In Hà Nội to meet Katie, Hannah and Adam

Today is the day Katie and Hannah and Adam arrive!  I was up early as usual to go walking, then Khánh and Xuân and I caught the train to Hà Nội to go and meet them.  We checked into the hotel - Little Hanoi Diamond - a bit earlier than expected, so just the boys' room was ready. Comfy beds...

After a bit of a rest, we went for a walk. Xuân had never been to Hà Nội  before, so he had the excitement of seeing this amazing city for the first time. . . all the sights and sounds of the Old Quarter at least! 

We found a busy restaurant on Hàng Điếu Street serving local food and had lunch upstairs in a mezzanine floor where the ceiling was only just high enough for me to walk upright (my hair was brushing it!). We had Bún Bò Nam Bộ...  scrumptious.

I took this photo because of the hundreds of bees flying around the sugarcane juicer (and Khánh) ... but you can't see any!!  Anyhow, we spent the afternoon window shopping until I needed to go back to the hotel for a nap ... just quietly, I think my noble lads were a bit over it by then so they were only too pleased to lie back and watch a movie.

Finally it was time to go to the airport, so we jumped in the car organised by our hotel and off we went... only to be caught up in peak hour traffic. Nevertheless, we arrived before Katie, Hannah Williams and Adam Angwin did so we were there when they walked through the arrivals gate

SOOOO HAPPY TO SEE MY KATIE! 

Welcome to our part of the world!!

 We went back to the hotel and settled in, then Khánh's mate, Dũng joined us and we went out to find somewhere to eat ... an upstairs restaurant on a corner. 

Dũng, Khánh, Adam and Xuân.

The food was good, new friendships quickly forged and it was all going great when the waiter started shutting down the blinds. There is an 11pm curfew for businesses in Hà Nội and it's strictly policed, so we had to go... not a problem, we were all tired - the Aussies are still geared to Aussie time so it was 3 am for them anyway. So it was a short walk back to the hotel for a relatively early night ... We'll explore Hanoi tomorrow!