Hanoi Atlantic Hotel

... at around 6am but showered and went straight out on our first day for some culture so visited the temple of literature, The Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and museum and the water puppet show (a must see supposedly). We then had dinner and a few drinks in the hostel bar and then crashed into bed exhausted. Second day we went out to book some trips and have a walk around the old quarter, lots of winding ...

... and temples and had the famous Pho-a tasty rice noodle and beef soup. Something I organised in UK and it actually worked out cheaper than they charge here. The money here is mad it has so many zeros I am now a millionaire. Am going to Sapa in NW Vietnam on Monday so will be trekking again.

... of American
servicemen who were detained in Ha Noi. It lists their names, their
date of birth, their hometown, the date they were captured and then
the date they were “returned.” Returned is a telling word –
because you don't have to mention whether only their remains were
returned. Also interesting were the pictures that were on display:
total propaganda from that era showing detainees playing sports,
getting medical care, reading ...

... this we *ll he*ded to the rest*ur*nt with our little horse sn*ke th*t we h*d become friends with. Then the c*rn*ge beg*n. Our little friend who we c*rried to the rest*ur*nt w*s the first victim. A girl in the group w*s given * knife, gr*bbed the sn*kes he*d, *nd cut its' stom*ch open. If this w*sn't enough, she w*s m*de to rip the sn*ke's he*rt out. If THAT w*sn't enough she w*s told to drop the he*rt into * h*lf * shot of vodk* *nd drink ...

... no Mum. She was being “detained” until her visa was arranged, which took about 4 hours. Poor Linda was stuck in immigration while Suzanna and I “consoled” Carly at Le Pub in the centre of Ho Chi Minh. As you can imagine, when Linda finally got through customs, she was less than pleased. The rest of us though thought the whole things was quite funny by this stage and I’m pleased to say once we had taken Linda to the Go 2Bar for a couple of Saigon Greens ...

... Note to self: Make sure one is sober before attempting to cross a road in Vietnam. You need all of your faculties about you!

Many of the main roads were bordered by crude stone and concrete walls of about 6 foot height. I observed that one pastime for the locals seemed to be mounting these walls and just watching the mayhem unfold on the roads below. There clearly must be enough ...

... and in the middle of the night. There was absolutely no need, and I snapped after trying to sleep for the humpteenth time at about half eleven at night, and shouted "There's no ****ing need - EXCESSIVE". Pete laughed and told me to chill. I just couldn't deal with all the bloody tooting. It seems (after being in Vietnam for about six days now) that this is the norm for the country, with the worst cases being buses and in the centre of Hanoi - where it's just ...

... only had 8 hours to kill before we were due at the Handspan tour office. First we lugged our backpacks over to store with Handspan - they are feeling much lighter, but we didn't fancy carrying them for long in the heat, and as soon as we put them on we look like we're fresh off the boat again, and a target for all the hotel touts ! We had a lovely lunch at Handspan's Tamarind cafe - vegetarian food - pumpkin pasta was ...

... orchad variety discovered in a 2004 botanical survey. Since its establishment the Forest Protection Department follows different strategies to improve protection of the area. One is to promote community based ecotourism, which gives direct income to the local people within the area. Be ready to share their life for a time. Best time for a visit is October/November and February/March.

... Deluxe room, Standard room and Suite
room. All rooms have private bathroom, personal wardrobe, desk, telephone
and internet systems (including wire network and wireless network) for free
access ...