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Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
we booked our tickets, we are returning to vietnam.
i had been doing a lot of late nights back and forth on several travel sites trying to get a handle on what was reasonable airfare for this winter. fares are not cheap - but they are not anywhere right now, unless you want to go to london today, then you can get a bargain.
we visited two vietnamese travel agencies and were able to get good rates from them but only if we flew roundtrip from boston to saigon. this was tempting because we could have saved about $250 per ticket. however, since our itinerary doesn't really take us anywhere in the south, and we have a limited time to sightsee, as much as we would love to spend three or more days in saigon finally seeing the city, it just seemed to be a huge hassle to have to arrive in saigon and then take domestic flights up to hanoi and then back to saigon when it was time to go, checking and re-checking baggage each time. the cost of a domestic flight from hanoi to saigon is about $100 each way, and we decided we'd rather spend a tiny bit more money to save time and aggravation by just flying into and out of hanoi, also not having to lose any time in hanoi this way.
i wasn't able to find flights on our original itineraries the past two trips (even though to hanoi on our last trip, of course, we flew all around the world in that giant kerfuffle), the one that had us going from Boston to LA to Taipei to Hanoi on EVA. a similar route on Cathay Pacific was running about $2100 per person, a bit too high for us. i stalked fares on Kayak and signed up for email price alerts, and doing this allowed me to see on which days it would be cheapest to travel.
eric has a limited amount of vacation time at his new job, so we knew we couldn't spend more than 12 work days in Vietnam, and we needed to carefully plan our itinerary to take advantage of as many weekends as we could...there's just no way that eric could fly home on a work day and have to get up and go to work the next day! usually when we get back from Vietnam, we are comatose! he needed at least a day to recover. so finally, after tweaking and tweaking and filling in lots of calendars with mock itineraries, we were able to shoehorn in a 19 day trip to Vietnam inbetween Thanksgiving and Christmas without missing either holiday. this seems like a VERY quick trip to me (of course it does, i won't be satisfied until i can stay in Vietnam for six months!) but it's better than nothing, and we are feeling very fortunate that we are able to go at all (hello, tax refund!). we are going to be spending less time in hanoi this go-round, and more time in hue, as well as a brief trip to Hoi An, where we have never been. we're hoping to have a nice mix of big city tourism and even some beach time. while we are bummed that we won't be seeing saigon this time, we are still very excited about all of the places that we will get to go!
our flights will take us from Boston to Seoul to Hanoi on the way over, and from Hanoi to Hong Kong to Boston on the way back, a new itinerary for us. we are very excited that the flight times and layovers worked out really well. we worked with Pearl from Cleveland Circle Travel, who booked our past two trips to Vietnam, and we feel we are in really good hands with Pearl.
simon talks about this trip to Vietnam all the time. he still has very vivid memories of our last trip back when he was two. we think that this time, when he will be 4, we must be prepared for our visit to the orphanage to be more emotionally harrowing for him. we are ready for this. but at the same time, there's a level of processing and awareness of how simon came to be in our family that is preoccupying him these days, and we think that a return trip to the orphanage will have many benefits for simon emotionally. we are doing a lot of work to prepare him for this visit.
i have to say that is is *so* apropos to have booked our tickets today - three years to the day that we met simon trung for the first time.
my to-do list is already a mile long. now that the flights are booked, it's time to book hotels and tours, apply for visas and start shopping!
we feel blessed beyond measure that we are in a position to travel back to our son's beautiful birth country, and can't wait to spend time with the people in vietnam that we love. it's going to be a long three months of anticipation!
i had been doing a lot of late nights back and forth on several travel sites trying to get a handle on what was reasonable airfare for this winter. fares are not cheap - but they are not anywhere right now, unless you want to go to london today, then you can get a bargain.
we visited two vietnamese travel agencies and were able to get good rates from them but only if we flew roundtrip from boston to saigon. this was tempting because we could have saved about $250 per ticket. however, since our itinerary doesn't really take us anywhere in the south, and we have a limited time to sightsee, as much as we would love to spend three or more days in saigon finally seeing the city, it just seemed to be a huge hassle to have to arrive in saigon and then take domestic flights up to hanoi and then back to saigon when it was time to go, checking and re-checking baggage each time. the cost of a domestic flight from hanoi to saigon is about $100 each way, and we decided we'd rather spend a tiny bit more money to save time and aggravation by just flying into and out of hanoi, also not having to lose any time in hanoi this way.
i wasn't able to find flights on our original itineraries the past two trips (even though to hanoi on our last trip, of course, we flew all around the world in that giant kerfuffle), the one that had us going from Boston to LA to Taipei to Hanoi on EVA. a similar route on Cathay Pacific was running about $2100 per person, a bit too high for us. i stalked fares on Kayak and signed up for email price alerts, and doing this allowed me to see on which days it would be cheapest to travel.
eric has a limited amount of vacation time at his new job, so we knew we couldn't spend more than 12 work days in Vietnam, and we needed to carefully plan our itinerary to take advantage of as many weekends as we could...there's just no way that eric could fly home on a work day and have to get up and go to work the next day! usually when we get back from Vietnam, we are comatose! he needed at least a day to recover. so finally, after tweaking and tweaking and filling in lots of calendars with mock itineraries, we were able to shoehorn in a 19 day trip to Vietnam inbetween Thanksgiving and Christmas without missing either holiday. this seems like a VERY quick trip to me (of course it does, i won't be satisfied until i can stay in Vietnam for six months!) but it's better than nothing, and we are feeling very fortunate that we are able to go at all (hello, tax refund!). we are going to be spending less time in hanoi this go-round, and more time in hue, as well as a brief trip to Hoi An, where we have never been. we're hoping to have a nice mix of big city tourism and even some beach time. while we are bummed that we won't be seeing saigon this time, we are still very excited about all of the places that we will get to go!
our flights will take us from Boston to Seoul to Hanoi on the way over, and from Hanoi to Hong Kong to Boston on the way back, a new itinerary for us. we are very excited that the flight times and layovers worked out really well. we worked with Pearl from Cleveland Circle Travel, who booked our past two trips to Vietnam, and we feel we are in really good hands with Pearl.
