Friends Reunited

We woke up to the noises of Hanoi. Our hotel was an oasis of calm and well ordered efficiency in the centre of the old quarter of the city. Hanoi has 6 million inhabitants and 3 million of them own motorcycles. It seemed as if the majority of them were trying to drive past our door which made venturing out quite a thought and we didn't rush. Crossing the street, or walking along the road (because the pavements were blocked by parked motorcycles) was impossible if we applied European rules. Here, the advice is to move slowly and keep going. The traffic also moves slowly and will flow around you in a sort of brownian motion if you let it. Sudden movements confuse drivers and should be avoided. The advice worked and we were soon cruising the back streets and marvelling at the handicrafts and copies of western brand names that we saw. Resisting most of what was on offer, we headed to the French Quarter and had some coffee. By the time we returned to the hotel we were street waking like natives and awaited our travelling companions. Catriona and Diane were the first to arrive and we had a late lunch with them in our hotel. Before we had finished, Cathie and Dave were delivered from the airport by Hai our tour guide. They were all pretty tired after their travels so we had only a short walk to a nearby lake before our first Vietnamese meal in a restaurant near the hotel. 
Things were going well until a late night message informed us that Diane's stepfather had died suddenly and unexpectedly. It looks very much as if their holiday will have to be cut short.