Quiet Sunday morning in Hanoi

Nok-Ten turned out to be a bust, at least here in Hanoi.  It's been raining off and on since last night, but otherwise, I haven't seen anything unusual blow by the 13th floor of my apartment.  :o)

Fortunately, it turned out to be the perfect excuse for a party, so my friend Jerome and his incredible wife, Paula, had Les, his wife, Val and me over last night.  They have a nice 4th floor apartment overlooking the lake here in Tay Ho and just around the corner from my apartment. 

As you may recall, I travelled to Con Dao in May with Jerome and Paula.  They're an exceptional couple and I truly enjoy their company, so it was nice to be invited for some great conversation over wine, cheese, springrolls and dessert. 

Unfortunately, the same storm that made for a perfect get together also resulted in Thanh and I deciding to nix our usual Sunday drive, making for an unusually quiet Sunday morning today.  Fortunately, it gave me a chance to go back to my usual Sunday haunt, the Ochao Tea House down the street.

I had the terrace all to myself all morning and just enjoyed watching the rain move in waves over the lake and city.

This sunnier picture was taken just a couple of minutes later and is looking
north toward my apartment building and down Xuan Dieu Street, the main road in Tay Ho.

Of course, the peaceful setting was made all the better by the two ca phe sua das I had, along with a double serving (not the usual 1.5 slices!) of ham and cheese quiche. 

As I approach the four week mark until I leave Vietnam, it's hard not to reflect on all the things I'll miss and the Ochao Tea House will definitely be one of them.

For the afternoon, I'm planning to head to the gym, then Thanh and I are meeting up at 3pm for some "Bia Hoi" (keyword: bia).  Hopefully Chi will be able to join us later tonight for dinner.