simon talks about this trip to Vietnam all the time. he still has very vivid memories of our last trip back when he was two. we think that this time, when he will be 4, we must be prepared for our visit to the orphanage to be more emotionally harrowing for him. we are ready for this. but at the same time, there's a level of processing and awareness of how simon came to be in our family that is preoccupying him these days, and we think that a return trip to the orphanage will have many benefits for simon emotionally. we are doing a lot of work to prepare him for this visit.
i have to say that is is *so* apropos to have booked our tickets today - three years to the day that we met simon trung for the first time.
my to-do list is already a mile long. now that the flights are booked, it's time to book hotels and tours, apply for visas and start shopping!
we feel blessed beyond measure that we are in a position to travel back to our son's beautiful birth country, and can't wait to spend time with the people in vietnam that we love. it's going to be a long three months of anticipation!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Monday, January 4, 2010
Wrap-Up Thoughts and Outtakes
This post is probably going to be all over the place. We've all been steadily waking up around 445 am. I really blame the dark, winter weather for our inability to get on east coast time as quickly as we did last summer!
Yesterday we went to Ikea and bought a few things for home organization, and then went to the Enchanted Village at Jordan's Furniture. It was practically empty, which was a big change from the last time we tried to go (the weekend it opened) and the line was 3 hours long! Simon didn't like it, and I don't blame him. Those animatronic dolls are creeeeepy!!!
Today is Eric's first day back at work after having him home for so long. I know that Simon is REALLY going to miss having his dada here during the day. It's back to the School of Hard Knocks with mummy.
We are all happily anticipating a visit this weekend from Grandma & Big Papi. Simon just practically levitates with excitement when he knows they are coming to our house. :)
I wanted to write a bit of the random thoughts I had about our trip down, so I don't forget them.
Number one in importance is what I had said before - when we were planning this trip, we had no idea whether we'd be able to travel comfortably in Vietnam with a toddler. Let's face it, Vietnam is not the easiest place to travel even if you are a young, strapping backpacker. There are lots of cultural differences that at times make it hard to be a tourist. There are aggressive touts, taxi driver scam artists, protocol that must be followed when, Kafka-like, you have no idea what the protocol is. And the motorbikes. And the air quality.
But seriously? That's my entire list of negatives. And I'm sure I could find an equal amount of things, if not larger, to bitch about when it comes to traveling in Europe or the UK. What you get out of traveling in Vietnam is so much more immeasurably greater than any of those annoyances. Vietnam is an absolutely magical country, full of kind and caring people who absolutely adore children. It is a truly wonderful place for a family vacation. It has culture, history, amazing food, generous people willing to help a befuddled traveler, an emerging tourist infrastructure, a young, hip and very buzzy vibe, and it is safe, safe, safe. Walking out on the streets after dark (at least in our experience in crowded Hanoi) we always felt very safe in the crowd. I can say without hesitation that traveling with a two year old was an overwhelmingly positive experience and anyone considering traveling to Vietnam with children should not waver based on concerns about amenities for travelers, health, or safety.
What some families may not like, and what does take some time to get used to, is the notion that children are public property. It's just not an attitude that we share in the US. If I went up to you and actually took your child right out of your arms, actually just lifted them up and walked away with them, what would you do? Would you freak out? Demand that I give your child back? What percentage of you would just sit back and go with it? I'm guessing a very small percentage, if any. And yet that happened to us dozens of times a day in Vietnam. And I sat back, and I said nothing, and I went with it. Part of it is because Simon is an incredibly social kid and just loved the attention paid to him by hotel staff and cafe workers. The other part of it is that I knew there was zero malicious intent behind this. Simon was taken out of his chair at Highlands Coffee and taken behind the counter somewhere where we couldn't see him. He was in the kitchen where the chef was giving him french fries. Would that ever happen at home? Would you let it? Simon was touched by strangers constantly. Would you let that happen at home? Would you freak over safety or hygiene? Simon didn't get sick once the entire trip and he had strangers in his face all the time. Part of it is also my comfort level. I don't mind this happening. Not everyone can say that, I know. But I feel to my core that Simon is a child of Vietnam, and I do feel that the people of Vietnam are allowed to "claim" him, as it were. That may be an unpopular opinion, but it is mine.
For anyone hesitant about traveling with small children thinking that a picky eater would never be accommodated in Hanoi, that's totally not the case. Simon does love Vietnamese food, because we expose him to a lot of it at home. But we also ate pizza, pasta, tuna sandwiches, omelets, toast, fruit salad etc. Sometimes for lunch, Simon only had a mango smoothie and french fries. It was totally fine. If you don't want to take your chances on street food, there are plenty of locally run restaurants with both Western and Vietnamese food. I truly think that every palate can be accommodated in Hanoi. Sushi? Indian? Thai? Want to eat nothing but sandwiches? No problem!
Simon really does just go with the flow, but if you have a kid that needs the same routine and items as at home, you may have more of a challenge. There are no carseats, of course. No highchairs. We did pack the popup Eddie Bauer booster seat we bought, but it was in the luggage that took almost a week to get to us! So Simon just sat in a regular chair and we ended up just keeping the booster in one of the dining chairs in our hotel room and using it for breakfast only. There are no sippy cups, kids plates, or kids utensils. I suppose if you truly needed those, you could just bring them from home. But Simon sat in adult seats and used adult cups and cutlery and all was well.
There's an easy way around the taxi b.s. also. If you are hailing a cab on the street, make sure you only get in a MaiLinh taxi, the green-and-white ones. Other drivers will harass you if they drive by you first, but it's your Dong, you know? They are the most reputable cab company. We never got cheated by them, ever. Or you could go to a large hotel and have the doorman there get you a taxi.
