Giant White People

Yep, that's us! This morning, we went to visit Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. It was closed and will remain closed for two months, presumably so they can repair the body. Anyway, we got tickets to the HCM museum. It didn't take long for a young Vietnamese woman to take my arm and say, "Photo?" She wanted to have her picture taken with me. So, we posed. A few minutes later, another lady approached me because she also wanted her picture taken. Then she had a photo taken with Brad. In both instances, these women put their arms around us. It was sweet. So, what's the deal, you ask? Well, I experienced this in China. Our guides in China said many people are fascinated by a tall, white, dark-haired woman. There was a guy in our China group who was a tall, white, dark-haired man whose hair was wavy. He was quite a favorite with the Chinese ladies and again, our guides said it was his "uniqueness," especially the WAVY dark hair. But the crowning moment of this morning's adventure was when I stopped to buy an embroidered tote bag (I forgot to pack a small purse). The vendor lady patted her belly and said, "Baby?" She was asking if I was pregnant. Sorry, lady. Just fat! Brad thought this was funny. I was quite deflated because I thought I looked cute in my little sun dress...I guess the cut is a little too billowy. After that, Brad and I couldn't resist sketching out an article for People Magazine's "bump watch:"

"Does Missy have a bump? She wore a loose fitting dress during a recent visit to the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi. She also bought this tote bag and used it to cover her belly. A close friend says Missy would be thrilled to have a baby. She was also spotted at a local market looking at baby clothes. When asked about a possible pregnancy, the American journalist laughed and said, 'I'm just eating more breakfast than usual.'"