A Post Entitled: Things You Learn about Hanoi in the Middle of the Night

...or Why Puku is my Favourite Cafe in the Whole World.

Heya Folks,

So I came to Hanoi, first and foremost, for An Adventure. I was looking for the kind of randomness, spontaneity and freedom of possibility that I rarely find in the UK. I was not content to return home until I had stories to tell, until I had had some of the crazy experiences I so wanted. Well, last weekend, Hanoi delivered a cracker...

It all started when I found myself on the wrong side of my front door at 1am, without possession of a working key, due to the keyhole being blocked from the key on the inside. Banging and yelling proved fruitless, I suddenly found myself stranded and stuck in Hanoi's twilight hours.

From this point on I am thankful for many things...

I am thankful for my bicycle.
I am thankful for my local knowledge of Hanoi's streets.
I am thankful for my woolly wisdom and calmness of spirit.
I am thankful for Puku cafe and its 24hr opening, and even more thankful for its comfy couches.
I am thankful that said 24hr opening is NOT a myth.
I am thankful for the ANZ ATM which finally accepted my card, and provided me the means to eke out scrambled eggs, coffee, water and tea for 5 hours, rather than trying to milk a bottle of water for the same amount of time.

And I will never be thankful enough for the Puku staff who, sympathetic to my plight, let me linger far, far longer than I should, gave me extra cushions to sleep on and, most of all, Didn't Mind.

I am thankful for my great friend Linz, for keeping me distracted from the other side of the world, until my credit ran out.
I am thankful for the opportunity to witness a night pass over the city, the chance to see the lilting flow of life, waning and then waxing with the dawn.

I am thankful for the story I will one day tell, in a time and place a long, long way away from here.

There are only a few things I'm not thankful for.
I'm not thankful for the housekeeper who left the key in the lock.
I'm not thankful for Hanoi ATMs which seem to stop working at night.

And I'm definitely not thankful for the RATS which come out after all the customers leave, which are crawling around underneath the couch on which I am currently sitting composing this!

UntilNextTime

SarahHeadsEast xx