Hanoi

We arrived in Hanoi at 4:30am. The streets were already full of people trying to offer us taxis and motorbike rides so it wasn't long before we found our guest house. Ali was relieved to discover that we had a western style toilet. Both the guest house and our double room is pleasant and quite cosy. It's the same hotel that Ali's brother Stuart will be staying in. He decided a while ago that he was going to take a three week holiday in Vietnam to be with Ali. This worked out great for Ali because she needed urgent supplies from back home. We found a nice restaurant for brunch called 'Paradise'. I had the best beef burger. I hadn't felt this full in quite a while. The coffee afterwards in the local cafe was equally as good. I bought a fake lonely planet guide to Vietnam for 3 pounds. Although some of the pages are joined at one end not perfectly legible, it's better than paying 14 pounds for a real one. I do feel bad that we are supporting such a harmful industry but we are travelers on a budget and it's all about survival. I do admit that was a poor justification. But anyway, with my new guide I was able to orientate us towards the old quarter by Hoan Kiem, a small lake in the center of the city. There are so many shops selling art and beautifully crafted objects. Lacquered items seem to be popular here but I couldn't help but buy some more art. We found a great bar to meet Stuart called 'Pinky Moony'. It had balconies which overlooked the street below and looked like the perfect location to sit and chat. We photocopied the map from my guide book with instructions on how to reach the bar. We made the receptionist at the guest house hand the message to Stuart as we sneaked back out (we didn't want to meet Stuart at the hotel - it wasn't interesting or creative enough).

Back in the old quarter we discovered art shops where painters were painting replicas of famous works. I thought they were amazing. I was very impressed. If I hadn't witnessed them actually applying paint to a canvas I would have been convinced that a machine did them. They were so precise and acurate. Each stroke was perfect. I considered buying Mum a Van Gogh for her new summer house but then decided against it at the last minute. We took a motorbike taxi back to the hotel so that we could rest and refresh ourselves before heading out to meet Stuart at the bar. I anticipated a long night catching up.