Hanoi Rocks

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Hello there!

Just spent the last few days at a fantastic hostel in Hanoi. 2 days were absolutely sweltering, but since then is has been pretty cool, bordering on frigid. In that time we also had a boat trip on Halong Bay, which is the local beauty site: a series of limestone islands in a bay that legend says were created by a giant dragon swinging its tail.

I never saw the dragon: only an Armada of tourist boats that kind of spoiled the view and the air, as every single one pumped its waste into the bay. Swimming was off the cards, thats for sure.

Hanoi itself is a city that needs to be seen to be believed. It developed under the French occupation and as a result could easily be a suberb of Paris. The streets are narrow and the architecture has a certain "Je ne sais quai"
But of course you dont get to appreciate this as 98% of your energy is spent avoiding motorcycles. On roads, on pavements, wrong way up one way streets. Traffic lights were only introduced here a couple of years ago. Most still do not understand red means stop.

We actually spent a few days longer than budgeted for. We met 2 girls from Preston in the hostel: 1 knows my sister (and an old girlfriend of mine) and the other has worked with my cousin. One of them had a birthday on Friday so we stayed around to help her celebrate. The Hostel is run by 2 great Aussies who puton a special happy hour (half price beer plus a neat gin: if you didnt drink the shot you paid normal for the beer). It was messy.

Next we work our way down the coast. We have a bus ticket ($20 US) that will take us all the way to Ho Chi Minh City, allowing us to stop off on the way. We go to Ninh Binh, then onto Hue, Hoi An and Danat before HCMC.

For all those dying to know: Is it Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City? The answer is both. Saigon is the central area / district of the conerbation know as Ho Chi Minh City. You can now all sleep better with that knowledge safely tucked away.

Onwards dear boy.......

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