Day 12 - Hanoi

The lasting memories of this city will certainly be the traffic chaos, the street food (not that we tried any, it didnt look great), and the extremely friendly and enterprising people.

The hotel staff here at the Charming 2 are just fantastic, nothing is too much trouble and they all seem so genuinely interested in hearing about what you have done and where you have been.

One of the reception boys was so gushing in telling Felix how handsome and beautiful he was that had I been in the UK I would have probably reported him!.. but here it is just the way, no inhibitions in expressing what they feel, and certainly nothing other than good intentions meant.

Even Immy, who is usually so shy when confronted with such displays, professed to really really liking the staff at the hotel.

Aside from the love-ins at reception! today we went to the military museum, Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and did a few further trips on the Rickshaws. ( of course a couple of beers were sipped)

I wonder if the great nature of the Vietnamese people somehow comes from the fact that their nation was for one reason or another in a state of war for the majority of the 20th century. Maybe they take life with a little more gratitude than some of the west where although conflict has been on-going, never to the extent that the Vietnamese have had in their own back yard ( and so recently), this is not a rich nation, so to see such up-beat expressions across everyone definitely makes you think. The Military Museum brought the recent conflicts into light

Tomorrow we head out to Halong Bay for 3 days on a Junk, followed by a night on the train down to Hoi An so hope to be able to post as we go.

Day 11 - Hanoi

We head off this morning after a light breakfast, full of spirit for our first full day in the far east. We were not disappointed!... although it took a couple of hours for Immy to relax with the chaotic roads, as the video I took this morning at 7:30am does not do justice to the full extent of the madness that is the Hanoi road systems... we later learnt that the best way to get round is in the rikshaws. We explored the temple on the lake, the street markets and all was good, until one of my designer flip-flops decided to break, the leather bit between the toes snapped!!... leaving me walking about like a lame ostrich!.. very cool!

What was cool was three corners later, two young Vietnamese chaps came runner after me, with all the cobbler tools necessary to fix the flip flop. not only did they fix them but they resoled them, polished them and buffed the suede! - awesome job done, and there lie my first mistake, and lesson learnt in Vietnam!!:: - - no matter how impressed and taken back by the enterprise, skill, cunning and wit of the Vietnamese people... always discuss price before the work is done!!!

Whilst the work was being done on the flip flops, we became prey to all street merchants, and along with a newly buffed pair of flip flops, we could have walked away with all and sundry (and an empty wallet).. but managed to contain this to a dozen bananas and a pineapple, but the picture is priceless!... oh and the flip flop repair only cost about half the cost of a new pair after some difficult post sale negotiations.

We sipped beer at various points, watched the water puppets and generally took in the full flavour of this crazy city.. a bit of down time now before we take in some dinner.

Morning Bustle and Street food outside our hotel in Hanoi

Day 10 From Dubai to Hanoi

A very pleasant journey was had, if a little long, but Qatar airways certainly demonstrated why they are one of only a very few 5 star airlines, higher than BA and emirates!! Great service, comfortable and leggy seats, and an in-flight entertainment console which left us having to pry the kids away from their seats at the end of the 10 hrs.

4:00 am at the airport

In between the 4 films I watched I reflected on what a marvel Dubai is, what they have achieved as a nation over the last 20 years, and how it seems to me the bad press they sometimes get is unfair.

Okay they may hide well the poor standards of living endured by the work force who actually build the city, although I did see a couple of the coaches ferrying the workers from the construction sites to their out of city compounds, and it was plain to see in the eyes of these men that life was not brimming with the opportunity and excitement enjoyed by the western working visitors, or the wealth of the Dubai Arab community.

But not dwelling on this aspect, and as a family moving slowly through the world on the adventure to establish a different life, I can honestly say that Dubai would definitely be a place I could set myself up in for a few years... or maybe longer. The cultural differences presented by the Arab and Muslim beliefs would need getting used to for sure, but their energy to enjoy life through the experience of the worlds finest foods, the greatest hotels, the most lavish environments, and outlandish theme parks, malls and water-parks, has certainly left us extremely impressed. They have indeed succeeded in building a mecca for tourists, and in the process also delivered a great place to live for its residents!.. food for thought for years to come maybe!

