Finally, a day to rest and have some fun! Georgia had a good night’s sleep, only waking up at 4:30 to drink some of her bottle and then sleeping again until 7:00 or so. Mom and I slept pretty well also. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the club floor buffet. All of the staff members know us now and come over to say hello, mostly to Georgia I think! She has a little cold and her nose was running when I arrived with her. One of the women immediately went to get her a tissue and then proceeded to wipe her nose for me! She came by several times while we were there and talked to Georgia (who loves to hear Vietnamese spoken). It turns out that she has a three-year-old daughter.

We spent the rest of the morning in the room playing with Georgia. After Georgia had a short nap, we finally made it up to the pool on the roof. It’s lovely! The pool itself gets full sun but there are covered areas that provide much-needed shade. There was a brief shower while we were there which was actually nice.

We decided it was about time to see some of the city but were concerned about going too far in the heat with the baby. We stopped in the lobby to ask for some information on where to go and a man at the desk gave us some help. As we were walking to the door, he came over to write down on our map an area not too far away where he likes to shop for baby toys. He also commented (I think we might have mentioned Georgia’s cold) how it takes time for children to adjust to air conditioning so we should make the roomer gradually colder. In case you are at all getting the impression that the Vietnamese people are judgmental of us or think we don’t know what we are doing, that is not at all the case. They are just so sweet and concerned.

So, we walked from our hotel around the corner to a major shopping street and wandered along to the department store we visited before to buy baby supplies. Along the way we were stopped by at least three women who had to admire Georgia and pat her on the cheeks and arms. We shopped in the air-conditioned department store and then decided to take a break at the beautiful Caravelle Hotel, just a couple of blocks away. In the lounge they had a buffet set up with finger sandwiches, cheese and crackers, and amazing desserts. The food was divine, and Georgia, who had napped in her sling in the store, woke up to play while we ate.

Feeling refreshed, we continued our walk back down Dong Khoi street. We stopped in a shop called Mimosa where they sell handicrafts. A young woman helped us to find what we wanted, all the while holding Georgia’s hand and cooing to her. As we got ready to leave, she asked if she could kiss her. Now I know what some of you are thinking, but believe me, you would not only feel like you couldn’t say no, but you would most likely feel, as I did, that it was completely fine and very sweet!