We have been exceedingly busy the last few days, ringing around realtor's for an apartment in Hanoi, visiting a couple out near the zoo (about 5.5km away by foot) who were looking for a cat and house sitter for a month while they went back to the states, and moving hotels in the midst of it all.

Although there was WiFi in their new hotel, they hadn't quite got around the gist of configuring it yet, so things were rather slow, and I had no access for a couple of days which was rather frustrating.

Yet now we are ensconced in our 'new' Hanoi abode, the fourth floor of a 13 floor, narrow building, off a main drag just out of the Old Quarter near the large 'Tay Ho' (West Lake) and smaller Truc Bac. After going down a narrow alley way with a couple of residences along the route, an area with thre caged white rabbits, one comes to the block (painted blue if you crane your head up at an impossible angle), where iron gates may be or not. A small courtyard has a counter, a tiled room where all sorts of living and sleeping goes on, an older lady may be sitting in a wheelchair, there is a plastic swing somewhere between an all American Porch Swing and a piece of child's play equipment, a fishtank of reasonable height and width, although barely deeper than a goldfish after a good feed.

We were to discover that the pocket hankerchief sized court yard was also a meeting place of some repute, used to mix, roll, and fry strips of delicious smelling dough.

We have a living room with a suite of comfortable, overstuffed but heavily brocaded and tassled (not my style) furniture; a 3 seater sized couch, a large arm chair and a very comfortable day bed type thing. They do take up too much room but that's OK. The reasonably sized 'Sharp' Branded fridge sits in the living room, alongside the TV. Good, large terracotta tiles are on the floors throughout. A kitchen with a good sink, a two burner gas stove and good quality white crockery, noodle bowls, rice bowls etc are next to a glass topped table with six rather galactic shaped red upholstered chairs. A small balcony and bathroom with a bath tub and washing machine and small bedroom, just big enough for a large bed and wardrobe make up one side of the flat.

A bathroom with a Vietneamese/Thai style shower, sink and toilet is an ensuite to a bedroom with an attached study area with large windows all around (4th floor = looking into neighbours and across roofs, but it is amazing that we do have windows of some description of all four walls of the flat).

I'm sure that we shall be very comfortable here - the landlady comes tomorrow for us to sign the lease!