, and zumba-ish group. They had speakers with music and there were 30+ people (mostly middle-aged women) in each "class!" I was excited to see this considering we opted for sleep the other morning instead of waking up to check out morning exercises.
Ok..time for a good night's sleep. OH - staying at this hotel has been wonderful so far because a) we have a/c and b) we have a tub shower! However, there is no shower curtain..?! The bathrooms at Hanoi Guesthouse and at Peace Village just have a room with a toilet and a shower hanging on the wall. Everything gets wet when you shower...It's funny how we take some things (tub showers, clean water) for granted... Anyways, more later! Our trip has been a success so far. We have plenty more adventures ahead of us :)
I hear you Ally, we take a lot for granted growing up with so much. Many don't. Enjoy your air conditioning and shower. We're thinking and praying for you and your Mom. Peace. (Paula)
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