Took a cab to the Big C -- Hanoi's equivalent of Walmart, only bigger, busier, and regrettably, not much less expensive. We've had to buy all our bedding, kitchen ware, etc. So these first few days have been pretty tough on our budget. But now the larder is stocked. We have four bowl, four plates, a little coffee press, a pot, a pan, a mop, a broom...
What surprised me at the Big C -- which was a two story building with a huge-box department store upstairs and a high-end boutique mall downstairs -- were the throngs of shoppers clogging the aisles. Consumerism, for those who can afford it here, seems as entrenched as it does back home (but without the recycling, or public trash bins, or other attempts that America makes to close the materials cycle). Interesting. I'm sure I have a lot more to learn about this.
My photos above are of two things that I observed yesterday (monday 8/1). The first was rush hour gridlock viewed from my balcony. The second was Amali and Sivan's first time venturing out on their own -- to get haircuts.
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