Happy Birthday to me!

I kicked off the start of my 28th year (geez, that's a lot of years) with a first class flight from Hoi An to Hanoi this morning. It wasn't really supposed to be that way, but fate works in strange ways. I was really supposed to be on a day-long bus ride, but due to changes in plans since I decided to synch up with Sam and some train issues over the past couple weeks causing them to now be fully booked, the first class flight was the only option. Hey, I'm not complaining.

I have since indulged in an aromatherapy massage, facial and foot scrub at an upmarket spa here (for a whopping $43), where they found out it was my birthday and gave me a purse. How sweet!!! Tonight I think I'm going to the circus! An appropriate 27th birthday celebration I think, yes? :)

I've spent the past few days wasting away my bank account in Hoi An. It's a really cute little town that was untouched by the American War (the one we call the Vietnam War - same same). It's unique in that way and is a nice showcase of old homes and narrow streets. Primarily, though, the tailors dominate the town. I think probably 80% of the stores I saw were custom clothing shops. You go in, point at what you want, describe it, or pick it out of the many books they have, pick your fabric, lining, buttons, etc, and they take your measurements. About18 hours later you magically are wearing clothes that were only in your imagination a day before. Brilliant. So Sam and I spent nearly all of our 3 days choosing clothes, getting fitted, getting refitted, and shipping off our stuff. For about $250 I got:

1 suit (jacket, pants, skirt)
2 pairs of pants
1 winter coat
1 fall-weight coat
2 fun jackets
1 casual dress
2 casual skirts
1 pair of shoes
1 shirt

ALL MADE TO FIT ME!!! Granted, I spent $130 to ship it back to the states (thanks Tyler!) but for less than $400 I still think it's a pretty good deal :)

Hoi An was hella hot. I haven't seen a thermometer during my whole trip, but it was 95 with 95% humidity each day - easy. Pretty brutal. We also met up with 3 Portuguese boys that Sam befriended a week or so ago elsewhere in Vietnam. They added a little latin flair to the evenings during our days of shopping (not quite as scandalous as it sounds!).

Cultural observation:
Touching is different in Asia than it is in the U.S. I have been touched on my inner thigh (groped?) in a way that would be inappropriate by American standards TWICE in the past two days. During scenario 1 I was picking up the shoes I had made (which I'm not sure I like - didn't turn out like I imagined. Anyway...) sitting in an alley on one of the nursery school sized chairs they have here, dripping with sweat, while wondering whether the shoes will look reasonable with anything. Asian lady is trying to convince me to buy another pair of shoes by touching me - A LOT. First of all, I don't like people I don't know touching me. Second of all, lady, it's 95 degrees out. You're not helping me to stay cool. Third of all, what makes you think that by RUBBING MY INNER THIGH REPEATEDLY I am going to be convinced to buy more of your ugly shoes? I wish I had captured it on camera.

Scenario 2. I was getting my b'day aromatherapy massage - just a few short hours ago. I was wearing this makeshift pair of "underwear" that they told me to put on lying under a sheet. When the masseuse got to my leg there were no holds barred in massaging all the way up the leg. Now, I took a massage class at UVA (short but sweet) and as Nick will attest, one is really only supposed to go about halfway up the inner thigh when giving a massage to someone who one doesn't have an intimate relationship with (and to my knowledge I'd never met, much less been intimate with the small Asian woman now rubbing my legs). Anyway, It was a new experience for me.

One other interesting data point is from the tailor lady who Sam and I bought most of our stuff from and grew to love over our 3 days. When we left the last night she kept hugging and hugging me. This hugging also included squeezing my butt a few times. I haven't hugged many Vietnamese so maybe this is customary, or maybe it was because she was short and my butt was in easy reach. I have hugged short people before, though, and this doesn't usually happen. Anyway, it was very cute, and we actually did have a rather intimate relationship as she'd measured most of me and seen me change in and out of clothes multiple times. I guess I should be flattered that she enjoyed a good squeeze.

Tomorrow I head off on a 3 day Halong Bay boat trip. For those of you concerned that I might be in a gutter somewhere when you don't hear from me for a few days, please don't worry. I promise I'll come back.