We
originally wanted to do the history tours, but found just meeting the
people and 
exploring were 100% more our taste, so we took that route. We
landed in Hanoi, and due to our visa mishap, had just a few short days
there. Unfortunately, Rob wasn't feeling great (just an FYI, this was
the first time either of us got sick, and we had been in Southeast Asia
for a month. That was a win for sure), so I ventured out a bit by
myself. But only extending 1 to 2 blocks per Rob (and Steve's) wishes. I found an adorable coffee
house where zero English was spoken, and played a very fun charades game
with the barista trying to order a black iced coffee. (Imagine me
pointing to my black shirt, holding up milk saying 'no,' all in my very
loud, slow voice...... Because that helps 
people understand. Duh) The
very sweet, and apparently most patient human ever, understood my
request and handed me a black iced coffee. She also brought water and
motioned for me to mix these together. Well, I'm no pansy, so I drank
the coffee straight. That was a big mistake. Big, Huge. (Sorry, couldn't
help myself) and I came back completely hyped up and didn't fall asleep
until 4 am, despite the numerous drowsy Dramamine I ingested. Lesson
learned. There is a very real reason they mix the Vietnamese coffee with
some type of milk scenario. That's all I have to say about that.
exploring were 100% more our taste, so we took that route. We
landed in Hanoi, and due to our visa mishap, had just a few short days
there. Unfortunately, Rob wasn't feeling great (just an FYI, this was
the first time either of us got sick, and we had been in Southeast Asia
for a month. That was a win for sure), so I ventured out a bit by
myself. But only extending 1 to 2 blocks per Rob (and Steve's) wishes. I found an adorable coffee
house where zero English was spoken, and played a very fun charades game
with the barista trying to order a black iced coffee. (Imagine me
pointing to my black shirt, holding up milk saying 'no,' all in my very
loud, slow voice...... Because that helps 
people understand. Duh) The
very sweet, and apparently most patient human ever, understood my
request and handed me a black iced coffee. She also brought water and
motioned for me to mix these together. Well, I'm no pansy, so I drank
the coffee straight. That was a big mistake. Big, Huge. (Sorry, couldn't
help myself) and I came back completely hyped up and didn't fall asleep
until 4 am, despite the numerous drowsy Dramamine I ingested. Lesson
learned. There is a very real reason they mix the Vietnamese coffee with
some type of milk scenario. That's all I have to say about that.
We
ventured around the next day and saw some of the sites before 
flying
out to Hoi An. (At this point, my new favorite stop on the trip.) Hoi An is a very
small Vietnamese town known for its tailors. This may be my happy
place. You show pictures, or drawings to a tailor, and they make you
clothes in 24 hours. And they are measured to your body. (In your face,
$5 charge for the 'tall' girl inseam) Rob and I planned on getting one
or 2 suits made, and left with about 5x the amount of stuff we planned
for. (thanks to the Vietnam post, we do not have to carry that around
for the next 2 months) We did a ton of research and landed at a tailor
called 'Miss Forget Me Not.' It consists of a woman and her sister, who
measure you (over and over and over) and draw clothes for you that they,
along with their extended family, make for you by the
next day. It's
insane. I also fell in love with these two for their honesty. They told
Rob he was not 'large' but probably 'medium' sized after explaining to
me that my dress would look 'stupid' the way I wanted it. Both pretty
accurate, but it stung a little. These two ladies became our friends, as
we were there for two fittings a day over a week long span. And until you've
tried to put a full suit on, in 105 degree heat, in a place with no AC,
you do not know real sweat.......
flying
out to Hoi An. (At this point, my new favorite stop on the trip.) Hoi An is a very
small Vietnamese town known for its tailors. This may be my happy
place. You show pictures, or drawings to a tailor, and they make you
clothes in 24 hours. And they are measured to your body. (In your face,
$5 charge for the 'tall' girl inseam) Rob and I planned on getting one
or 2 suits made, and left with about 5x the amount of stuff we planned
for. (thanks to the Vietnam post, we do not have to carry that around
for the next 2 months) We did a ton of research and landed at a tailor
called 'Miss Forget Me Not.' It consists of a woman and her sister, who
measure you (over and over and over) and draw clothes for you that they,
along with their extended family, make for you by the
next day. It's
insane. I also fell in love with these two for their honesty. They told
Rob he was not 'large' but probably 'medium' sized after explaining to
me that my dress would look 'stupid' the way I wanted it. Both pretty
accurate, but it stung a little. These two ladies became our friends, as
we were there for two fittings a day over a week long span. And until you've
tried to put a full suit on, in 105 degree heat, in a place with no AC,
you do not know real sweat....... 
Post
Hoi An, we went to Ho Chi Minh and did a few of the sites there. We
went to the roof of the Rex hotel, known as the expat bar/tourist trap, and spent far
too much on two drinks. We then walked to the cathedral, before
grabbing a bite at an acclaimed hole in the wall bahn mi place that Rob
found on eater. It was amazing. He does have a knack for finding insane
food. (Probably why I'm so attracted to him. That and the fact that he
understands international public transport. 
And love and stuff.) We are
sitting and eating when the owner's dad starts chatting with us.
Apparently he used to be the investor for the New Orleans Firefighters
pension, and once went to a 2 day long pig roast in Slidell. We found
someone in Vietnam that knows where Slidell is. And Covington. And Old
Metairie. Turns out the 2 degrees of separation famous in New Orleans is
an international phenomenon.
We
cannot stop talking about how much we absolutely fell in love with
Vietnam, despite the CONSTANT sweating situation. (Louisiana heat has absolutely nothing on this place) Everything there revolves around good food and family, which is
something we know a little about. The scenery is to die for, and the
people are incredibly kind. We left with a few hundred dollars worth of
leather bags, gowns, and suits, and a whole new perspective of a country so
foreign to so many. I hope that I'm lucky enough to step foot on this
beautiful land again, and give a big hug to all of the phenomenal people
we were lucky enough to meet here. So cheers to eating hot Pho in 105
degree heat, custom made suits, and the 5 lb weight gain I wouldn't
trade for the world. GOODBYE VIETNAM!
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