The Somerset West Lake and the Somerset Grand were both fantastic places to stay with top-notch amenities for the price (~$100 a night, depending on how large of a room you want). I think that having the kitchen and washing machine were essential when traveling with a two-year-old. I think that we will always stay at the Somerset when we go to Hanoi. If you want a very quiet room in an out of the way location, go with the West Lake. If you want to be in walking distance to most of the sights, go with the Grand, though there is a trade-off in street noise.
And now as far as I'm concerned, there is only one hotel in which to stay in Hue, and that's unquestionably the Orchid Hotel. It was a superlative experience, I can't say enough good things about the location, rooms, service, or amazing staff. I would NEVER stay anywhere else in Hue, never!
Speaking of great amenities, the fanciest airport we saw on our whole trip around the world (hah) was Taoyuan airport in Taipei. First of all, it's gorgeous. Each gate is tastefully decorated. There is no institutional linoleum vibe there at all. It's spacious and airy and incredibly well-organized. There are a TON of shops to browse, free massage chairs, childrens playroom, and the aforementioned Hello Kitty nursery where you can get free diapers, hot water for formula, special nursing chairs, and even a crib. We had such a comfortable layover there. It's the greatest.
This time, I felt like we really did pack pretty light. Especially with clothes, as we knew we could do laundry in the room every day. This backfired when our luggage was lost, of course. We were lucky to be in Vietnam were all of our replacement items were soooo cheap. I can't imagine being without luggage for a week in, say, London where you'd blow all your vacation money on replacement underwear and deodorant! I wished, on all legs, that I had packed a bit more clothes in our carryons. Simon peed through his outfit on the way home before we even got to Taipei, which meant that he had to stay in his froggy pajamas for a whole day and a half. Thank goodness he didn't have any more accidents, I don't know what I would have done. I had NO other clothes for him. And there really isn't any place in any airport terminal to buy a toddler outfit. Just try looking for one the next time you are traveling! I really think that someone needs to manufacture and sell a travel pack of like 10 diapers with a corresponding size onesie, wouldn't that be genius? And some airports, including the American terminal at LAX, there was NO place to buy a single diaper! If you have a baby who pood through all your packed diapers, or if you have an unexpected delay, just what are you supposed to do, you know?
When traveling to Vietnam, I always pack way more otc medication than we have ever, ever needed. But to me, that's a "just in case" investment I'm not comfortable traveling without. Things we used - benadryl, ibuprofen. Things we didn't use...pretty much everything else! But I was glad we had them, anyway. I do want to list a few very indispensable things that we packed that we totally could not have lived with out.
-saline nose spray - I use this all the time on the plane. I have a problem with the dry air.
-a good, sturdy daypack - I really liked the size of our backpack. It could fill up and be used as another piece of luggage, but it was also small enough to take out every day with just the essentials.
-my Old Navy scarf. This giant orange-print scarf was, surprisingly, the most indispensable thing we packed! Who knew! I used it to make a "tent" over Simon's airplane seat so it was darker, as a sarong when we had nothing to sleep in when our luggage was lost, as a blanket or a pillow, and even as an improvised sling. Oh yes, and as a scarf as well if the weather took a turn for the chilly. So some sort of large scarf/sarong that folds up into nothing might be a good "extra" to always have along.
And now for a couple "best of" experiences.
Best tourist site - definitely the Temple of Literature in Hanoi. It's absolutely gorgeous, a manageable size, impressive, inspiring, welcoming, tranquil. All of those things. It's a wonderful green oasis in the city. The streets surrounding also have great shopping and restaurants, wonderful for a long stroll. I think the Temple of Literature is, in my opinion, THE #1 site to see in Hanoi.
Best nontourist site - Vincom Mall. I know, right? But going to this giant, 5 floor mall gives you a glimpse at middle class Hanoi in the way that the frenzied Old Quarter doesn't, and I think that both views are important. I liked seeing how middle class Hanoian families spent their time and money. It made me think about the lives that we would have if we were living in Hanoi. It's interesting to see what the tastes of middle class Hanoian families are. Pizza Hut, donuts, large bookstores full of manga, giant stores filled with appliances and Nikon cameras. I liked it. It was cool. I think that's an important sort of well-rounded picture to give our children who are adopted from Vietnam. Their birthcountry has all of the traditional elements we tell them about, it has all of the poverty and social problems we are aware of, but there's also this young and emerging generation and class that are wearing knock-off Ed Hardy and constantly texting, just like at home.
Best food that we ate - I doubt we could come to a consensus on this. I think Eric might say the banh nam in Hue (shrimp on a gelatinous rice pancake steamed in a banana leaf) or Cha Ca, the turmeric and dill fish & noodle dish. I adored the Cha Ca and also the Bun Ca we had at Brother's Cafe, which was sort of like Cha Ca but very brothy. I think that was my favorite thing.
Best restaurant - definitely Quan An Ngon. The many options of the street food stalls coupled with good hygiene practices (um, I'm assuming) and the low, low cost made this a winner and the reason we went back three times. The best thing we ate there were the fried spring rolls (nem) and the green papaya salad. Eric's giant and flavorful seafood hotpot that he ordered the first night was also incredibly tasty (and quite funny, due to the size).
Best street for a stroll - the streets in between Van Mieu and Le Duan, ie Nguyen Nhu Do, Tran Quy Cap were really scenic and fun. Also the warren of streets in between Hai Ba Trung and Hang Boc had lots of interesting shops and little eateries, always full of families.
Best surprise - Reunification Park. The lake is being drained and is a big construction site, but our visit here on a Sunday evening was totally magical. Market stalls, food vendors, little amusement rides for Simon, balloon sellers walking with dozens of balloons trailing behind them, it was a wonderful experience. Some of the best times we had on our trip with Simon were when we looked around and saw that we were just one of the many families with children enjoying the day. We didn't blend in at all, of course! But there was some nice comfort in knowing that whatever activity we chose to do with Simon was "validated" by seeing other families with children doing the same thing!
