Hanoi Charming Hotel

... shoulder and jabbered "Photo! Photo!" Now comically attired, I thought why not, so I handed her my camera and she backed away and took a few shots. As soon as she had handed me back my camera, an irate policeman appeared out of nowhere, grabbed her baskets and shoved her down the street, while rebuking her angrily. Obviously an unwanted/unlicensed street-seller. After he had left with her confiscated bananas, she approached me and demanded 50,000 dong, to which I laughed and ...

... up and asks her a series of questions to which she answers ; then he asks to see my passport and visa. Well of course this week the original is in HR for processing to get my work visa renewed.So he acts as if the copy isn’t good enough. Then after a few moments of him hemmin’ and hawin’ he decides he’ll accept it and then proceeds to puff up his chest and go into another controlled tirade. Finally after about 10 minutes of him talking, smiling ...

... we were surrounded by a half a million kids! Turned out to be some sort of "Thanksgiving-day" for children the next day!! What!?? I never had that!! So out of the Toy-street, and into a little bar for coffee. Also still some French influence here, but all very cool. The weather turned out to be a bit better. Important as we headed for Hanoi to go to Halong Bay for 2 days as well. ( more about Halong later..) David said that he could book us for a trip the next ...

... des pietons ajoutent au piment de la danse. Une grande inspiration, un pas, 2 pas, on est sur la chaussee...pivot de la tete a gauche, surtout ne jamais cligner des yeux, de suite a droite. Et entrer dans la danse!

Le premier chevalier arrive, le regarder au travers de son accoutrement chevaleresque et montrer par le mouvement de votre corps en avant la volonte du prochain pas. La communication est faite, le chevalier masque sait dorenavant que le ballet existe avec vous ...

Mondays are proving to be pretty good days at school. I do have 5 classes: 2 -2nd grades, 2 – 3rd grades and 1 - 5th grade but it doesn't seem long or tough. All the classes are very personable and most are good listeners. The assistants are very helpful too. Put it all together and it makes for a smooth, fast day. I believe I will have my newspaper kids meet on Monday. I mentioned it to them last week and they’ve asked me everyday when the newspaper club starts.

Hanoi, Vietnam mrcwoodsman

... we set off for Halong Bay. After cruising for a couple of hours we arrived in the bay that is on most of the postcards and were off on a trip around a cave system on one of the islands. It was quite nice, but the most interesting part about this and many other caves in Halong Bay is that they were used to conceal Viet Con during the war. They would plan attacks and strategy etc, as well as turning one of them into a hospital. From the cave, it was a short Tiller ride to a fishing village ...

... t boneless, and there wasn't a ton of meat. If you could have put the chili sauce (which was incredibly spicy) on my chicken strips from KFC the night before, you would have a much better fast food concoction. Cory's chicken burger still had the skin on it, and it kind of sketched him out, so he ate about 2/3 of it.

After lunch we walked around a bit, bought a stamp at the post office, and then went to check on our second set of suits (which weren't ready ...

... there and had a really nice meal - fried beef, egg, potato, leeks (I think) all washed down with local beer. I can honestly say one of the nicest meals I've had in Nam. The bus wasn't as good, unfortunately, and there was only enough room for a 5' 6" person to sleep and stretch out. For me and Pete, both over 6', it was one of the worst journeys. Included a midnight stop in some middle-of-no-where eatery. Eventually got into Hue at 6.30am.

... we were on bikes and they didn't have a charge for them!) and 5,000 kip for a health check (she took our temperature), we already had our visas so that was just date stamped. We stopped to photograph the Lunar Moth clinging to the wall outside immigration and then we tripped on through. What with those I've described, plus the giant Praying Mantis in our room in Mai Chau and the green and black snake, (alive and moving) we've seen more wildlife in the past ...

... is enlighted by coloured lamps that turn on and off giving special effects when you observe from the alongside river bar at candle light, listening soft music and drinking a fruit cocktail. Other topics in Hue are the king tombs and the Perfume River. There are tombs of the last three emperors of the country, some of which were hated by the vietnames as too snob, speaking only french and living among vicious and considered muppets under french ...