Day 36 - Hoan Kiem Lake, school kids and the Old Quarter

The Ngoc Son Temple

Day 36 - 29th July

So the rain seems to follow me around, everywhere! I step outside and again it's raining. Come on.

The entranceway to The Ngoc Son Temple 

Adamant that it wouldn't dampen my spirits, both metaphorically and literally, I headed to Hoam Kiem lake to see what the fuss was about. The Ngoc Son Temple was spectacular, but as I've found with most temples in Asia, the precision and pride they take in these places of worship is nothing short of faultless. You can really feel and see how much it means to them.

Turtle Tower

I nearly slipped arse over head on the bridge in my grip-less Toms but I managed to maintain my dignity when I walked all the way around the lake as the rain battered me.

As I made my way towards King Ly Thai To Monument, just off of the lake, I was approached by 30 or so children with four teachers. They asked if I could spare them fifteen minutes, which I duly obliged. Why not, I thought - they want to learn, I want to learn.

Those kids were good fun!

I spoke to them about life in England, what I liked to do,playing football and being a writer. As a gift for my time, they presented me with Nhan (meaning Logan) fruit and said I should try it in front of them. I put one in my mouth and started chewing as a sense of panic rushed around me, telling me I had to peel it first. I spat it out and peeled one bit before trying again. It wasn't bad, tasting like a hard pear and I thanked them in Vietnamese - cảm ơn (pronounced Kahm Uhn.)

The rain persisted and I was soaked so I pushed back to the hostel and took refuge. I did some laundry for $2 and then I saw Matthijs in the Skyview Bar, who was supposed to be going to Halong Bay but due to a typhoon, his trip had been cancelled.

A serious note to the tourists and locals affected by the typhoon, as well as the families of the 14 who were killed on a junk sinking, including a Vietnamese guide - my thoughts go out to you. It was a terrible tragedy and something that never should have happened.

Matthijs and I talked about missing home, the people we missed most and about my writing, his ambitions. Another one of those talks! After he left at six for another tour, I headed back to my room to do some writing, waiting for the heavy rain to pass.

When it did, I went out and found some dinner locally and spent $2.50 on a plate of beef, carrots, sweet potato and rice with a Hanoi beer. What a deal.

I then retired to bed, ready for a busy next day!