Biggest shopping rip-off - the Citimart in Hanoi Towers. Yes, it's totally convenient when you are staying at the Somerset Grand, but my goodness, I think you pay for that convenience. It was easy and wonderful to just run down when we had run out of diapers or if Eric wanted a Bia Hanoi, but prices were about 1/3 higher or more than the huuuuuge and well-stocked Intimex on Le Loi. A little advance planning and a 12,000 Dong cab ride would save quite a bit of money.
Best shopping - Nha Chung and Nha To near the Cathedral are my favorite streets for housewares, gifts, and clothing. I much prefer these streets for shopping to the Old Quarter because it's quieter and less motorbikes. The prices are higher, but everything is just a bit nicer. This is where we bought Simon's quilted red coat, which is my favorite thing we bought on our whole trip.
In Hue, we loved the PNC bookstore across the bridge closer to the Citadel for books and all sorts of great gifts for kids. We had a lot of fun shopping there and the prices were incredibly cheap.
It was an interesting trip because while we went with the intent of being tourists in a wonderful country, there was no escaping the emotional side of our return, the visit to the Center. I can't say enough about how warmly we were welcomed by Madame Hoa and Mr Le. They still care so much about all of our children and still speak of them with so much love and affection. It's hard to say if our visit will ever have any impact on a 2 year old Simon Trung, but as a family, I think we gained so much by this experience. We never doubted the quality of care or love that Simon received during his 9 months at the Center, but to see the outpouring of joy and love at his return really made for such special memories and wonderful stories to tell Simon as he grows up and wonders about his life before us.
I've read this sentiment before on other blogs, the feeling that Vietnam just gets under your skin and for me, I feel that statement is accurate. I'm just another Tay tourist in Hanoi, but I remember just constantly walking around with a smile on my face and feeling more truly content there than I have in a long while. What does it say that two Westerners and a Viet Kieu are able to walk around Hoan Kiem, be constantly barraged with interrogations and smiles and hugs for the 2 year old, and yet constantly delight in every single second? Were it not for our amazing son, we never would have had this experience, and Eric and I would have been worse off for the omission in our lives. Vietnam is a part of our lives now, we are connected forever to this country through Simon. I don't think in our entire lives we will ever come close to "knowing" Vietnam in any way, it's just too complex, it's just too much. But we will visit, we will open our eyes and our ears, we will try to learn. We will bring Simon back again and again and again to the country in which he was born. We will teach him, we will tell him, Vietnam is a part of you and it is a part of us, now. You are Vietnamese first and you are American second. This country is also your home. You are a child of Hue as much as you are our child. Simon is ours but he is not ours alone. We consider it a privilege and a gift to be able to share him with Vietnam and the Vietnamese people, again and again and again.
Yesterday we went to Ikea and bought a few things for home organization, and then went to the Enchanted Village at Jordan's Furniture. It was practically empty, which was a big change from the last time we tried to go (the weekend it opened) and the line was 3 hours long! Simon didn't like it, and I don't blame him. Those animatronic dolls are creeeeepy!!!
Today is Eric's first day back at work after having him home for so long. I know that Simon is REALLY going to miss having his dada here during the day. It's back to the School of Hard Knocks with mummy.
We are all happily anticipating a visit this weekend from Grandma & Big Papi. Simon just practically levitates with excitement when he knows they are coming to our house. :)
I wanted to write a bit of the random thoughts I had about our trip down, so I don't forget them.
Number one in importance is what I had said before - when we were planning this trip, we had no idea whether we'd be able to travel comfortably in Vietnam with a toddler. Let's face it, Vietnam is not the easiest place to travel even if you are a young, strapping backpacker. There are lots of cultural differences that at times make it hard to be a tourist. There are aggressive touts, taxi driver scam artists, protocol that must be followed when, Kafka-like, you have no idea what the protocol is. And the motorbikes. And the air quality.
But seriously? That's my entire list of negatives. And I'm sure I could find an equal amount of things, if not larger, to bitch about when it comes to traveling in Europe or the UK. What you get out of traveling in Vietnam is so much more immeasurably greater than any of those annoyances. Vietnam is an absolutely magical country, full of kind and caring people who absolutely adore children. It is a truly wonderful place for a family vacation. It has culture, history, amazing food, generous people willing to help a befuddled traveler, an emerging tourist infrastructure, a young, hip and very buzzy vibe, and it is safe, safe, safe. Walking out on the streets after dark (at least in our experience in crowded Hanoi) we always felt very safe in the crowd. I can say without hesitation that traveling with a two year old was an overwhelmingly positive experience and anyone considering traveling to Vietnam with children should not waver based on concerns about amenities for travelers, health, or safety.
What some families may not like, and what does take some time to get used to, is the notion that children are public property. It's just not an attitude that we share in the US. If I went up to you and actually took your child right out of your arms, actually just lifted them up and walked away with them, what would you do? Would you freak out? Demand that I give your child back? What percentage of you would just sit back and go with it? I'm guessing a very small percentage, if any. And yet that happened to us dozens of times a day in Vietnam. And I sat back, and I said nothing, and I went with it. Part of it is because Simon is an incredibly social kid and just loved the attention paid to him by hotel staff and cafe workers. The other part of it is that I knew there was zero malicious intent behind this. Simon was taken out of his chair at Highlands Coffee and taken behind the counter somewhere where we couldn't see him. He was in the kitchen where the chef was giving him french fries. Would that ever happen at home? Would you let it? Simon was touched by strangers constantly. Would you let that happen at home? Would you freak over safety or hygiene? Simon didn't get sick once the entire trip and he had strangers in his face all the time. Part of it is also my comfort level. I don't mind this happening. Not everyone can say that, I know. But I feel to my core that Simon is a child of Vietnam, and I do feel that the people of Vietnam are allowed to "claim" him, as it were. That may be an unpopular opinion, but it is mine.
For anyone hesitant about traveling with small children thinking that a picky eater would never be accommodated in Hanoi, that's totally not the case. Simon does love Vietnamese food, because we expose him to a lot of it at home. But we also ate pizza, pasta, tuna sandwiches, omelets, toast, fruit salad etc. Sometimes for lunch, Simon only had a mango smoothie and french fries. It was totally fine. If you don't want to take your chances on street food, there are plenty of locally run restaurants with both Western and Vietnamese food. I truly think that every palate can be accommodated in Hanoi. Sushi? Indian? Thai? Want to eat nothing but sandwiches? No problem!
