Now here in the vietnam capital Hanoi after a sleepless night on the train from Hue. Yesterday was a day to recover with a quiet stroll before we launched ourself into another city. Just a walk around a beautiful lake right in the city centre and a stroll through the atmospheric Old Quarter. In the evening we got tickets for a performance of the Water Puppets a uniquely vietnamese entertainment. All performed on stage but in a giant water tank with the puppeteers behind a screen controlling the figures by wooden mechanics under the water. It was magical meant perhaps originally more for children but the entirely adult audience 'lapped it up' if excuse the pun. The music with it was also unique featuring some very different instruments with amazing sounds.
Today we have done a lot of walking to visit a few sites on the edge of the central area-the Temple of Literature was a haven from the noise and bustle of the city founded in the 11th century by Confucian scholars which predates Oxford university by a few centuries.
Off tomorrow to Ha Long Bay and the highlands of Sapa until Christmas Eve.
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