Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72797
Now back in Hanoi, tucked up in a nice hotel (Pan Pacific at the E end of West Lake) with a comfy bed and quiet AC. View, bit mirky, from bed looking over said lake.
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And view over SWMBO’s legs to the bathroom.
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What is it with hotel room designers that they think SWMBO wants to look at my svelte form soaking in the tub for two hours?? Deffo failed the BDC!!
Oh and SWMBO’s just read out all the settings and controls on the bog, it’s more complicated than my car!!!
8th Apr 2019 8:14 am
ianm27
Member Since: 02 Jun 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 2154
Ahhh, 5* accomodation
First world problem - you have to read the instruction manual for all the gadgets in the room Uncle Ray's spare wheel protector
Limo Tint
Blackvue front & rear dashcam
Cruise control switch pack
Bodsy's remote for FBH
8th Apr 2019 11:16 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72797
Compared with all of the hotels and homestays we’ve been in over the last couple of weeks (apart from Crowne Plaza Hanoi West) this is pure and absolute heaven. Cocktail two hours is just about to start.
We have 3 night here, booked on a special offer via email so about £100 a night cheaper than the InterCont just up the road. We had that booked for the last night in Hanoi so will catch a bus there on Thursday. All of one stop.
8th Apr 2019 11:29 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72797
Morning folks, here’s the lovely, if not murky, view of Westlake. In about the centre of the pic is the John Mcain memorial as ISTR his Skyhawks crashed here after he punched out. Back in the day of course.
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And Bun Cha for breakie.
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It’s going to be 35c & humid today, lovely!!
9th Apr 2019 2:54 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72797
Bit off a wander round the very small part of Westlake near the hotel. The rest, big part, of the lake is something like a 16km walk so decided it’s about 14km too far in this lovely heat.
The John Macain memorial, not sure if it’s to commemorate his stay in Hanoi or the locals disrupting his return travel plans for that day. Rubbish pics, sorreeee.
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I’m sure his old colleagues might notice the deliberate mistake.
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Considering his company logo was pretty much splattered all over his ride.
Then past the swans at the other side of the lake from the hotel. Now if these pics don’t weird peeps out nothing will.
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Then back to hotel lounge for a nice cuppa for SWMBO and iced latte for moi. Plus change of shirt & t-shirt, SWMBO was cooking in the heat. Might just slob it round the pool this avo. Well someone has to.
9th Apr 2019 5:45 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72797
And the last trip by bus to downtown Hanoi has been undertaken. Didn’t stay in too long as it was getting pretty hot & humid. Went to a shopping centre in search of shorts for my slightly larger than your average Vietnamese frame, however no luck. Tried M&S, no good, plus after much declaring from SWMBO that I was a nightmare to go shopping with (she might have a point) we abandoned the mission and headed back to the centre of Hanoi.
For the record/no pic = it’s not there, here’s M&S Hanoi.
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Oh, and forgot to say in this shopping mall for the first 5 minutes staff were out and bowing to the customers, with very loud music blasting over the tannoy system. Most surreal.
Then off to the Temple of Literature, a very old seat of learning, with some very young graduates celebrating today!
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The little ‘uns are great to watch, one conga line had us hello-ing and sin chow-ing for ages. Not this group, but it’s always like a scene from Dumbo. In one museum SWMBO got trapped between two lines of them and we almost needed to get a helicopter in there to get her out.
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And a big drum, in case we need to bang on about Hanoi any more.
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After the ToL it was get the bus back to the Hotel. We had a vague plan to continue the quest for shorts, mainly so SWMBO can throw out the ones I’m presently wearing, but it was just getting too hot and we’d officially had enough of getting across roads in Hanoi for today. Back to base, afternoon schnooze/watch a movie, in reality a combo of the two, and now enjoying the elixir of life here, Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk. Truely magic.
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10th Apr 2019 10:27 am
Down&Dirty
Member Since: 17 Aug 2012
Location: Somewhere out back
Posts: 1287
So sat with coffee eagerly waiting for latest update
MY24 Defender 90 X-Dynamic HSE
MY18 Disco 5 HSE Santorini Black Now Gone.
11th Apr 2019 7:48 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72797
Not a lot to report today, just change of hotel before flying down to the south (Dalat) tomorrow.
New fruit experience this morning, jackfruit. It a bit rubbery but tastes like banana. Pretty nice.
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To get to the InterCont Westlake from the PanPacific should only take 10 mins or so by Grab, maybe double that plus waiting time by bus so, you guessed it, we hoofed it. GoogMaps has it 1.6km but it was 2.5 according to the watch, hot and humid with our packs but still enjoyed it. Passed a golf driving range at the side of the lake, which started discussion on whether golf balls float or sink. We think sink, but wouldn’t like to go into the water to find out, it’s pretty minging. And we watched a couple of peeps using the range. If the aim is to miss the “islands” and nets they are pretty good at it.
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Just scoffed afternoon tea here, included in Club Lounge rate, really nice but was mostly eaten before I thought to take a pic. Not putting peeps on virtual diet, honest. Also booked the basic room and got upgraded a couple of levels to a very nice suite with not one but 2 balconies. Very nice end to time in the north before getting back to the old South VN.
Cocktails start at 5pm here, a bit earlier than we are used to but I’m sure we’ll cope.
11th Apr 2019 9:13 am
ianm27
Member Since: 02 Jun 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 2154
Cocktails at 5pm - it's a hard life but then I suppose someone has to do it Uncle Ray's spare wheel protector
Limo Tint
Blackvue front & rear dashcam
Cruise control switch pack
Bodsy's remote for FBH
11th Apr 2019 10:35 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72797
Somebody has to indeed do it.
Plus the chef was prowling around as a bit quiet here for his liking so had to have the hot canopies.
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And then help take the weight off the buffet table, it was under a lot of strain.
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As was the booze table.
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Cheese was especially nice.
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All washed down with an especially cheeky not-so-little glass, or several, of Argie Malbec.
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It’s a tough life.
11th Apr 2019 12:11 pm
mark the spark
Member Since: 22 Jun 2011
Location: southampton
Posts: 2477
try the rambutan ( looks like a jocks ) and some tamarin root
weird but nice loads about just ask a localMY05 SE D3 Manual my first LR what a car
MY10 HSE D4 auto
MY14 XXV more buttons than the spaceshuttle
11th Apr 2019 1:02 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72797
Have had a fair few rambutan, as you say weird but nice. Also like dragon’s eye fruit, had some in the fruit basket delivered to the room today, really nice.
11th Apr 2019 1:06 pm
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26705
Golf balls sink Derek. I speak from much experience.
11th Apr 2019 1:55 pm
mark the spark
Member Since: 22 Jun 2011
Location: southampton
Posts: 2477
if you head out at night to the country you see miles of fields of dragon fruit being grown using artificial light to force the growth
looks like aliens have taken over the fields MY05 SE D3 Manual my first LR what a car
MY10 HSE D4 auto
MY14 XXV more buttons than the spaceshuttle
11th Apr 2019 3:33 pm
ianm27
Member Since: 02 Jun 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 2154
Del venture out at night?? After working his way through those buffet and drinks tables??
Uncle Ray's spare wheel protector
Limo Tint
Blackvue front & rear dashcam
Cruise control switch pack
Bodsy's remote for FBH
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
) and some tamarin root
