Tick tock.

Who would have thought that being unemployed required full time attention. It has been a busy last few weeks. My interim time fillers of Yoga, Gym and Cantonese Lessons has been put on halt. I find it hard to catch my breath and despite not having a daily routine I find myself constantly busy. I have been helping my previous employee setup a Hong Kong client and in between part time work have been studying and attending interviews.

The weather here hasn't been so obliging. 'Amber Rain' warnings and high humidity makes wearing a suit uncomfortable and guarantees perspiration immediately leaving any air-conditioned area. That being said, I haven't been completely deprived of spare time and have finally started watching The Wire - I'll be in Baltimore if anybody needs me!

Macao or Macau?

Hanoi

This post has been sitting in the drafts folder for over a month which explains the inactivity of my Blog. It had been over 5 years since I was last in Vietnam - it was one of the more enjoyable sections of my 3 months around Asia. The details of this trip would be a little different. For one it would be significantly shorter, a weekend as opposed to an entire month. Secondly, the locale would be different. North Vietnam, Hanoi as opposed to Saigon.

Flying out on the Friday night we stayed two nights at the Hanoi Sofitel Metropole an exquisitely fashioned hotel with a French Colonial flavour. Food wise, I found Hanoi a little disappointing, especially compared to the delicacies of Saigon, Da Lat and Nha Trang. (Although, this was probably more a case of not knowing where to eat). Night life was good without being outstanding and we were overwhelmed by the multicultural representation at the local haunts: Press Club, The Red Room, Tay Ho Hotel and Phuc Tan.

Sour note, experienced dramas with (temporary) missing peoples and aggressive Taxi Drivers, other than that, an excellent trip where we managed to check out the following:

Snake Village - served King Cobra blood and meat.

Hoa Lo Prison aka The Hanoi Hilton.

Sofitel Metropole

Unfortunately missed out on the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum as well as Halong Bay - I might just have to go back!

Cheapest One Michelin Star Restaurant

With so much spare time and so many regular visitors it was time to check out Tim Ho Wan, the cheapest Michelin Star Restaurant in the world!

Dim Sum was delectable. Pork Buns divine. 1 hour 10 min wait debatable.