My flight from Honk Kong to Hanoi was over two hours late but luckily I had booked a room in an hotel room at the airport so I didn't have to try and find somewhere to stay in Hanoi in the dark.
The next day I took the bus from the airport to the city. It was easy enough but hilarious. The bus had a big flat screen tv at the front showing some kind of Vietnamese version of The X factor.
Also a little way into the journey we were wedged into the smallest petrol station to full up with fuel. That doesn't happen on the National Express.
The next day I took the bus from the airport to the city. It was easy enough but hilarious. The bus had a big flat screen tv at the front showing some kind of Vietnamese version of The X factor.
Also a little way into the journey we were wedged into the smallest petrol station to full up with fuel. That doesn't happen on the National Express.
I got of the bus at the last stop and was immediately confronted with hectic Hanoi. There are lots of motorbike taxis waiting to take you to your hotel. I knew it was walking distance to the Old Quarter and one of the rivers was really helpful and pointed me in the right direction.
In the hotel I was shown the dorm room I had booked and my face dropped. It was i mixed dorm and i usually try and stay in female dorms. The room seemed very full; bags and clothes were everywhere. The hotel guy just moved someones stuff off a bed to make room for me. I wasn't sure the sheets were even clean. I immediately asked to swap to a private room having decided that i didn't want to wake up on my 27th birthday in this room. It was only $12 for a private room which is not much more than a bed in the dorm. I then booked my Ha Long boat trip to leave the next day and headed out to find some food and explore.
The streets of the old quarter are crazily busy, there is something for sale outside every building, whether it is a full on shop or an improvised cafe. Any free space on the pavement is used for scooter parking so you are forced to walk on the road. On the road scooter weave past at speed. The whole road used for both directions of traffic and there is a constant chorus beeping as the scooters all like to announce there presence at the the same time a warning you to GET OUT OF THE WAY.
I found a little peace and quiet by Hoan Kiem Lake and ended up chatting to two locals who wanted to improve their English. It was a very pleaser hour or so. I got some tips on things to see in Hanoi and they ended up learning about manufactured pop groups from me. A fair exchange.
