Bye bye New Zealand, Xin chao Hanoi

The last three days of our stay in New Zealand, we spent in Christchurch and the surrounding area to be as close to our airport as possible. With the few roads in New Zealand, as we have learned, it is a bit of a gamble whether all roads are actually open when you need them. On Saturday morning, we first visited a beautiful small park in the otherwise less attractive Christchurch at a farmer's market. In addition to the part of the market where fruits, vegetables, and meat are sold, there are also a variety of food stalls, French and German bakeries, cafes, and a really relaxed atmosphere that invites you to linger.

Then we visited the Canterbury Museum (that's what the area around Christchurch is called), whose first director was the German researcher and explorer Julius von Haast. Another beautiful island in this gloomy city is the botanical garden and park. Here we enjoyed the weather for a whole afternoon, which was sunny and warm again after the cool weather in the southwest.

The next day we spent on a small peninsula called Banks Peninsula, which is located directly in front of Christchurch. This peninsula consists of steep hills, actually small mountains, and beautiful bays where all kinds of animals also feel at home. Unfortunately, we didn't see any penguins even though they are supposedly quite common there.

The peninsula itself was one of the few French colonies on the island otherwise populated by the British. Much of this French settlement can still be discovered today, with many streets still having French names and the houses looking a bit like you've landed in France in the late 19th century. The cafes also serve French pastry art with delicious New Zealand coffee. We spent our second-to-last full day in New Zealand in this idyll, enjoying radiant sunshine and 30 degrees (almost no wind!). A dream.

We spent our last day in New Zealand in two suburbs of Christchurch by the sea. It was a public holiday and accordingly crowded were the suburbs.

The return of our campervan went extremely smoothly, and compared to the others standing around at the drop-off station, we were really lucky with our Speedy Gonzales. None of the other campers were as new and comfortable inside as ours.

The flight itself was entertaining and Singapore, by the way, is a very beautiful airport.

Hanoi, Vietnam.

Our first stop in Vietnam is immediately the bustling capital of the country, which is characterized by French occupation and war. First observation: if Mercedes sells as many, also extremely expensive cars in all developing countries, my retirement is secure. The contrast between rich and poor is particularly evident here in the wild and honking traffic.

We needed the first two days in Hanoi to adjust ourselves from the tranquility and relaxation of New Zealand to the hustle and bustle of an Asian metropolis and to overcome the shock that we can suddenly shower unlimited and with hot water again... nevertheless, we miss our campervan Speedy. It is extremely stress-free when you have your home with you all the time.

Accordingly, we also had a rather relaxed sightseeing program and spent a lot of time observing the hectic activity in the narrow alleys and overflowing streets. The countless street stalls in the middle of sidewalks and streets selling incredible amounts of plastic junk, engines and pumps, household items and half of the DIY store's assortment, as well as food in all shapes, colors, and freshness levels (from alive to dried), are really an overwhelming sensory overload. The smells change from exotic to delicious to sewer within a few steps, and the constant honking concert of the mopeds and motorcycles buzzing around is very impressive.

We visited the Vietnamese National Museum, Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and museum, a neo-gothic church in the middle of the Old Quarter, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Citadel of Hanoi, the Temple of Literature, the Army Museum, and the Hoa Lo Prison (known as the Hanoi Hilton), which in our opinion was the most impressive attraction here.

The prison in the center of this lively city, like the aforementioned St. Joseph's Church, is one of the few remnants of the French colonial power that did not fall victim to American bombers. Built, like the church, in the mid-19th century, it was predominantly used for political prisoners throughout its existence. First by the French, who imprisoned Vietnamese freedom fighters here, and then during the Vietnam War by the Communist Party, which housed shot-down American fighter pilots here. Including death cells and - very French - a guillotine, the prison must have been a cruel place, and the exhibition in the prison illustrates that very well. The other museums and temples are only average informative in English, which is a bit of a shame.

Therefore, we mingled a lot with the people - how appropriate in socialism - and took in the whole range of Hanoi cuisine. From the upscale restaurant with famous chefs to street food stalls frequented only by locals. Sometimes our long walks also took us quite a distance from the center, far away from other tourists. It is really exciting to see how people live here.

We also spontaneously got tickets for the famous water puppet theater at Hoan Kiem Lake and visited it. We were denied access to the plot in some scenes, but the production and the accompaniment by a traditional Vietnamese music band make it worth seeing.

In Hanoi, by the way, it is currently the deepest winter, which means it is sometimes only 18 degrees warm at noon. With a sweater and a thin jacket, it is still pleasant outside at night.