Yesterday started out a bit of a flat day. The weather has been a bit gloomy with all these reports of typhoons and it was on and off raining most of the afternoon. Also it was one of those days where things didn't quite turn out how I'd intended. Only on a small scale though so nothing really to complain about.
I'd planned to go to one of the hotels for a bit of a swim and laze around but the temperature had cooled considerably overnight. I daren't say it was 'chilly' but it felt it compared to what it has been. I now understand how people in hot countries can walk around in jeans, jumper and coat when tourists are in shorts and t-shirt now that I've acclimatised for so long. (Can't believe I've been away for a month already.)
So that idea got shelved and I walked to a different part of town to check out the opera house and a few museums. I had a craving for a burger so stopped at a restaurant for lunch but the beef was off the menu so had to settle for chicken (which was delicious but didn't quite fulfil the craving).
I wandered round the Revolution Museum hoping to understand a bit more about the battles with the French and Americans but as with the previous museums I've visited I left just as confused as before I began. A lot of the exhibits have captions in English but the exhibits themselves aren't translated (ie letters, documents) so you lose out on the detail. I was the only person wandering round the place, it felt more like a university where people went to study but it was still a good way to while away some time.
I then searched for ages for a spa that had been recommended by the hotel and Rachel from the group trip. Couldn't find it anywhere despite the map I had and wandered back and forth for ages. It started raining so I stopped for a tea and smoothie to take stock on what to do next. I decided to head off to another spa the hotel had recommended. Before I knew it I'd signed myself up to a near three-hour treatment of coffee and honey body scrub, soak in a petal-strewn tub, delightful massage and rejuvenating facial. They threw in a Pho soup to revive me afterwards! And gave me a jar of some kind of tea but with no explanation of what it was. The whole thing was absolute bliss and the best massage I've had, maybe ever. So that was a good end to the day after all.
I was contemplating moving to one of the backpacker hostels to save some money and try and meet more people. I'm getting a bit bored of my own company this week. But I bottled it in the end and had to upgrade my room at the same hotel. But I've also booked myself a day trip to Halong Bay tomorrow, which I'm really looking forward to. Glad I don't miss out on seeing such seemingly beautiful sights after all.
This morning was spent wandering round town and taking lots of photos of the street scenes. It's mad how they are arranged in this part of the world. You'll stumble across one street full of shoe shops, then another that sells only materials, or kids today, or sellotape and other plastic tape-type paraphernalia. They're all grouped together which is perfect for those who know what they want and need to check out competitive prices. It'll be a long walk with a lengthy shopping list though.
The water puppet show near the lake was a must-see this afternoon. I'd been meaning to go but hadn't got round to buying a ticket at the right time. It was really rather sweet. Developed originally in the rice fields many moons ago as an art form. Some of the movements were quite comical but I'll stop myself from taking the piss here or ruining it by describing how they operate the puppets.
Off out shortly for some local cuisine and might even check out the local jazz club. Ohhhh get me and my cultural day!
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