Simon really does just go with the flow, but if you have a kid that needs the same routine and items as at home, you may have more of a challenge. There are no carseats, of course. No highchairs. We did pack the popup Eddie Bauer booster seat we bought, but it was in the luggage that took almost a week to get to us! So Simon just sat in a regular chair and we ended up just keeping the booster in one of the dining chairs in our hotel room and using it for breakfast only. There are no sippy cups, kids plates, or kids utensils. I suppose if you truly needed those, you could just bring them from home. But Simon sat in adult seats and used adult cups and cutlery and all was well.
There's an easy way around the taxi b.s. also. If you are hailing a cab on the street, make sure you only get in a MaiLinh taxi, the green-and-white ones. Other drivers will harass you if they drive by you first, but it's your Dong, you know? They are the most reputable cab company. We never got cheated by them, ever. Or you could go to a large hotel and have the doorman there get you a taxi.
The Somerset West Lake and the Somerset Grand were both fantastic places to stay with top-notch amenities for the price (~$100 a night, depending on how large of a room you want). I think that having the kitchen and washing machine were essential when traveling with a two-year-old. I think that we will always stay at the Somerset when we go to Hanoi. If you want a very quiet room in an out of the way location, go with the West Lake. If you want to be in walking distance to most of the sights, go with the Grand, though there is a trade-off in street noise.
And now as far as I'm concerned, there is only one hotel in which to stay in Hue, and that's unquestionably the Orchid Hotel. It was a superlative experience, I can't say enough good things about the location, rooms, service, or amazing staff. I would NEVER stay anywhere else in Hue, never!
Speaking of great amenities, the fanciest airport we saw on our whole trip around the world (hah) was Taoyuan airport in Taipei. First of all, it's gorgeous. Each gate is tastefully decorated. There is no institutional linoleum vibe there at all. It's spacious and airy and incredibly well-organized. There are a TON of shops to browse, free massage chairs, childrens playroom, and the aforementioned Hello Kitty nursery where you can get free diapers, hot water for formula, special nursing chairs, and even a crib. We had such a comfortable layover there. It's the greatest.
This time, I felt like we really did pack pretty light. Especially with clothes, as we knew we could do laundry in the room every day. This backfired when our luggage was lost, of course. We were lucky to be in Vietnam were all of our replacement items were soooo cheap. I can't imagine being without luggage for a week in, say, London where you'd blow all your vacation money on replacement underwear and deodorant! I wished, on all legs, that I had packed a bit more clothes in our carryons. Simon peed through his outfit on the way home before we even got to Taipei, which meant that he had to stay in his froggy pajamas for a whole day and a half. Thank goodness he didn't have any more accidents, I don't know what I would have done. I had NO other clothes for him. And there really isn't any place in any airport terminal to buy a toddler outfit. Just try looking for one the next time you are traveling! I really think that someone needs to manufacture and sell a travel pack of like 10 diapers with a corresponding size onesie, wouldn't that be genius? And some airports, including the American terminal at LAX, there was NO place to buy a single diaper! If you have a baby who pood through all your packed diapers, or if you have an unexpected delay, just what are you supposed to do, you know?
When traveling to Vietnam, I always pack way more otc medication than we have ever, ever needed. But to me, that's a "just in case" investment I'm not comfortable traveling without. Things we used - benadryl, ibuprofen. Things we didn't use...pretty much everything else! But I was glad we had them, anyway. I do want to list a few very indispensable things that we packed that we totally could not have lived with out.
-saline nose spray - I use this all the time on the plane. I have a problem with the dry air.
-a good, sturdy daypack - I really liked the size of our backpack. It could fill up and be used as another piece of luggage, but it was also small enough to take out every day with just the essentials.
-my Old Navy scarf. This giant orange-print scarf was, surprisingly, the most indispensable thing we packed! Who knew! I used it to make a "tent" over Simon's airplane seat so it was darker, as a sarong when we had nothing to sleep in when our luggage was lost, as a blanket or a pillow, and even as an improvised sling. Oh yes, and as a scarf as well if the weather took a turn for the chilly. So some sort of large scarf/sarong that folds up into nothing might be a good "extra" to always have along.
And now for a couple "best of" experiences.
Best tourist site - definitely the Temple of Literature in Hanoi. It's absolutely gorgeous, a manageable size, impressive, inspiring, welcoming, tranquil. All of those things. It's a wonderful green oasis in the city. The streets surrounding also have great shopping and restaurants, wonderful for a long stroll. I think the Temple of Literature is, in my opinion, THE #1 site to see in Hanoi.
Best nontourist site - Vincom Mall. I know, right? But going to this giant, 5 floor mall gives you a glimpse at middle class Hanoi in the way that the frenzied Old Quarter doesn't, and I think that both views are important. I liked seeing how middle class Hanoian families spent their time and money. It made me think about the lives that we would have if we were living in Hanoi. It's interesting to see what the tastes of middle class Hanoian families are. Pizza Hut, donuts, large bookstores full of manga, giant stores filled with appliances and Nikon cameras. I liked it. It was cool. I think that's an important sort of well-rounded picture to give our children who are adopted from Vietnam. Their birthcountry has all of the traditional elements we tell them about, it has all of the poverty and social problems we are aware of, but there's also this young and emerging generation and class that are wearing knock-off Ed Hardy and constantly texting, just like at home.
Best food that we ate - I doubt we could come to a consensus on this. I think Eric might say the banh nam in Hue (shrimp on a gelatinous rice pancake steamed in a banana leaf) or Cha Ca, the turmeric and dill fish & noodle dish. I adored the Cha Ca and also the Bun Ca we had at Brother's Cafe, which was sort of like Cha Ca but very brothy. I think that was my favorite thing.
