Exit. Close the door after you leave.

Friday 14 November 2014

Awoke feeling crook (flu) and it got worse. I had brekky, then found myself dry heaving for a bit. Not nice, not well.

This time we decided to do it properly. Taxi at 0930 to Tien An Men Square. It was a long way – 20 mins drive.

I got out of the taxi feeling terrible. We walked slowly to the centre among the incredible crowds, virtually all Chinese. I had more dry heaving over a railing, feeling terrible. I could hardly walk. I sat on a box in the sun for 10 mins or so trying to recuperate. Not one person paid me any attention except Jan said a European couple were looking a bit concerned. Chinese couldn’t care. I got shots of Mao and traffic and crowds!

Crowds, what crowds?

These crowds!

This was as close as I got to Tien An Men. Just to prove I was there.

I walked very slowly to the taxis at the other end and went back to the hotel, Y32.70 again. Feeling terrible. Lay on bed, tried to sleep for 2hrs with no success, but rested and better. So that was my attempt at the famous sites.

Rah rah!

The room is still too bloody hot! 26-27C. Sweat is rolling down my neck in the bathroom. We can’t get them to adjust it properly. There’s no airflow!

Jan came back at 2.15pm, tired. This place is too hard. Can’t wait to go! Feeling pretty bad – not as bad as this morning but feverish, achey, coughing.

Email to Hanoi hotel for airport pickup. All OK. Email works OK but it’s so frustrating not to be able to access this blog.

1830 – walked to main street for food. We went into what seemed like a good restaurant, lots of customers. Picture menu, I chose what I thought were mustard dumplings. They were bloody cold cabbage rolls! Plenty of mustard, but cold and wet and sloppy..

We both chose chicken dishes, thinking they were stir fry, but both were cold!!! They just chop the chicken up with a cleaver, bones and all and serve you the mess of gristle, bones and skin. Crap food. This is hopeless. I paid, Y82 = $15.76. Even at that price, not worth it. Can’t wait to hit the airport and get outta here.

Walked back nearly 1Km? Hard going!. A woman in the lobby of our hotel, a guest, not a staff member, asked if I was OK. First time! She was Chinese looking but maybe US?

A friendly Chinese! What a surprise.