But as I now sit in our new hotel, 'The Charming 2' in central Hanoi it is very clear we have left opulence behind, and replaced it with a more simple existence. The staff are extremely pleasant, and the kids have already experienced the love of children the Vietnamese have, with the bellboy showering them with affection from the point of our arrival, we were lucky to get our bags!

We got straight off to sleep after one beer from the mini bar... and I discovered that the expense of Dubai was now behind us, the local lager from the mini bar cost just 50p!

I look out of our bedroom window, whilst everyone else is asleep, listening to the constant tooting of the mopeds, and I see the family of the corner shop eating their breakfast on plastic cartons for seats on the front step of their shop... this is very exciting, Can't wait to get out there! - I just know this next step of the adventure is going to be fantastic for all of us!

Tooth Update!!

No pics today, no Vids today.... its just been a day of pacing in anticipation of my visit to the dentist.

Yep thats right!... i'm going to drama up this bad ass pain in the 'mo fo' tooth for what its worth!

the dentist appointment was made for 2:30 - i'm not messing! - it was 2:30! and I aint chinese, but my tooth definately... tooth hurty!!! Dr Mallory (Anna) was brilliant in arranging me a consultation with a top dental doctor from her surgery.

Anyway after a very long period of. x-rays.. dissbelief.... poking.... drilling.......sucking....more poking... drilling... and finally rinsing... I end up, an hour later, with the 4th replacement filling for the same tooth and an equal promise that should there be a sensitivity then immediate root canal surgery would be required.

Having a laugh!

anyhow I lived through the following 2 hrs in anticipation of this immediate predicament and can thankfully say I live to hear another dentist tell me those wonderfully comforting words... you gunna need root canal - '''!! someone just man up and give it to me !!  ''''

anyway beyond the miracle that is this nerve that sits micro-millimeters away from my filling without infection... I pray this will be the last post on such matters... it didn't help that the pressure of the impending root canal work came hours before our 12 hour flight to Hanoi, that starts at 3:00am tomorrow.

Farewell Dubai, Farewell Tooth ache.

P.S. Kids had a great day at kids club - a first for them. and Steph is browner than ever!!

some proper dubai sightseeing!

Okay, no apologies, today was an unashamed day of brutal sightseeing, so less of the words and more of the pics and flicks.. very tired this evening.. my only comment - where was everyone in downtown dubai, it was weirdly like a ghost town .. most pics on the other pages (downloaded when i get the bandwidth), just my favorites here

this building is ridiculously awesome, and you would imagine there to be swarms of people coming in and out considering it to be the tallest building in the world..... we didnt see any!

This brilliant picture is beautiful in its depiction of the differing attitudes in the family towards dads insistence on seeing just one more skyscraper!!!

Lets just say the day was a success, ignoring maybe just a couple of sense of humour failures amongst the troops.

(I fancy this as a bit of a pink floyd album cover!!....okay maybe a little over the top, but loving it all the same)

This last vid was back at the lost chambers in Atlantis.. pretty cool though

Mallory Barbeque

Last night we enjoyed a barbeque at the Mallory Residence on their 27th Floor Balcony...  not some gas barbeque but the real deal!...

a fine and coolish evening overlooking some of the most modern and tall real estate in the world, most of these apartment blocks are taller than the Shard!

And in exchange for this great hospitality we thanked them with Dubai's finest cultural souvenir offering:

The Nodding Arab and his Mrs... very fine!

Anyway thanks again guys, and one last picture, the customary group snap:

Bye Bye Bab al Shams

It was a relaxed stay at Bab al Shams, an ideal hideaway for couples escaping the hustle of the city. for me the 2 days were enough to feel the desert had been properly seen, Steph reckons she could have stayed for 4 ot 5 days, but without the kids!! the kids did not make it back in the pool this morning, as 3 days at the waterpark and 2 in the pool at Bab al Shams has left the souls of their feet red raw, and in the case of Imogen, Bleeding Toes!! ouch!

