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Arrival in Hanoi

Posted by Stuart at 02:00 PM on April 13, 2006

And I thought the streets of Bangkok were chaotic...

We arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam late last night. Luckily, we had made reservations by email with a guest house that had airport pickup. It was a 45 minute ride into the city, and it was immediately obvious that traffic laws (the few that exist) are even more ignored here than in Bangkok.

Our driver layed on the horn every few minutes to tell motorcycle drivers that we were coming. And from the looks of it, it was good to let them know. Otherwise they would just swerve and turn in front of you with no warning. Most cars on the highway had their bright lights on as well. So it was a bumpy, blinding, swerving, and loud honking ride to the guest house. We all decided that we would be doing no driving in Hanoi, in a car or a motorbike.

We are staying at the Classic Street Hotel in the old part of the city. It is a nice place - decent sized, clean rooms in a good location for US$25 including a tasty breakfast. Last night after checking in we walked around the old town a bit, and around the Hoan Kiem Lake enjoying the cool breeze. A midnight snack consisted of a US$1 big bowl of noodles and a 70 cent bottle of bia ha noi.

Today, Rupert and Piyawat are hitting the sights, while I am busy in a Internet cafe doing work. That wasn't a complaint, however. My real vacation will start on an overnight trip to Halong Bay on the coast tomorrow.