Somewhere Over the Rainbow...
We needed a fun diversion this week, and the Rainbow Slide was it! We had heard it was washed away in the typhoon, but luckily it had been all cleaned up since then, if that even happened.
First, we headed to Hanoi Taco Bar for some non-Vietnamese food because tacos sounded like a good thing. I'm just not sure if the lunch tasted good because it was good Mexican food or because we hadn't had good Mexican food for over a year. Doesn't matter. We enjoyed lunch. And we had a fun surprise when we got there--the Ba Dinh District of missionaries had decided on the same p-day activity and lunch destination as us! Now, you may think this was a fun coincidence, but it was more of a miraculous coincidence in a city of over 8 million people and however many restaurants that produces... Anyway, it was really fun to meet up with them, but then we had to ignore them. Missionaries on p-day can't gather in large groups in case we scare people. Or something. So we said hello and took pictures and stalked them the rest of the day.
The other district beat us there...
Then it was off to the Rainbow Slide! Which is actually in a large Flower Field near the river.
So we grabbed pictures of them, then got our own tickets at $2 a ride and took more pictures.
They also have an area full of rabbits, and you can buy carrots to feed them.
Or try to feed them.
And there are hobbit holes...
And peacocks.
And a smaller version of the Long Bien Bridge.
It's a very picturesque place. They've even made places for camping, if you want to experience that.
And this beautiful spot for a tree house...
... with a great view...
We've been battling bad air quality for a few weeks, and it seems to be maintaining a very high level on the AQI, which means Hanoi has been in the top 10, give or take, of the world's worst air for way too long. Today we are #1 worst in the world.
Monday night, I began coughing and hoped it was just due to the poor air. Tuesday it turned into a stuffy nose and we continued to hope it was just poor air. But I quickly admitted defeat and gave in to the fact that I have had a cold most of the week.. Allen wanted his own cough, etc., to be due to poor air, but the fever and sore throat finally convinced him, I think, that he was sick.
Which takes us back to Tuesday... District Planning, and a busy baking day. My cold was getting worse, but I had the chance to make sugar cookies for the MLC (Mission Leader Council), where all the zone leaders and sister training leaders and assistants to the president get together at the mission leaders' home for planning, and also for Christmas decorating. We couldn't pass up the chance to hang out with this fun group of missionaries! So we made cookies and frosting and delivered them to the Mission Home and stayed long enough to join in some of their festivities.
We have a reputation to maintain as the fun Ong Ba (Grandpa and Grandma) of the mission!
Wednesday was a day to sleep in and take things slow in an attempt to get over my cold. We enjoyed having a date night where we ordered pizza delivered--a first for us!--and watched a movie.
Thursday began as another laid back day, as well, but then we decided to go for a walk to a bakery supply store to buy some more powdered sugar, as my supply had been depleted on Tuesday. On the way there, we got a message from the mission leaders that they were going to the District Office (Stake Center) and we could pick up more piano keyboards that we had requested for my piano class if we could meet them there in an hour. That changed our plans.
We made it to the store for the sugar, then grabbed a ride to the District Office. Since we got there early, we had a few minutes to walk around the neighborhood, and guess what we found?? Yes! A pagoda!
These are fishing baskets displayed on the street...
Here is the front of the temple/pagoda.
This is a beautiful thing--I'm not sure what it is; it may be only an incense burner, but if it is, it's not like the regular incense burners. It has 2 dragons for it's big handles...
...it has a dragon-lion-creature on the top of the lid...
...and it's held up by 3 dragons underneath, whose tails are holding up the bowl of the container. Plus, this is inside the pagoda itself, while most of these types of things are on the outside of the pagoda, in front of it, near the regular incense burners. So this one was clean and beautiful.
Another view...
Dragons are in the scrollwork...
The entrance.
We passed another mural as we walked back to the District Office. I love the murals we see on the streets. This one takes us from the war on the far left to more modern times on the far right.
These WILL come in handy!
Friday was another day of recovery, we hoped, although Allen just seemed to get a bit worse each day.
Saturday he had a training meeting and I had my music class and then I helped with English. It was nice to get home to continue to rehab.
Today, Sunday, Allen had to stay home while I went and fielded all the good wishes from branch members who are sure he is dying if he's not at church.
Vietnamese people believe that when the weather gets cooler, people get sick, not because they are brought together more and so they can share germs more but because the weather is cooler and so it is inevitable that people get sick. For whatever reason, I've had enough of it and I've decided that we'll be fine tomorrow. Wish us luck!!
Merry Christmas! Enjoy the sights and sounds while you can!!
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