So we are now back in Atlantis and we were welcomed like old friends. We did enjoy arriving back into the familiar if not mildly brash and obvious opulence of this mega resort.

We had a lovely meal at Rostang for lunch, and we were sat next to that famous Australian Chef from their version of Master Chef (the more irritating one out of the two really irritating ones).... can't remember his name... Steph does... Aldo Zilly apparently, not very Australian sounding. I held back from introducing myself as a future new inhabitant of his country and offering to knock him up some french toast at ours when we finally make it to oz.. but slightly regret that now

A pic of steph doing a diana impression

OOOps, turns out steph didnt know who it was, apparently the guys name is George Calombaris! - anyway whatever!

2nd Day at Bab al Sham

I think Immy and Rigs spent more than 6 hrs in the pool today.... so my claim that this is some hardcore flash-packing is starting to lose its grip... I am sure that Vietnam will bring it back though!!

We will have a final swim tomorrow morning before heading back to Atlantis,  and an evening with the Mallory's

I appear to have lost half a tooth!... the same tooth that has been filled 3 times over the summer based on my fear of entering Vietnam and then needing root canal surgery... So I am set up nicely to meet my nightmare!! but since the fracture yesterday I have been pain free for the first time since the problems started in April... So I'm thinking who bloody needs dentists anyway... and how bad can the dentists be in Vietnam anyway... have you ever met someone from Vietnam with bad teeth!!!! ermmmm!! (will report back on that one.. luckily for Steph I am not being obsessive about it)

Into the desert for Day 5

We arrived at Bab al Sham Desert retreat today.. which is really nice, we rode a camel and had a traditional arabic feast, with an odd chap in a dress doing a dance.

The pool is awesome, which is just as well as it was the main reason for choosing the place

Nassimi Beach got loud and Young (or old!!)

so we had dinner at the pool bar we spent the day at... by the time we came out of the restaurant the party was in full swing (apparently!!) so we required 3 security guards to escort us back to the hotel!!

Day 3 at Nassimi Beach (Atlantis)

Its a pool not a beach, but it has a beach aswell... anyway awesome day had by all... Immy and Felix made friends with Ella... who was not able to answer her absence from school with quite the same elaborate story! - tut tut!

Day Break on Day 2

This is just before the sunrise on day 2, its very warm, you can just make out the Burj al Arab in the distance, this is taken from our Balcony

Great First Day at the Waterpark.... Guess who got stuck on a ride!!

Yep, Immy got stuck on one of the shoots, she was too light to reach it up one of the uphill bits, so needed rescuing.. but not to be put off she got straight back on.. the park is great, you never have to leave your ring, each ride is interconnected.. intend on spending most of day 2 there too.


School of mum and dad has kicked off.. and the guest teacher yesterday was the Maitre D from the SeaFire steakhouse. the kids now know exactly how many days a cow needs to eat grain for for it to taste superb, and how to interview a waiter all around the world to make sure you get exactly what you want for dinner. Seafire is a top top restaurant.. the Maitre D was truely brilliant, and am sure he will be well remembered by the kids, not so much because of the education, but because he let them try every pudding on the menu!! they just kept on coming.

Why the Glum face.....

After nap swim....

Chocolate Fondue for Breakfast!

Well the breakfast at Atlantis is something to behold

The kids enjoyed Chocolate Fondue and a Pic'n'mix sweet shop, Steph and I avoided the Chicken Curry, but enjoyed enough to know that we wont need to eat again till sunday!

After Breakfast we had a look round the aquarium.... very cool!

Arrival at Atlantis

Yesterdays travel to Dubai was not so bad, no Chicken Kiev in Kiev, but a nice Ukrainian beer was had at TGI fridays!! (bit tragic really, sad that the ukraine gives the one restaurant slot in the airport to a US franchise.. suppose we are no better though... fresh from our 'Cafe Rouge')

We arrived at about 3:00am and the kids were still pretty perky. but the heat was heavy.

