Hanoi- A popular Hanoi hangout is The Water Puppets Theatre-whichis basically a Punch & Judy in water.It is an ancient artof wooden puppets carved from water resistant fig tree timber.Modelled on villagers aswell as mythical creatures . With a support orchestra and folk doing the speaking parts it is quite brilliant. It is an old theatre- the stage being a square tank.Behind screens the troupe of puppeteer handlers stand waist deep inwater and creature the pup...

HUE-28/06/06 Am sat at the WHY NOT? bar- with cold Larue in hand-happy & relaxed.Jottin notes in my journal. On my way to Tropical garden restaruant - it is incredibly humid and as my leggies stick to gether in a low waddle I am in a quandry what to eat. Feel like an iced soup!! Well one day later - still hotter than a wok but getting my head around it. Slowly slowly monkey monkey-- Had a superb manicure and pediure at Saigon Morin hotel - just to retrea...

Hue- On my way here-passed beautiful landscapes and village scenes.The houses here are skinny minny- due to high cost of land frontage- so people buy skinny plots and then proceed to build lonways into the back garden.Doors are left wide open back & front-v Feng Shui- and you get ot gander inside.all same same but different-spartan,table, couple of chairs, side cabinet,some dust collectors in the form of gaudy buddhas/vases/tutt,a TV which remains on 24/7-and ...

Hue-27/06/06 There is no question -one of the truely greatest things in coming to Vietnam has been the cuisine-around 500 National dishes.Eating is such an integral part of the culture- Indeed a Vietnamese proverb says- that people should learn to eat before they learn to speak. God only knows what the Pommy proverb would be- drink beer and get fat belly before learn to crawl-- If cooking were a painting, Vietnam would have one of the worlds most ...

Hoi An- 250606 A few hours on the beach was the tonic required- feeling refreshed and brian the brain is pulsating! Apparantly Hoi An has a big problem with flooding- somake sure you do not holiday here October and November times- being the central highlands there are only two seasons-wet & dry. In 1964- the floods reached the roof beams of the houses close to the waterfront with markers for proof. Even last year they suffered badly when the inhabitants ha...