Made it to Hanoi

Henry and I rest up on our last night in Saigon.
In the hotel room at Hanoi.

We made it to Hanoi after a somewhat manic flight. We left the hotel at 5:30 for a 8:10 flight and really had no time to spare. We checked four bags and the stroller. They had no problem with the number of bags, but two of them were overweight. She excused some of the weight but we still paid 450,000 dong which isn't that bad, around thirty dollars.

Still we had way too much carry on and it was miserable dashing to the gate and then the gate was changed so we dashed back. Had to go down a big flight of stairs, get on a bus, ride a long way to the plane, then climb stairs to the plane. Then all my stuff was put up in the overhead rack so I had no access to Henry's snacks or diapers.

Luckily a nice woman from near Can Tho sat next to me. She held Henry when he was fussy.

I know better how to plan for the long flight. I will check one of the carry on bags and just have one bag to deal with, and have Henry's stuff more accessible.

On the bright side the hotel did have a van to meet us. We were going to leave three bags and the stroller at the airport left luggage place, but the driver insisted on bringing it and now it is just stored on the first floor of the hotel.

The hotel is very nice. The room is very large and Henry has lots of room to play. The floor is cooler than I would like, but then I guess if it was carpeted it might be dirty. The only bad thing is that we are on the fourth floor and there is no elevator. My mother had a difficult time getting to the room last night. Tomorrow they are going to put us in a room on the first floor, which is just a half flight up from the ground floor. Also it is the only room on that floor so I will be less anxious about Henry crying and bothering people.

Today I will probably rest. Tomorrow there are a few things I want to see--Literature Temple, Hanoi Hilton, and Ethnology Museum. Monday I will probably go to the market and shop since all the museums are closed on Monday. Then Tuesday I drop off the documents at the embassy at 9 AM, have the interview at 2 PM, and then pick up the visa for Henry at 4 PM Wednesday.