Do Thanh Hotel Hanoi

... keep the 2 ADD kids from wandering off the grounds.

Once lunch was finished the farmers had pots for the kids to paint and plants for them to plant. While the kids were painting, the farmers divided up all the bags evenly, and just before leaving handed everyone a bag with all the picked vegetables including the teachers.

The three 2nd grade girls in my group demanded I sit next to them in the van and we weren't 10 minutes on the road and all 3 were fast asleep.

... see the French colonial architecture around this area. On the way, I encountered a old woman sporting the traditional pointy hat and carrying baskets of bananas on a pole over her shoulder. Perhaps rather predictably, I shall name her Granny Street Bananas. She spotted me and began pointing at her fruit, obviously wanting me to buy some. I declined, but before I knew what was happening she scuttled up to me, grabbed her hat, whacked it on my head and placed her basket pole on ...

... good food and preparing for Christmas by making decorations. This conflicts with the stories that we here from 'Hanoi Hilton' survivors like John McCain (the US presidential candidate) who tried to commit suicide twice during his stay and cannot raise his arms above his head due to the physical efforts of the torture he received whilst in the prison. That evening we headed to Tamarind Vegetarian Restaurant and enjoyed some great pasta.

Thursday 22nd October - Hanoi

Hanoi, Vietnam chris.cesca

... family houses, built four or five storeys high, to escape predatory animals and for coolness.

We meet for a 'teamtalk' with Thu the guide in the evening. I'm still sorry to be there and still missing China and wonder how this group thing is going to work out for me. This might be all a mistake as I have probably become far too individualistic to participate but by the morning, we're off on a bus and walking tour of the city sights ...

I made it to Sapa a couple days ago, and again, words/pictures are unable to describe this place. The town is up in the mountains, with green rice fields surrounding it. Again, there is green as far as the eye can see, and the mountains are hidden in the clouds at most times during the day. The first day I got in, I arrived at about 7 a.m. on a night train from Hanoi. This was my first experience on a sleeping night ...

... felt the same way to. After the initial problem, we had a great couple of weeks. We spent a few days in the city before heading to Phu Quoc Island off the Southern tip of Vietnam. First up though was Suzanna’s Birthday. The family sent presents, which were opened over breakfast in our favourite Saigon café, Sozo’s. This was followed by a somewhat dodgy massage for the girls, where again they were conned out of more money that they expected to pay and a stroll around the ...

... which I was warned about) I;ve had a good time in Hanoi, visiting the sights and getting acclimatised to this new culture. I've visited the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex - seeing his embalmed body was brief (they usher you along quickly, and he looks very plasticy), more interesting were all the crowds also there, including all the tiny Vietnamese children. The museum was a bizzare mix of photos and modern art but there was ...

The 24 hour bus to Hanoi left Vientiane at 6pm on Sunday 17th May full of people and goods. There was stuff stacked all over the back seat and in the aisle once again as well as a couple of people in the aisle. After stops for meals and to pick up even more people/goods we seemed to be making progress at about 11pm. I then woke really hot at 2.30am to find we were parked at a gate near the border crossing ...

... for weeks. We know that they have a Boots in Thailand, and the beach resorts will sell these supplies, but in the meantime we might need to buy some stuff online and get it sent to one of our hotels. The rest of the day we drank endless cups of tea and ate more great food at the Tamarind cafe and at 8pm we were taken to Hanoi train station to get on the 9.15pm sleeper to Sapa. Some days you need a day off from being on holiday :)

... br>

A Supperior rooms: before 45 USD / per
day, now: 36USD/day



A Standard rooms: before 40 USD / per
day, now: 32USD/day
Website:
http://luckyhotel.com.vn