Best restaurant - definitely Quan An Ngon. The many options of the street food stalls coupled with good hygiene practices (um, I'm assuming) and the low, low cost made this a winner and the reason we went back three times. The best thing we ate there were the fried spring rolls (nem) and the green papaya salad. Eric's giant and flavorful seafood hotpot that he ordered the first night was also incredibly tasty (and quite funny, due to the size).
Best street for a stroll - the streets in between Van Mieu and Le Duan, ie Nguyen Nhu Do, Tran Quy Cap were really scenic and fun. Also the warren of streets in between Hai Ba Trung and Hang Boc had lots of interesting shops and little eateries, always full of families.
Best surprise - Reunification Park. The lake is being drained and is a big construction site, but our visit here on a Sunday evening was totally magical. Market stalls, food vendors, little amusement rides for Simon, balloon sellers walking with dozens of balloons trailing behind them, it was a wonderful experience. Some of the best times we had on our trip with Simon were when we looked around and saw that we were just one of the many families with children enjoying the day. We didn't blend in at all, of course! But there was some nice comfort in knowing that whatever activity we chose to do with Simon was "validated" by seeing other families with children doing the same thing!
Biggest shopping rip-off - the Citimart in Hanoi Towers. Yes, it's totally convenient when you are staying at the Somerset Grand, but my goodness, I think you pay for that convenience. It was easy and wonderful to just run down when we had run out of diapers or if Eric wanted a Bia Hanoi, but prices were about 1/3 higher or more than the huuuuuge and well-stocked Intimex on Le Loi. A little advance planning and a 12,000 Dong cab ride would save quite a bit of money.
Best shopping - Nha Chung and Nha To near the Cathedral are my favorite streets for housewares, gifts, and clothing. I much prefer these streets for shopping to the Old Quarter because it's quieter and less motorbikes. The prices are higher, but everything is just a bit nicer. This is where we bought Simon's quilted red coat, which is my favorite thing we bought on our whole trip.
In Hue, we loved the PNC bookstore across the bridge closer to the Citadel for books and all sorts of great gifts for kids. We had a lot of fun shopping there and the prices were incredibly cheap.
It was an interesting trip because while we went with the intent of being tourists in a wonderful country, there was no escaping the emotional side of our return, the visit to the Center. I can't say enough about how warmly we were welcomed by Madame Hoa and Mr Le. They still care so much about all of our children and still speak of them with so much love and affection. It's hard to say if our visit will ever have any impact on a 2 year old Simon Trung, but as a family, I think we gained so much by this experience. We never doubted the quality of care or love that Simon received during his 9 months at the Center, but to see the outpouring of joy and love at his return really made for such special memories and wonderful stories to tell Simon as he grows up and wonders about his life before us.
I've read this sentiment before on other blogs, the feeling that Vietnam just gets under your skin and for me, I feel that statement is accurate. I'm just another Tay tourist in Hanoi, but I remember just constantly walking around with a smile on my face and feeling more truly content there than I have in a long while. What does it say that two Westerners and a Viet Kieu are able to walk around Hoan Kiem, be constantly barraged with interrogations and smiles and hugs for the 2 year old, and yet constantly delight in every single second? Were it not for our amazing son, we never would have had this experience, and Eric and I would have been worse off for the omission in our lives. Vietnam is a part of our lives now, we are connected forever to this country through Simon. I don't think in our entire lives we will ever come close to "knowing" Vietnam in any way, it's just too complex, it's just too much. But we will visit, we will open our eyes and our ears, we will try to learn. We will bring Simon back again and again and again to the country in which he was born. We will teach him, we will tell him, Vietnam is a part of you and it is a part of us, now. You are Vietnamese first and you are American second. This country is also your home. You are a child of Hue as much as you are our child. Simon is ours but he is not ours alone. We consider it a privilege and a gift to be able to share him with Vietnam and the Vietnamese people, again and again and again.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Our Last Day in Hanoi & The Long Trip Home
It's nice to be home, but when will this delirious fatigue pass? I think it's a lot harder traveling east than west. Our giant mess in London trying to get to Hanoi was such a hassle, but I think that the 24+ hours in a time zone exactly between Boston and Hanoi really helped us adjust to the 12 hour difference. Right now, our days and nights are all messed up. We take super long "naps" in the middle of the day and I have a headache that just won't quit. I hope we turn around soon!
I think that when we came back from Vietnam last August, we had a much easier adjustment to the time zone because we could get out and take long walks in the sunshine early in the morning. Now it's absolutely frigid out and dark and snowy and we don't feel like going anywhere!
It certainly doesn't feel like New Year's Eve tonight! 2009 passed by in an absolute blur. Amazing to think that this time last year we were parents to a 13 month old! I hope 2010 is just as much fun.
Our last day in Hanoi was filled with all sorts of last-minute "can't miss" things. We never got to a few places on our list, like Lien Phai pagoda, the West Lake, or Ho Chi Minh's stilt house. But we really did a whole ton of things that we planned to, and our days were on the whole very busy and full.
We headed out early to the One Pillar Pagoda (a lot of photos from our last day were in the previous blog post) which was sadly not as impressive as I'd built it up in my mind to be! It was near the HCM complex and for the first time we were in an area with just a TON of other white tourists. We hadn't been in a crowd like that at all for the whole trip, and it felt very weird and we felt very much on display. We had a nice time walking around the gardens behind the HCM Mausoleum, so that was nice. We were ambushed, as usual, by cyclo drivers who were not put off when we insisted on walking.
We then went back towards Hoan Kiem to get in a bit of last-minute shopping. Eric went on a shopping errand and I waited with Simon on a corner watching the motorbikes go by. A woman came up to me offering donuts for sale, but I had absolutely no money since Eric was doing the shopping. I had to tell her "Khong Dong" and Simon, for some reason, has decided to re-enact this scenario like eight times a day. This is what he says:
Mama had no money. Mama said "khong" to the lady. "Khong" means no. Mama could buy no donuts. No donuts from the lady. Dada had the wallet. Dada had all the money. Mama had no money. No money for no donuts. Sorry, lady. No donuts. Mama has no Dong.
