My Apartment

My apartment is on the east side of Truc Bach Lake.
The Hanoians called this a village. I guess a few years ago, it was still a quiet little village a few miles from the city center.
It's about a 15-minute taxi ride to my office. It costs about US$2 for a one-way ride.
My apartment is on the 2nd floor on the right.
The bottom apartment is the first floor.
There are many foreigners living in the Truc Bach Lake area but there are also a lot of locals as well.




The picture on the right is a view from my window. John McCain's plaque would be on the right of the picture.
There are all kinds of businesses and activities around the lake. There is a "wet market" that's about 100 yds from my apartment. They sell all kinds of produce, meat, fruits, fish, frogs, etc. The Vietnamese consume what they buy that day so most of what you eat is very fresh.
There are also all kinds of restaurants and a supermarket.



Th apartment is about 600 square feet. I pay US$800 a month rent. Apartments are not cheap in Hanoi because real-estate is expensive. It comes with a maid, who makes the bed every day, except weekends, and picks up the dirty laundry. I pay separately for a laundry service but it's very cheap.
The maid cleans the apartment twice a week.
Here is a picture of my bedroom.






I talked the maid into buying fruits from the market every day except weekends. Every day I have a different kind of fruit. She cuts it up and put it in the refrigerator.
I am so fortunate because every day I come home with a plate of fresh tropical fruits in the refrigerator.
Here is a picture of my living room.








Here is the kitchen.
I pay about $2 for a 5-gallon bottle of drinking water.
I don't cook because I'd have to go to the market in the morning and it's a lot of trouble to cook for just one person.