The hotel we were staying has an squeeky metal door that you have to push back. Then you walk down a dark alley which leads to the main reception ... it getīs better after that! Weīve been here a few days and there is always an old woman sitting by the door. She sits there surrounded by bottles of snakes, bear feet and drawers full of unknown exotic substances, waiting expectantly for customers to apear at the door. She is completely oblivious to us as we walk by and despite our efforts to make contact with her.
We decided to see the famous Hanoi Water Puppets. As we wait for the curtain to rise a few American women chat about their travels. One explains about her stop off in Delhi where the hotel she was staying at had a fantastic mall under it - "Theyīll bring up some things to show you right there to your room!". She warns her friend not to leave the hotel but - "..well, itīs another destination isnīt it". I wonder what other experiences of India she has?
Finally the curtain lifts to reveal a murky green pool that represents the stage ... we spend tense moments wondering how on earth this is going to work ... strings from the cealing ... little Vietnamese chaps in scuba gear ... no, itīs all done with sticks hidden under the water and stuck out from a curtain .... aha! A stream of plotless wet splashing sketches follow played by bright metalic painted figures of dragons and fish ... all accompanied by the banging and crashing of the orchestra
... and fireworks. Pretty good, I liked it.
At night we return, her slippers neatly set beside the bed behind the "shop", a grey figure beneath the mosquito net. Then again in the morning we pass as she sits next to her little temple, chanting and hitting a bell next to it. Itīs been a bit slow ... but business will pick up soon Iīm sure.
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