(I really do hear this throughout the day. Often. It's weird.)
Anyway. We went to the branch of Highlands Coffee that's at the big fountain intersection near the lake and had a nice lunch a few stories up above the madness. Simon and the waitress got on like new best friends. It was so cute. We then walked a bit towards Hang Gai for a little more shopping, but Simon fell asleep on me about five steps into our walk, so we got a cab back to the hotel. While Simon was napping at the hotel, Eric went out to the photography studio where we had Simon's portraits taken. So, unlike at home, they take a few snaps and then add in digital backgrounds. There was NO English spoken at the studio, so Eric tried to communicate that he wanted three different poses/backgrounds. However, when he left the studio, he had NO idea what those poses/backgrounds would be! And so, I present to you, the greatest children's photography portraits ever taken:
All that for less than $8!
While Eric was out and Simon was napping, Nga stopped by the hotel with another gift for him, a lovely set of pajamas with little animals embroidered on them - SO cute!!! She was able to peek in on Simon while he was asleep, but she had to run, so we had a very quick goodbye. Which was sad. :(
That evening, we just couldn't decide where to go for dinner, but after MUCH debate, we chose Brother's Cafe, a place we didn't get to go last time. It gets mixed reviews online, but I'm really glad we went, and it was highly recommended by our friends here. The atmosphere is really wonderful! There's a large buffet and you eat at tables in the outdoor courtyard of a restored Buddhist temple. It was very pretty, with fairy lights twinkling everywhere. Simon was very well behaved and ate a lot of food, and also charmed the pants off a table of french tourists behind us. It was a perfect last meal in Hanoi.
From there, we went back to Hoan Kiem for one last walk around the lake. It was SO chilly out by that time, it had to be in the low 50's. We bought Simon the craziest winter hat from a street vendor with a billy goat or something on it! There were a TON of people out and we had a nice long stroll around the whole lake, really balking at having to return to the hotel and pack. Eric bought some roasted corn from a street vendor and we walked past the set up for the massive flower festival that would be happening the day after we left. It was such a novel experience to see the very busy streets around Hoan Kiem completely blocked off to traffic! We walked in the street! It was awesome!
Eric and I stayed up until about 2am packing, and Nga had arranged for a car to take us to the airport at 9. We were sad. It was tough to leave Hanoi. The drive to the airport was a bit melancholy. I was so reluctant to come home, we had just had such a magical time in Vietnam and it seemed unfair to have to leave so soon.
Unlike our experience on the way over, our flights home all went off completely seamlessly.
This little girl at Noi Bai loooooved Simon
We checked in for our Taipei flight and all was easy peasy right through to LAX. Our experience at the airport in Taipei was awesome. I think it has the best amenities of any airport I've ever been in. There is a Hello Kitty-themed playroom:
As well as a Hello Kitty-themed nursery that was well stocked with free diapers:
We were able to get plenty of water and snacks before the long flight to LA, as well as use the free massage chairs! One odd thing - this group of girls started taking a ton of photos of Simon on their cell phones. Why? Why did this happen to us so much? And in the airport? In Taiwan? Bizarre!!!
We didn't know what new security measures we would face on our trip home, and the security in Taiwan was the strictest that we saw. Once you got to the gate, everyone was searched individually and patted down in a big line, men on the left, women on the right. Everyone had to take shoes off and the insoles of all shoes were taken out. EVERY carryon bag was searched through, even Simon's little Cars backpack. And on the flight from Taipei to LA, nobody was allowed to have anything on their laps for the last hour of the flight. All pillows and blankets had to go on the floor, and you weren't allowed out of your seat at all. I don't know what might have happened if we needed to change a diaper! It was intense!
By the time we landed in LA, however, I was feeling really ill with some tummy issues. We had about 6 hours for our layover before the Boston flight. Last time, we went to a hotel near the airport, but this time I didn't feel well enough to even do that. We opted instead to pay for a one-time use of American's Admiral's Club Lounge, and I'm glad we did. It was $100 for us, which gave us access to big comfy chairs, free drinks and snacks, wifi, and even showers. We both felt better after showering. We shoved two armchairs together to make a little bed for Simon! We also ate lots of cookies.
When we got to Boston, our luggage was right there on the carousel. What a relief! We were not, however, prepared for the COLD!!!! It was only 6 degrees when we landed. A super quick cab ride, and we were back in Roslindale.
Happy New Year, everyone! Chúc mừng năm mới!!!!
I think that when we came back from Vietnam last August, we had a much easier adjustment to the time zone because we could get out and take long walks in the sunshine early in the morning. Now it's absolutely frigid out and dark and snowy and we don't feel like going anywhere!
It certainly doesn't feel like New Year's Eve tonight! 2009 passed by in an absolute blur. Amazing to think that this time last year we were parents to a 13 month old! I hope 2010 is just as much fun.
Our last day in Hanoi was filled with all sorts of last-minute "can't miss" things. We never got to a few places on our list, like Lien Phai pagoda, the West Lake, or Ho Chi Minh's stilt house. But we really did a whole ton of things that we planned to, and our days were on the whole very busy and full.
We headed out early to the One Pillar Pagoda (a lot of photos from our last day were in the previous blog post) which was sadly not as impressive as I'd built it up in my mind to be! It was near the HCM complex and for the first time we were in an area with just a TON of other white tourists. We hadn't been in a crowd like that at all for the whole trip, and it felt very weird and we felt very much on display. We had a nice time walking around the gardens behind the HCM Mausoleum, so that was nice. We were ambushed, as usual, by cyclo drivers who were not put off when we insisted on walking.
We then went back towards Hoan Kiem to get in a bit of last-minute shopping. Eric went on a shopping errand and I waited with Simon on a corner watching the motorbikes go by. A woman came up to me offering donuts for sale, but I had absolutely no money since Eric was doing the shopping. I had to tell her "Khong Dong" and Simon, for some reason, has decided to re-enact this scenario like eight times a day. This is what he says:
Mama had no money. Mama said "khong" to the lady. "Khong" means no. Mama could buy no donuts. No donuts from the lady. Dada had the wallet. Dada had all the money. Mama had no money. No money for no donuts. Sorry, lady. No donuts. Mama has no Dong.
