I head out for some breakfast and coffee. I just dander down the street and get a baguette with pâté and some meat and veg, from a little street stall. It was pretty good, though I think I may have paid over the odds for it. Tasty all the same. I find a nice wee spot for a coffee and I take a seat in the street. This is a special place as I actually have a back on my seat, instead of just the plastic stool. I get myself a nice cup of the weasel, and enjoy watching the world go by. The guy in the cafe, moves the fan to blow in my direction and I am very comfortable. It's nice just watching the relaxed pace of life. Then in contrast the many bikes whizzing about, with the horns beeping away. I'm thinking about renting a bike. Little further south. I really enjoyed my bike ride when in Sapa, I think the sense of adventure would be awesome. Maybe later.
-----
I spend the afternoon trying to learn some Vietnamese. I may as well. So after many times reciting 1-10, and subsequent testing myself, I think I finally have it. I also learn the phrases 'I would like ...' and 'See you tomorrow...' I think I will bust these phrases out tonight and see how they go.
-----
Alex, Rodrigo, Ellias, Tom, Alex and myself. We stop off at some street place and get some sort of beef noodle thing. Pretty good. They also give us some dough sticks, similar to the ones I had in china, but not as good. After an ass crippling 20mins, it is time to move on, as I can no longer feel my rear! This is a common feeling, that's why we have to keep moving, I can not stay in the one place for too long, the pain. Though none of the locals appear to have this problem, buns of steel! We get to one of my favourite places, the guy knows me, from my worrying regularity at his fine establishment. He is good Craic, and I try to impress him with my Vietnamese, ha, at least he understands, that is a good start!
-----
We meet a kid of 12, Dang, we had met him earlier in the week. He comes here with his father to practice his English. Perfect for his dad, he gets to have some bia hoi while his son learns English. The kid has pretty good English and really good pronunciation, talking with all the foreigners really works well. He has lots of confidence and ambitions, great to see a kid with no fear. We have a few beers and then Rodrigo and I head to a club 'Hair Of The Dog' It has a couple of floors and we meet some Vietnamese people and sit with them. Pretty hard to talk with the music pumping, but we have the common ground of drinking! Ha. Also meet a guy from America, Miguel, he has a teaching job here, says he lives like a king and has no plans to go home. There is only one set of toilets in this place, with some saloon doors in to the urinal and a couple of stalls, interesting. Though when you look at what is being drunk, there are very few beers, most people are drinking shorts. Perhaps not the same need for toilets. We head home at closing time, luckily its not too far back to the hostel.