Wednesday Sept 26

I had a fun day today. Sasha (and I) woke up around 7:00, I gave her a bottle and then we talked to Ray, Brayden and Brookelyn for awhile on Skype. It was nice because it was the first time Brayden sat still for a couple of minutes and talked to me. Brookelyn looks so big now that we have Sasha. Ray was exhausted and hoping the little kids would put themselves to bed so he could pass out. We heard it can take a couple of weeks to adjust back. We talked for a while then Sasha and I headed down for breakfast. I really like eating there. I like the tea and all of the food has been really good. I also like the $6 price of it. We went back to our room for awhile and Sasha took a nap. After that we met Julie and her family downstairs in the lobby and the shopping began...
It was only Julie, Lillian, Julie's mother in law, myself and Sasha who went shopping. First we went to the silk place Nicole told us about, Phuong Anh (56 Hang Hom). We each ordered jackets for ourselves and the babies. The jackets for adults are $30 and the ones for babies/children are either $10 or $13 depending on the fabric it is made with. Wow, there were so many pretty things there. Silk ties (nice ones) were $3 each. We had a lot of fun and the babies were great. The things should be ready Monday.
We then headed over to Vietnam Quilts (16 Hang Tre). I think this was my fifth time going. You will know why as soon as you pull up in front of the store. The quilts are beautiful! And every time I have gone Sue (an Austalian woman who volunteers there) has hung up new quilts on the wall. The inventory keeps changing. They have some standard things and then there are new things or the standard ones in different colors. Only a small amount of the inventory is posted on the interner. For instance, they have Christmas stockings, Christmas placemats and runners, ornaments, wallets, notebooks, purses, pillow cases...I included a few pictures so you can see some of the things. The quality is great and it is such a great cause! You have to go there! Oh, and they have small quilts the size of a crib comforter for $30 (or $35, I forgot). Great keepsake for your baby! Great prices too-the small comforters are $55 to $60, the tree skirts are $45, wallets $6, ornaments (of Christmas tree, hearts, or little girls with conical hats) $1.50. Throw pillows for the couchor bed are $12.
The next stop was Nagu (20 Ngha Tho) where Nicole suggested we buy personalized teddy bears. Very cute and a good price. A medium bear (10 about ten inches high) that is personalized with your child's name is $15. And you chose the fabric of their vest and what is embroidered on their other foot. It is a nice store and has a lot of other really nice things like purses, wallets, book covers, cell phone holders...for good prices. The bears will be ready Tuesday.
Right next door or two doors down is a nice restaurant. I ordered tomatoes, mozarella cheese, and basil and it was wonderful. It was about $3. We went down a street and over and bought some fans for $2 each. Really nice ones too. I am sure we could have gotten a better price, but I am not haggling when the price is already so low.
It started to rain, which was probably a good thing. We could have shopped for hours...we headed back to the hotel. It was nice spending the day with them. They are a nice family and her boys are wonderful.
Sasha and I stayed in our apartment for a few hours and then went on a walk in the evening. It was so nice outside! It has been raining for the last couple of days and it smells so good out now. It makes taking walks much more pleasant. We walked around for about a half hour and I suddenly started to understand why people missed Vietnam and are drawn to return. I didn't get it when I was rushing around from place to place, but now I get it. It feels good to be here. We walked around until it started to rain again and then went back to the hotel. We went to Highlands Coffee in Hanoi Towers and ordered a beef and rice dish. $3.35! We sat down and relaxed while we were waiting for it to be ready and then took it home to eat. The rice and vegetables were good, but every piece of meat ( I gave up after a while) was really chewy. Still good though. Also, the portion was smaller than what you would get in the US, probably a healthier size portion. Perfect for me. We came up and I gave Sasha another bottle and then a bath. She likes taking a bath, she doesn't even mind me rinsing the shampoo out of her hair. She went to bed soon after that and I had my dinner. Martin called me a few minutes ago to tell me he would meet me in the lobby at 8:40 am to go get Sasha's passport.