Last Day in Vietnam - 1 October

It was another blissful morning of sleeping in and then I met Eileen in the ship's lobby for our shuttle into the city. We had no plans other than to shop today and we did a magnificent job of achieving that goal! We went to jewelry stores, craft shops, handbags stores and every other store known to man. We had a wonderful time boosting the Vietnamese economy and bought many items that we just "had" to have. I think Eileen and I need to sign up for Shopaholics Anonymous. Perhaps when we get home. After all, we still have Thailand, India, Turkey and so many other countries that need our input of cash. This is our form of diplomacy. I realize that this is supposed to be a voyage for educational opportunities but I figure there are educational opportunities in the markets too...just a different kind.

We exhausted ourselves and our checkbooks by 4:00 and headed back to the ship for a quick nap (shopping is a very physical activity, don't you know!) and then had dinner on the ship. It was a wonderful day of walking around the city and exploring the markets. It is our last day in Vietnam and we have had a wonderful time. I had very low expectations of the country when we arrived and have been surprised at what a great time I've had here. This is definitely a country where I would like to return and see more of country. My wish list for return visits to countries is getting very long but this is one that would be very much worthwhile.