Hanoi Day 1

he bus picked us up at the port and we drove on first to see a ceramics centre and then to a Arts centre for disabled people. We checked into the hotel mid afternoon and some of us walked out for a coffee, the place Hanh suggested was strange in that you had to leave your shoes at the door and reclined at low tables on cushions scattered around. Strangely there were also two girls fast asleep under a load of cushions in the corner and we have no idea why. In the evening we first took a cyclo tour around the city. Each one seats or rather lounges one person in the front and the driver (cyclist) sits behind. This was an excellent way to see the sights and sound of the evening town, especially now that we were used to Vietnamese traffic. We eventually stopped in the centre of the Town and went in to see the Water Puppet show. This is different to string puppets in that the puppets move about on and in a large pool of water. They are controlled by rods and cables by operators who also stand in the pool but behind a screen. The effect was incredible with dancing and fighting scenes. Altogether about 15 different acts took place over about an hour. After the show we went to a nearby restaurant for food then back to the hotel to sleep.