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!