It is 0h50 in Hanoï, everything is quiet. I am for a few hours now in the flat that will be mine for the coming 6 months. There is a large room with a double bed, a desk, four armchairs and a small table, there is also a fairly large kitchen and a bathroom. AND hot water AND an air conditionning system that is supposed to work as a heater as well (I didn´t managed to get it working so far) ... It's freezing and humid. Everything is humid, from the bed sheets to the toilet paper. The flat is cosy as a prison cell with its gigantic neon lights and kitsch furniture. I'll have to work on that to feel a bit at home ...
Next Monday is the beginning of the Tet festival ! Great, I really wanted to see it. Actually what I didn't know is that everybody go back to their families for a week of celebrations at home and that everything is closed: restaurants, shops, banks and probably most of the travels and buses agencies. All the contacts I got in Hanoï are actually gone to their home or on holidays ... And there won't be celebrations in the street as I expected ...hmmm ... Doesn't matter! will see how to make this week fun anyway !
I live on a quite large boulevard, but the building is a bit withdrawn from the street. My address is 34A Quang Trung Street, Hoan Kiem district, my home telephone is +84(0)4 94 22 816 and my mobile phone is +84(0) 91 435 98 10. There are 6 hours jet lag between France or The Netherlands and Vietnam: when it is 16h at your place, it is 22h in Hanoï. (BTW, if ever you intend calling me, be aware it it is much cheaper to use pre-paid phone cards for Vietnam (available in chinese shops or on the internet www.iradium.fr)). For those having ADSL at home, I will also be connected from time to time to Skype (free Net2Net phone available at http://www.skype.com/).
Sunday morning: Nice stereo to be waken up by: workings from the left window and traffic horns from the right one. It is extremely dark in my room, the next-door buildings are so closed to the windows that they shade them. Today Unpacking and cleaning day. I have an appointment at 15h with a british VSO volunteer for a tour of Hanoï and at 19h for the dinner with another french volunteer from the Hoa Sua school (the 2 last ones in town !).
Some more news coming soon ... Take care & send me some news ! Love, @leX