I got my nice western breakfast on Saturday (lunchtime) and there was not a noodle in sight! This place also serves toast with marmite! Where did they get marmite from?!? I didn't achieve much on Saturday other than watch DVDs. I have caved and gone to the dodgy DVD stores here and got some TV series and films to watch in my spare time. I am currently working my way through desperate housewives!

On Sunday I found an awesome second hand bookshop. Its run by aussies (they're everywhere here!) and they have a lot of info about Hanoi so I picked their brains about trying to find somewhere to live in Hanoi. I also picked up a Dave Gorman book for about £4. They will buy it back when I'm done too!

Next I went to find a bus stop. whilst I was waiting two random old women started talking to me in Vietnamese and touching my hair and my skirt. I have no idea what they were trying to tell me! They seemed fascinated by me. I got a bus down to the south of Hanoi. It was a bit of a strange place. I went to a cafe next to the river and all the staff stared at me whilst I had my drink. I then went to try and find some silk village place but it was either closed for the day or jsut really crap. I gave up soon after and got a bus back to the old quarter as I couldn't face looking around this dodgy part of town any more. I went to the history museum which seemed to be the most random selection of artefacts they could find, stuffed into an old building. Some of it was interesting but some was just strange. Next I went down to the language school to pick up my certificate for the course and the women in the shop next door told me that my hair was very beautiful (thats one of the Vietnamese words I have randomly leant!!)

Yesterday I got a bus to a village outside of Hanoi. Went through some scraggy looking countryside to get there and then got dumped at some ramdon small town bus station. This place was apparently an old capital but now it just looks really run down. I walked into the village and walked around the streets for a bit and then went to try and find the temple that is there. I got mobbed by school children who all wanted to say hello to me. They kept riding past me on their bikes calling out hello. A groups of girls came over and practiced their English on me whilst they walked back to school and they gave me some random rice snack to eat. There was also a group of boys who pestered me for money but they were the only ones. I'm getting used to kids staring at me in Hanoi and the occasional older person but I don't really notice it any more. However out at this village EVERYONE stared at me. Motorbikes slowed down so the driver could get a good look, and people turned 360 degress in the street to look at me. I guess not so many tourists make it out there!

The temple was next to the school so I felt a bit like the Pied Piper walking there with all these kids following but eventually I managed to shake them off and go into the temple. When I came back out classes had started again so the kids were gone. I walked out of the village on a dirt track but I didn't want to go too far as it was hot and dusty so I turned back pretty soon. Saw some paddy fields though, and water buffalo or something grazing in fields. On my way back to the bus stop I saw people using the water buffalo (or whatever they were) to pull carts. Its completely different out in the country and it was interesting to see what its like there.

Today I had an interview at an Aussie (of course) language school and now have a job there! I'm going for an induction tomorrow, along with another guy who did the course with me. The job starts from next week. The first week I think I'm just observing, and then the next four weeks I'm covering for a teacher who is going away. There is then a two week break for Tet before the next year starts up. Fingers crossed I will get a year long contract then! It will be good to have this short trial before signing anything long term though. Will also be good to get some money - $22 an hour! Just need to find somewhere to live now and get my business visa sorted.

I went to the cinema this afternoon to see Madagascar 2. Childish I know but it has penguins in it!! There was another lone Brit there too so we sat together so we didn't look QUITE so childish. We also made the most of the cheap cinema snacks - popcorn for 85p and a drink for 60p! Bargain!