Good Morning Vietnam

We arrived in Hanoi after a scary flight from Louang Phabang. The plane was quiet small and I say it would hold approximately 30 people. There is one thing I would recommend and that is if you are going to another country and you don't know anything about it, book a hotel that offers a free pick-up service. We, (well I) found a hotel in the old quarters of Hanoi called "Little Hanoi Hotel" and they offered free pick-up from the airport which is 35km from the city. The hotel was around 15USD per night so it wasn't that bad.

First thing I realised about Vietnam is that the cars, bikes and even bicycles LOVE to beep....It seems like they will use the horn to let you know that they are on the road and move the feck over, BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. It was a bit crazy all right. I just didn't know how to cross the road...they dont STOP. We met a lady from Oz in the hotel and she said you just cross the road at a steady pace, don't run and they will avoid you. What the hell??? We have been thought since we can walk to look left, look right and make sure that there are no cars or bikes coming. This is not possible in Vietnam, you just cross the road and look at the drivers in the eyes and they will avoid you.

I really like Hanoi..It's a really cool and crazy place. We meet a couple of Paddy's and we were drinking on the side of the road with the locals (just in case, we were not knacker drinking) There are stalls that sell food and drink and there are loads of little stools and tables (like the kids table for dinner) set up outside on the walkways. A local beer was only 3,000 dongs (which is 0.12 Euros)....you can get pissed on a Euro, crazy or what. We walked everywhere and at one stage Liz was going to faint because it was around 34oC..really hot!

We walked to "The Lake of the Restored Sword" which is a lake in the middle of the city... to tell you the truth it was too hot that day and all I can remember is crossing the red bridge to a small island in the middle of the lake and seeing a giant turtle (I think he was 12kg in weight). At every opportunity we looked for a place with air-condition and stayed there for about 10-15 minutes to cool off.

One of the night we went to the Thang Long Water puppet theatre. It is a puppet show that dates back to the 1960s. It's kindda boring for 21st century entertainment but one has to remember that back then, this was a sh1t hot show. A western couple walked out after the first 15 minutes but they don't realise that this show is not designed for the 21st century. Puppet masters controlling puppets on water accompanied by a live Vietnamese opera.

Overall Hanoi is a cosmopolitan city and I believe you must visit more down south to experience the real Vietnam. This is where our journey begins....