The first weekend!

We arrived mid morning on Friday, after good flights with Cathay Pacific and Dragonair, around 20 hours door to door. We were very impressed with Cathay Pacific, excellent food and service and good landings!

Friday was spent unpacking, getting a feel,for the neighbourhood, meeting Orlo from school. I managed to keep going until 8.0pm here, which is 6 hours ahead of the UK.......With only one hour's sleep on the way.

We got up about 6.30 on Saturday morning, in preparation  for Saturday Soccer. Amanda's cousin, Johnathan and his friend, Bart, arrived the  previous evening. Andrew abandoned us for a 200km bike ride whist the rest of us went off to Saturday Soccer at UNIS, Orlo's school. Both Andrew and Amanda help out.

The purple team won at the last minute, 2:1!

After showers and a snack we all set off for the city centre. We had lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant which serves typical street food.

Then we were off on the sightseeing trail beginning with the old market,Dong Xuan, where all manner of good are piled high! I had a quick look at the fabric, and we also went to look at the live song birds, household equipment including rat traps and barbed wire!

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We found Johnathan and Bart enjoying a typical street side drink and joined them

It was very hot, so Amanda and Orlo headed home whilst the four of us went walking to explore the Old Quarter. we split up but kept bumping into the 'boys'. It was incredibly busy but we negotiated the scooters, bicycles, the pavements, the street vendors, shoe cleaners, and packs of tourists in rickshaws.

We got lost a couple of times as these streets are a real maze and we didn't have a map with us, however we eventually arrived out at Hoan Kien lake and made for the Avalon cafe for a drink in air conditioned surroundings. M and I then took a taxi home, where we had time for a cuppa and a shower before going out for dinner at the Tet restaurant on Tay Ho lake. Andrew took Orlo home and we had a walk through the narrow residentsial alleyways, bought a 3G SIM card for my phone, for about £3! We then had a drink at the Red River Tearoom, definitely not tea, overlooking the lake. Home to bed at a reasonable hour!

This morning we had leisurely breakfast, then took a taxi to the Museum of Ethnology. This is an excellent museum with reconstructed building outside, and some wonderful exhibits inside.  We arrived in time to see most of the water puppet performance. Once again it was very hot, I think it got to 37C today. We had a beer and light lunch at the Hanoi Social Club, which sounds much grander than it is !! We spent the afternoon at home, preparing salads etc for our BBQ this evening

Tomorrow morning Michael and Andrew leave for Phong Nha National Park, flying to Dong Hoi. They will do a jungle trek with an overnight camp in Hang En Cave on Tuesday/Wednesday arriving home Thursday morning. I am trying to arrange to go to the silk village one day, but the priority is Orlo's class recycling sale at 8.30 in the morning.....and I need to bake a birthday cake in time for his party on Thursday......

All for now, watch this space..