Hanoi and Van Phuc

Thursday was spent in and around the Old Quarter doing some last minute shopping with Elise and Ingrid. They managed their packing for their flight home yesterday without problems. After dinner the girls and I went for a last stroll around the lake. As usual it was a focus of relaxation for the locals. We sat and enjoyed a womens dance  fitness group who were made up of some very proficient regulars and some obvious newbies. Further round was a second group who were being instructed in firm rehersal of the steps before the music was turned on. On some smooth terrazo in front of the statue  of a man who died in 1030 an group of young men were practicing their very actobatic "rap " routines. Their athleticism was amazing but I worried for their joints in the future.
We waved goodbye to the girls at 9-00am yesterday and then arranged a car to take us out to the silk village, Van Phuc. This was only 8 kms SW of Hanoi and this time there was no rural interlude because the urban growth has lapped the village. Before we left I searched Google for additional information and found that there are 1500 officially designated "craft villages" which are recognised for their preservation of traditional skills. The crafts range from pottery, bamboo work to bronze work to weaving and are listed for the whole of Vietnam. We had  been close to others as we traveled and it is interesting information if we ever come back for another holiday.
The official village area in beautifully maintained and has well set up shops. The range of products are made in vibrant colours and looked stunning but I found that the styles mostly adhered to traditional dress which does not translate well to our social scene. Because I am no dressmaker I didn't take the obvious alternative of buying fabric to take home. Outside the village there were more shops which offered mostly blended fabrics and more western styles. We did make some purchases in both zones and so the trip was successful from that aspect.
Like our previous trip out of the city this one was also interesting for the different perspective it gave us on the size and cosmopolitan shape of the city. When we are moving around the Old Quarter it provides a self contained environment in which it is easy to forget the huge business world around it that is the real activity of the city. Yesterday we drove in and out via the French Quarter which has some well preserved colonial buildings with the hotels and shopping which would appeal to the well healed visitors because they are mostly up market designer goods and prices we would never contemplate. I might add that the products would again not be a good fit with our lifestyle.
Today we need to achieve the packing miracle of taking home more than we brought here. We have been given access to our room until 2pm which means we only have an hour to occupy until it is into the taxi for the beginning of the trip home. We will have a couple of  days in Perth before heading south. It has been a great trip with a nice balance between seeing lots and not jumping around too much. Traveling with Ingrid and Elise has been really special and as a bonus  the food has been delicious without the worry of extra calories.