Zelma’s Trip

I finally managed to meet up with Olly in Hanoi – hoorah!  He arrived at my guesthouse on his scooter and we went to a bia hoi..  Bia hoi are basically outlets here which sell extremely cheap lager which apparently comes straight from the breweries.  We then went to Olly’s on his scooter and he showed me around his rather wonderful abode.  When we were at Olly’s house there was the start of a storm and it suddenly got very wet.  On our journey back into town we managed to get rained on quite impressively.  After a few more beers, cocktails and some ketchup with chips (don’t ask I think Olly has something of a tomato fetish) I headed back to my guesthouse.

I am now staying in Olly’s house which makes a nice change from staying in guest houses I must say.  The shower is also somewhat of a godsend and omits more than two drips when you turn it on which is something of a novelty to me.  I’ve spent today acquainting myself with Hanoi, or should I say Hanoi acquainting itself with me?!  We went for breakfast at this lovely restuarant this morning that overlooks Hoan Kiem Lake, which is in the centre on Hanoi.  I am still addicted to the fruit here and may try to cultivate dragon fruit on my return.  Yes, I’m sure that will be amazingly successful in the British climate.  Having said that it’s raining again here at the moment.  I hope this isn’t the future of the weather for my stay in Hanoi!