Ha Long Bay

No post in last few days due to Internet problems again. But when I last left you we were headed to Ha Long Bay. If you are a WC family and would like to go during your time in VN, let the staff know and they can coordinate for you for about $35/person. Our Mom got our cousin who lives here to rent a 12 passenger van for us and he took us up to Ha Long Bay. Our trip was around $25/person. 3 World Child Families went including us and Mom.

We had a great time. We rented a boat that had 2 decks for a 6 hour boat tour. The tour started with a stop at a cave aka grotto. It's a short climb up some steps for a nice cool walk through the grotto. It was great and the cool air was what we enjoyed the most. Then we were off for more touring. We stopped at a floating dock that had seafood you could buy fresh (still alive), you just choose what you want and your boat crew cooks it up for you. At the start of your ship you can let the crew know you'd like them to prepare lunch. They make fish, squid, shrimp, crab, and some good vegetables.

Then they took us to the beach, oh how great it was to get in the water. I didn't pack my swimsuit since our hotel didn't have a pool, but I bought one at the beach for $8. It wasn't that cute but oh so worth it to cool off a little in the water. The beach was my favorite part of the entire trip. 4 of us had to buy swimsuits, but it was so worth it.

It was such a hot day. I stripped down Thuy on the boat to her bloomers and nothing else. It was just so hot. The VN on the boat probably thought I was an awful mother for letting her go without being all covered up, but I didn't care it was just so hot. Oma got cold rags and we'd put them on her head to cool her off. Everyone else stripped down their babies too.

Overall it was a great day and highly suggested if you have the time. There was a big storm here on Sunday night and ever since then the weather has been so much better.

Big news in adoption land is we got Thuy's Visa yesterday, so she's all ours!!! We are leaving Tuesday night for Hawaii. It will take us around 26 hours to get home. That's counting the 13 hour lay over in Korea, yuck. But flights on leave for Hawaii late at night and only arrive in Korea from VN very early, hence our problem. They airline told me so many people honeymoon in Hawaii that's why all the flights leave late.

I'm a little anxious about the long plane ride. And Thuy's had a lot of gas lately making her cry, (sure she'd love that I shared that), so I hope all goes well. But in the wise words of our pediatrician Brian Tanabe, "Just remember on a plane, when your baby's crying & crying, you'll never see those people again."