After Halong Bay, nothing was keeping me in Hanoi, except that every bus heading south was booked out, and I spent a few hours trying until I gave up, booked the next day and extended my stay in the hostel. I took another walk around Ho Houm Kiem Lake, this time I attracted the attention of a group of uni students, who had been tasked with interviewing a Westerner. They were lovely and spoke perfect if halting English, and we finished up with selfies and I handed over my Moo card which seemed to delight them (who the hell bothers with business cards in 2023?)
Five minutes later I was asked by a cheeky bunch of schoolboys if they could practice their English on me, which I was happy to go along with until they asked me if I was rich, and I made my excuses and kept moving. Five minutes after that this young girl asked the same and invited me to sit on a nearby raised garden bed, and we chatted happily for fifteen minutes while her mum chatted to another lady nearby.
I finished up the day by visiting Saint Joseph’s Cathedral, and a local artists collective where I purchased a few things for Arum and I, which was about the best I could do for her considering our geographical estrangement.
Adrian's Got The Moose 