Stephen & Anh Family Pictures
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| It has been a whirlwind couple of days. My parents arrived mid-day on Friday and were greeted by a small group of family. Everyone, except me, waited 2 hours outside the crazy, busy and hot Saigon airport. For the first time in 23 years, my father set foot on his native soil. As is Vietnamese tradition, even more family waited at our house to greet him. We had a big lunch and a ball with the gifts my parents brought for the family. For the last 2 days my parents have been going nonstop visiting family, most of which my father hasn't seen in 23 years. This includes aunts, uncles, and 1st cousins I haven't ever met before. Last night, we all went into downtown Saigon. We had a nice dinner on a river boat cruise with live entertainment and a fire show performed by some really sexy ladies. The kids kept wanting to watch the fire show over and over again. Since the boat had 3 levels, the kids and Stephen followed them around. The children in the neighborhood still come over to play every day because we have such a big house. They think our house is a Gymboree. I think I could make money here by charging a monthly membership. As for Kayla and Ryan, they are anxiously waiting for their Nonna and Poppy to come in 3 days. They are counting down the days on the calendar. We still miss everyone and will write again soon. Love, Anh and family May 7 |
Anh's parents greeted at the airport
Ba gets to hug her grandchildren
Anh's dad sees his brother and sister after 23 years
(he has not seen them since he left Vietnam in 1982)
Joe and Marcia Arrive in Saigon
| It has been wonderful having both set of grandparents around. Kayla and Ryan have not forgotten them at all. On the day that we had to pick up Marcia and Joe from the airport, the kids wouldn't stop asking about them, "When are we going to pick up Nonna and Poppy?" They arrived on a 10pm flight so we took the kids with us because it was a cool night. The kids sat on our shoulders waving excitedly as they came out of the crowded airport. I wish I could describe how happy they were to see them. As we drove to the house, the crazy streets of Saigon didn't seem to shock Marcia and Joe. I guess Stephen had prepared them well with all the Instant Messaging. We stayed up late with the kids that night so they could play with all their new toys and books. As I have mentioned before, it's sooooo great having 4 grandparents around. Stephen and I can stay up late and sleep in. We also have been going to the massage parlor everyday (150,000 VN = $10 tip included). Joe and Marcia come and join us sometimes when the kids are napping. They also have enjoyed their head & face massage at the beauty salon (cost 15000 VN=$1). Love, Anh |
Holding Kayla and Ryan at the airport was really special
Kayla has learned how to use chopsticks well -and-
Ryan has learned how to unravel dental floss
We fly north to Hanoi (about a one hour flight)
and hire a car & driver to take us to Halong Bay for 2 days
View from our hotel in Halong Bay
The kids enjoy a dolphin show
We take the famous 6 hour "junk" cruise and treat ourselves to the beauty of the bay and caves...
oh, and a feast prepared just for the 8 of us
We drive back to Hanoi for 2 days
A little R&R at the 5 star Hotel Nikko Hanoi (ah, the air conditioning)
The kids play at a park near our hotel
(Kayla is really driving the car; it's battery powered)
We go to the famous Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre and the kids love it
(the puppeteers, bowing in the right photo, stay behind the curtain during the 1 hour show)
(water puppets date back to the 11th century in Vietnam)
Sights of Hanoi
(the city is surprisingly green with dozens of beautiful lakes)
Back to Saigon
(or Ho Chi Minh City as it is now called)
Over 60 of Anh's dad's relatives honored him and Anh's mom at a dinner
(Anh's mom said they came to see the Americans ;)
[note: all night long, as the ice melted in my never empty glass of beer,
the servers would take out the half melted piece of ice and replace it with a new one]
We took a day trip to Vung Tau on the coast southeast of Saigon
Happy faces
Some sights of Saigon
A day at the water park
(3 months in Thailand turned the kids into water babies)
Our last night
On our first leg home from Saigon to Hong Kong,
we had the entire upper level business class section to ourselves
| We arrived safely home this morning. Breathing in the cool San Francisco air was a delight to our senses. Our last days were spent sightseeing, taking in the shopping bargains, and getting a few massages, manicures and pedicures. It's hard to pass up those prices. Anh's cousin Tom De was my private tour guide. Joe was too hot to tour, and Anh had a cold (I think all the translating finally wore her down.) Stephen and Joe took Kayla and Ryan to MaxiMark, the air conditioned indoor playground and shopping mall. Friday, Tom De and I went to downtown Saigon to see the Reunification Palace, originally named Norodom Palace, built by the French in 1873. It was handed over to the temporarily divided North and South Republic of Vietnam Regimes in 1954 and named Independence Palace. In 1975, the North Vietnamese forces took over Saigon, crashed through the gates of this palace, and South Vietnam surrendered ending the war and reunifying the country under communist control. At that time the name was changed to the Reunification Palace. It is quite a fascinating building. (for more info on the history of Vietnam click here) Next we visited, the Opera House, then Notre Dame and finally Saigon's main post office which are adjacent to each other and designed in the typical French ornate classical architecture. Saturday we had a lovely meal cooked by Lan (the housekeeper and cook) and went to the Omni Hotel for dessert. Thus ended our adventures in Vietnam. It was very difficult saying goodbye to Kayla and Ryan. We prepared them for several days but could feel their sadness the last night. When I tried to kiss Ryan one more time, he said, " I already kissed you." What he was trying to say was, "I already kissed you a hundred times." Their sweetness remains on our lips. We left Saigon at 4:30 am. It was the first time that the roads were quiet. Before that moment, we thought the city never slept. We had an easy flight home and delicious and wonderful memories of a truly cultural experience. Stephen, Anh, Kayla and Ryan are off to Hoi An for a month. A beautiful coastal area in Central Vietnam. Anh will continue the updates. Joe will have his hands full bringing the website up to date. Over 500 pictures say a lot, so Joe said he will be preparing a DVD of the kids journey throughout Southeast Asia. Thanks for coming along for the ride. Love, Marcia and Joe May 29 |
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