Elegant 5 Hotel Hanoi

... and boarded the plane. We had eaten everything before the plane even took off. When we had been in the air about 10 minutes the air hostess came with her trolley... and, to our surprise, our lunch. Beef or fish. I told her I didn't eat meat and she said 'Oh. So...beef or fish?' I ordered the fish and gave it to Dave. Needless to say, Dave felt sick for the rest of the journey.

There was a taxi arranged by our hotel waiting for us in Hanoi. The ...

... Hanoi with the afternoon as it was and hanging happily in the balance between enjoying what I have now and looking forward to getting home and getting back on track. Not that this year (or so) had taken me off that path - just digressed ever so slightly but with the result of being even more sure and hungry to get back to it all. Theatre reviews have started popping up miraciously on my laptop and the urge to get back and stuck into all I have missed is growing daily and ...

... One Train One) which helps underprivileged kids from the Hanoi area off the streets and teaches them and gives them work there as cooks/waiters. Without doubt it was the nicest place I've eaten in as long as I can remember. A bit more expensive than other places (but still cheap compared to UK) but worth every penny.

We then returned to the hostel with perfection, as we entered they'd opened up the Free Beer! So was rude not to waste ...

... John McCain, apparently). I was the only person there for most of my visit, and you may know I have a phobia about being locked in places, and it took some courage to walk through some of the rooms and corridors, without being able to see the way out at the other end.

Last night I bought a ticket for the Water Puppet Theatre, as it's just around the corner. My 2 quid got me one of the best seats in the house. I'd had my doubts about this show ...

... range, especially for this part of town, which is the backpacker district. After we first checked in and took showers, we were ready to eat. Toddled directly across the street to a vegetarian restaurant and hoovered down spring rolls, salad, and pho, all very tasty. We decided it wasn't yet time to go back to the hotel so went for a walk around the block. We actually walked in the street because most of the sidewalks were covered with ...

... amazing. The meat was really tender (yes, I'm eating meat!) and the soup was so yummy! Definitely my favourite meal so far...

Finally, the accommodation is fab too. We had a few issues with the first place (but we were, with hindsight, silly for letting a tout talk us into looking there) so didn't even stay the night and, instead, moved to the hotel opposite. The hotels here are narrow but have big rooms which means you tend to have to trek up loads of stairs ...

... core of my envy! Also went to see uncle ho (ex-leader here Ho Chi Minh) He died 40 years ago but his body is preserved and on show at his rather impressive tomb. I must say he looks good for his age but the conversation wasn't great!

Well I might update tomorrow but its book and bed time now! Hopefully this is over and out from Hanoi!

Allan

... u tôi chưa rơi xuống đất, xin bệ hạ đừng lo”. Cái quắc mắt đã cứu sống sinh mệnh Đại Việt, đã khiến vua Trần phải hiểu, không phải đầu thái sư, mà chính là đầu thiên tử sẽ rơi xuống đất trước tiên nếu quy hàng. Nhưng tất cả các quan đều đeo kính mát, khiến không ai có thể trông thấy ánh mắt của những điện tiền chỉ huy sứ.

Đơn th ...

... to say, so if anyone asks I didn't... We went to the train station on motorbikes, the guy driving me was singing don't worry be happy while running red lights, terrifying. He seemed upset when I told him I didnt want a day long tour on the back of his bike.'The train station had sold out of tickets to Sa Pa for tonight so we went back to the hostel to see if they could find some tickets from somewhere. It turns out that this weekend is the anniversary of ...

... Lucky! Lucky!" they shouted all smiles and camera phones. I didn't feel that lucky now as my balcony window sat against the angle of the downpour, It was a covered area, but the windows were large and let in the wind and the cold. "Sir, sorry but Duck has finished for the day, so sorry". So I wasn't going to get my Duck Breast with 5 spice, ginger mint and coriander then. I turn my eyes back towards the menu for a plan B choice, one that normally ...