A Day of Shopping - Hanoi

10/01/06 - Seven o'clock saw us both up and at breakfast for eggs, baguette, and hot Lipton tea. This morning we have nothing scheduled, so we both checked our email after breakfast. Then we set out for a morning of street shopping.

My mission today was to find clothes for Anne' and Bella, and an iPod for Anne. The clothes wanted to be made in Vietnam and present some native styling. Anne would like an iPod. She could listen to music during quilting and while she was at tennis. None of these items should be difficult to locate. Tim knew of an indoor shopping center located at the north end of the neighboring lake.

Tim and I crossed busy streets like native pros. I kind of decided the best way to appear unafraid of the bike traffic was to talk with each other with animation as we progressed. If you look at the traffic, you will hesitate. This will create confusion for the motorists.

The shopping mall was air-conditioned. It felt good. We browsed the first two floors and sampled the prices. We expected to find items a bit cheaper on the street. During this short look-about we realized that all non-local products were less expensive in Medford. Tim believes that Oregon, without a sales tax, is America's west coast old Hong Kong.

By 10 o'clock we were back at Son Son's street side store. The owner is the lady who had conceded Tim's quarantine fine. We will both buy some things from Son Son when she is in the shop tomorrow evening. We weren't going to get any special deals from her helpers.

Next to Son Son's shop is a lady's dress and blouse shop. I begged Tim to permit me some time to meet with the owner/seamstress and try to find something special she had made that I could take home for Anne' and Bella. Ladies, please take note. I had received an email from Matt telling me sizes for Anne' and Bella as US4 and US2, respectively. However, Vietnamese clothing is labeled S, M, or L. This caused some conversion consternation. I figured that the owner had a similar physique to Anne', only she was shorter. For Bella, we figured she would wear a size smaller. The sizes turned out to be L and M. (Should I rip the tags off?)

I found product on the racks that would represent typical Vietnamese women's ware. The owner offered to sew the items in a different color, if I wished. I declined, thinking our schedule may not permit a convenient return.

Following this quite scary shopping experience, we walked back to the hotel. There we opened sodas and rested while we waited for Duong. The plan is for Duong to take me to a fabric factory this afternoon. Anne wanted some cotton samples she could use in her quilts.