Arriving in Hanoi...

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So our journey began at Heathrow with a 12 1/2 hour flight to Kuala Lumpur. There we had a 16 hour lay over which meant we had to sleep in the airport... Before tucking into some noodles and settling down we decided to take a trip through a 'Jungle boardwalk' in the middle of the airport which was a good discovery! Our next task was to find somewhere to sleep. After trying and failing to get some sleep after 6 hours in reclining chairs, we camped out at Starbucks which proved to be a lot comfier and after a midnight snack of eating porridge through straws we finally got some sleep.

After a long night and dodgy squat toilets, we were finally able to board our flight to Hanoi. For the second time, Malaysia Air served up curry for breakfast...this time the 3 hour flgiht to Hanoi didn't seem so bad as we were able to catch up on sleep and we were there in no time.

Once we arrived the heat and sheer humidity was the first thing we noticed, a comfortable 37degrees but no sun. The manic bustle exasperated the situation. Once we had figured out the exchage rate our next task was to find the bus to take us to the city. Offerings of lifts were thrown at us by taxi and moped drivers repeatedly but finally after making our way through the crowds we found the correct shuttle but of course we were short changed. The cramped, rickety bus was even more humid on the inside so we had to endure that for an hour more. The traffic was crazy and someone needs to show drivers how to use roundabouts. We got off at the last stop and as soon as the bus disappeared we were once again surrounded by offers of Moped rides claiming to be 'safe'! Instead we decided to walk so we trekked along what seemed like the main street looking for our Hostel with our massive bags...locals were amused. In the end it took us less than 15 minutes to find and our route took us along lots of street food markets.

Luckily the Hostel is great, and teeming with other backpackers our age. The rooms are really nice and clean, definitly going to sleep well tonight...

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Comments

[Sue Minton]

Hi from Sue
Hi you two- I'm very impressed!!! Good for you going off on your own. Hope you have a wonderful time and lots of advebntures! Love & best wirshes from Sue.

[livandrose]

Hi!
Aw thanks, we're having a lot of fun. Hope you're well :) Love Rose and Liv

[Cyrus]

Blog 1
Do locals speak english? Are you taking photos? How big are your "massive bags?" Are there distinctive aromas? I'm glad you didn't take mopeds. Don't separate when going place to place. The Hostel sounds like an oasis (mahaiya) after your arduous journey. I guess you are meeting people your age from all over the world. Great. I might take a tiny apartment right in the middle of Beverly Hills on a lovely street 2 blocks from all the sites. No pool. Street permit parking. Won't be able to move in for about 3 weeks. Leaving Barbara's tomorrow. Blog is a terrific idea. Enjoy Love Dad

[Cyrus]

Cell phone.
Is your cell phone completely kaput, done gone? Does Liv have a phone? How are you able to blog?

[livandrose]

Hi
yeah it's not turning on so i'm going to try and fix it or get a new one. Liv has one but it's also playing up and not receiving stuff. Blog from the computers at the Hostel. Apartment sounds good :). Yeah there are loads of different smells. The same bag I took on World Challenge. Some speak a little bit, and yeah we'll stay together and yes i'm taking lots of photos!

[Jessica Matthews]

Wow! Have a lovely adventure.
Just discovered your blog. What a fantastic adventure - will look forward to following you. XX

[livandrose]

Hi!
Thank you! We'll keep you updated with everything! Hope you're well

[Lynne]

Glad you both arrived safely.
Glad you are being sensible re the mopeds! Hope the humidity is copyable with. Looking forward to hearing more. Much love

[livandrose]

Hi
Thanks, we'll post more tmrw

[Jake]

Hi
Sounds like your having lots of fun! The blog is such a good idea, and if the driving is really that bad, a cycle trip in asia may be a bad idea! Jake xx