Another early start, as we were picked up to catch the bus to Hanoi at 7.00am in a minibus & decanted into the main bus which left on time at 7.40. It stopped at intervals to pick up people & deliver items & eventually arrived in the My Dinh bus station in Hanoi at 11.00. Owen found a taxi & we drove to our hotel where we were cordially received. After welcome drinks etc we were told that we had been moved to a sister hotel & that our baggage would be taken there for us & we could check in at 1.30pm.

Off we went around the corner for an excellent lunch before moving on to the 'Marvellous' Hotel for more welcoming drinks & eventually we got to our well appointed rooms.

d*** must have overdone it on Friday as his knees were complaining rather strenuously so he had a rest whilst Avenel & Jane went looking for glasses. They returned only partially successful as Jane found some new frames but they couldn't deliver the lenses until Monday morning.

Avenel & Owen went out to a supermarket to buy provisions unobtainable in Tuyen Quang & we met again for a fine dinner across the road at an Indian restaurant. From there we made our way to their favourite Hanoi coffee shop before returning to the hotel to bed.
Monday 11th April

Up late for breakfast with Avenel & Owen before we saw them off to the bus station for their return to Tuyen Quang. Jane went off for a foot massage whilst d*** worked on this & had a rest as his left foot was quite bloated.

When Jane returned we had a Pho lunch at a nearby stall & a leisurely coffee across the road from the hotel watching the traffic, including a bus, gaily pass either side of a small roundabout ignoring the arrows on its periphery.

At 3.30 we left the hotel & took a car to the airport to check in our baggage. As we had less than an hour between flights in Singapore Jane asked for a wheelchair there, for Dick, which proved to be a very wise decision.

Luckily the flight was on time but on our arrival we waited & then were raced up to the inter terminal train & then a second one to take us to the gate for the Perth flight. Here we were put straight on the plane before all the other passengers. This flight was only about 60% full so we had plenty of space.

In Perth the wheel chair appeared again & we had a rapid passage through Immigration before waiting for the bags. Jane’s came out with the first few but unfortunately Dick’s didn’t appear so we waited & had to report it missing. Eventually we got outside & Anna picked us up so that we were home by 7am, tired but happy.