Vietnam Day 10: A morning walk through Hanoi.

When Robin took me on the motorbike ride last night, he drove to the market at the end of the street, then across to the lake, so I could tell everyone where to go for a walk in the morning.

Some of us were getting picked up at 9, so we met in the foyer to say goodbye.

Then, I stupidly announced that I was going to see the lake. Jen said she’d come with me. Everyone else was suddenly very busy…

But she was pretty good, apart from announcing very loudly that Vietnam should have a “CLEAN UP VIETNAM DAY.” I hoped that there was no one nearby who spoke English.

We dropped into the market first. Pigs trotters, anyone?
You can see that Wanda was with us.

Poor things. They were so frightened.

After that, we wandered out to see the lake.

We spent the next hour or so just wandering around the streets and people watching.

Shopping. The woman in blue was incredibly picky about the fruit she was buying.

You can understand why people here buy their food fresh every single day.

Her hat looks toasty warm.

She matches the flowers. I thought she was selling them, but we came back later and she was gone. The flowers were still there, though.

We had the lake on our right and the people on our left.

Coconuts.

A picturesque old house. It must have been beautiful in its heyday.

This was where Robin got married, 20 years ago. There were 1,000 people at the wedding. In Vietnam, you invite EVERYONE.

Meet Lucky, the dog in pink. He’s 11 years old.

These free exercise stations are dotted all over Hanoi. Not a bad idea…

Every now and then we saw people fishing in the lake.

But it’s ok. These people were clearing out the litter.

These murals were outside a primary school. They’re a lot more wholesome than the pictures we saw in the primary school in North Korea!

This is the view from my 4th storey window while I’m waiting for my iPad to charge. We’ve seen so many bonsais and pot plants in Vietnam. The person who lives here is clearly nurturing these plants.
I’m pretty sure I’d be doing the same thing if I was born here.

The restaurant across the street from my hotel is a Pho place with a Michelin Star. I thought it would be a good idea to eat here for my last meal on Vietnamese soil.

It was delicious. And only 50,000 Dong!

That’s $3.15 Australian…

I’m pressing Publish on this and then in 20 minutes I’ll be heading for the airport for my flight back to Saigon and then home. This will be the first time I’ve actually stayed totally up to date on a holiday’s blogging!

I’m looking forward to seeing Scout. Oh! And the kids, of course…

Dad Joke of the Day:

We tell actors to “break a leg” because every play needs a cast.