Hanoi

Monday – The alarm went off at 08:00 but we continued to sleep until 08:45 and had to rush to breakfast on the eleventh floor in the roof top panoramic dining room. As we were about to leave the concierge called us over and said that he had spoken with the airport and my suitcase was being delivered this morning. Outside it looked rainy and cold but we walked around the old town and the lake and had lunch at the “Hidden Gem Café”. A hideaway place up rickety stairs with furniture made from recycled car bits and aged rusty pieces, recommended by Marion who had been there recently on a trip. We had a delicious meal of five Vietnamese dishes with a beer and an orange juice. Total cost Vietnam Dong980,000 or AU$53. After cocktails at the hotel, we bought a packet of chips and a mangosteen for dinner. During the day we had seen a small ceramics shop close by and went back there to buy a couple of gifts, bearing in mind how full our luggage was. Back in the hotel we packed the suitcases in preparation for the return flight home. I threw out a pair of old shoes, old clothing and unwanted paperwork. We made a final visit to the bar on the eleventh floor and had two cocktails each. The bar manager a very friendly and impressionable young man came for a lengthy chat and then had a special cocktail made for me. Probably too much sugar but it was fantastic. Tonight, we were fully awake and didn’t go to sleep until well after midnight.Read more