NEW!!!

 PEOPLE


As I mentioned in the previous blog, this was transfer week. Tuesday we sent off 7 missionaries; Thursday, Allen and I were invited to help welcome 14 new missionaries to the Vietnam Mission. We had a fun day preparing for their arrival by heading to the Mission Home to help put together Welcome Bags and prepping a big new banner to welcome them at the airport.


Since our mission leaders were not at the airport to welcome us on that fateful day we arrived so many weeks ago (5 weeks) (we arrived early and made it through the passport process VERY quickly), they thought we should have the opportunity to try out the banner and have our "official" picture taken. Yay!! And within one minute, the police had descended upon our unsuspecting group to inform us that such banners were not permitted within the airport. Hence, this is the first-and-only-time this banner will be seen inside the Hanoi Airport. Any further displays will be done outside the airport.

Group 1 arrived at 8:35 pm

Group 2 arrived at 9:15 pm

The new missionaries are all SO EXCITED to finally be in-country! Their enthusiasm is very catching! It was fun to hear their exclamations as we drove (in the dark) to the hotel. We felt like experienced old hands at this... 5 weeks in...
PLACES

Allen and I took advantage of the Pan Pacific Hotel being the location of the Mission Office (and also where all 14 missionaries were staying for one night), and since we were supposed to be there quite late that night and again fairly early the next morning, we stayed at the hotel ourselves.
 A vacation! A beautiful vacation!

The next day we made sure the missionaries at the hotel didn't need us and we went exploring! Within a 10-minute walk, there was a small temple/shrine. These are always so interesting...
A Gong...



The requisite crane standing on a turtle...












After leaving this shrine, we realized we were a hop, skip, and a jump from a Tran Quoc Pagoda, which is on the tourist list of "do this", so we did!  The temples/pagodas are supposed to be honored and respected, so this is a sign in front of this one.


It was a beautiful pagoda...



I love all the bonsai trees!!!





Incense burner...

Male...
Female...







This is the hotel we stayed at; this shows how close we were to the Tran Quoc Pagoda.
The view from our window one way...

And the other...


FOOD

This delectable looking "pastry" seemed to be covered with strawberries and cream.                              Nope: ham pieces with corn kernels inside.






We thought we should try a purely Vietnamese snack: 




SQUID CHIPS!! Not too bad, actually...


Have a wonderful week!!

p.s. When we ride up and down our elevator to the 31st floor, sometimes my ears pop. Just sayin...


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