Hanoi

Sat 3rd Nov Majestic Hotel, Hanoi 5.30pm
Help, all my sign in and log in instructions are in vietnamese. got throught it so in at last.
Malaysian Airways excellent, HeathrowT3 awful incl 200m q for security, Kuala Lumpur airport brilliant, Hanoi airport fine. Got 2 breakfasts, one on each flight, a good start to the holiday. Taxi ride to hotel interesting and hairy dual carriageway here means go both ways on both sides if it suits you and you are on a bike or moped which many are.
GiaBoa hotel is in the middle of the old quarter so went walkabout what an amazing place narrow streets higldy pigldy buildings up to 4 storeys full of potted greenery and washing on all levels each with tiny shops at street level bustling with people and mopeds and bikes everywhere parked at all angles on pavements and roadsides and thousands of them speeding through streets in all directions where one-way, right hand driving, stopping at pedestrian crossings and red lights are all optional. Crossing the road great fun just walk out and keep going they are very skilled at missing you and each other. very few cars mainly taxis only saw one bus. People busy getting on with their lives selling stuff, sorting stock, moving stuff about including on grossly overloaded bikes and mopeds, chatting, cooking and eating on street corners, lots of horn blowing but no shouting, they dont shout here, raised voices in anger are rude.
Met and chatted with Hgoc a student. People just start talking to you it's a bit like Lannelli and Burry Port.
Visited Ngocson Temple and Lake Ho Guom = Lake of the Sword Restored where an ancient warrior who had defeated the chinese was out boating on the lake and had his sword nicked by a huge passing turtle and interpreted this as a holy sign that the wars were over and it would be peaceful for evermore obviously nobody told him about the americans, anyway I think he just dropped it and had to think up an excuse.
Evening meal pork + cashews, had cabbage perfectly cooked and onion rings huge portions nearly couldn't eat it all (shouldn't have had mixed melon and salad starter). Vietnamese beer very nice - lager of course, they didn't have warm english beer, theyre no better than the aussies and kiwis in this respect they should all get themselves organised with St Austel ales.
2nd day = 3rd nov excellent breakfast
Moved to Majestic Salute Hotel in another part of old town where guided trip starts with a meal this evening, this hotel even smarter but might have to share.
Went walkabout again in the afternoon, found old french? water tower surrounded by traffic and a 1946 memorial in a park, met Hewey probably spelled Hui she sold me postcards and 2 Hanoi t shirts (for squash) chatted for ages also Huw (Hu?) 8 year old girl on a bike who practiced her english on me to the apparent delight of her granny and amazement of her little brother. They are all learning english at school now, Hui informed me. We had quite a little gathering in the park.
6.25 now, must go to meeting. Keep in touch, all the Best,
John