The time is now 9:00am over here and the kids and Steph are understandably fast asleep. I on the other hand have already been for an explore around the complex, and got myself removed from the waterpark by security which was a bit embarrassing, there were no signs saying no entry, or closed until 10:00am, so I wandered into the complex directly from the hotel, all seemed fine, no one about! an enjoyable stroll about the rides before opening... anyway I got a very nice cooling ride back to hotel in the security mans golf buggy!!

Immy's new hat

Onto the champagne bar

Kids are shopping at Jd sport. Whilst mum and dad sup half a bottle of fizz. Feeling less dazed and nervous now. Very excited about getting some chicken (possibly stuffed with garlic butter and rolled in breadcrumbs) from our first stop In the Ukraine..... Whats that city called???!!!

Gatwick Airport Cafe rouge

Made it to cafe rouge for the traditional croque monsieurs. Bit early for the bottle of plonk. So making do with some kir royale.

Kids are over excited. Steph and I are a bit dazed

Farewell parties complete

Nice drinks on Saturday night in Putney to say goodbye to friends. And then a very nice BBQ with Stephs family on Sunday. We are all packed and ready to go

Bagged up!

Video at Hampton Court

Last Trip on Grizzled Skipper for a while

Everything is becoming 'The last Time we'll...!' which is making it all very real, today we spent a day at Hampton Court, and we are spending our last day on Grizzled Skipper before our weekend of farewells.

Had a great day on the Golf course at St George's Hill on Tuesday, while Steph and the Kids enjoyed a day at Thorpe Park with Ganma and Gramps

Farewell BBQ at Woodstock

Here is Immy showing off the rather large prawns we bbq'd yesterday. We said farewell to family and friends from James' side. A lovely day and the weather treated us very well, but sad to say goodbye to all.

The prawns, whilst impressive in size, were sadly less impressive in flavour... the small ones are definitely more juicy!...

Running!!

As Steph and I enjoy our food, and the occasional tipple, we have been  a little concerned that the trip could lead to some pretty sizeable weight gain. So in a small attempt to keep this in check we have started running in the mornings. This started in Spain when we were already quite fit due to the 'Insanity' workout regime we tackled over 60 days to fight off the takeaway diet we had during all the house move and Visa stress!

Anyway this morning run has now taken us through many different routes, from the hot July sun of Marbella and its hills, the wind swept rain of Tenby, The tow paths of the Thames in the Chilterns, and Gatwick airport runway (Dont ask!). This mornings was one of the finest, taking on the Pirbeck Isle near Swanage, where we ran from the campsite down close to Harry Rock, on possibly one of the finest mornings we have had this summer.

We are looking forward to stretching the landmarks that we run to the Palm in Dubai, Halong Bay, the beaches of Vietnam and Thailand, the Mekong delta, and then the deck of the cruise ship. I am using an app called runtastic to log all the maps of the runs.. so maybe i'll post some when I've worked out the technology.. anyway here are some snaps from this morning, looking back towards Swanage.

A Great day in Poole with Russell & Sarah - 2 weeks to go!!!

A really great day in Poole yesterday, Lunch at the Marina, beers on the beach front at the Sand banks hotel, and a curry to see it off.

Russell and Sarah are leaving the country to explore the world on the 14th September ( 4 days before our departure ) so we were all in a very similar state of mind, even before the Leffe started to flow freely. 

Their Journey will take them through europe and onto the trans siberian express, which was our first choice of route to the tropics before the reality of the journey was compared to the fun of a stay at Atlantis. It is likely that they will be our first visitors in Melbourne, so we look forward to a second session on the beach down under!

2 weeks to go, we're all getting very excited. Rigs is trying every method possible to break his leg before the trip which is helping me not to relax too quickly. One more day in Dorset and then back to organise the bbq on saturday