And the final stage ...

.. Took us from Manchester to Doha to Bankok to Hanoi. It took some time! But was as comfortable as could be without shelling out for business class.

We arrived here in the middle of the afternoon. We were met by our guide who took us to the hotel, arranged a 'cyclo' tour, took us a walk around the lake and arranged for us to see a water puppet show - an art form which is unique to North Vietneam. The blip is a shot from the show.

He also showed us how to cross Hanoi roads. Scary stuff.

We'll be spending a little time in Vietnam. I only know it as a war and not as a country. I'm looking forward to the glimpses to a new place albeit that the glimpses have been arranged by the travel company.

The weather is drizzly and a little chilly. But that's Ok.