Our first day in Hanoi was a series of highs and lows, which is not unexpected since we are experiencing everything for the first time and just trying to figure out what it is like to a) live in a foreign country, and b) live in a city of seven million for the first time in our lives.
We woke up excited on the first morning, just taking everything in. Kids were contacting their friends via FaceTime (a wonderful invention -- thanks Steve Jobs) and we started really exploring and unpacking the apartment.
Things that came with the apartment: a rice cooker, 3 plates, 3 sets of silverware, 8 wine glasses (?), 3 lamps, 3 pots, and an iron. Things that were not included: a broom or any cleaning supplies, towels, mixing bowl, and toilet paper. But at least we had 8 wine glasses!
A couple of things jumped out at us:
a) we were awakened by the sound of what we thought was a rooster. No kidding. And it WAS a rooster. Our highrise apartment building is right next to what we think is a....well, we're not sure what it is. A construction supply area? a dump? a little shanty village? We're not sure. But there is a rooster, chickens, and about 15 dogs running around.
b) the park right next to our house is amazing. And at 6:15 am this morning, it was full of of people running, walking, exercising, groups doing yoga and other exercises. It was busier than any park we had ever seen. And then at 7:15 am it was almost deserted. People went to work or went back inside to avoid the heat.
c) at around 7 am started hearing Vietnamese pop music outside. We couldn't tell if it was playing in the park or the school across the street. It last about an hour and then again stopped.
At this point in the morning it was time for me to find my first cup of coffee. None in the apartment, so I took a couple of the boys and we went downstairs. Rumor had it there was a coffee shop in the lobby. And we found that, plus a small convenience store and a pharmacy. At the convenience store the kids each picked out a drink and pad about $1.50 total (34,000 VND), which made them very happy.
My first coffee experience wasn't what I expected. The Vietnamese love their coffee. I know coffee is the second-largest crop exported next to rice, and there are many shops here. I went to the coffee shop and ordered one black coffee. What I got was a cup about 1/4 full of espresso coffee, iced. Not exactly what I wanted, but technically what I asked for.
At 9 am we went to the management company offices downstairs with our real estate agent Ms. Anne, who had helped us the last several weeks while we were still in the States. Lucky for us she spoke English pretty well and was able to navigate the contract for us and get questions answered with the company. It turns out when we have any problems with the apartment, we will contact her first, not the management company. We also listened to an animated conversation in Vietnamese amongst five different people just so we could get an additional three plates, small bowls, and spoons. They would be delivered to our apartment.
We also had our first big setback of our Vietnam experience when we learned that the swimming pool, hot tub, and fitness center were not run by the apartment but by a separate company, and there are separate fees associated with that. Uh-oh. We stopped by the pool to discuss it with the staff, and while they were trying to help us and reduced the price, we still would have to pay $75 per month per person to use the facilities. Ouch. The pool and the facilities are beautiful, but the kids were disappointed to learn we weren't yet ready to shell out an additional $300 for our family to swim
And then, on to find some groceries. We had a long list of stuff we needed, and while the convenience store downstairs was nice, it didn't have basics like milk and vegetables and brooms. But we were told there was a big supermarket down at Keangham Tower about 3/4 of a mile down the road. Walking down there was our first experience in crossing the busy streets of Hanoi -- quite the adventure. And we appear to be the only Westerners around. Keangham Tower is a very impressive structure -- the tallest in Vietnam -- but it appears to be an office building for Korean and other multinational businesses. There are also a lot of high-end shops here, but the only grocery store we can find is a Korean convenience store very similar to the one in our building. Where do people buy groceries around here?
We grab a quick bite to eat at a Western-style chain bakery called "Tous les Jours" (Ellie and Carter are eating beautiful beef sandwiches on baguette bread) and go outside to eat. We know there is another big grocery store about a mile down called the "Big C". So we continue our trek in the 95 degree midday Hanoi sun to find the grocery store. After almost giving up a couple of times we come across the building that has the grocery store as well as lots of other moderate shops and places to eat -- including America's favorite, KFC. After hiking around, we decided to take a drink break before hitting the grocery store:
The Big C is what we need -- it is basically a Target on steroids. It takes us a long time to navigate what everything is in Vietnamese, and do they have what we need and to figure out the words for everything (we can't find anyone that speaks English and so we do a lot of guessing). And some things we just can't find, like a dustpan. But somehow we manage to load our cart up with about $150 worth of food and supplies.
Since at this point we're about 2 miles from our apartment, and we're loaded up with stuff, we decide to take a taxi back to Star Tower. The cost of the taxi was $3 (64,000 VND), very reasonable. But the ride itself was more interesting than any attraction at Kings Island or Cedar Point. I'm sure we will talk lots more about driving and the road, but for now, suffice it to say the "rules" for driving do not appear to involve lanes or yielding. It does involve a lot of honking.
We got back in one piece, unloaded everything, and then we were ready for some dinner. To take it easy, we decided to go downstairs to the restaurant in the apartment building....but it was closed for dinner. So we headed out again and found a pho restaurant near the park. Luckily our server spoke a little English and brought out some rice dishes and some pho dishes. the food was excellent, and it cost us about $20 for everything.
Can anyone identify these vegetables? No one at the restaurant could explain what they were in English. At first we thought they looked like mushrooms, but they are definitely not that. They are really crunchy, tasted a little like eggplant (?), but are delicious:
And to end our day, as we were finishing up dinner, it started to rain. And I mean it was a storm. It doesn't rain like this in Hiram -- a long, heavy windy rain. We were stuck in the restaurant, and people there didn't mind because everyone had either walked or come on a motorbike. But eventually we decided to head out because people said it might not let up for awhile. And we discovered the streets were flooded:
We finally got back to the apartment, took showers, and climbed into bed after a long, exhausting, and exciting day. I'm sure not every day in Hanoi will be this eventful, but it was a memorable way to start our adventure.
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