Vietnam for a Conference or Vacation-depends on who you are talking to

This trip has been a comedy of errors and only because we safely made it. Here's the condensed version. Vince has a conference in Hanoi and I am going along for the ride. It begins with me leaving school and getting home a little earlier than expected which I think put us into the "we have plenty of time, I am on vacation" mode.

We easily caught a taxi to the airport and then it started. Five minutes from the airport, Vince asked if I had any small change for the taxi driver. I checked, and realized that I had left my wallet at home, Vince checks to find out he has done exactly the same thing. (This from two people who are usually well prepared). He has, for some reason, put his extra wallet in which has random cards including one questionable credit card and a Canadian ATM card. It was too late to turn around and get them, so we took our chances hoping that we can get money with one of the cards. We did have a couple of large bills which worked out really well for the taxi driver:) Fortunately, we had our passports.

The first card didn't work.....the second did! Phew!!!!

Have money...will travel.

While sitting at the airport gate I notice that most people are carrying a jacket. I know that I have packed my bathing suit, shorts, t-shirts and am ready for a sunny, warm weekend. A quick check on my phone brought me back to reality. Hanoi was going to be a lot cooler than I thought.

Oh, so Vietnam really does go that far North! I knew I should have paid better attention in Geography class.

Great hotel.

But, I don't think I'll be using the pool.

The first day I headed downtown to find pants and a jacket which was not as easy as one would think since the sizes are considerably smaller here. I ended up in a "real" mall where I luckily found some jeans and I have been wearing them for three straight days. I was also on  amission to find a long sleeve shirt for Vince....maybe XXXXXXL?

Clothing for North Face, Mango, Forever 21 and many others are made here but you can buy them at this kind of store. It is interesting to see that same jacket with 3 different brand names and then some without any at all.

It's the same deal with bags.

Fog or pollution? I'll go with pollution. Many people wear face masks and they seem thicker than those we see in Bangkok.

Valentine's Day seems popular.

 Our hotel was on (literally) the main lake in the city called West Lake which has a 17 km circumference. I considered running it until I breathed the pollution. I think I'll run inside instead. There is a path that goes around some of it which was quite nice.

Nice use of greenery.

Tran Quoc pagoda

 Train through the city.

 Hoa Lo Prison was worth the visit. it was built by the French to hold political prisoners and the later used for US airman POWs. It was interesting to see the war from a Vietnamese perspective.

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This wall was in the courtyard.

 I think these are male mannequins.

 Turtle pagoda down town Hanoi. Part of my 13 km stroll.

Scooters everywhere and the worst part is they are parked all over the place but mainly on the sidewalk.

Some parts are not so picturesque.

Super cool bike.

I have come to the conclusion that Thai people are expert at piling people on motorcycles, while the Vietnamese excel at piling "things". 

Coke. You can see the face-masks here.

A tree.

Made it back for tea with Vince.....deliciously spoiled.