Day 35: A Canadian Indian in Hanoi

We had an easy transfer by private car to the nearest airport in Dong Hoi. That's when we learned that Abby wasn't 12....

It was tough to say goodbye to Phong Nha Farmstay. If I come back to Vietnam, I will be spending a longer time here for sure. It's kind of hard to explain, but trust me, it's a must-experience.

When checking into the airport, the two clerks started looking at Abby and buzzing in rapid conversation. Some back and forth ensued and we figured out that they were saying she wasn't 12. I'm thinking "I know she's a Gaijinzilla, but you HAVE her passport". They directed me to the Vietnam Airlines ticket counter where they explained further. Here's kind of how the conversation went (it's a bit of a who's on first):

Clerk: Your daughter is not 12. She's almost 13.

Me: Come again? Abby, how old are you?

Abby: (laughs) uhh... 12.

Clerk: No. You're 12 birthday passed. So you are over 12. In Vietnam, the day after birthday you are not 12 anymore.

Me: So.... How old is she? (Perplexed look)

Clerk: Almost 13. (Straight face)

Me: So on July 19th, 2014, she was "almost 12", on her birthday, she was "12" and after that, she was "almost 13"......

Clerk: Yes, that is right.

Me: So when I bought the ticket on your website and put in everyone's birthdays, and your website produceD a fare, and I agreed and paid...you're saying that's my fault?

Clerk: (silence)

So, it went on and on. We looked at the other past and future tickets that we bought from Vietnam Airlines, they all checked out, but somehow this weird age thing was an issue. She then told me I had to buy an adult ticket and apply for a refund of the child ticket on their website. That's when I got pissed.. I didn't mind paying the difference (that is, I value my time more than to waste any more time arguing) but to buy a new one then hope for a website refund... &@:$!! Anyway, not a big deal in the end - they let me pay the difference plus a change fee (I joked with Abby that she would have to pay the $60 difference, as she had been lying about her age all this time! Hang on.... I'm "almost 45"!) Anyway, it wasn't the last time we had our ages questioned that day.

Splendora Boutique arranged pick up from the airport in Hanoi so it all went smoothly there. We got to the city in time to check in and grab lunch. The girls and I decided to head to the movies, while Beth stayed around the hotel looking for a spa or manicure.

The girls got their courage up to watch Jurrasic World (they almost crapped their pants when I showed them a short scene from the original Jurassic Park a number of years ago... The fear has lingered!). When we were buying the tickets, it said various rates for kids based on age so I asked for 1 adult and 2 student tickets. They asked (and insisted a couple of times) for their student ID cards! I practically cut them off laughing... "I will take 3 adult tickets!". Oh man - too funny.

The movie was a good break from the travel routine, and Beth had a good nap and a manicure (I think?). I found a nearby Indian place for dinner that had few, but positive reviews. What a meal! Turns out, the South Indian owner (who was basically our host for the entire meal, though the place is huge and it was busy), has 2 kids in Edmonton and considers himself perhaps a quarter Canadian! We asked him for recommendations, and it worked out very well. We agreed that we'd been eating in our Indian comfort zone (butter chicken, dhal, samosas, naan etc) so we heard him out and went with a few of his recommendations...yum. We loved the guy - he had such pride in his food and staff and it truly made him happy to see customers trying the food he was passionate about.

I asked him what his story was. He had brought his kids here in the mid 2000's, but eventually found the international schools in Laos were extremely expensive (as was visiting an international doctor as well). He wanted to send the kids back to India, but the son, now in high school had taken his dad to a presentation by a school from Edmonton (in Hanoi.... Follow me) and they decided to go to Edmonton. They packed up and bought a house in Edmonton in 2009 and he was there for a year. He opened the restaurant we ate in (Namaste Hanoi) in 2010 and now commutes back and forth periodically. He was very interesting to talk to and we were so glad we decided on Indian tonight!

We have an early morning tomorrow - our flight to Vientiane - the capital of Beer Lao... Sorry, I mean Laos - leaves tomorrow at 10am. So it will be goodbye to Vietnam... For now! We will be back to attack the South in about 3 weeks.