Another misty cool day here so we spent the morning getting things organized for tomorrow's departure. That included a last visit to his favourite coffee shop for Ken, shopping for last souvenirs (mainly me) and preparing a box to send home for the over-packing shopaholic (also me).
We grabbed a cab to the central post office which is close to the water puppet theatre we are going to at 3:00. To get the box home in 2-4 weeks (by air) would cost 3,000,000 VND (more than $150!!). Shipping by sea (receipt in 3-4 months) was about 1/3 the cost. Time for a rethink. Decided to take the box on the flight to Phuket and then home as it would likely be cheaper and I would actually have the cheap tat packed in the box right away when I got home. Grabbed a cab back to the hotel and then we walked back downtown for lunch. LOL, the cab cost less than 100,000 VND round trip so a good investment??
We stopped at a little restaurant close to the lake called Wrap and Roll. Ken ordered the pork and vermicelli and I opted for one last taste of Bahn Xeo (Hoian crepes with shrimp, pork and beansprouts). Both dishes were generously portioned and came with a virtual garden of herbs and other greenery as well as rice paper for wrapping (neither of which Ken ate) and a complementary dipping sauce. Yummm.
Well-fed we headed to the Thang Long Water Puppet show. I did pay the extra 20,000 VND ($1.20) so that I could share the experience with faithful readers but sadly pictures taken from the eighth row without flash don't really work on an iPhone as you can see below.
The show was cute with fourteen different acts featuring vignettes of everyday activities like farming and fishing as well as highlights of Vietnamese folklore. Dragons, unicorns, tortoises and phoenixes were featured for the latter. The puppeteers stand behind a split-bamboo screen and control the puppets using long bamboo rods and string mechanisms hidden beneath the water. Very cool as there were often synchronized activities so movements were precise. The puppets were accompanied by a pretty good orchestra playing traditional instruments. All in all, a good way to spend an hour though the seating left something to be desired.
After the show, another coffee for Ken and a gelato for me before the last last shopping which was successful for both of us. Back to the hotel to change into sandals as we are off for pedicures so our feet are beach-ready. I opted for the deluxe version complete with colour for $9 (150,000 VND) and Ken had the basic model for less than half the price retiring to the Irish pub for a beer or two while my foot beautification project continued.
Ate a nice meal in the hotel restaurant before heading to the room to organize luggage. LOL, I don't know how I'll manage once Ken's extra suitcase space is no longer an option for me overflow. Hopefully, flying bizz class home will provide forgiveness for the extra weight/luggage.
Hitting the hay early as we have a 6:00 am wake-up call to get ready for the car that is taking us to the airport shortly after 7:00.
More tomorrow from Thailand ...
PS Sorry for the short post but I fear this will be the norm once we are at the beach ...
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