Day 2 - Hanoi

Our first day in Vietnam! What an overwhelming experience! We were up bright and early thanks to the time zone difference and set off for the airport with a man I'm convinced had tuberculosis - poor guy, he just kept coughing and coughing the whole way there - then onto the plane and suddenly, we were here! The trip into Hanoi was the first jolt of reality - it was amazing - passing 3 and 4 people on a tiny motorcycle, cars going through red lights, everyone travelling on whatever side of the road they felt like - I'd never seen anything like it. And the building were spectacular - a jumbled mix of high rise-type 1 room dwellings interspersed with shacks and shanties of every description. And people everywhere!

Sadly our first chance to haggle went awry, with us trying to convince the taxi driver that $20 was too much (the guidebook says $10 at the most) to no success sadly. We'll just have to get tougher I guess (or just enjoy the fact that we're helping people who really need it without breaking the bank). Then, laden down with bags, we made our way into the gorgeous Salute Hotel. The staff were very friendly and our room is bright and clean so I'm a happy girl!


Tracey in the Salute Hotel lobby

After a few minutes of unpacking and settling in, we set out into the bright brave world of the Old Quarter - what an experience! There were people absolutely everywhere, packed into tiny streets of shops and stalls and passing motorcycles, with honking and yelling raining down from every direction. It's almost impossible to describe this place, it's a feast for all the senses where you can't help but be a glutton.


Tracey on the streets of Hanoi

We had some great experiences while journeying along - bartering prices (we're determined to go lower and lower today!), deciding on goods (curse the 20kg weight limit!), and testing the waters of food choice (it's a great opportunity for weight loss). After walking up and down a few side streets and seeing the types of fare on offer we decided on the small, clean-ish Chuc Link, where sadly, it turned out spaghetti is nothing like we know it at home (I'm pretty sure I ate some dog tonight... *shudder*)

After dinner, we decided to set off home, exhausted from the lovely combination of sleep deprivation and culture shock, the second of which we had in spades! Tracey and I both fancied ourselves quite cosmopolitan-ready for anything the world could throw at us-type individuals, so when the fear set in that we might be in over our heads in a place where we didn't speak the language, couldn't eat the food, and couldn't even stop to catch our breath without being run over by large crowds, motorcycles, buses, or any combination of all three, we both decided not to say anything to each other about our fears and just hope for a better day the next time out (since then we have both revealed how we were feeling and had a good laugh because after all, the next day out was fantastic and all ended well, but for awhile there, it was a bit touch and go... should we just get back in a taxi and head to the airport? VERY glad we toughed it out).

So, back to our room, via perhaps the longest route known to man (I think we dipped into China at one point) since we got a bit lost but the good news, it was one more welcome chance for shopping (Milla got the most beautiful ao dai - These long flowing dresses worn over loose-fitting trousers that are considered to be the national dress of Vietnamese women).



And now, after some very dazed card playing it's off to sleep! Chuc ngu ngon (good night).