Chapter 8
So we're back in Hanoi for Tet waiting for Dom.
Chuc Mung Nam Moi is written everywhere, Happy New Year.
Everything begins to close, everything, even travel agencies, museums, everything.
The city is completely empty on new year's day, Hanoi without horns, it's once a year. But finally we found what to do.
First, the zoo, which was still open on New year's eve. A small zoo with some nice rides. There are lots of animals and especially an impressive amount of rats that run between our legs.
In the evening fireworks over the lake, very pretty.
The tradition is to give money to children in a red envelope. It brings good luck. Yarden has received some bills from youngsters in the street (500 VND bills, but still),
and especially a woman offered her a ride in a mini car. What happiness!
The next day, the new year, the hotel next door still found an agency which organized tours for a few more dong. On the bus, no tourists but foreigners working in Vietnam as a teacher from South Africa and a Finnish diplomat.
We took the opportunity to visit the Perfume Pagoda. The boat ride is super nice. By cons no smell of perfume. What was good was that it was very quiet, especially since the next day and the days following this pagoda was to be crowded, allowing half the country who makes a pilgrimage every year for Tet.
In the cave, each stalactite is venerated. We saw women who were unable to have children rubbing one of them with a bill for luck.
After fifteen laps of the lake in the meantime, Dom has finally arrived.
The first to come see us in Vietnam, or Vetiam as Yarden says.
Cambodia
And here we go again, this time to Cambodia or the Kingdom of Wonder.
A dream.
Already, from the airport, we're in the mood with the dozen of sculptures that are exhibited.
And Gilad with his new Indiana Jones hat was very classy!
A quick stop to inflate the wheel ...
As our guide, he was impassible in his explanation and he could not walk and talk at the same time.
The Angkor temples are even more beautiful than in the pictures, as from a distance,
as closely. Every millimeter is painstakingly sculpted and it really worth the trip.
We saw the larger ones,
including one 50 km away, which is really moving
and the one covered by roots (which is what makes it beautiful but it also destroys it. So they planned to cut them to preserve the temple).
What is also very moving is the musicians, victims of the mines. And there are many, everywhere.
It changes from Vietnam. People are so much calmer.
Here no one raises his voice and when I did it unconsciously yelling at Yarden who made a bad thing, the guide was shocked and people looked at me with a weird look (she had spit on children that were bothering her. Well for sure she's always being bothered because of her hair color, but still, you don't do such a thing!). It really feels that they have suffered not so long ago, even if they do not speak about it, aside to explain the human remains in a memorial in one of the temples that we saw at the top of a mountain. It's a feeling a bit inexplicable.
As for Yarden, she has completely lost the north. Especially when we say, "we go home". But where?? To Ein Hahoresh? No, to the hotel. And where are we here? In Hong Kong. No, in Cambodia. And we take the plane to go where now? To Paris. No, to Hanoi. And where do we live? In Ein Hahoresh. Yeah but now, in Thai Hoa. But we'll go soon to Ein Hahoresh to see Nizzan and to Paris to see Savta Miry.
Here again we have not hesitated to do foot massages every day,
not to mention the local doctor fish pedicure. You put your feet into an aquarium and there are plenty of small fish that eat the dead skin. It is to die laughing. Yarden and I did not dare, but Gilad and Dom jumped with their feet together!
We also decided in our program in Cambodia to see what was happening on the other side of the lake, in Battambang.
The boat ride is superb with the fishing villages on the water. That way at least when the water rises they do not need to move. We did it in nine hours scraping the bottom several times. The little ride in the bamboo train is great. It is a plate of bamboo on 4 wheels with a small engine that runs 50 km/h, ie as fast as the normal train here. And when we meet another one, they simply remove one from the rails to let the other pass, then reload it. After 20 minutes, a break to visit a brick factory, then we come back.
Everything else was great too, and frankly it does not bother me to go back.
Hue – Hoi An
After a short break at the farm to escort Gilad and do some laundry, here we go again Yarden, Dom and me, this time to Hue and Hoi An, three hours away from each other in the middle of the country , has the adventure without a plan in advance except the plane ticket. Finally it's easy to get along in tourist areas.
Hoi An, an ancient port that the sand took from the sea is a lovely village very very touristy. They well highlighted all the old houses and especially the beautiful Japanese bridge.
The specialty here is the sewing and the girls make any cloth for cheap.
Finally we saw the sea!
As for the Forbidden City of Hue, it's awesome and all around too.
We returned by local train to Vinh, 9 hours. What a smell, between the feet and scattered food, fortunately we can put the nose out from time to time. Yarden for sure, was not bored one minute between the little girl, the woman behind that made them laugh and the young with the computer that showed her Tom and Jerry. It was the poor grandmother who had trouble sleeping on her mat on the floor.
Pumat
On returning, and to say goodbye to Eli and Ron who return for good to Israel, the company has organized a day trip, it's the first time, to the Pumat nature reserve on the border of Laos. A bit of jungle, a beautiful waterfall. The problem for organizing day trips here is that everything is so far. Not in kilometers but in driving hours: it takes on average twice as long to travel the same distance than in our countries.
Before returning, Dom could not leave Vietnam without seeing Halong Bay. It's really one of the world's natural wonders.
In addition, we had everything for a successful stay: a good friend,
a great sun all day,
a very nice guide (who carried Yarden at every opportunity), a really nice team
and a beautiful boat that has not sunk.
The only regret is that Gilad was not there. This is only a postponement.
As for Sapa, we ordered the all-inclusive stay at the same Israeli Russian in Hanoi.
It was really beautiful and we were speechless during all the cruise.
After a short stopover in Bangkok (what it has changed in 10 years!), we're back home.
Ein Hahoresh
Finally two weeks it's short. But we still had time to see everyone, to store the mail and even make a trail with Yael at Nahal Tavor.
And finally we saw Nizzan.
Paris
As for Paris, we did even more.
First we really wanted to get to Savta Miry's orals, which was very successful, with honors anyway!
Thanks to it we could see Miki and Theleme with whom we discovered Playmobil.
We saw Papy who seems to feel much better. Myriam was even there.
Purim at the 16th town hall.
And as promised, we went for a ride in Bretagne to see Dom in her new house. Finally it does not rain that much in Bretagne. Or maybe we were really lucky as for Halong Bay. On the way back, a stopover in Dinan, very pretty,
through the Fort La Latte.
And after a last roller coaster ride we're back at Ngoc's.
So we're back in Hanoi for Tet waiting for Dom. 
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