This
fine-looking beastie is easily the largest spider I’ve ever seen outside of a
zoo. It was on the wall on the ground floor of my block of flats – very close
to where I park my bike. It’s a Huntsman spider, I’m told.
Now,
I can’t stand any spiders which are bigger than my fingernail. This one is
about the size of my hand and gave me a bit of a wobble I can tell you. I
wouldn’t usually get near it but I found myself within inches to take this
photo. The things I do for you lot.
Should
I find one of these in my flat there will be a long wait for the next blog
while the doctors try to restart my heart.
*****
I've been home a couple of times recently. In November it was a mad dash home for a long weekend so that I could attend Chris (my nephew) and Kim’s wedding. It was definitely worth it and everyone had a lovely time.
I got back at Christmas too. At new year I headed north and for some wet and windy walking. We even had a bit of snow. Perfect.
I made a friend ...
*****
As
you might have guessed, food is a bit of a novelty and an issue for me here.
There’s a lot of nice food out there but there’s definitely stuff to be
avoided. I’ve found a few items on menus that I immediately decided just
weren’t for me.
(Sorry - I couldn't get it to rotate)
I
also came across this packet of ‘hygienic drink suckers’ (also known as
straws).
*****
A doctor came to work the other day to talk about keeping healthy in
Hanoi. I think the gist was that if you don’t drink the water or breathe,
you’ll be fine. Oh, and don’t get bitten by dogs that look like they’re about
to collapse. I went straight out and had my final Rabies jab (which I’d
forgotten about). Generally, I’ve been fine but got struck down with a stomach
bug the other day. Rather inconveniently, it came on as I was teaching and I
was in no state to go and find someone to cover so I just sat down before I
fell over and told my teens to finish their work. They did just that, bless
‘em. A colleague went to Laos and came back with eColi,
which she attributed to bathing elephants at the elephant camp. My advice to
you all is: Don’t bathe with elephants – something to bear in mind as you go
about your daily lives.
*****
I
have finally been climbing outside. We went to Huu Lung – a rather picturesque
place about 3 hours NW of Hanoi. We climbed on a steep limestone cliff and I
was well out of my depth so to speak. The ‘easy’ climbs were ridiculously hard
(for the climbers amongst you, that’s F6b) and I soon realised I have a lot of
work to do at the climbing wall. It was a great day out though and I’ll try to
go again before it gets too hot.
Tough,
hard-core climbers …
*****
I
occasionally get asked what my address is. Well,
post is a bit of an issue here. Most houses don’t have letterboxes and several
houses seem to have the same number. When I was last flat-hunting I agreed to
meet the estate agent outside 19C Ngoc Ha. When he didn’t arrive I rang, only
to be told that he was outside 19C Ngoc Ha. ‘So am I,’ I said. ‘Wait one moment
please,’ was the reply and then he turned up: ‘I was outside the other 19C Ngoc
Ha’. I have no idea how the postman copes.
So, if
you get an uncontrollable urge to send me a parcel, please address it to:
Floor
12,
20
Thuy Khue,
Hanoi
Letters
can be sent to:
The
British Council
20
Thuy Khue,
Hanoi
The
reason for the difference is that parcels to companies are sent to a different
sorting office – miles out of town and I have to go and get them. It’s a pain.
*****
Bike of the month – taken in the history museum, this bike is carrying supplies weighing about a third of a tonne. I bet
he didn’t pull any wheelies. I’ve seen motorbikes about town with loads that
must be close to this, but never a bicycle. Bradley Wiggins would have a spot
of bother getting this thing moving.
Actually, there are two bikes this time. Here is
one way to transport a pig carcass. The
inside provides a handy place to put your bag … (try it - it works!)
And
a little bit more Health & Safety on a building site 6 storeys up …
