Paramount Hotel Hanoi

... A FEW drinks may have ended up being a few cocktail jugs), vodka/gins, tequila shots (only Jade I think!), jaegerbombs, etc! We started at the roof top bar, City View (great view, worst service and biggest rip off in Hanoi), overlooking the lake and fireworks, then moved on to Le Pub (where the bill was over 1million dong!), Funky Buddha (but unfortunately I think we went on ‘gay’ night), and finally Dragonfly for a dance. At 2am we decided to call it a night ...

... was the period after decolonisation and the last section showed the time during the Vietnam War. As at the War Museum in HCMC that we visited the information and photos exhibited were designed to give the most amount of propoganda in support of the 'innocent' Vietnamese and against the cruel invaders (the French and the Americans). The most intersting section was the area dedicated to the Us pilots. Here the pictures showed the POW's enjoying themselves playing sports ...

... for local food and drink local beer perched on stools in the road and on the pavement in backpacker territory (where I should be) until the police come and clear us all out, or rather we peel off just before they arrive.

You'll note that overnight I've become a 'bignose' just like the ones I was criticising for waddling and wallowing their way around Guilin....

In fact I've arrived at a state of 'assumed helplessness' now that ...

... Shangrila.
Our accomidation in the Elegance 2 Hotel has met our every needs. The staff have been first class. As it is in the middle of Ma May street in the old quarter of Hanoi it has been an ideal base for Gwen & I. Gwen and I have no complaints. We have made many new friends and strengthened relationships with old ones. What more can be said.

... crossings as some Vietnamese go for pedestrians, as they are unhappy that there is something that technically gives pedestrians the right of way!! So, we had to learn to just step out into the road and walk steadily and confidently to the other side. The first few times have a mild laxative effect, but it works and you soon see it’s the safest way to do it as all the traffic just sways around you.
So that’s first impressions and there are so many other things that ...

... of both. Not nice, but educational none the less.

A couple of days & drunken nights later Len and Chilli went back to Cambodia, and after the final farewell it was just me and deano again.

Next stop was Dalat. Favoured all those years ago by the french because of the european climate within Vietnam, personally I thought it was too cold. Here we met the Easyriders and after extensive negotiation book our three day motorbike ...

Today we arrived in Vietnam. We waited around the Airport so that we could meet Nat's Parents who were flying from Hong Kong to meet us for two weeks. Nat made a "Golden Girls on Tour" sign for Gayle, Shirl and Carol. It was really funny when they saw it. It was good to see them after not seeing them for over a year. We said our hellos and then our goodbyes as we were not staying in the same hotel in Hanoi as them. They got a pick up from their hotel and we ...

... to find no toilet roll, stagnant water all in the shed and an army of bugs voyeuristically watching me, waiting for some white flesh to show itself.

When I came back, the other two Westerners who were on the bus (2 girls, cannae remember their names) came over and we got talking for another half an hour. At last the bus started up again, and we were "Oi'd" to get on, like it was us that was holding them up! We were a bit worried as the border closed at 4pm ...

... barter, so we've ended up with a nice room, with a balcony for 180,000 not the 250,000 she was asking. We discounted the homestay in the village on the basis that we will probably be doing some of that in Laos because we won't have much choice. If you don't have much interaction with local people on your travels (we do) then it's probably a very nice thing to do, but we didn't feel the need today. By the way, the government run ...

... them on every street and in every hotel, the 14th most populous country in the world is limited to 2 children per family, otherwise hefty taxes have to be paid to the government, everyone is selling something, or adding their commission t something, everybody wants to make a Dollar.... Sorry, that should be "Dorrarh". The magic of this city keeps reminding me of Delhi and my first tentative steps in India, meat on a stick from the street food stalls, the 36 streets and guilds mostly item ...