Bridge on the lake at Hoan Kiem

Click the picture to see the whole thing

I sat for two hours sketching this on my last day in Hanoi. It was the most zen experience of my entire trip, and the beginning to a very weird and stressful day. Someone tried to snatch my bag in the park, but I put it in my lap when I realized I was being stalked. Nina and I did a lot of walking, and we realized that if you try to eat during siesta time, you will have to go to a foreigner restaurant, because all the locals take away their food signs and it's impossible to get the good cheap kind of food. While walking the busy sidewalk-less streets of Hanoi, thousands of motorbikes skidded their wheels against our ankles and glared, annoyed. They honked horns and snuck up behind me, shocking me when I let my guard down even for a millisecond. Concerned it may start raining, we started for the Hoan Kiem roundabout, and parked ourselves at a nice little juice shop right on the street. A bookseller came up to us and started to chat.

He showed us books and asked Nina where she's from. Every time I started to look away, he would pull a book out and shove it in my face. Do you see where this is going? Vietnam future travelers: NEVER TAKE YOUR ATTENTION AWAY FROM YOUR VALUABLES! IF YOU ARE TALKING TO SOMEONE, HAVE ONE HAND ON ANYTHING YOU DON'T WANT SNATCHED. When we looked back, I was sketching a Cyclo bike, and I hear, "Oh no...no no no. Shit Susan my camera's gone. and my wallet." There was a lot of swearing from the NYC-born Chinese American girl, and the girl behind the counter laughed when she heard that Nina had just been robbed. It was the bookseller. Now I'm sure of it. It was the bookseller and a friend. possibly the girl behind the counter, but my money's on the pudgy man in the red shirt. It makes me so angry, because half our memories are gone for 20 bucks, and expired Drivers' License, and a shitty Cannon PowerShot. All my wonderful headstands, and every time I said, no worries, I don't have to bring my camera. Nina has hers. Well that's too freaking bad. We even went back, asking just give us the card and we won't go to the Police. We'll walk away and if the card is there, no police. He got all insulted like he didn't do it, and said you want me to take you? I will. I took his picture and even checked his Driver's license. Although I bet you it was a fake name.

I am trying not to dwell on this nasty last day. It was a wonderful trip, and fortunately, my memories are for me, and they don't die with a lost camera, they just become great stories.