Anh 2 Hotel Hanoi

After the relaxed pace of Laos, Vietnam is a bit of a shock to the system.

We arrived in Hanoi at night and headed for the old town which is where most of the budget accommodation is. Being tired our first impression wasn't that great - we'd been ripped off on the bus journey from the border (forcibly kicked off a bus we paid for in view of the border police and then sent to an identical bus behind that happened to be charging 50% more once the ...

... 737-800 landed with about 30 minutes delay at 11.30 PM Hanoi time. At the Airport I was picked up by the prearranged shuttle bus which brought me straight to my hotel. For the next 2 days I stayed at the Golden Sun 2 Hotel which was situated in the middle of the old town of Hanoi which was quite nice and convenient. Once I arrived at my hotel I immediately went to sleep as it was already quite late.

The next morning I got up at 09.00 AM and had my breakfast which was ...

... that numbed my butt. Sounds of the city evaporated in the hot sun. Birds were singing, and the melodic rhythm of the oar dipping into the water as the women rowed was soothing.

Within an hour we reached the base of the mountain, where a lunch of rice, omellette, tofu, chicken stir fry, cabbage and spring rolls was served. We ate communal style. It was tasty!

Toward the end of lunch Hong went around the table asking who wanted to take the cable ...

... time to Halong Bay. The first day was spent relaxing after Sapa and booking on one of the hundreds of Halong Bay options. We went for a trip on “The Black Pearl”, but more on that a bit later. The second day back in Hanoi, was our second attempt at visiting the Museum of Ethnology and I’m pleased to report that this time things went without a hitch. The museum was pretty good and told about all of the tribes in Vietnam, explaining where they’re based, what they ...

... fan-only room from the day before. We declined that, and asked about the hotel we had just come from, but were told that it was booked solid already.

So we decided to leave our packs at the guesthouse and go searching around. We must have gone into around 10 hotels and guest houses looking for an acceptable place, the prices ranged from $9 up to around $55. In the end we opted for a place very close to where we stayed the previous nights in Hanoi for $12 ...

... be better to have him on show. It was his hundredth birthday a few days before we got to 'Nam, and this could explain the number of visitors. Afterwards I had a little time to walk around, before collecting my things and walking back to the Old Quarter. It was only a few k's and I wanted to have a wander about. Took quite a few photos along the way, including some of a massive statue of Lenin (they do love their Communists!). On the way ...

... to say 'hello'. However, I cannot say the same about the large towns and cities. While I was researching routes for Vietnam I came across several cycling blogs or forums where people were divided about Vietnam. One guy said 'I didn't like Vietnam. I didn't like the people or the fact that I felt ripped off at every given opportunity'. I thought that was a bit harsh at the time, but now I have to agree to a certain extent. In our opinion, Vietnam is ...

... book called "The Girl in the Photograph" which was about the girl famously photographed running away from an American napalm strike with arms outstretched) and I'm excited about having a good look around the old 'northern' capital.

Things have certainly changed since the late 60s/early 70s but you can tell that we're still in a very 'socialist' country, there are police and officials everywhere for example.

Hanoi, Vietnam al_fey

... fingers. They work. I move my arms and legs. Everything works. Right now I know only one thing- I’ve got to get out of here. With that single goal I jump out of bed and gather my things. This is no time for half-way measures. The activity and motion make me feel better, as if I’m re-gaining some control over my situation. I get outta’ there lickety-split. The family’s kid is sorry to see me go, since we’d hit it off pretty ...