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It was a real wrench to leave Hong Kong but needs must as we make our way through Asia like a dotted line in an Indiana Jones movie. Naturally, it was another pretty sweaty journey for the memory bank folks after a seemingly neverending bus, minibus, sleeper bus, walk, train, very rickety rickshaw, taxi (Sierra - nice), minibus journey via Nanning to Vietnam and another Communist state, although a slightly less paranoid one than China on first impressions.
We're staying at the cheerily titled Blue Sky Resort in the interesting Old Quarter of 'Nam's capital and the whole City has a relaxed feel about it. Maybe it's due to the lake in the centre of the City or the faint whiff of French influence about the place? We've found some cracking crunchy French bread and pain au chocolat's which sit oddly alongside rice and noodles though I'm not complaining of course. Beef noodle soup (Pho) for breakfast makes a nice change from bacon and eggs. Somehow we've managed to resist the smoked dog we spotted at one of the markets here.
Trying something new, we managed to fit in some culture (gasp) with a trip to the superb Water Puppet Theatre here. I did threaten to nod off a couple of times due to train/minibus lag and despite nearly the entire crowd's desire to get photos during the performance (bloody tourists) we enjoyed it immensely. I'd definitely recommend it, along with a trip to Highway 4 restaurant as two of the best things to do in Hanoi.
Lastly and sadly, in keeping with our inability to see Pickled Mr Mao in Beijing, we were unable to see Pickled Mr Ho Chi Minh due to somebody sleeping in late. Maybe we need a trip to Moscow to see pickled Mr Lenin? Where's that Annual Leave book?!
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