Cinnamon Hotel Hanoi

... only one! We soon learned that our road crossing technique also needed some revising. The 'don't look and they wont hit you', and the 'just keep walking/adopt a child' method wouldn't work here! This was a 'step by step' job. The cars and motorbikes will try not to hit you... but wont try very hard! The slower you cross, the more time they have to devise a path in which to narrowly miss you. It's how the locals do it. We had to learn that very quickly as ...

... amp; headed for dinner & in search of a 'reggae bar'! At dinner we met an Indoniesan guy, who was on the boat! We headed for the reggae bar, but couldn't find it (found a ballroom dancing place, where me & Broc did the typical Irish wedding dance, well so they thought) & ended up in the 'Half man, Half Noodle' bar. it was a right laugh! happy hour was just about to start so all was good! we found a marker & got ourselves some new tattoos, mine was on my arm ...

... for their care of me so far.

I was planning on going to Angkor Wat for our October break in about 10 days, but that’s pretty much up in the air now. I thought I’d paid for it but found out that I’ve just put a deposit hold on it and I can cancel up to 4 days before w/out any penalty. I really would like to go still but if I can’t walk comfortably then there is no point. I can go ...

... br> The next day we went to a private beach and had to sleep in huts on the beach. The idea was cool but there wasn't actually much to do on this island as the water sports stuff wasn't running due to the engine being in the repair shop (where's my dad when we need him eh!?!).
On the way back, the waters were a little choppy so we attached our boat to another boat for stability.
The next day we came back to Hanoi and have been spending ...

... the hotel. The performance is located in a small tiered amphitheater. A raised platform holds several musicians and singers, stage right. The stage itself is filled with water, creating a lake or pond. Colorful puppets like dragons, water fowl, and people, swirl out and enact short vignettes, accompanied by music. Our program listed some of these acts as "Lion dance," "Unicorns play with ball," "Boat racing," etc. It was entertaining and the music was fascinating to hear, but we had ...

... a leg to buy and eat. Hows this for inflation: small jar of peanut butter approx $10 or I can eat street food every day for a week for $10 and still have change left over. But I guess if the need strikes I know where I can go for a fix of U.S. food. It seems that the overall cost to live here will run about $500 - thats $120 out of pocket for me with the housing stipend added in. This will cover all utilities, a housekeeper that comes in 2x's a week ...

HelloEveryone
Amazing we are here - and haven't yet been bowled over by the traffic. It's horrendous !!!! How did you manage it Cam, Sandy etc especially with the girls? I have found it is best to not look at the drivers face - just keep resolutely crossing the road. There must be millions of motor scooters here - everyone rides them - even whole families. We saw a Mum, Dad, toddler & baby all on one scooter and all with masks on!! Hundreds of repair places ...

... now.

we also went to see the water puppet theatre, which was lots of fun, with beautiful vietnamese folk music and lots of splashing - my favourite were the fire breathing dragon puppets, and when the dancing pair of phoenix hatched a baby phoenix.

i think i'd still say i liked Saigon better - it felt less chaotic and more welcoming, a bit more polished and user friendly, though still with a new site down every alley. its funny how it seems we often end up ...

We both booked are selfs on a snake village tour which is were you go and see snakes, eat them plus drink the heart in a shot glass which rice wine. At first they let us hold them and get the photos in after which they sat us down and started gutting the snakes infront of us, pulling the heart out while it was still beating and put it in a glass of rice wine which we drunk. yum!!! They ...

... have a peaceful mind and should not boast too much about it." On the way to the old pagoda, favourite stop off points include Sang (Light) Cave, where the surprisingly flat ceiling and floor resemble half an Olympic-sized swimming poor. The cave, which worships Buddha, was bestowed with an inscription by King Le Thanh Tong in the 15th century: "Minh dinh danh lam," which means "famous landscape on the mountain top". Nearby Toi (Dark) Cave, with its weird and wonderful ...