Day 17

Saturday was mainly a travel day. Many of us had flights out of Shanghai around 10 PM so we had a bus bring us to the airport. The schedule turned out to be a bit tight – I only got to the gate about 15 minutes before boarding began. That’s a bit tighter than I can handle, but everything turned out fine. I had a 3 hour layover in Hong Kong and then arrived in Hanoi around 4 PM (I’m now just 12 hours ahead of central time). Marianne and Tyler were waiting for me at the airport. Much smaller than I thought so I had no problems finding them. We then took a taxi back to their place. After sitting outside for a bit, we went to the tailor where she’s having the bridesmaid dresses made. We did my measurements so that the measurements are right and I can get it while I’m here. I think if I had an affordable tailor, I’d be getting clothes made all the time! Anyways, then we went and had coffee and dinner. It was a gorgeous night so we sat out, relaxed, chatted, etc.

Hanoi is obviously very different from the other cities I’ve visited. Hard to put my finger on it yet, but just a different vibe really. No big skyscrapers like Shanghai. Tons and tons of motorbikes though – unbelievable and overwhelming actually. When crossing the street you just kind of throw yourself out there and slowly make your way as motorbikes go around on either side of you. I think I’m really going to enjoy it here. A nice wrap up to a good trip!