DID: Up at 7am for tai chi on the sundeck but it was cancelled due to inclement weather. Was raining bucket-loads. Was originally thinking we would swim as planned at 7.45 rain or shine but having doubts - this kind of rain could seriously pin you underwater. But by 7.30 the rain had stopped, at 7.45 the sun was poking through and by 8 there was full-on sun. Had lots of fun snorkeling although there were no fish to be seen. Gavin got lots of compliments on his swimming skill. Beach was not privately owned by Indochina Co. but we were the only ones there.
Back on the boat, just enough time to shower/pack before brunch. Took our fruit and iced coffees up to the sundeck to enjoy a few minutes of lounging before we pulled into port at 10.30. My only complaint with the cruise itinerary is that there was not nearly enough time for relaxing on the boat. I had brought all kinds of homework for Gavin, books/movies for Rhys, postcards to write – didn’t even look at any of it. (not even any time for writing the blog post – I’m writing this one from the plane on the way to Bali!)
11am and we were in the car headed back to Hanoi. This time I paid more attention to village life. Learned that you can do anything (ie sing karaoke, get your haircut, play badminton, get your cement mixed) and buy anything (from baguettes to toys to roof tiles to live or dead chickens) on the side of the road. The haircutting was particularly humorous – picture an old-school barber chair (like Sweeney Todd-esque), blue tarp tied overhead for shade, a cracked mirror propped up on a wall in front of the chair, cordless clippers. On the upside, no harassment to buy hair products.
3pm, back at the hotel. Rhys had a nice reunion with the doormen. Was hoping he would sweet talk us into a room upgrade but no such luck.
Streetfood snacks, then a wander generally towards dinner before we came across another schoolyard amusement park (similar to the one in Hue). Hit the merry-go-round, the helicopters, the train, the bumper cars and the bouncy house before Jason’s hunger took control. And thank God it did because not 2 minutes after we got into the cab the skies absolutely ripped open with not just sheets but a whole linen closet of rain. The dash from the cab five feet to restaurant door – drenched, in spite of a greeter with an umbrella escorting us in. Thunder so loud everyone was literally jumping out of their chairs.
Rain calmed down while we ate, then it was off to the water puppet show. Realized once there that we’d left Gavin’s Japanese baseball hat back at the restaurant. Fortunately we had a bit of time before the show was due to start so Jason hopped back in a cab to retrieve it. He had some bad luck with the cabs – both the ones there and back had rigged their meters to overcharge. The original ride to the theater cost just over $1. These guys were trying to charge Jason about $10. Unfortunately Jason didn’t have any small change on him to just pay what he thought he owed, both times he ended up paying about $5 and walking away. But worth it to have Gavin’s hat back!
Water puppets were highly entertaining for everyone. Stage was a pool of water with a castle in the background. Live band playing traditional Vietnamese music off to the side of the stage. Puppets swam across the stage (appeared to be controlled by some sort of pole connected to the underside of the puppet, extending from the underside of the puppet, under the water, and back out somewhere behind the castle backdrop. Not sure how they manipulated it from there – the puppets were making some pretty wild/intricate + coordinated movement. They played out several scenes such as coconut picking, a horse race, a carp transforming into a dragon. Rhys was literally dancing on top of his chair and clapping throughout. Show was about 50 minutes in total – just right!
From there we raced off to a shop we’d seen from the cab on the way to the theater that looked interesting. The rush paid off – found some quality t-shirts with Vietnamese flare, plus a little cardie for me. Hopefully not too little, couldn’t try it on because of the sweat rolling down my back from the jog there. Ew.
Were enticed by the throngs of people at sidewalk cafes enjoying iced coffees and ice cream so joined in, then walked back to the hotel. Hotel really is in a great spot, any cabs we’ve taken have been more for convenience/time than necessity.
Can’t believe it’s our last night in Vietnam and we’re about to start the very last leg of our journey tomorrow!
ATE: Breakfast 1 on the boat – croissants and danish at dawn before hitting the beach.
Breakfast 2 – Brunch on the boat. Gavin and Jason had pho, Rhys had pancakes, I had an omelet. Fruit plate, fresh squeeze lemonade and orange juice, iced coffees. Defo my fav meal of the cruise.
Lunch – Back in Hanoi. Jason had some kind of fish and tofu soup from a vendor in an alley near the hotel. GnR and I had ham & cheese pastries from Paris Gateaux (www.parisgateaux.com.vn) Lemonades and coffees from a café in front of the Opera House.
Dinner – Best meal in Hanoi, hands down. Restaurant Quan An Ngon. We all shared fried shrimp on sugar cane (then wrapped with cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, carrot in a rice paper pancake), fried crab spring rolls (literally the best spring rolls I’ve ever had – so sweet, not fishy in the slightest, perfectly crisp), stir fried noodles with beef and greens, fried pancakes topped with whole shrimp (Rhys couldn’t get enough of these).
Dessert – fro-yo topped with chocolate sauce from NZ ice cream cafe down the street from t-shirt shop. Sidewalk in front was crammed with people perched on plastic stools. Good stuff.
SLEPT: Back at the Hanoi Hotel de l’Opera. 7th floor this time (last time on the 5th). They assured us it’s a non-smoking floor so hopefully no bad smells this time. Room identical to the first.
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