Finally, a proper backpackers hostel

Trip Start May 06, 2007

153

166

Trip End Jul 24, 2008

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Where I stayed

Hanoi Backpackers Hostel

(Hanoi hotels)

Flag of Vietnam Hanoi, Vietnam
Friday, June 6, 2008

After another night bus, this time thankfully uneventful, I parted ways with Lysiane and Maryse who were headed to visit a friend in Haiphong, and checked into the only actual backpackers hostel in Vietnam. While I don't exactly love dorm rooms, it was really nice to be in a place filled with other backpackers, many of whom are traveling alone. Plus there was a TV lounge area with a large collection of copy dvds. It felt almost like being back at home, or at least back in one of the myriad of hostels I had stayed in throughout South America, Europe, or Japan.

My first day in Hanoi was pretty much a bust as I spent most of my time sleeping or attempting to keep myself awake. If I slept on night buses they wouldn't be nearly as bad as they are. But hopefully this was my last one. I think everywhere else I'm going will be short enough distances that I can easily travel during the day. (To be fair, there was an option for me to take the train during the day from Hue to Hanoi, but it would have cost me $35 compared to the free bus ticket I was given by the Dutch couple who had bought a set of tickets to travel all through Vietnam and then decided to fly from Hue to Hanoi.)

My first impression of Hanoi was a big, bustling city with a very pretty lake and a lot of motorbikes, though not nearly as many as Saigon. I spent my second day researching trips to Halong Bay and exploring the Old Town. The Old Town area is filled with rather narrow streets each selling a specific thing - like shoes or stuffed animals or motorbike parts or underwear. It's like a market spread out across a 30 block area. While I wavered a bit about which tour to join to Halong Bay, I eventually decided to go on the 3-day tour offered through the hostel because I knew it would be a younger group of people and I wouldn't be stuck on a boat for two days with a bunch of couples in their 60s.