Hanoi

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We arrived in Hanoi about 6.30 am, we had been told it would be cold, but to be honest I thought it might be 20 degrees as opposed to the 30 plus degrees we had become used too. Dressed in just shorts, vest and flipflops and on the back of a motorbike to our hostel, the rain and 9 degree temperature was a bit of a shock, we were bloody freezing and it just about topped off the 36 hour bus trip we had just endured!

Normally we ask for a fan or air conditioned room, not this time, we wanted a hot shower and a bloody open fire, we got the hot shower at least and I spent about an hour in there trying to get the feeling back in my feet!

Still shocked at the cold we decided to explore, we hadn’t used any warm clothes yet but this time the thermals were out, as were the hooded tops, I know your probably all laughing as its not actually that cold but can assure you it is when you have been in baking sun for around 2 months, hard life I know!

Spent the next 3 or 4 days getting lost really, now this place really was a labyrinth, Dave is normally chief navigator but even this time he struggled, we literally got lost every time we left our hostel, the night the whole city was in darkness from a power cut was particularly fun, didn’t have a Scooby doo where we were and you cant take shops and stuff as landmarks as they are all called something you cant pronounce!

Unlike Saigon, Hanoi apart from being cold was very Grey a true communist Capital and to be honest there was very little to do, we did some shopping and bought some Sunglasses, those who thought Dave’s last one were a bit moody, wait till you see these ones!! Shopping was pretty good even though we couldn’t really buy much as our bags are jam-packed, London could take a lesson from them to be honest, everything arranged in order, one street all sunglasses, one road all shoes, one road all bags, you get the jist!

Very little to see here, well in our opinion anyways and didn’t really fancy going to see the dead king who has been stuffed and displayed in a glass cabinet, mainly because they wouldn’t let us take cameras in!

Stayed for a few days before deciding enough was enough, we needed sunshine so booked our ticket to our next country Laos.

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Photos

Grey
A very grey Hanoi building

Lake
The main focal point, most shops and bars were around this lake.

Cold
Dressed in warm clothes for the first time.

Happy
You can see the joy in my face at the Climate.

Teen Wolf
Dont you think his glasses look like something out of an 80's teen film? I do and he has had some stick!

Cyclos
Dave running the gauntlet of crossing the roads through the Cyclos

Aerial
Aerial shot of around the lake.

Shoe Street
Just one of the hundred or so shoe shops on 1 road.

Toni and Gay
Dave cutting his own hair, clippers would do a better job i think. Oh he was using the scissors on a Swiss army knife too!

Comments

[Bruce]

One thing Guernsey has in common
Hi Gary, really enjoying those blogs. I was in Guernsey last week and the only thing in common with Honoi was the weather you had on the day and the grey buildings. Keep on boozing.......