Banks and such.

Today was not successful with the banks. We took a taxi to a highly rated bank with expats and spoke with someone with decent English and it appears that we cannot set up an account until we have an employer. Things change quickly here and it may have been ok a year ago...who knows. We were informed that they must verify the source of the money and cannot simply deposit hard cash even US dollars. We will try one more bank, but are prepared to hide or bury the cash we have until we can open an account. Strange, old fashioned, but it is what it is.

Good news is we continued in a cab to an area called West Lake which is the more affluent area, expats, embassies, etc. It is so much more quiet, a whole different vibe, incredible villas and the best part is we found many markets that cater to expats and found everything we wanted at better prices...go figure. We can get peanut butter, Spanish olives, French jam, Japanese mayonnaise....anything. Some is ridiculously priced, but overall great. We also found a grocery store that was the closest to an American style and we were like children set free. This area is a bit far from where we are now, but seriously considering that if we stay in Hanoi this is the area to live. Yes, more comfortable, a bit pricier, less suffering, but for long term it is where we can connect with more people and enjoy life more. It also helps to be near water. It is a huge lake.

One of my highlights today was finding a small bottle of Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo to wash Liu Ce. It seems silly, but when you feel deprived and adjusting to so much it is the smell, taste or feel of home that can make your day. I like our hairless baby smelling like a baby.