Panic attack ...

It seems to happen every trip ...

Had a lovley sleep in this morning ... till 10:00 ... leisurly shower etc ... and went to head out the room in search of a good Vietnamese coffee. I went to get my shoulder bag ... the one I keep my passports, camera, notebook, tickets etc ... nowhere to be found ...

Panic .. think back ...

I recall I stopped at an internet cafe just down the street ... a bit of a grungy hole in the wall place ... and recalled I'd taken my bag off my shoulder while checking my email and placed it behind the monitor .. out of reach for someone to grab it ...

I rushed down the street ... which place was it?? they all look the same... except maybe a little grungier in the day light ... I finally I found the place .. checked the computer I was at .. and it wasn't there!!! I looked around ... and there it was .. sitting on a shelf!!! I pointed to it .. and the guy gave it to me with a shrug. Everything was there ... including 100,000 dong ... which I gave the guy ... who seemed rather stunned ... but which changed quickly into a big smile and a handshake ...

... and just in case you are stunned by my genorosity ... $1.00 cdn is about 13,562.o5 dong ... ( but a good days wages in Hanoi!)

So off I went in search of my coffee.

I'm off tomorrow to Halong bay on a two day/one night trip on a Junk .... should be fun .. then I think it's get out of town time to some place a little less frenetic that Ha Noi ...

Today I think I'll go pay my respects to Uncle Ho ... so revered here ... he's on display at his mausoleum ....

Till next ime friends ...