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November 10th - 11th
well we can check Water Puppet off our bucket list. the show was 45 mins long and cost $5.00. Thinh got us prime seats, right behind people with big heads and in front of a French family with a handful of kids, you know where this is going. Kerry, Hem and I spent most of the performance leaned forward to lessen the impact of the kids pushing, kicking and tapping on our seats, Tim lost patience and asked them to stop, the parents only hushed the kids when they talked during the performance but that was about it. the music was pretty good, a live orchestra, the puppets were okay but flaws in the performance were obvious; we know now why it's a dying art. after the show we got a snack at a cafe overlooking an intersection/almost roundabout. the traffic here does not cease to amaze. Scooters perform this odd dance intermingled with a f bikes, cars, pedestrians. we walked back through the old quarter which has around 1000 years of history; coined the Venice of the Far East by early explorers and traders due to constant flooding. From the 13th century the streets named after the merchandise it sold. today there are knock off shops, lots of low quality local type stuff. the sidewalks are not for walking but rather for eating, similar to outside patios but with childerns plastic stools or chairs and tiny short tables, scooter parking, overflow of junk from the stores, people grooming each other. we spent most of our time dodging traffic on the road rather than walking on the sidewalk...definitely getting mo confident walking in traffic.
dinner was nice at Koto, I had lemon grass skewers, rice and greens with a Koto Color cocktail made from midora, passion fruit and vodka or something, went down way to quick so switched to a mint juleup. back in the cab and to the hotel to bid farewell. Megan and I spent the night yaking until midnight. Thoi was locked out of the room, he is so funny.. Checks the door, locked, knocks on the door, calls out for Hem then rings the door bell, wonder if this was a recurring theme as it was both times their room was next to ours. I slept like crap plus picked up a nasty cough since we left Halong Bay. I woke up tired, back killing me and hacking my lungs out. megan to the rescue with strepsolls that had some other cold something or other in it. we met up with the remaining crew, Kerry decided to join us and wake back through the old quarter and around the nicely polluted greenish color lake with the dead fish head floating in it. I tried to stay on the higher path as to not get to close in case I fell in. board, tired of the mayhem and constant honking we headed back (Megan is amazing at finding her way, I always am lost). we stopped at the hospital across the street which houses the hotels spa on the 5th floor; I tried not to touch anything as we waited for the extremely slow elevator to decent from the 13th floor, a doctor was waiting for the elevator as well but picking his nose which really turned my stomach, visitors and patients walked about. we get off on the 5th floor, pick out the treatment we wanted then are asked to take a shower, really, we had to ask a few times to confirm; okay, I going into a separate room, the tub half the size of mine had a sitting area, I could barely fit my feet in he standing area. dry off, undies on or off? Hmm ponder, okay off as I going for an oil massage. I put on my tiny pink frock, open the door and gingerly walk back across the hall to reception. I am led to a table next to Megan and her male masseurs, no dividers, and told to take off my frock and get up in the table, I ask to confirm, stall tactic as my lady masseurs showed up and I got on the table dressed, she held up a towel for privacy, however the mirror in front of my bed was exposed. a few more indignities, spreading of the legs, not sure all was covered, felt a bit of a breeze, breast exposed as she gently massaged them, not that they necessarily needed it...one hour later, time to relax and wait for megan to ensure there was mo mis conducts with here guy. lazy day, killing time before we leave tonight for Sapa on the 9:00 train.
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John Meant to tick 5 stars. Best blog yet. Massage sounds like it was an adventure!!