Okay, so not really any blood, unless you count bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep, but lots of sweat courtesy of the hottest flight I think I've ever been on followed by a very hot Narita airport on power saving measures (so minimal air conditioning), and tears from our crying baby for the first part of the 6 hour flight (although not too many on the 12 hour flight) - but we're home!
I will try to backtrack to the last couple of days of the trip and catch up to the first few days home, which are a bit of a blur!
The last couple days in HMC were pretty quiet. We ventured out to the History Museum by the Zoo, hoping to finally see a traditional Vietnamese water puppet performance. When we arrived at 2pm, the ticket booth staff told us we had to wait until 3pm for the next show. So we bought our tickets and wandered around the museum for an hour. We were actually surprised at how large it is and enjoyed seeing many of the ancient artifacts that are housed there. It is always mind-boggling to see cultural artifacts that are thousands of years old when we live in a country that is so young.
As 3pm approached we waited with some others by the entrance to the show, after being reassured several times through elaborate gestures from the security guard that the show would indeed be happening. After waiting for about 20 minutes a girl opened the door and said in English - "Can I help you?" - we all looked at each other and rolled our eyes, knowing what was about to happen - sure enough, no show and a suggestion to come back the next day. Unfortunately that was our last opportunity so we were out of luck. One lonely shot of a discarded puppet was the closest we could get - disappointing but will add it to the agenda for our next trip.
Mom was finally able to get back to the money exchange place where she made her millions. It had been weighing on her but with the national holiday we couldn't get back to it for a few days. Brett walked over with her and as they came into view of the window, Mom recognized the girl right away to be the same one who had accidentally given her the extra cash. The girl looked up and her face lit up as she rushed through the customers already in line while maintaining as much eye contact as possible with Mom! As soon as they got to the window the girl said, "I know why you're here!! I made such a big mistake and lost so much money!" She thanked Mom over and over and they even hugged before Mom and Brett left. Unfortunately they didn't have a camera to capture the moment but it definitely made Mom's day to be able to return the money and know the girl would not get in trouble or have to pay the money back herself.
Brett headed off to pick up a couple souvenirs we had been wanting and Mom walked back to the hotel on her own - pretty proud of the fact that she was walking around in HMC on her own!
On Wednesday, our last day, Mom stayed with the kids and Brett and I headed out in search of some artwork to add to our collection. It was a good chance to get some shots of the typical sights around the city that have become so familiar over the last 3 weeks.
Small intersection - I think you can see 8 lines of traffic in the shot!
Safety measures on most construction sites around the city were pretty tough to spot!
One of the many street vendors around the city.
Canadians get their coffee to go as they rush off to work in the morning - the Vietnamese pull up a stool at their regular street vendor, read the paper, chat with friends, and share the experience of a steaming bowl of pho or a strong Vietnamese coffee. A testament to the community feel that is achieved in a city of millions.
Really amazing that electricity actually functions anywhere! The collision of wires at any given junction is still amazing to see!
And my favourite HMC activity - seeing what all can be transported on a scooter/motorcycle/moped/bicycle/cart! Love the "carseat"!
We found some art shops and were able to purchase a few pieces. The best part was the fact that the one place where we bought several canvases was also a motorcycle "parking garage" - note the ramp - so we had to jump out of the way several times after incoming motorcycles beeped at us as we were admiring the art!
We finished off our last day with a couple hours at the pool, visiting with the Alberta mom and her very cute little girl, ordering room service, and packing. Our 3 a.m. wake up call on Thursday morning came all too soon and we started the long journey home. Will post more about that and our arrival back in the next post!
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