Kickin' it with a local


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Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi » Thuy An
February 3rd 2013
Published: February 6th 2013
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I have to admit, while I did miss the comforts of a hotel (small luxuries like a tv and private bathroom) hostel accommodation isn't really that bad. I was woken up regularly with people coming in and out and looking for something that was clearly right at the bottom of their bag, but generally the bed was comfy. I was in the Hanoi Backpackers Hostel Downtown in the Old Quarter and gets great reviews online - I second them.

Today I was meeting up with a travel mate from an organisation called Hanoi kids. I had a few hours free first though so headed out to the streets for a wander. I am no longer phased by the motorbikes and feel confident walking through the streets without getting knocked over, but it does still amuse me to watch near misses and see just how much one can fit on the back of a motorbike! I found some mascara and had a $3 breakfast at the hostel.

When Bok (I think this is right) arrived from Hanoi Kids, we wandered through Old Quarter down past the lake of the restored sword (where he told me the legend of the turtle and king) and to the prison. Following that, we went to visit the flower market. Because it was just days out from Tet, the national holiday, the market was thriving as the flowers and trees grown there are only for the Tet holiday. People hire the trees for decoration, almost every home has one. They cost about $3 to hire which most people can afford, or $25 for the large ones which only the wealthy can afford. A very cool thing to see. The funniest thing was in the main area where people viewed the flowers - a man came along and stripped a tree bare by simply unwinding the fake flower stems. Then he pulled out the bundles of new ones and began redressing the tree. The rest of the market was real where the trees were growing so I was shocked!

Bok then took me to three authentic Vietnamese retaurants, where you sit on plastic chairs about 30cm high and eat at plastic tables about 40cm high. One was for a pillow cake and a fried sour nem, one was for a fruit and milk snack which was amazing and the other was known for its egg coffee and egg chocolate (so creamy!). In Vietnam, they go the places they specialise in, so you could visit several places just for dinner / snacks.

I recommend Hanoi Kids - it's a free service, you just need to give heaps of notice by email as the book out quickly. They are students in their 2nd or 3rd year university who wish to improve their English language skills. The progam is very strict on recruitment and training. They are not tour guides so don't expect this kind of service - it's like meeting up with your mum's hairdresser's friend's nephew! A great local insight into the culture and nice to exchange with teaching some of your own.

I was boarding my first ever night train to Sapa that night so quickly had some pho on a street side set up. I then met up with a group I was travelling with at my hostel and we made our way to the station. We had some time to enjoy a beer and get to know each other before jumping aboard. I was bunked with one from the group from Holland and a Thai couple. All nice people and noone snored so it was a pleasant trip.

I awoke about 5:30am to knocking on the door - a very long day had begun.

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