Getting out and about . . .

I'm thinking we aren't going to be getting Josie until Wednesday. If I hear otherwise-I'll let you know.

Today, Mom and I ventured out and walked around Hoan Kiem Lake and then met up with some of the PLAN families currently here and in various stages of the process. The weather is actually pretty nice-mid-eighties, some sun, some clouds . . .The forecast for the week isn't so great-showers, thunderstorms, upper 70s. Welcome to the rainy season in Vietnam!

Hanoi is pretty crazy-motorbikes everywhere and pedestrians, motorbikes, regular bikes and cars all weaving in and out-but not running into each other-which is pretty surprising. Just crossing the street was an adventure for us. There was one shopping plaza we wanted to check out-but the street was so wide and so busy-neither of us felt comfortable. Towards the end of the afternoon we were getting more and more courageous. Maybe by the end of our trip we will be renting our own motorbikes. Then again-maybe not.

The street noise is pretty amazing too-everybody honking, construction projects that are only going in the middle of the nite, and there always seems to be some random guy singing very loudly around 2 am the last couple of nites. But I don't think it was the same guy . . . There's so much energy here. It's really neat, and the noise doesn't keep us awake either. It's quickly becoming ambient noise.

It was fun to get a baby fix today with the other families. We went to a restaurant where some of us sat in seats made from cyclos(the kind that are attached to bikes so you can be driven around). I had some delicious steamed fish in banana leaves. Still working on Mom trying some Vietnamese food-she was pretty interested in my noodle/veggie/meat meal last nite. We're going to meet up with some of the same families again tonite for dinner here at our hotel. So-let's see if I can get some pics to post . . . .

View from the hotel . . .



Another view . . .


Hoan Kiem Lake


Random people on the street.


Cool cat, huh?