This morning we left Hải
Phòng at 8am. Tiến, Lý and Đạt all came to say goodbye to the girls. We took these photos but didn't realise that the camera lens was still cold from the air-conditioning and the humidity outside fogged up the lens. So unknowing, we took these farewell photos and away we went!
Miss Thủy had organised a car to drive us to Hà Nội with all our luggage. The driver, Tuấn, speaks English, so it
was a very comfortable trip and we arrived at Little Hanoi Diamond at
10:15am....only to find that our room wasn't ready, since checkout
here isn't till 12. Jordie was feeling a bit carsick so we settled down
in the reception area to wait....Katie watching Korean dramas on her
iPad, Jordan playing with her iPod, and me checking Facebook and now blogging
on my iPad. How different things are in this century compared to 15
years ago!
When we got to our room,
we tried to get Jordie to have a snooze, but that wasn't going to
happen, so we went for a walk instead. Katie had decided to buy a couple
of gorgeous elephants she saw last time, but when we went to the shop
they'd been sold! So she was very disappointed. At Jordie's request, we
ended up at Highlands Coffee Lounge again and she ordered her new
favourite...Cookies and Cream shake. It was very comfortable relaxing in
the huge leather lounges enjoying the fan.
Back at the hotel we hung out till 7:15, when we caught a taxi
to "Chicken. St" to meet Will. Unfortunately Pete had to work late, so
he couldn't make it. So once again we gorged ourselves on succulent,
tender chicken, with sweet sticky sauce dripping off our fingers....
After
we'd finished, Jordie wanted to go to the toilet, so I took her to the
back (We always eat on little stools and tables out on the street).
Anyway, when I found the bathroom, off the "kitchen" it was quite an
eye-opener! Unbelievably filthy and chaotic! I was sorry I hadn't
brought my camera, because seeing is believing! Just as well
everything we eat here has been scorched on the barbq! Haha
After
Chicken St, we caught a taxi to a karaoke bar Will knows where they
play anything you want from You Tube, so the four of us sang our little
hearts out till after 11pm!
By then Jordie was out on
her feet, so we jumped in a taxi to go back to the hotel. After a
couple of blocks it was obvious that he was driving around all over the
place, so Will made him stop, berated him while we got out...even though
he'd been taking us in the opposite direction by then, we weren't far
from Bat Dan St so we decided to just walk. Jordie and I walked back,
and Will and Katie found a tiny little bar where Will has a tab, so they
could stretch the night out a little longer. We're all hoping that
Will will come to Coffs during his holiday break at Tet in
February....that would be AWESOME!
FRIDAY, 31st October
After breakfast, I went for a walk to get some American Dollars to take with me to Cambodia. I withdrew some dong at a Vietcom bank, then walked to Ha Trung street to exchange them into dollars....easy as, great exchange rates...sweet! Today we had to be at the airport by mid afternoon, so after we packed our bags and checked out of our room we went for a walk to find somewhere for our last meal. We ended up finding this fabulous place... a Korean BBQ Buffet for only $11, on the top floor of the building we looked out on from Highland Coffee!
Great view out over the square and the lake.
We will definitely be back here...great food, great view, great value!
On our way back to the hotel Katie and Jordan bought one more thing... a really cute pair of pyjamas they had admired every time we walked past this shop right near the hotel.
Then it was the long taxi ride out to the airport. The girls left first so they went through the security gates and I stood and watched and waved till they were called to board their flight. Very mixed feelings that I wasn't going with them...but I expect the next three weeks will go very quickly and it will be my turn to go home.
But tonight, I went to Cambodia instead! Hanoi to Siem Reap is just a 2 hour flight... best way I know to renew a visa - go somewhere exotic that's nearby! and Angkor Wat has always been on my bucket list! After I passed through immigration and got my visa, I caught a tuk-tuk to my hotel. It's much hotter here, being much further south than Hà Nội
So here I am, in a big room all set to go and see Angkor tomorrow!
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