Goodbye Tokyo, Japan! Hello Hanoi, Vietnam!

Trip Start Aug 30, 2006
1
9
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Trip End Jul 16, 2007


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Friday, September 8, 2006

Final packing and shopping for thank you gifts for Richard, Owen and Visal. Then off to train station to catch the Narita Express to the airport. Hot, sweaty and in a mad rush, Mel and I lugged all our luggage to the train station and up 2 flights of stairs. Felt like climbing Mt Fuji again. And we JUST missed the train. DAMN! Had to wait another hour.

Finally caught the flight at 6:15pm and landed in Hanoi, Vietnam at 9:30pm Vietnam time. Headed straight to Internet Cafe at airport to book a hotel room (Viet Anh Hotel) from the Lonely Planet guide.

Welcome to Hanoi - the taxi ride from hell

Hopped into a taxi and what should have been a 40 minute ride to the Viet Anh Hotel turned into more then an hour of frustration. The taxi driver tried to pull a scam on us. After driving for about half an hour, a guy on a scooter (the taxi drivers friend) pulled us over and opened Mel's door. He wanted us to go to his hotel. We firmly said NO we want to go to our hotel and refused to budge. Then for 20 minutes the driver pretended he didn't know where he was going, kept calling his friend and stopping the taxi. We had to forcefully tell him NO - keep driving and not to follow his friend. If he did not we wouldn't pay and call the police.

Eventually I got out of the car and flagged down 2 guys on a scooter. Yelling "do you speak English? The taxi drive won't take us to our hotel". Turns out our hotel was in the next street and the guys on the scooter told the taxi driver. When we got to the hotel we blasted the driver and the hotel staff were really helpful.

Phew!! What a introduction to Vietnam.
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