Leaving Hanoi for now


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Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi
June 1st 2006
Published: June 12th 2006
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Cafe life in HanoiCafe life in HanoiCafe life in Hanoi

There are loads of places to eat in Hanoi and most seems to have touts out front trying to steer you in. It's especially nice if the place is above street level and away from some of the noise and confusion.
The last few days we spent in Hanoi included a trip to see the Thang Long water puppet theatre just on the edge of Hoan Kiem Lake and around the corner from our hotel. I’d seen the show before and knew the kids would like it. Will was especially thrilled with some of the animal puppets. Viv thought it was just “ok”. The puppeteers are behind a screen working the puppets in front. The whole thing takes place in a pool of water. On the side is a group of musicians and singers. Sorry, I didn’t take the camera, but next time I will. It’s a great folk art from the rice paddies of Vietnam.

After a week Hanoi, we succeeded in doing what we had planned to do, namely meet the people at the university, find a place to live, and introduce the kids to a bit of life in Vietnam. Ms. Hue from VNU was kind enough to allow us to store our luggage at her apartment because we came prepared for the full 7 months and don’t need everything with us on our side trip to Malaysia. Luckily she lives near the uni which is sort of
Hanoi Star HotelHanoi Star HotelHanoi Star Hotel

Here's a pic of our large hotel room on 3rd floor of the HS. Not the fanciest, but clean and roomy with a/c. We managed to get the net hooked up in the room for about 30 cents an hour, so it became Jo's office away from home.
on the way to the airport from central Hanoi. We managed to load all of the luggage into a taxi and head to the campus to pick her up and get on to her place. After that, it was a short trip up the highway to Noi Bai airport about 21 miles north of the city. I was worried about getting there with enough time to check in and sort out our bags. Since we were flying on a budget airline, Tiger Airlines, they only allow one 30 lb. bag per person and a small carry on at the risk of high extra baggage fees. I t seems we divided up our clothes and presies for Jo’s family just right as none of the bags were too heavy. We then had to
pay our departure fees (US$14 per adult and $7 per child), and go through passport control which can be a bit intimidating with the non-smiling faces and uniforms etc…Next was the carry on screening and finally the departure hall. We made it with about 15-20 minutes to go before the indicated boarding time. Of course, all the warnings Tiger gives about being on time didn’t mean any thing, we got there and sat around for another 35 minutes, typical of the airlines. In any event Jo and the kids bought a big bag of Doritos from the duty free shop for the equivalent of US$1; after a week going cold turkey from junk food they (ok! We!) needed a fix. The plane arrived and we had no problems getting on. They have open seating and wouldn’t you know it most people try to sit up front which leaves the rear of the plane open. We had plenty of to stretch out and nap on the three hour flight to Singapore.


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