(I really do hear this throughout the day. Often. It's weird.)
Anyway. We went to the branch of Highlands Coffee that's at the big fountain intersection near the lake and had a nice lunch a few stories up above the madness. Simon and the waitress got on like new best friends. It was so cute. We then walked a bit towards Hang Gai for a little more shopping, but Simon fell asleep on me about five steps into our walk, so we got a cab back to the hotel. While Simon was napping at the hotel, Eric went out to the photography studio where we had Simon's portraits taken. So, unlike at home, they take a few snaps and then add in digital backgrounds. There was NO English spoken at the studio, so Eric tried to communicate that he wanted three different poses/backgrounds. However, when he left the studio, he had NO idea what those poses/backgrounds would be! And so, I present to you, the greatest children's photography portraits ever taken:
All that for less than $8!
While Eric was out and Simon was napping, Nga stopped by the hotel with another gift for him, a lovely set of pajamas with little animals embroidered on them - SO cute!!! She was able to peek in on Simon while he was asleep, but she had to run, so we had a very quick goodbye. Which was sad. :(
That evening, we just couldn't decide where to go for dinner, but after MUCH debate, we chose Brother's Cafe, a place we didn't get to go last time. It gets mixed reviews online, but I'm really glad we went, and it was highly recommended by our friends here. The atmosphere is really wonderful! There's a large buffet and you eat at tables in the outdoor courtyard of a restored Buddhist temple. It was very pretty, with fairy lights twinkling everywhere. Simon was very well behaved and ate a lot of food, and also charmed the pants off a table of french tourists behind us. It was a perfect last meal in Hanoi.
From there, we went back to Hoan Kiem for one last walk around the lake. It was SO chilly out by that time, it had to be in the low 50's. We bought Simon the craziest winter hat from a street vendor with a billy goat or something on it! There were a TON of people out and we had a nice long stroll around the whole lake, really balking at having to return to the hotel and pack. Eric bought some roasted corn from a street vendor and we walked past the set up for the massive flower festival that would be happening the day after we left. It was such a novel experience to see the very busy streets around Hoan Kiem completely blocked off to traffic! We walked in the street! It was awesome!
Eric and I stayed up until about 2am packing, and Nga had arranged for a car to take us to the airport at 9. We were sad. It was tough to leave Hanoi. The drive to the airport was a bit melancholy. I was so reluctant to come home, we had just had such a magical time in Vietnam and it seemed unfair to have to leave so soon.
Unlike our experience on the way over, our flights home all went off completely seamlessly.
This little girl at Noi Bai loooooved Simon
We checked in for our Taipei flight and all was easy peasy right through to LAX. Our experience at the airport in Taipei was awesome. I think it has the best amenities of any airport I've ever been in. There is a Hello Kitty-themed playroom:
As well as a Hello Kitty-themed nursery that was well stocked with free diapers:
We were able to get plenty of water and snacks before the long flight to LA, as well as use the free massage chairs! One odd thing - this group of girls started taking a ton of photos of Simon on their cell phones. Why? Why did this happen to us so much? And in the airport? In Taiwan? Bizarre!!!
We didn't know what new security measures we would face on our trip home, and the security in Taiwan was the strictest that we saw. Once you got to the gate, everyone was searched individually and patted down in a big line, men on the left, women on the right. Everyone had to take shoes off and the insoles of all shoes were taken out. EVERY carryon bag was searched through, even Simon's little Cars backpack. And on the flight from Taipei to LA, nobody was allowed to have anything on their laps for the last hour of the flight. All pillows and blankets had to go on the floor, and you weren't allowed out of your seat at all. I don't know what might have happened if we needed to change a diaper! It was intense!
By the time we landed in LA, however, I was feeling really ill with some tummy issues. We had about 6 hours for our layover before the Boston flight. Last time, we went to a hotel near the airport, but this time I didn't feel well enough to even do that. We opted instead to pay for a one-time use of American's Admiral's Club Lounge, and I'm glad we did. It was $100 for us, which gave us access to big comfy chairs, free drinks and snacks, wifi, and even showers. We both felt better after showering. We shoved two armchairs together to make a little bed for Simon! We also ate lots of cookies.
When we got to Boston, our luggage was right there on the carousel. What a relief! We were not, however, prepared for the COLD!!!! It was only 6 degrees when we landed. A super quick cab ride, and we were back in Roslindale.
Happy New Year, everyone! Chúc mừng năm mới!!!!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Goodbye Hanoi. For now, but not forever.
Absolutely magical walk around Hoan Kiem tonight. For two hours, we luxuriated in the sights, smells, and sounds that we will be leaving behind. In eight hours, we'll be well on our way towards Noi Bai airport. I am choosing to totally procrastinate packing! Just a few photos, and I'll catch up with a proper wrap-up post when we get home.
It feels okay to be leaving Hanoi tonight. Sad, and regrettable, but okay. This time, I know we will be back, and soon. And I know it won't take much to convince Eric. During this trip, we have assured ourselves that independent travel to Hanoi with a toddler is not something we can't do. It's something we can do well!
Thanks to everyone for reading along, following our adventures and (mis)adventures. As sad as we are to leave the city we love and the country that gave us our beautiful son, we are sincerely looking forward to reconnecting with our nearest and dearest.
Lots of love,
the Hay-Sutts
It feels okay to be leaving Hanoi tonight. Sad, and regrettable, but okay. This time, I know we will be back, and soon. And I know it won't take much to convince Eric. During this trip, we have assured ourselves that independent travel to Hanoi with a toddler is not something we can't do. It's something we can do well!
Thanks to everyone for reading along, following our adventures and (mis)adventures. As sad as we are to leave the city we love and the country that gave us our beautiful son, we are sincerely looking forward to reconnecting with our nearest and dearest.
Lots of love,
the Hay-Sutts
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