1. Two worlds collide at the metropole
2. Tet floral display arrangement
3. Mango yoghurt smoothie
4. Lanterns! I want to bring lots of these home- they are magical
5. Beautiful old tiles
6. Women selling their goods. Spot the lime green?
7. Catching an afternoon sleep
8. Walkup street pharmacy
9. 17 cowboys americam style saloon. Even smells like the old west

Some pics from today!
Weve done lots of walking. Feeling much less homesick today, and really enjoying exploring so much, getting familiar with whats around us.
I wrote a very long blog but it all erased and i must go to bed now, but i will provide a mich better update tomorrow! :(

We walked through to west lake today- a huge lake borth of the old quarter. It is a huge lake, and for the first time it almost felt like fresh air!
To get there we walked through what was the citadel- not much of it is left. Here are some pictures from our wanderings today. 1. A great garden cafe 2. Such good coffee!
3. Presidential house
4. Old citadel wall
5. Citadel ruins
6. hoan kiem lake tet festival preparations!

Its a difficult question to answer: how can you help people? Can we ever truly give of ourselves?

a bit of philosophy for the evening...


We went to the old quarter this evening for dinner... All the tet festival lights are gojng up and the festive mood is around! Here are some pictures of the bridge on Hoan Kiem lake and the buildings opposite

I'm just writing this from my workplace. I've spent the last few hours preparing the weeks lessons- including colouring and cutting out finger puppets whilst listening to the karaoke filtering in from next door and the heavy traffic tooting outside :)
I've been told that the kids all like me, which is good to hear, as I'm finding it a bit of a challenge! I never thought I would say that teaching teenagers was easier. It is certainly a switch, from slightly longer attention spans to incredibly short ones, and to having to lose all inhibitions when it comes to singing and makigng a fool of yourself. It's good for me though :)

Feeling a little bit homesick today, but i know it will pass. Hugo and i are such people people- we are missing our people :)

Coffee

The coffee here is the best in the world. Here is the process: it comes out in a small cup in a small bowl full of hot water. In the cup is a teaspoon of condensed milk. On top of the cup is a filter full of coffee and hot water. You wait for it to filter through, and then remove the filter and stir! Its very very strong (stronger than ive had anywhere in europe) but amazing. Its a bit of a patience game, but waiting for it makes it all the better. The cafe we went to doubled as a stationary shop. It was lovely as a short respite from the misty rain and a great view across Hoan Kiem Lake...

1. There are many men sitting around like this. Kit: folding chair and one small stool (waiting for a friend to stop by for a chat?) small thermos-like jug of tea, cigarettes.
2. The railraod tracks which serve as an unofficial divide between the tourist area and the beyond. Im not sure if they are in use.
3. Ordering what i though was a strawberry milkshake, and being given a cup of yogurt with various fruits mixed in!
4. One of hundreds of flower stalls. They are preparing big arrangements for the celebration of Tet

1. Hugo being helped by 2 teenage girls to fill in hospital registration for his medical check for a work visa
2. Ho Chi Minh mausoleum
3/4 ho chi minh's 2 soviet cars (gifts)
5. Ho chi minh's residence
6. His office
7 view over the lake
8. Ancient fish tank :)
9 half-wood bicycles!

Primary school

We live right next to a primary school with a huge forecourt. Every morning (this week at least- I dont know if its just Tet preparation celebration or a daily thing) they seem to have an asembly with lots of microphones and singing! Its quite sweet really as we can hear these little voices around 9 everyday.
We went to have pho for dinner last night (a noodle soup with meat- very tasty amd very cheap) and just outside the window was a typical sight- a group of people sitting on tiny stools around a makeshift bbq cooking various fruits and corn. There was a little boy with them, maybe 2 years old, i think he was the cutest thing ive ever seen. He kept making faces and smiling at me- his expressions reminded me so much of my nephew Owen :)
We've been really getting to know the area around where we live. Hugo discovered some really cool coffee shops behind our apartment on the block so we are going to try some of them out over the next few days. There is so much on offer here its sometimes hard to choose just one place.

We ventured out yesterday to a shopping centre called The Garden. We knew roughly where it was on the map but didnt know what to expect. as the taxi got closer, the land became emptier. There was new construction everywhere and lots on every side being prepared for new builds. As we approached the shopping centre, the buildings looked very Euopean- it was as though we could have been anywhere! And yet the shopping malls havent yet taken off. They are very quiet and still have many vacant shops. I imagine it wont take long for that to change with a fast growing middle class. They are shiny and new, in stark contrast with what Hugo then showed me around the area he went exploring the other day. It certainly doesnt take much wanderingto realise that we are actually in southeast asia. Every person stared, almost in disbelief. It made me wonder if most people dont often travel outside their district. Although we are in a big city, people still live a countryside life. Dirt roads and paths, primitive shops, makeshift everything. Its such an amazing sight. And when they stare, its as if they had never seen westerners in real life. Yet when they smile back, its so genuine.

I have attached some pictures of our journey yesterday, a collection of thing s seen out the window....