Money well spent

As I may have mentioned once or twice in previous blog entries, Ha Tinh is really, really, really freaking cold. Cold enough that there was even a [falsely-forecasted] rumor of snow this past week!

And, as most of you may know about me, especially that parent of mine who patiently sat with me at the Tufts University re-visit day lecture, I like to wear flip-flops. And I like to wear them in January. Which is why I didn't go to Tufts. And why I didn't apply for a Fulbright to Mongolia. Or Siberia. Or Antarctica.

And which is also why, upon the arrival of winter in Ha Tinh, I have been S.O.L. since all I brought with me are sandals and little flimsy summer-y shoes, since I thought, "I'm going to live in Vietnam! It won't get cold there!" But I was wrong, and now my little feetsies have been chilly for the past few weeks.

So I had one goal for this weekend in Hanoi: buy cheap closed-toe shoes. Did I mean that I wanted to buy 3 different pairs? Probably not, but hey.

But today as I was waiting for MJ to arrive in Hanoi, I set off to Hang Dau Street, which is filled with stores upon stores of cheaply-made knock-off shoes.

To cut to the chase, I bought a pair of knock-off Toms (~$15), a pair of knockoff Converse (~$6), and a lovely pair of winter boots (~$11) that will just look so lovely with leggings or skinny jeans for being out-and-about in Ha Tinh.

Life is good, and my feet will be nice and toasty in the upcoming weeks in Ha Tinh.