The Trip - Part VIII

Yes, where have I been? I'm so sorry. George is now home and recovering well. Back to school tomorrow in fact. Thank you everyone for your concern and well wishes - all the positive thoughts worked!

So back to the next instalment of the trip.

We land in Hanoi and the temperature is about 10 degrees – maximum. Geoff and the kids have been paying out on me for packing parkers but they’re eating their words now my friends!

There’s no guide, no tours, no plans for Hanoi. We’ve been here before and seen the sites so no pressure to rush around. Last time we loved the combination of French and Asian culture – and climate so it seems.

I’ve booked a hotel on hotels.com and it’s worked a treat! We’ve right among the action and a mere stroll from the old quarter and from the travel agent where I also booked our train tickets for the next sections of the journey.

We spend a day wandering the streets and lanes and pick up a few bits. It’s very low key and pleasant. The next day is Elle’s birthday and after a late breakfast we wander off to find these crazy swan paddle boats I recall from last time we were here – we find them, tied up  to shore and looking very sad. We keep walking to the Reunification Park – which in the drizzle, bizarrely resembles Lake Wendouree in Ballarat. As it’s Elle’s birthday, we decide to go to a proper restaurant for lunch. We stumble into an absolute ripper and the Ballarat theme continues – you’d swear it was a bistro from the 1970s – with décor and service to match. It’s hilarious. I excuse myself on the pretext of popping to the loo and organise a birthday cake as a surprise to follow lunch.

Would you call that light shade peach, apricot or salmon???

The menu is very French and I bravely order the duck and a glass of red – the duck’s not bad and the red – well, it is red….

We are having a very funny time as they play a shocking Eurovision-style ‘happy new year’ song about 85 times in a row. As we finish lunch, they add an equally bad version of 'happy birthday' to the musical repertoire. The staff bring in small plates and forks and lay them on the table. They the pack them back up and take them away. I think the ‘surprise’ is up.

We wonder back towards the hotel and decide to fill the time before we need to head to the station to catch the overnight train to Hue with yet another shocking massage. Geoff point blank refuses so leave us at the ‘salon’ while he sets off to find supplies for the train. The music assault continues as we’re subjected to Hotel California in pan pipes! Drowned out only when the door opens and the sound of hundreds of motor bikes fight for supremercy. Sadly, the pan pipes win.

I don’t know who told the Vietnamese that tourist love 70s music but we hear more Silver Convention and Boney M than my parents subjected us to when they were actually current.

We get to the station and finally board the train – always a thrill when there’s no raised platforms, the train floors are a good metre off the ground and we have kids, luggage, wheelchair, stroller and us to load on before they blow that whistle!!!