We were all excited about today as it was Friday (not that that really matters when travelling), but it was another leaving do! Leaving do's are always good fun because a massive group gets together and heads out. Chris is leaving tomorrow to go back to his police officer job. I gave Luca a message as I really missed him from hoi'an and he arrived back in Hanoi today. I told him to get his ass out tonight and of course he willingly accepted! I did some washing during the day and tried to sort out my bag as there are items of clothing that have not been touched. Becky did the same and wrote in her little journal. We chilled and then headed for some western food in joma. I had lasagne and chili and bacon soup which was delicious! (Not as good as mums lasagne).
After food we headed to rose travel to try and book a halong bay tour. I have been itching to do it since I arrived in Hanoi but I promised myself I would wait for becky because she would love it. We ended up settling on a great deal. 3 nights 2 days, all meals included, kayacking, cave visits, swimming and a beach house stay for $100. We leave on Sunday and I am buzzing! It's going to be great. We then booked our bus out of Hanoi for Thursday the 12th of September. It was very bittersweet for me. Obviously I am here for a reason and that is to travel, but Hanoi is one of the most amazing places I've been. I have made great friends, had great food and been extremely happy here. But I am also looking forward to moving on with becky! Lots of fun times ahead and who knows maybe one day I will visit Hanoi again.
We got ready in the dorm and swapped plans with everyone. Aiden was going to meet the boys at beer hoi and becky and I would meet Luca and stay for happy hour in the hostel then head to the backpackers. We grabbed mopeds into ma mai and arrived fairly fast. Becky also gave the man a 100,000 note instead of 10,000. We were wondering why he was laughing on the way home....
We ordered some drinks and chilled with Luca and Hannah who was also on my placement. The backpackers is so rowdy and the PR guys are still tools. It has a great atmosphere though so I can't complain. We ended up having an ace time and danced all night. I love having becky with me as she is a fellow dancer, and obviously Luca is too being the flamboyant gay that he is. We headed to hair of the dog and danced away. Aiden, Chris, josh, josh, Martin, jonny, and chrises mum and aunt walked in! I nearly died off. Two 50 year old women in a nightclub in Vietnam. We made them feel welcome of course and danced and got them drinks. Chris was chuffed as he was unable to do anything of this due to 'last night syndrome'. Becky and I will probably have our turn of that on Wednesday.
After hair of the dog we went to half man half noodle. More and more people turned up and there was about 40 people because the backpackers PR fruits turned up with their posse! The bar men tried to explain that it was a quiet bar for casual drinks however Pr people sadly don't have enough brain cells to communicate much. Our group left and tried to go to lighthouse however the police had already turned up and shut it down, so we headed to a quieter bar instead. The football was on and England were playing so all the lads were hooked. I wagered a bet with Aiden that England would win 4-0, and bingo! I was right. After many gins and shots later, Chris was done and headed home. It was sad seeing all the boys so upset as he's been out here about 6 months, so they have all gotten really close! Our hostel gang was fading one by one and by the end it was Aiden, Kate, jonny becky and I. We then called it a night around 3 and headed home. Sleep!