Sunday in Hanoi

Today was intended to be a bit less full but somehow it did not work out that way.

The night was a bit up and down. Troy started in the crib but eventually woke up and seemed unable to get back to sleep. I put him in the big bed and that did the trick, but he was restless and woke up a number of times.

Before lunch, Kyle (a dad in my group) and I went on a quest to find the pond in which you can see fragments of B-52 that was shot down in December 1972. I knew it was near the hotel but it took lots of twists and turns in back alleyways to get to the right area. En route, we passed a very "local" market. Here's an example of the kinds of treats for sale:



We eventually found the site with the help of some young locals who seemed perplexed as to why it would even be interesting. They say that Vietnam is a very young country and something like 80% of the population therefore has no recollection of the war. Here's a shot of the downed plane:



Afterwards, I stopped at a bookstore and got a detailed map book of Vietnam - something impossible to find in the US. It shows where both Evan and Troy are from, where their orphanages were, and where their G&R's were. Evan was born in remote district and I had never seen it on a map before.

Lunch was a Pate Banh Mi ("Saigon Sub") from a street vendor. Wish my gut luck. Troy had a bottle and some cheerios. Here he is in one of Evan's old outfits, looking very much like Evan did at the same age. I can hardly tell them apart in this picture.



While I was carrying Troy around to put him to sleep, I stopped by the very basic massage place across the street from the hotel. I figured I might get another foot massage tomorrow if the price was right (I had one for $6 in the old town). Well, something was not right. The full body massage was $30 (VERY high for Vietnam) and they seemed puzzled as to why anybody was asking for a foot massage at all. I persisted, and they quoted $20, but seemed very puzzled as to what I would do with the baby if I got one. Why could he just not sleep on my chest, like he did the other day? Go figure, this was definitely one of those places where they massage one leg, then the other leg, then the OTHER leg. No thank you.

This evening, after Troy's nap, we went to the market in the old town, but it was already shutting down so I got absolutely no shopping done. I explored the ex-pat West Lake area and had dinner of beef salad and deep fried soft shell crab at a decent but forgettable restaurant overlooking the lake. Troy did great sitting in the high chair (in Vietnam, they are literally nothing more than high chairs - no buckles or trays or anything).  All I can say is you know it's Christmas in Vietnam when they are pumping out Feliz Navidad and a hip-hop remix of "Do They Know it's Christmas" on the sound system.

Bedtime was rough. It was my fault for the late wanderings, during which Troy napped too much no doubt. Anyway, he was overstimulated and my usual trick of carrying him in the Ergo carrier after his bath and bottle only elicited unhappiness. So, we tried the crib. Troy absolutely raged for perhaps 5 minutes (even though I was there beside him), working himself into a fever and a full sweat. I kept talking to him and rubbing his belly and he calmed down, lay down, and was out in under 5 minutes. I've never seen a kid decompress that fast. Probably better to avoid the situation entirely but it was pretty amazing to witness.

Tomorrow is a big day... final USCIS interview and issue of Troy's visa. So, I'm off to bed.

Mekong

Wednesday was a day off, so I took a day trip to the Mekong river delta. I had visions of Troy's sensitive skin flaring into a horrible heat rash, but he was actually a real trooper all day long - pretty much stripped to his diaper most of the time. He behaved well on the 2 hour (each way) bus ride and won the affection of a good number of people in the travel group.

I can't say Troy will remember the many boat rides, seeing the snakes, visiting the honey farm, visiting the coconut candy factory, listening to local music, or the lunch of prawn curry and elephant ear fish. He probably won't remember the woman who offered me her daughter's hand in marriage and then, rebuffed, offered to sell me her granddaughter. I'm sure there was something lost in translation but the latter offer was a bit creepy. All in all, it was a worthwhile day, setting me back $15 plus the cost of lunch.

Here's Troy awake:



... and asleep in his dorky-looking dad's arms (he spent about half the time doing this)



Back in Saigon, I got a pizza for dinner and ate at the hotel.  I also attempted to give Troy a bath.  He HATES baths and shrieked the entire time, even though (or perhaps because) I got in the tub with him.

Saigon II

Well, when we last left off, Troy had woken up from his nap and my blog was still about 4 days behind. Let's hope I can wrap things up tonight.

After the medical exam, we got visa pictures for the babies and then were free until Thursday, when we were to fly to Hanoi. I went back to the hotel for nap for Troy. He has a strange affinity for terry towels, which he likes to use for comfort when he sleeps. Fortunately, the Duxton hotel had plenty.



In the afternoon I hung out with Victor and Jamie, a couple from my group who adopted a daughter. We walked around, shopping and checking out potential restaurants for dinner. We finally took a break at the rooftop bar of the Rex hotel, one of the great rooftop bars of the world...



For dinner, we went to "Blue Ginger" which I believe was popular with a number of adoptive parents from my agency.  The food was very good but in retrospect, it was a bit much for the kids to sit through the 6 or 7 course menu we ordered.  It did not help that I got turned around and led us in the exact opposite direction on the way home.

A Sign for Tomorrow…

I spent today relaxing and preparing for the big day tomorrow - when we have the Giving and Receiving Ceremony and I'll become Troy's dad under Vietnamese law.

Today, I got a chance to look around Da Nang a bit and also spend a few hours in Hoi An. Hoi An is a UNESCO world heritage site due to the preserved state of its old buildings. It's a really quaint town, with great shopping and food. In fact, my two course dinner with drink, which cost less than $6 was probably the best food I have eaten in Vietnam ever. I had a local specialty of fried wontons with tomato and crab on top followed by green mango salad with shrimp.  Here are the wontons:



I spent this evening preparing bottles, diapers, and gifts and charging up the cameras. We'll be leaving the hotel at 6:30 in the morning so want to be ready. In the process, I happened to glance at my suitcase and see the luggage tag... The airport code for Da Nang is DAD and the tag says "Da Nang DAD". I'll take it as a good sign for tomorrow!