Hanoi - hot and humid

So here I am, in Hanoi. After another delayed flight I arrived Wednesday night and was picked up at the airport and taken to my hotel.
I've spent the last couple of days walking around town, mainly the old city, soaking in all the impressions of this beautiful, but hectic city. I don't understand the traffic and I'm dead scared each time I try to cross a street with scooters coming towards me from every direction. Somehow I don' remember this being a problem from the last time I was here - I must have blocked it out.
On Monday the new embassy trainee team move into our new house. I'm looking forward to unpacking all my stuff and hopefully I'll come to think of the house as a home.
Tuesday is my first day at work and I still don't really know what my tasks will be, but I'm excited to finally start : )

When I was here in 2003 it was right after the city reopend after SARS and I suppose the lack of tourists for quite some time had made everyone more aggressive in the hunt for money. I felt rather uncomfortable being pulled in different directions by people trying to sell stuff and when I left Vietnam for Laos I was fed up with being scammed and had no wish of ever returning to this coutry.
This time around there seem to be fewer tourists than last time, but people don't seem nearly as aggressive. Although they still shout at me to get on their moto or cyclo, or pull my arm to make me buy whatever item they're selling, they aren't as persistant as they were the last time around. I suppsose the economic development combined with a steady tourist flow have helped.

So far I like being in Hanoi again, but somehow I don't think I've realized that this is where I'll be till February.

4 countries in a week

So here I am - in Singapore - the 4th country since last Monday, when I left Prague.
I spent two days in Bangkok shopping and walking around the city. I noticed the prices have gone up a bit - it's still dirt cheap compared to Denmark. Three years ago I ate about 7 little plates of sushi and had a coke for around 150 bath. Saturday the same amount bought me 2 plates and a coke at the same place.

Today I took the plane to Singapore - it's my first visit to the city/state and my first impression is that it's a very groomed city who've lost a bit of it's charm due to the economic growth. Maybe Singapore will prove me wrong, but somehow I can't get used to all the skyscrapers. It looks too groomed to me...

I'm finding rather annoying not being able to speak and Asian languague - due to my looks everyone expects me to. Oh well, at least here English goes a long way : )

I'm leaving on a jetplane

I had a wonderful time in Prague
- the inner city hasn't changed much since my last visit 11 years ago, but three stops by metro from city centre a new shopping centre has emerged. It's supposed to be the largest one in Eastern Europe - the brands were the same as anywhere else in the Western World - who'd have imagined that 16 years ago?
After Prague I went back to my parents summer house where I've spent the last couple of days before returning to my parents house to pack up my stuff and say the last goodbye's.


In about 26 hours I'll be in Bangkok ... It's so unreal to me. I'm scared and excited.
Next post will be from the other side of the world

Summer house

Went to my parents summer house for a couple of days - it's located on a little island in the North Sea. Even though it's only 12 min.'s sailing away from Esbjerg (where I'm from) it's like being in another world 1000 of miles away.
I've spent a week or two on Fanoe just about every summer. To me Fanoe is summer, icecream, walks and the beach.

The ferry

pheasant and mrs.

Soft-ice covered with chocolate and rice crispies

My dog in front of the house

My dad, my sister and my dog at the beach

Sunset

More pics here

Summer in Denmark

I've taken these pictures during the last couple of days trying to capture "summer in Denmark"

"Dannebrog" is the name of our flag.

This is from the beach about 3 km from my house

Aarhus is built around a "creek" that still runs through the city centre

We went to an amusement park last night - and I had to have cotton candy!

Liquorice! My favorite! I like the typical Scandinavian salmiak black kind the best

This picture was taken around 11 pm - I love the bright summer nights

We went clubbing and this is the toilet at one of the clubs - it's a coed zink : )

It's 3.15 and the sun is slowly rising again.